Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq fall as chip stocks sell off, bond yields rattle markets

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq fall as chip stocks sell off, bond yields rattle markets Grace O'Donnell · Editor, Special Projects Updated Tue, August 18, 2026 at 10:02 PM GMT+2 1 min read US stocks fell on Tuesday as tech stocks sold off and elevated oil prices and government bond yields weighed on markets. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) fell 1. 3%, leading the major indexes lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) declined by 0. 2%, while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) pulled back by 0. 6%, extending losses after a downbeat start to the trading week.

Oil prices climbed to their highest level in over two weeks after President Trump said he intends to inflict more economic pain on Iran and threatened to "bomb" Oman if it interferes with the US's plans for the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude ( BZ=F ) futures, the international benchmark, traded near $91 per barrel, and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude futures ( CL=F ) rose to $84 per barrel as the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve plunged to its lowest level since 1982 . Rising oil, an AI borrowing spree , and concerns over government borrowing have also lifted bond yields globally in recent days.

The 10-year Treasury yield ( ^TNX ) eased somewhat but remained elevated at 4. 70%, and the 30-year yield ( ^TYX ) held near a 19-year high. Earnings, meanwhile, have supported equities so far this reporting season.

While the second quarter reporting period has slowed, Home Depot's ( HD ) stock was little changed after reporting an improvement in sales for the second quarter as customers leaned toward smaller projects over the summer, and Klarna ( KLAR ) stock plunged on a trimmed outlook. LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 14 updates Tue, August 18, 2026 at 8:14 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Nasdaq leads indexes lower as chip stocks sell off Stocks extended losses on Tuesday as inflation concerns lingered amid higher oil prices and Treasury yields. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) fell 1.

3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) slid by 0. 1%.

And the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) moved lower by 0. 3%. Nasdaq heatmap as of the close.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) fell more than 2% amid a sell-off in semiconductor stocks, with names like AMD ( AMD ) and Intel ( INTC ) also sinking. While Treasury yields halted their march higher, with the closely watched 30-year yield ( ^TYX ) moving down by 2 basis points to 5. 29%, higher yields still weighed on markets as investors assessed what higher borrowing costs might mean for consumers and capex-heavy industries like artificial intelligence.

Tue, August 18, 2026 at 7:14 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell CoreWeave, Nebius, and other neocloud stocks drop amid AI fears Neocloud stocks were among the hardest-hit in tech, as concerns about higher borrowing costs and hyperscalers’ AI commitments rattled investors. Shares of CoreWeave ( CRWV ) fell 11%, while Nebius ( NBIS ) dropped 8% on Tuesday. TeraWulf ( WULF ), a bitcoin miner turned high-performance compute provider, plunged 12%.

All three companies are cloud infrastructure providers for AI demand, renting out graphics processing units (GPUs) to companies to power their artificial intelligence workloads. They’re looking to grow rapidly by building out data centers, requiring massive capital outlays financed by debt and backed by companies’ revenue commitments. The stocks were under pressure because climbing bond yields raise the cost of that capital.

At the same time, a Wall Street Journal analysis showed that Big Tech’s AI commitments aren’t all reflected on their balance sheets, raising concerns about the ecosystem if AI demand falls short of expectations. Tue, August 18, 2026 at 6:03 PM UTC Jared Blikre Chip-stock bears are back in control. Here's how to play the downside with limited risk.

The chip comeback just hit a wall. Now the iShares Semiconductor ETF ( SOXX ) is having its worst day since July. More important is where the reversal began.

SOXX closed Monday at $559. 12, less than a dollar from the 50% retracement of its June-to-July plunge — and almost directly on top of its 50-day moving average . That convergence around $560 turned into a ceiling Tuesday, with SOXX falling more than 5% and breaking back below the 38.

2% Fibonacci retracement level near $538. Monday, SOXX rallied almost exactly into the blue dotted line at $560 — the halfway point of its recent selloff and roughly where its 50-day moving average in yellow sits. Tuesday's reversal knocked it back below the red 38.

2% retracement near $538; a recovery above the green 61. 8% level near $583 would put the bears on the defensive. · Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace That puts bears back in control of the short-term trade, even as semiconductors remain in a longer-term uptrend.

SOXX is not alone. Micron ( MU ) and Sandisk ( SNDK ) both pushed above the halfway marks of their own June-to-July collapses Monday, then fell back below them Tuesday as each dropped more than 5%. Nvidia ( NVDA ) has held up better and remains much closer to its 2026 highs.

Read more. Tue, August 18, 2026 at 4:55 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Gold slips on higher bond yields. When is it a good inflation hedge?

Gold prices slipped on Tuesday as rising bond yields and a lack of progress on a US-Iran deal created headwinds for the precious metal. Futures ( GC=F ) declined by 1% to $4,423. 90 per troy ounce.

