KEY POINTS
  • The six largest U.S. tech companies lost more than $500 billion Tuesday after an unexpectedly high August inflation report sent tech stocks tumbling.
  • The Nasdaq Composite sank 5.16% to end the day at 11,633.5, steeper than any day since June 2020.
A trader works at the New York Stock Exchange NYSE in New York, on Aug. 26, 2022.

The six largest U.S. tech companies lost more than $500 billion in value Tuesday after an unexpectedly high August inflation report sent tech stocks tumbling. The consumer price index was up 0.1% for the month and was up 8.3% year over year, even as gas prices fell.

The Invesco QQQ ETF, an exchange-traded fund tracking the 100 most highly valued nonfinancial companies listed on Nasdaq, endured a 5.5% decline in its worst trading day since March 2020. The fund's top 10 holdings include Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Nvidia.