The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) fell 1.03% to 26,100, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) dropped 0.79% to 52,767, and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) slipped 0.70% to 7,633 as tech weakness and rising yields pressured benchmarks.
Cybersecurity firms Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) and CrowdStrike Holdings (NASDAQ:CRWD) weighed on the software sector following recent financial results, as technology stocks led the day's declines.
Meanwhile, traders at Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) are noting increased investor nervousness and cautious risk allocations as global markets contend with escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Following the U.S. launching new strikes on Iran on Tuesday, markets took a risk-off stance as crude oil surged 5% and Treasury yields kept creeping higher. These higher yields and increased market volatility weighed heavily on tech and growth stock names today, as evidenced by the S&P 500's biggest loser: Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ:AXON), which slid 9%.
On the other side of the spectrum, Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) continued its incredible run, jumping 10% today, as it receives analyst upgrades following the historic announcement of a potential cancer vaccine two weeks ago. In addition to Moderna, value stocks held up better today, as shown by the Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (NYSEMKT:SPLV) declining 0.2% versus the Invesco S&P 500 High Beta ETF's (NYSEMKT:SPHB) drop of 2.1%.
Elsewhere, Tim Cook shifted from CEO to Executive Chair at Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) today, as hardware chief John Ternus took over as the top banana at the $4.6 trillion behemoth.
Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $437,097!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,355,077!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 978% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 213% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 1, 2026.
Josh Kohn-Lindquist has positions in Axon Enterprise and CrowdStrike. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Axon Enterprise, CrowdStrike, Goldman Sachs Group, and Moderna. The Motley Fool recommends Palo Alto Networks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.