Gold miner stocks, including Newmont ( NEM ) and Barrick ( B ), also fell in afternoon trading. Wells Fargo Investment Institute cut its price target on gold for 2026 to $4,900 to $5,100 an ounce from the previous range of $5,300 to $5,500. Bob Iaccino, co-founder and chief investment officer of the Unfiltered Investor Newsletter, said he expects gold to recover from here, however.

He explained that the recent jump in the 30-year Treasury yield ( ^TYX ) implies an inflationary story rather than an economic growth story, and that it can serve as a forward-looking signal for Fed policy shifts. “Gold is an inflation hedge if the Fed is not fighting inflation,” Iaccino told Yahoo Finance’s Julie Hyman . “If the Fed is fighting inflation, then gold suffers — it's not as good of a hedge because the competition for gold is short-term interest rates.

So if those are going up, gold goes down, and vice versa. ” Iaccino put a Buy rating on the VanEck Gold Miners ETF ( GDX ), noting that he expects miners to outperform the commodity itself. “Gold miners tend to have very fixed cost structures,” he said.

“So when gold gets to a price and stays there, their profit margins widen because their costs don't necessarily increase incrementally with the price of gold. ” Tue, August 18, 2026 at 3:40 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell New 50% tariffs on Canadian goods are scheduled to take effect at midnight Yahoo Finance’s Ben Werschkul reports: A suite of new tariffs on Canadian goods is set to take effect at midnight tonight unless ongoing talks between President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and their teams yield a path to averting the new duties. Last month, Trump announced 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods in response to what the US claims are discriminatory trade practices around automobiles , alcohol , and dairy products.

The new tariffs could have limited immediate macroeconomic effects — analyses have shown they apply to only about 5% of Canadian goods that the US imported last year — but success or failure this week could provide a major signal about the prospects for renewal of the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA). Read more. Tue, August 18, 2026 at 2:57 PM UTC Claire Boston Highest mortgage rates of the year drag home contract signings lower Home contract signings dropped in July as mortgage rates ticked higher, a sign that sales may slow later this year.

Pending home sales, a measure of homes going under contract, fell 2. 3% in July from a month earlier and 2. 2% from a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Contract signings typically take place a month or two before a sale, making them an early indicator of future sales activity. "The highest mortgage rates of the year hit right in the middle of summer, and that's pulling back contract signings," NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement. "Home prices are at record highs so houses for sale are sitting on the market longer, and fewer buyers are bidding above the asking price than a year ago, though there are large local market variations.

" Read more. A sale pending sign hangs in front of a new home under construction in Wexford, Penn. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) · ASSOCIATED PRESS Tue, August 18, 2026 at 2:31 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Chip stocks are selling off Semiconductor stocks pulled back on Tuesday as anxieties over rising borrowing costs and inflation eroded investor confidence in tech and AI-related names.

The PHLX Semiconductor Index ( ^SOX ) dropped as much as 5% and was on track for its worst day in over two weeks. The index’s major components, Nvidia ( NVDA ), Taiwan Semiconductor ( TSM ), and Broadcom ( AVGO ), fell by over 2%. Micron ( MU ), meanwhile, dropped 5%, and Intel ( INTC ) shed 6%.

Memory chip makers also sold off, with Sandisk ( SNDK ) and SK Hynix ( SKHY ) falling 6%. Others in the space, such as Marvell ( MRVL ) and Seagate Technologies ( STX ), also dropped 6%. Applied Materials ( AMAT ) sank 5%.

Tue, August 18, 2026 at 1:36 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Stocks fall amid global bond rout Stocks fell at the open as inflation concerns revived, fueling a global bond sell-off. The Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) fell 1. 2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) dropped 0.

3%, and the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) fell 0. 6%. Rising bond yields brought tech stocks under pressure, with Nvidia ( NVDA ) shares falling 2%.

Here’s a look at the sector action at the open, per AlphaSpace data. Stocks fall at the open In other individual names, Klarna ( KLAR ) stock plunged 18% after the Swedish buy now, pay later firm cut its guidance on a measure of sales, which eclipsed the company’s surprise profit in the latest quarter. Treasury yields kept steadily climbing.

The 30-year yield ( ^TYX ) hit 5. 32%, trading at its highest level since 2007. The 10-year yield ( ^TNX ) edged up to 4.

73%. Tue, August 18, 2026 at 1:07 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Meta to face massive social media addiction trial Tuesday Meta ( META ) stock fell in premarket trading ahead of a social media addiction trial scheduled to begin on Tuesday. The stock is off by over 4% over the past five days.

Yahoo Finance’s Dan Howley previews what to expect from the trial: Meta will face off against attorneys general from several states in an Oakland, Calif. , courtroom on Tuesday as part of a major lawsuit alleging that the company violated child safety and consumer protection laws and harmed children's mental health. The trial, which begins on Tuesday and is being held in front of District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in US District Court for the Northern District of California, is part of a lawsuit filed by 29 states in 2023 and will serve as a kind of bellwether for future proceedings.

California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are taking part in the trial, which is expected to include testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. In the suit, the plaintiffs claim that Meta "developed and refined a set of psychologically manipulative platform features designed to maximize young users' time spent on its social media platforms," including infinite scroll, autoplay, likes, and more. Read more.

