Dow Slips as AI Slowdown Calls and Surging Oil Prices Test Wall Street's Nerve Ahead of the Fed Meeting
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 122.53 points, or 0.23%, to 52,450.76 in early trading Monday, as Wall Street opened the week under pressure from a fresh wave of warnings about the pace of artificial intelligence development and another sharp jump in oil prices tied to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The decline extended a rough pattern for U.S. stocks to start the trading week, with the three major indexes having now opened either mixed or lower for six consecutive weeks. The broader S&P 500 fell roughly 0.8% in early trading, putting it on track for its fifth decline in six sessions, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped about 1.2%, reflecting the outsized impact of the day's news on technology and semiconductor shares.
Nvidia, whose chips have powered much of the artificial intelligence boom of recent years, fell nearly 4% and was among the heaviest drags on the broader market. Other chipmakers came under similar pressure, with Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company all trading lower, alongside declines in optical component makers, data center operators and power-related stocks tied to the AI infrastructure buildout.
The selling was triggered by a weekend essay from Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei, who called on artificial intelligence companies to slow the pace at which they increase the capabilities of their models, citing safety concerns. Amodei's roughly 3,800-word post argued that a more........
