The FTSE 100 looks set for a bruising start on Tuesday, with futures pointing to a sharp 135-point drop — less a gentle dip and more a full-throated plunge. It’s a stark contrast to Monday’s relatively tame 22.9-point slide, which left the index at 9,675.43.
On Monday, the S&P 500 slid 0.9pc to 6,672.41, drifting further away from the record it set just weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average wasn’t spared either, tumbling 1.2pc to 46,590.24, while the Nasdaq composite dipped 0.8pc to 22,708.07.
Even tech’s recent high-fliers felt the sting. Nvidia lost 1.8pc — though the chip giant is still boasting a staggering gain of nearly 40pc for the year. Other AI darlings took bigger hits, with Super Micro Computer plunging 6.4pc.
Across the Atlantic, Wall Street offered little comfort. US stocks notched a fourth day of losses as investors grew jittery about the Federal Reserve’s next move and braced for a high-stakes week filled with economic data and big-tech updates. By the closing bell, the Dow Jones had shed 1.2%, the S&P 500 was down 0.9%, and the Nasdaq slipped 0.8%.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 plunged 3pc to 48,835.20 by midday, dragged lower by a sharp sell-off in tech stocks. Chip giant Tokyo Electron slid 5.4pc, while semiconductor equipment maker Advantest tumbled 4.6pc.
The rout spread across Asia. In Seoul, the Kospi slumped 3.1pc to 3,960.82, with Samsung Electronics down 2.9pc and fellow chipmaker SK Hynix sinking 5.7pc.
Taiwan’s Taiex wasn’t spared either, falling 2.3pc as TSMC — the world’s top contract chip manufacturer — dropped 2.4pc.
Chinese markets also felt the heat. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.5pc to 25,997.20, and the Shanghai Composite dipped 0.6pc to 3,949.83.
Further south, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slid 2.1pc to 8,452.50, rounding out a bruising morning for Asia-Pacific markets.