Tue, August 18, 2026 at 12:09 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Nasdaq plans to add night trading session, bringing exchange closer to 24-hour trading The Nasdaq announced it plans to add an overnight trading session, allowing investors to trade stocks for nearly 23 hours per day. Starting on Sunday, Dec. 6, the Nasdaq aims to offer a night session from 9 p.

m. to 4 am ET, giving investors in Asia and Europe broader access to trading in their time zones. The new session would be in addition to the Nasdaq’s premarket session, which runs from 4 a.

m. to 9:30 a. m.

, and the after-hours session, from 4 p. m. to 8 p.

m. ET. The move will be subject to SEC approval first.

“Global investor needs have evolved, and we’re responding with a deliberate, disciplined approach that prioritizes market integrity and investor confidence above all else,” Nasdaq said in a statement. Tue, August 18, 2026 at 11:36 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Home Depot Q2 earnings beat Wall Street's forecast as customers stick to small projects Yahoo Finance’s Brooke DiPalma reports: Home Depot ( HD ) beat Wall Street's metrics across the board in the second quarter as its customers focused on smaller projects. Revenue grew by nearly 6% in the quarter to $47.

9 billion, above the $47. 3 billion analysts forecast, per Bloomberg estimates. Adjusted earnings grew 0.

2% to $4. 79, more than the $4. 73 predicted.

"We saw broad based demand across the business as customers continued to engage in smaller projects," CFO Richard McPhail said in the release. McPhail and senior executive vice president Ann-Marie Campbell are temporarily leading the company while CEO Ted Decker takes medical leave. Customers visited Home Depot less frequently during the quarter but spent more when they did.

Same-store sales increased 1. 7%, more than the roughly 1% expected, and US same-store sales jumped 1. 3%, higher than the 0.

9% expected. Read more. Tue, August 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC Jared Blikre The bond market is daring the Fed to hike Wall Street is backing away from a September Fed hike.

The bond market is going the other way. The implied chance of a hike at the Federal Reserve's Sept. 16 meeting has fallen from nearly 100% in late July to roughly one-third.

Over the same stretch, the 30-year Treasury yield ( ^TYX ) has climbed from about 5. 09% to 5. 31%, its highest level since 2007.

Chances of a September hike have plunged since late July, while the 30-year Treasury yield has climbed to 5. 31%. · Bloomberg, Bianco Research, Yahoo Finance At first glance, those moves look backward.

If investors expect less tightening from the Fed, longer-term borrowing costs might be expected to ease as well. Instead, they are rising. That puts Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh back in an increasingly familiar spot, caught between what the central bank is doing and what financial markets appear to want.

Read more. Tue, August 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Good morning. Here's what's happening today.

Economic data: ADP weekly employment, Aug. 1 (+8,250 previously); New York Fed services, August (8. 7 previously); Import price index, month-on-month, July (+0.

1% expected, +0. 3% previously); Import price index, year-on-year, July (+7. 1% previously); Export price index, month-on-month, July (0% expected, -0.

6% previously); Export price index, year-on-year, July (+10. 2% previously); Housing starts, month-on-month, July (-5. 8% expected, +19% previously); Industrial production, month-on-month, July (+0.

3% expected, +0. 1% previously); Manufacturing production, month-on-month, July (+0. 2% expected, 0% previously); Earnings calendar: Home Depot ( HD ), Keysight Technologies ( KEYS ), Baidu, Inc.

( BIDU ), Pony AI ( PONY ), Toll Brothers ( TOL ), Urban Outfitters ( URBN ) Catch up on stories you might have missed overnight: Asia shares decline as worries about rising oil prices outweigh boost from strong earnings Meta stares down trillion-dollar threat as landmark social media trial begins Alphabet kicks off Aussie dollar bond sale as AI spending soars Google to buy Spirit Airlines business data for $10 million Americans could soon pay a lot more for strawberries Tue, August 18, 2026 at 8:00 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Oil prices advanced for a third straight day on Tuesday after a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran expired, with neither party expressing interest in extending the blueprint for a truce. Brent ( BZ=F ) rose to $91, while West Texas Intermediate ( CL=F ) rose above $85 a barrel. Bloomberg reports on the Middle East tensions driving oil prices: The two sides remain far apart on a host of issues, including the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran is negotiating with Oman on how the critical waterway should be managed, although Washington is not part of those discussions. Other officials signaled Washington was in no hurry to end a conflict now approaching the end of its sixth month. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News that the US was playing the long game with the Islamic Republic, while envoy Jared Kushner said Trump would be patient on a deal.

Crude has rallied almost 50% this year as the war dragged on, impeding flows of energy from the Middle East. Still, Persian Gulf producers appear to be increasingly adept at shuttling oil through Hormuz to reach global customers. Saudi Arabia is now offering cargoes from outside the chokepoint, a sign the kingdom may be following the United Arab Emirates in getting barrels out.

Read more.