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Tech Stocks Fall Worldwide Over AI Slowdown Fears

technologyNov 6, 2026·298 words·3 min read

Technology shares fell sharply around the world after the US midterm elections raised fears that the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) could slow down. On Thursday, the Nasdaq Composite, a stock index made up mostly of tech companies, dropped more than 5.5%. It was its worst day in 18 months, and the index is now more than 10% below its recent high, a level that experts call a "correction".

Why did this happen? In Tuesday's elections, the Democrats won control of both parts of Congress. Many of them want to slow the building of data centres. These are huge buildings that power AI. In many places, there were also local votes on plans to limit them. Experts say more checks could delay these projects and make them more expensive. Some investors were already worried that the huge spending on AI may never make money.

People reacted in different ways. President Donald Trump blamed his political opponents. Senator Bernie Sanders asked for a temporary stop to data centres. Greg Brockman, the president of OpenAI, said tech companies must work closely with local communities. One expert said the fall was much too big, but markets need to calm down before they can recover.

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