AI Data Center Stocks Plunge on Thursday, Erasing Wednesday's Gains After Midterm Results

Stocks tied to the buildout of AI data centers fell sharply on Thursday, erasing the previous day's gains, which had been the best in three months. The S&P 500 dropped more than 3%, on track for its worst day since markets were shaken by President Donald Trump's tariffs in April 2025. By 11 a.m. Eastern time the Dow was down 1,146 points, or 2.1%, and the Nasdaq composite was 5% lower. Nvidia fell 8.3%, Advanced Micro Devices tumbled 15.9% and South Korea's Kospi index dropped 5.3%. Investors have worried for months that expensive borrowing could slow new data center construction.

Right-leaning Newsmax and the Washington Times lead with the market drop and investors moving away from tech over fears of a data center slowdown. The Washington Times ties the reversal directly to Wednesday's rally after clear-cut midterm results, while Newsmax's headline uses "wipeout" and "reeling" language, and its visible excerpt does not mention the midterms. The left-leaning HuffPost, which carries AP copy, leads with the same wipeout but adds that Democratic midterm victories raised the possibility of government pauses on data center construction, which would reduce AI chip purchases. It also places the drop against the April 2025 tariff selloff. The alternative AP piece matches HuffPost's opening but its headline emphasizes the S&P 500 falling more than 3%. The sides agree on the core market moves, but the S&P decline appears as 3.2% in HuffPost and 3.9% in the AP excerpt. Newsmax and the Washington Times had not been checked for other figures beyond their openings.