S&P 500 Posts First July Loss Since 2014 as Chip Stocks Crater
The S&P 500 closed July in the red for the first time in a decade, dragged down by a historic rout in semiconductor stocks.
If you felt like July was a rough month for your portfolio, you weren't imagining it. The S&P 500 just wrapped up its first losing July since 2014, snapping a streak that lasted a full decade. That's the kind of stat that makes you do a double-take on your brokerage app.
The real gut punch came from chip stocks, which suffered their worst month in 24 years. To put that in plain English: semiconductor companies — the businesses that make the tiny processors powering everything from your phone to your car — got absolutely hammered. We're talking a level of pain not seen in that corner of the market since the early 2000s, which is a pretty grim comparison no matter how you slice it.
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The month ended on a volatile, whipsaw note, meaning prices were swinging sharply in both directions before the final bell. That kind of turbulence is often a sign that investors are genuinely unsure about what comes next — whether that's the direction of interest rates, corporate earnings, or broader economic conditions. When the smart money can't make up its mind, buckle up.
For everyday investors, a single bad month doesn't necessarily mean it's time to panic-sell everything and hide cash under your mattress. But a historically bad stretch for semiconductors is worth paying attention to, since that sector has been a major engine of stock market growth in recent years. If chips stay under pressure, the broader market could feel that weight heading into the fall.
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