Nasdaq 100 Selloff Deepens as Index Sinks 6.36%, Its Worst Day Since 2020

The Nasdaq 100 selloff deepened on Thursday as the index fell 6.36%, its worst day since 2020, according to investingLive. The decline spread well beyond the AI trade, and the Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500 and Dow all recorded their worst session since April 2025.

Key points

• The Nasdaq 100 closed at 26,629.81, down 1,807.36 points, according to investingLive.
• The Nasdaq Composite lost 5.52%, the S&P 500 fell 4.35%, and the Dow dropped 1,833.16 points (−3.44%).
• All 30 Dow stocks closed lower, and 22 individual stocks on the closing watchlist fell at least 10%.
• Sandisk (−22.26%), Micron Technology (−17.46%) and Western Digital (−17.35%) led the losses in memory and storage.
• The Dow had surged nearly 1,600 points the previous day, and Thursday's drop erased that gain and more.

What happened in the Nasdaq 100 selloff

According to investingLive, the Nasdaq 100 fell 6.36% as investors sold a wide range of technology holdings, from memory and storage makers to chip equipment producers and data-center suppliers. The Russell 2000 also slid 4.45%, showing that the weakness reached smaller companies as well.

The session reversed a strong prior day. After the Dow's rally, every one of its 30 components finished lower on Thursday. The selling was most intense in the AI trade, but by the close it had moved into areas well outside that group.

Market breadth confirmed how broad the decline was. S&P 500 decliners outnumbered advancers 411 to 75. On the Nasdaq, 2,822 stocks fell and 463 rose, while the NYSE Composite showed 1,512 down and 288 up.

Losses across the chip and data-center supply chain were heavy. Among chip designers, AMD fell 17.26%, Arm Holdings 13.08%, Taiwan Semiconductor 10.78%, Broadcom 10.43% and Intel 10.33%. Networking and optics names fell even harder, with Astera Labs down 19.62%, Lumentum 18.68% and Credo Technology 17.71%.

Chip equipment makers also sold off. Lam Research dropped 16.36%, Applied Materials 13.58% and KLA 13.35%. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) closed 11.21% lower.

The Magnificent Seven had no gainers, but the damage varied widely. Tesla (−10.77%) and Nvidia (−9.26%) were the only two to fall more than the S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite and the Nasdaq 100. Apple held up best at −1.53%, followed by Amazon (−2.19%) and Alphabet (−2.20%). Microsoft (−3.58%) and Meta Platforms (−3.96%) did better than the three broader indices but still fell more than the Dow.

On the Dow, Nvidia led the decline, followed by Cisco (−7.62%), Goldman Sachs (−6.44%), Caterpillar (−6.39%) and Honeywell (−5.55%). Verizon (−0.04%) and Coca-Cola (−0.07%) came closest to finishing flat.

Why it matters for traders

The session shows how concentrated market gains had become in AI-linked stocks. When a single theme drives a large share of index performance, a sharp reversal can pull down many sectors at once, which is what happened here.

Rates and safe-haven assets added another layer. According to investingLive, Treasury yields moved lower and gold gained as stocks fell. Lower yields often support growth stocks, but on Thursday they came alongside a broad retreat from risk and gave technology shares little relief.

Investors are also weighing what the midterm results could mean for the pace of the AI data-center buildout. That open question adds uncertainty for chip and infrastructure companies that depend on that spending.

Market reaction and data

The year-to-date figures in the same report, which carry an AP News credit, show a smaller hit. Measured from the December 31, 2025 close through November 5, all five major U.S. indices remain positive for 2026. The Nasdaq Composite's gain narrowed from about 10.7% to 4.6%, and the S&P 500's from about 12.3% to 7.4%.

Individual stocks show a similar split. Apple is roughly +27% year to date and Tesla about −24%. SanDisk, despite its drop of more than 20% on the day, is still up more than 200% for the year. Intuit (about −46%) and Oracle (−41%) are among the deepest year-to-date losses on the watchlist.

Crypto assets also fell. The table below uses Binance spot data from 6 November at 02:17 UTC, which was after the U.S. stock session ended.

For reference, ECB daily reference rates for 5 November put EUR/USD at 1.1224 and USD/JPY at 158.46. These are daily fixes rather than live quotes.

What to watch next

Several high-impact releases are scheduled for Friday, 6 November. All U.S. and Canadian data below are due at 13:30 UTC unless noted.

• CAD Employment Change: forecast 14.6K, previous -68.3K
• CAD Unemployment Rate: forecast 6.5%, previous 6.5%
• USD Non-Farm Employment Change: forecast 65K, previous 29K
• USD Average Hourly Earnings m/m: forecast 0.3%, previous 0.1%
• USD Unemployment Rate: forecast 4.2%, previous 4.2%
• BOJ Governor Ueda speaks at 16:00 UTC

According to investingLive's closing commentary, sellers remain in control. Traders will watch whether any bounce holds, whether more stocks take part, and whether Tesla and Nvidia keep their gains on a rebound.

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FAQ

What caused the Nasdaq 100 selloff?

According to investingLive, investors sold a broad group of technology stocks, including memory, chip, networking and data-center names. Lower Treasury yields and higher gold prices did not offset the broad move away from risk.

How did the Dow and other indices perform on the day?

The Dow lost 1,833.16 points (−3.44%), the S&P 500 fell 4.35%, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 5.52% and the Russell 2000 declined 4.45%. All 30 Dow stocks closed lower.

Are U.S. stock indices still up for 2026?

According to the report's year-to-date figures, all five major U.S. indices remain positive for 2026 after the November 5 selloff. The Russell 2000 is the only one still up double digits.