Market Indexes Tumble on Geopolitical Tensions and Chip Stock Selloff

Well, so much for that brief moment of Middle East calm.

U.S. stocks fell sharply in midday trading Wednesday as geopolitical tensions reignited and investors positioned ahead of the Federal Reserve's 2:00 p.m. ET policy decision. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) is down 1.7% at mid-day, led lower by Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) dropping 7.3% and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) falling 4.6% on macroeconomic concerns. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has shed 1%, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) is down by 1.3%.

All three indexes opened in the red, made a half-hearted attempt at stabilization around 11 a.m. ET, then gave up and slid lower again.

^SPX data by YCharts

Geopolitical chaos meets central bank uncertainty

The immediate trigger for today's selling? Oil prices rocketing more than 6%.

President Donald Trump told Fox News the U.S. would give Iran "a beating" following an overnight missile attack on American forces. That was the end of last Friday's diplomatic progress. You know the ripple effects that follow when oil prices are on the move. Every company depends on energy in some way, so high oil prices quickly get expensive for retailers, tech giants, and manufacturers.

Then there's the Fed. At 2:00 p.m., Chairman Kevin Warsh will announce the latest policy decision, and futures markets are pricing in a nearly 70% chance that rates stay put in the current 3.5% to 3.75% range. But the real drama will come during Warsh's press conference, where traders will parse every word for hints on whether the Fed is sticking with "higher-for-longer" or if recent oil price swings and stubborn inflation readings are raising fresh concerns.

Image source: Getty Images.

Semiconductor stocks bore the brunt of the technology sector sell-off. The iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: SOXX) plunged 4.4%, extending a 10% weekly decline. Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) dropped 5.7%, and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) fell 5.8%. They didn't do anything wrong, other than being richly valued growth stocks on a de-risking kind of market day.

And it's earnings season. Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) beat analyst estimates and Boeing (NYSE: BA) posted a mixed report. Both stocks fell, erasing a combined 109 points from the Dow.

What's next?

The market drama won't stop here. Two Magnificent 7 companies are reporting earnings tonight, and another two tomorrow. Besides their financials, whatever they say about data center plans and AI investments will surely move the markets for the rest of this week.

Sometimes the market throws multiple curveballs at once. The daily drama may open some opportunities and close others, so there's nothing wrong with tracking the headlines. Still, the best strategy is to stay focused on the predictable value of long-term fundamentals.

Anders Bylund has positions in Micron Technology. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Boeing, Caterpillar, Goldman Sachs Group, Meta Platforms, Micron Technology, Microsoft, and iShares Trust-iShares Semiconductor ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Sherwin-Williams. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.