Global stocks tumble as AI fears deepen after Democrats’ midterm success

Summary

Global stock markets fell on Friday as a tech sell-off intensified, spreading from Wall Street to Asia-Pacific and Europe. The Nasdaq slumped 5.5% on Thursday, its worst day in 19 months, amid growing signs that the AI industry will face tougher regulation after Democrats’ midterm victory raised expectations of tighter rules on AI and data centres. Investors grew nervous about returns on the massive spending behind the AI boom, and worried that a slowdown in data centre build-outs could threaten that spending. US tech stocks steadied and opened higher on Friday after the rout, but most indices are still up for the year, and the Nasdaq Composite is up 4.6% since the start of January, though it is more than 10% below its peak.

Timeline

1. NBC News

   6 Nov 2026, 08:33 UTCSource ↗

   NBC News reports that U.S. tech stocks steadied on Friday after suffering one of their worst routs in years, as investors weighed the prospect of an AI investment slowdown.

2. Al Jazeera

   6 Nov 2026, 08:41 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that the tech stock rout driven by US AI fears continued in Asian trading, with global markets roiled by concerns over US data centre expansion and AI regulation.

3. The Guardian

   6 Nov 2026, 11:59 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian’s First Thing briefing reports that the Nasdaq slumped 5.5% on Thursday, its worst day in 19 months, as stock markets around the world fell sharply after the Democrats’ midterm victory raised fears of an AI industry slowdown.

4. The Guardian

   6 Nov 2026, 16:13 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian’s live business blog reports that European and Asia-Pacific markets slid after the Wall Street rout, while the Nasdaq Composite remained up 4.6% since the start of January despite being more than 10% below its peak.