Level 1 - Absolute Beginner

Stock prices went down on Friday. Tech stocks fell the most. Chip companies had a bad day.

The Nasdaq went down about 2 percent. The Dow went down only a little.

Chip stocks had a very bad week. Many people sold them. Oil prices also went up.

stock

a small piece of a company that people can buy

price

the money you pay for something

chip

a tiny part inside a phone or computer

tech

short word for technology

week

seven days

sell

to give something and take money

fall

to go down

company

a business

Level 2 - Elementary

Wall Street had a rough Friday. The S&P 500 fell about 1.1 percent to 7,659. The Nasdaq, which holds many tech companies, dropped 2.1 percent to 26,140. The Dow lost only 0.3 percent.

Chip makers led the fall. Micron lost 5.6 percent, AMD lost 6 percent, Broadcom lost 4.5 percent and Intel lost 5.8 percent. A fund that follows chip companies fell 9.7 percent during the week, its worst week since April 2025.

Investors also watched oil prices, which rose, and bond yields. The 10 year Treasury yield stayed near 5.09 percent. Earlier this month it went above 5.3 percent, a level not seen since 2002.

investor

a person who puts money into something to make more money

fund

a group of investments held together

yield

the return you earn on a bond, shown as a percent

bond

a loan to a government or company that pays interest

led

went first

dropped

went down

level

a number or amount reached

Treasury

the part of the US government that borrows and handles money

Level 3 - Intermediate

US stocks fell on Friday as investors dumped technology and chip shares. The S&P 500 slid 1.09 percent to 7,659.44, the Nasdaq Composite shed 2.14 percent to 26,140.03, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 175.28 points, or 0.34 percent, to 52,002.41.

Semiconductor names took the brunt. Micron fell 5.6 percent, AMD 6 percent, Broadcom 4.5 percent and Intel 5.8 percent. A widely followed semiconductor ETF lost 9.7 percent over the week, its steepest weekly decline since April 2025, and the Nasdaq as a whole lost about 4.5 percent, ending a monthlong winning streak.

Bond yields were a secondary factor. The 10 year Treasury yield eased to 5.09 percent from 5.10 percent after touching its highest level since 2002 earlier in October. Higher oil prices, tied to the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, added to the unease, and traders appeared to rotate away from AI related stocks. The Dow gained on the week, which suggests money moved toward more traditional companies.

Reports differ slightly on the exact weekly changes, but the closing levels match across sources.

brunt

the worst part of an impact

semiconductor

a material used to make computer chips

steepest

the sharpest or biggest

streak

an unbroken run of similar results

secondary

less important than the main thing

eased

became a little lower or weaker

rotate

to move from one thing to another in turn

unease

a feeling of worry

Level 4 - Advanced

A sell-off in technology and semiconductor shares dragged Wall Street lower on Friday. The S&P 500 retreated 1.09 percent to 7,659.44 and the Nasdaq Composite surrendered 2.14 percent to 26,140.03, whereas the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average lost a comparatively modest 175.28 points, or 0.34 percent, to settle at 52,002.41.

Chip makers bore the brunt: Micron declined 5.6 percent, Advanced Micro Devices 6 percent, Broadcom 4.5 percent and Intel 5.8 percent. A prominent semiconductor ETF forfeited 9.7 percent over the week, its worst showing since April 2025, and the Nasdaq shed roughly 4.5 percent, snapping a month of consecutive gains.

Bond yields played a supporting role. The 10 year Treasury yield edged down to 5.09 percent from 5.10 percent, having briefly exceeded 5.3 percent, its loftiest level since 2002, earlier this month. Oil, buoyed by disruption to shipping near the Strait of Hormuz, compounded the anxiety and appeared to push traders out of richly valued AI names and into steadier sectors.

Outlets quote different weekly percentages for the broader indexes, but the closing figures agree, which is the number that matters for the record.

retreated

moved backward or downward

surrendered

gave up

forfeited

lost as a penalty or result

consecutive

following one after another without a break

loftiest

highest

buoyed

kept up or supported

compounded

made worse by adding to

richly valued

priced very high compared with earnings