AI Stocks Dip, Don't Panic Yet!

Taking a Breather: Why 'Healthy' Profit-Taking is Shaking Up Global Stocks

Before you start picturing financial Armageddon, market analysts and brokers are largely calling this a "healthy" correction, suggesting it's mostly down to savvy investors cashing in on their profits.

This isn't necessarily a sign of impending doom, but more of a strategic pause. Wall Street bigwigs have even been dropping hints about a potential pullback, so it's not entirely out of the blue.

A Closer Look at the Recent Dip

We saw selling continue for a second day, with bourses in places like Seoul and Tokyo dropping by around 5% from their recent peaks. Interestingly, though, both markets managed to claw back some ground by the end of the day. European stocks even saw a slight rise, and the Nasdaq, after a 2% tumble, actually finished up by 0.4%.

The companies hit hardest during this little shake-up have been, perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest winners of the recent rally. Think of chipmaker Nvidia, which has shot up from being a specialist player to becoming one of the most valuable companies on the planet. When things cool down, these are often the first to see some money taken off the table. Meanwhile, you can learn about how IBM shares surge 45%, outpacing Nvidia on AI rally.

"The selloff appears to be largely positioning-driven, with recent outperforming names taking the worst of the move," noted Jon Withaar, a senior portfolio manager at Pictet Asset Management in Singapore.

There wasn't one glaring reason for this sudden shift. It actually started with a rather unexpected negative reaction to some strong financial results from Palantir Technologies, a Silicon Valley firm focused on data and artificial intelligence. Despite what looked like good news, their shares finished down almost 8% and then dropped a further 3.5% the next day.

The AI Boom: Bubble or Just a Break?

This has led to a lot of chatter about the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. Many investors have piled into these AI stocks, and you can understand why. But as Herald van der Linde, head of equity strategy for Asia Pacific at HSBC, pointed out, "So people are up to their noses in these AI stocks. But how much further can they go? How much more can they buy?" He believes we're likely to see a "breather" and potentially a rotation of investments. You can also read about how the AI Boom Fuels Asian Market Surge.

On Wall Street, Nvidia shares fell nearly 4%, meaning they're now about 7% down from last month's peak. Other companies in the AI supply chain, from suppliers to competitors, also felt the pinch in Asia.

"It's fairly blanket selling in the risk-leverage part of the market, which to us looks like short-term profit-taking," explained Angus McGeoch, Barrenjoey's head of equities distribution for Asia in Hong Kong.

He mentioned that fund managers, especially as the year-end approaches, are often quick to protect their gains. They don't want to give up a good year's worth of returns, but they're not necessarily looking to exit completely. If the market shows signs of picking up again, they'll likely jump back in.

Stepping Back, Not Falling Out

For months now, markets have pretty much shrugged off worries about high interest rates, persistent inflation, trade disputes, and a somewhat shaky global economy. This has naturally led to questions about whether the AI boom is actually a bubble just waiting to burst.

However, it's worth remembering that Tuesday's 2% drop in the Nasdaq came after a massive surge of over 50% from its April lows. So, a little dip isn't quite the same as a collapse.

Vishal Vivek, an equity trading strategist at Citi, doesn't think this decline means AI stocks are suddenly out of favour. He sees it more as a "little bit of risk coming off" rather than something that will tarnish what's been a truly remarkable few years for these investments. He reckons investors might pause their buying, but they're unlikely to sell off their major holdings just because a couple of companies haven't performed quite as expected. For more insights on market trends, see APAC AI in 2026: 4 Trends You Need To Know.

Earnings Still Strong, But Demands Are High

Looking at the broader picture, third-quarter earnings in the US have been surprisingly resilient. Over 83% of the S&P 500 companies that have reported so far actually beat analyst expectations. This is according to data from LSEG^. You can find more detailed financial reports and data on the official LSEG website here.

Even the biggest tech firms showed significant AI investments in their quarterly reports. This does raise an interesting point about the circular nature of this spending and the potential for future earnings.

Seth Hickle, a portfolio manager at Mindset Wealth Management, summed it up nicely: "It's not like any one of their earnings reports were really that bad. It's just that it didn't fire on all cylinders. And that's what investors are demanding in this environment."

Investors are clearly setting a very high bar right now.

Even top Wall Street figures like Ted Pick from Morgan Stanley and David Solomon from Goldman Sachs have voiced some apprehension, hinting at the possibility of a pullback. Matthew Haupt, lead portfolio manager at Wilson Asset Management in Sydney, saw the downturn as investors simply taking some money off the table ahead of a US Supreme Court hearing on import tariffs. He even said he was "buying today" – let's hope he's right!

So, while the recent market movements might seem a bit unsettling, the general consensus is that it's more of a strategic re-evaluation and profit-taking rather than a sign of a significant downturn. It's a reminder that even in a booming market, a little caution and a "breather" can be a very good thing.