Nasdaq 100 Heads for Correction as AI Worries Rattle Investors

The Nasdaq 100 Index is on track to enter a correction, falling 1.6% on Tuesday and approaching a 10% drawdown from its peak in just 38 trading days, as investor worries about the payoff from artificial intelligence investments sour sentiment. Alphabet Inc. suffered its biggest one-day drop in over a year last week after reporting negative free cash flow for the first time as a public company due to heavy AI spending, while Microsoft Corp., Meta Platforms Inc., and Amazon.com Inc. are set to report earnings this week.

Bloomberg -- The Nasdaq 100 Index is on track to enter a correction as worries about the eventual payoffs from artificial intelligence investments sour sentiment in the technology giants that have powered most of this year's stock-market advance. Most Read from Bloomberg - Chip Rout Deepens on Circular Funding, China Competition Fears https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-28/korean-stocks-sink-as-chipmakers-plung-on-deepening-ai-fatigue?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - S&P 500 Wobbles as AI Angst Offsets Oil Decline: Markets Wrap https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-26/oil-tumbles-as-us-and-iran-pause-military-strikes-markets-wrap?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS The technology-heavy benchmark slid 1.6% on Tuesday, leaving it on track to close in a correction, which is typically defined as a drawdown of 10% or more from a peak. It only took 38 trading days for the gauge to reach the technical threshold, a stark contrast from its previous correction in March. Back then, the descent from an October 2025 record high took more than 100 sessions. Last week saw Alphabet Inc. suffer its biggest one-day drop in more than a year as its results showed that the Google parent is spending so much that free cash flow turned negative for the first time in its history as a public company. It also signaled a lot more spending going forward, which overshadowed a number of positives, including robust growth in its cloud-computing business. Three other major spenders on AI are due to report this week, with Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. due on Wednesday, and Amazon.com Inc. reporting Thursday afternoon. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.