S&P 500 Posts Worst Day Since June to End October Lower as Nasdaq Logs Its Worst Month Since March 2025

U.S. stocks closed out October on Friday, October 30, 2026, with their steepest one-day decline since June, as a sell-off in technology and semiconductor shares deepened after quarterly results from Intel and Amazon. The S&P 500 fell 140.32 points, or 1.82%, to 7,580.07, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 747.73 points, or 2.86%, to 25,437.00, according to investingLive. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 572.25 points, or 1.09%, to 51,770.31, Yahoo Finance reported.

The Associated Press reported that it was the S&P 500's worst day since June and that the index finished a third straight losing week. Yahoo Finance said it was the Nasdaq's worst session since June 5. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 1.66% to 2,811.84, and the Nasdaq 100 slid 3.46% to 28,384.85.

A divided October

For the month, the Nasdaq Composite fell 5.30%, its worst monthly performance since March 2025, and the Nasdaq 100 dropped 6.65%, investingLive reported. The S&P 500 slipped 0.93%, while the Dow gained 1.70% and the Russell 2000 rose 0.53%, leaving the blue-chip index 8.35 percentage points ahead of the Nasdaq 100 for October. Yahoo Finance data show the S&P 500 ended September at 7,651.54 and the Dow at 50,906.05.

For the week, the S&P 500 lost about 0.6% and the Nasdaq about 2.0%, while the Dow fell about 0.9%, based on Yahoo Finance closing data from October 23.

Losses were concentrated in chip and AI-related stocks. Intel fell 45.20% in October, CoreWeave 38.05%, SanDisk 35.58% and Lam Research 29.69%, according to investingLive. The PHLX Semiconductor Index fell about 7.2% on Friday and about 15.4% for the month, Yahoo Finance data show. Among the largest technology companies, Alphabet lost 17.22% for October, Meta Platforms 15.30% and Nvidia 11.36%, while Microsoft rose 1.78%, Apple 4.33% and Tesla 12.91%.

Several stocks outside technology posted large monthly gains, including Lockheed Martin, up 26.00%, Eli Lilly, up 23.28%, Walmart, up 18.46%, and Home Depot, up 16.55%, investingLive reported. Truist Chief Investment Officer Keith Lerner noted that technology and communication services were the only sectors to decline in October, according to Yahoo Finance.

Friday's biggest movers

Intel dropped 28.58% to $65.76 after giving a disappointing profit forecast, its worst one-day drop since 1974, the AP reported. Qualcomm fell 11.13% to $164.78, and Advanced Micro Devices lost 10.88% to $504.80, according to Investing.com. In the Dow, Nvidia was the weakest performer, declining 4.22% to $204.64, followed by Caterpillar, down 3.81% at $622.75, and Cisco Systems, down 3.76% at $104.51.

Verizon Communications led the Dow's gainers, rising 2.47% to $44.74, while Merck added 2.18% to $149.52 and Walmart gained 1.86% to $123.51. Declining stocks outnumbered advancers on the New York Stock Exchange by 1,865 to 974. On the Nasdaq, 2,611 issues fell and 838 rose.

Social media and gaming shares were also hit after earnings, with Reddit down 24%, Roblox down 16% and Pinterest down 6%, Yahoo Finance reported. It added that Meta Platforms and Alphabet have both fallen more than 20% from their 52-week highs.

Rates, volatility and the Fed

Treasury yields fell as investors moved into government bonds. The 10-year yield ended near 4.929%, down from 4.989% on Thursday and from 5.293% at the end of September, according to Yahoo Finance data. The Cboe Volatility Index, a gauge of expected stock swings, closed at 19.42, up from 17.20 the day before.

Two Federal Reserve officials said on Friday that interest rates may need to rise further. St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem said inflation is too high and broad-based, and Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin indicated that further increases are needed to bring inflation down in the face of strong demand, according to Yahoo Finance. The Fed left its benchmark range unchanged at 3.75% to 4.00% on Wednesday, with two policymakers favoring an immediate quarter-point increase, Kitco News reported.

The week ahead

Technology earnings continue next week. Apple and Palantir report on Monday, November 2; AMD and Arista Networks on Tuesday, November 3; and Uber, Qualcomm, Arm and AppLovin on Wednesday, November 4, according to investingLive. The calendar also includes the October jobs report and the U.S. midterm elections on November 3, according to RealtyWire and Kitco News.