Tech Stocks Drop, Palantir Plunges Over 8%: What's Moving Markets Tuesday?

Author: Piero Cingari | August 19, 2025 01:46pm

Tech stocks pulled back on Tuesday as the absence of fresh bullish catalysts prompted investors to take profits after the recent months-long rally.

• IBIT ETF is breaking below key price support. Check live prices here.

By 1 p.m. ET, the Nasdaq 100 was down 1.4%, on track for its worst session in over two weeks. Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) led the declines, sliding by over 8% after doubling in value year-to-date.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.5%, the Russell 2000 dropped 0.9%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average held steady near 44,900.

The retreat came as peace talks between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders failed to deliver a breakthrough. Investors are now turning their focus to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech later this week for clearer signals on interest rates.

Losses were concentrated in technology, while sectors such as real estate and consumer staples posted gains.

In currencies, the U.S. dollar edged up 0.1%, with the dollar index holding near 98, even as Treasury yields moved lower. The 10-year yield slipped three basis points to 4.30%.

Commodities weakened across the board: crude oil fell 1.2% to $61.80 a barrel, gold declined 0.5% to $3,315 an ounce and silver tumbled 1.8% to $37.30.

Cryptocurrencies bore the brunt of the risk-off mood, wiping out roughly $110 billion in total market capitalization.

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) dropped 2.6% to $113,000, breaking below its 50-day moving average. Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) lost 3.7%, Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) sank 4.5%, and Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) plunged 6.5%.

Tuesday’s Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs

Major Indices	Price	1-day chg. %
Dow Jones	44,907.79	0.0%
S&P 500	6,408.67	-0.6%
Russell 2000	2,273.75	-0.9%
Nasdaq 100	23,390.17	-1.4%

According to Benzinga Pro data:

• The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:VOO) edged 0.7% lower to $587.41.
• The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE:DIA) steadied at $449.04.
• The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series (NASDAQ:QQQ) plunged 1.4% to $569.10.
• The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE:IWM) fell 0.8% to $226.09
• The Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLRE) outperformed, up 1.3%; the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLK) lagged, down 1

Stocks On The Move Tuesday

• Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) rallied 7%, extending its monthly gains to 27%, after Japan's SoftBank Group announced a $2 billion investment in the chipmaker.
• Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) jumped 3.7% after posting a double beat on its latest quarterly results.
• Earnings-driven movers included Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD), up 3.1%, Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), down 3.1%, and XPeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV), up 4%.
• Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) plunged 41% after a mid-stage trial of its weight-loss pill revealed a high dropout rate.
• Looking ahead, earnings after the close are due from Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE:KEYS), Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ALC), and Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE:TOL).

Read Now:

• Wall Street Braces For Tech Carnage: ‘Disaster’ QQQ Options Tell The Story
  
  Photo: Shutterstock
  

Posted In: $ADA $BTC $ETH $SOL ALC DIA HD INTC IWM KEYS MDT PANW PLTR QQQ TOL VKTX VOO XLB XLK XLRE