Wall Street Losses Engulf More Sectors as Investors Dump High-Flying Stocks

Barry Adams
18 Nov, 2025
New York City

Benchmark indexes on Wall Street traded around the flatline as traders avoided large positions and lightened exposure to high-flying stocks. 

The S&P 500 index inched up 0.1%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite decreased 0.2% amid growing caution ahead of the release of Nvidia's quarterly results and September's payroll data.  

Investors have been pulling back over the last two weeks as the list of concerns grows, including a cloudy economic outlook, a rapidly cooling jobs market, the widespread demise of small businesses, and a narrowing list of stocks participating in the rally. 

The so-called K-shaped economy has left future growth vulnerable to the spending patterns of ultra-rich individuals and fewer Big Technology companies. 

Increasingly, the stock market appears to be the economy, suggesting a narrowing segment of the population benefiting from economic growth, while most families are battling high food prices, escalating rent, and sky-high healthcare expenses. 

Nvidia, the advanced semiconductor chipmaker powering the race to develop artificial intelligence applications, has dropped about 10% from its record high in late October but gained about 35% in the year so far. 

Nvidia's third-quarter results are likely to surpass market expectations, but investors are increasingly skeptical about its future earnings growth and the sustainability of high margins. 

 

U.S. Stock Movers 

Nvidia, Oracle, Apple, and Microsoft eased between 1% and 2%, but Google parent Alphabet Inc. extended this week's gains after Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a stake in the company. 

Leading retailers are scheduled to release their quarterly results on Wednesday and Thursday, as investors look for clues about the impact of U.S. tariffs.  

Home Depot decreased 1.9% to $351.13, Walmart eased 0.2% to $102.81, Target Corp. declined 0.2% to $88.30, Gap Inc. decreased a fraction to $23.80, and TJX Companies eased 0.3% to $145.18.