U.S. capital markets recorded significant declines, led by the semiconductor sector. The main reason for the deterioration in investor sentiment was the publication of Nvidia's financial results. Although the tech giant presented solid profits, its forecasts for the coming quarters disappointed market participants. This situation raised concerns about the sustainability of the artificial intelligence trend and translated into declines on European stock exchanges and a forecasted weakening of Asian markets.

Disappointment with Nvidia's Forecasts

Despite beating expectations in historical profits, forecasts for the future failed to reassure investors, leading to a drop in the stock price.

Tech Sector Plunge

Nvidia's sell-off triggered a broad sell-off in the semiconductor sector, weighing down the Nasdaq and S&P 500 indexes.

Domino Effect on Markets

Negative sentiment from the U.S. spread to stock exchanges in Europe and influenced forecasts for the opening of Asian markets.

The session on the U.S. stock market on February 26, 2026, was dominated by selling pressure, a direct reaction to the latest quarterly report from Nvidia. Investors, accustomed to the company's spectacular successes, reacted with a sell-off to forecasts they deemed too conservative given high market valuations. The giant's shares lost over 5% during the day, triggering a domino effect across the entire technology sector. The Nasdaq index came under strong downward pressure, despite initial attempts to recover losses. The semiconductor sector has been the main driver of the bull market on global markets since the turn of 2022 and 2023, when the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence caused a rapid increase in demand for computing power.Market analysts point out that the current situation may indicate growing investor fatigue with the artificial intelligence theme. Although companies like Salesforce or Snowflake presented solid prospects, they failed to offset the negative sentiment triggered by the chip industry leader. The market fears that the phase of exponential growth in AI infrastructure spending may be coming to an end or at least slowing down, which undermines the rationale for maintaining record-high valuation multiples for Big Tech companies. The situation on Wall Street quickly spread to European markets, where the Spanish Ibex 35 index and other exchanges on the old continent also felt the effects of the "Nvidia effect." The declines also affected the Italian stock exchange, and Bloomberg Business experts predict that this sentiment will persist during the upcoming Asian session. The dynamic sell-off of shares of companies dependent on the semiconductor supply chain indicates a high correlation of global markets with the results of a single, albeit key, entity from Santa Clara. Investors are now closely watching further macroeconomic readings, which could either deepen the correction or become an impulse for price stabilization.