Tech Markets Stabilize After AI Investment Doubts Trigger Week-Long Rout

Investors exhaled this week after a tumultuous five days of selling driven by mounting skepticism over the financial viability of AI infrastructure buildouts—a reckoning that has sent both semiconductor stocks and AI-focused "neocloud" companies sharply lower. Global equity markets are returning to calm after a volatile spell triggered primarily by Gartner's October 14 report warning that $3.5 trillion in AI infrastructure spending could face impairment risk by 2030 if current capital-spending trends persist. The Nasdaq composite fell 2.6% in its steepest single-session decline since June, while the S&P 500 retreated 1.2% from recent peaks. The selloff spread internationally, with technology stocks weakening across Asia and Europe.