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Sector Update: Tech Stocks Fall Wednesday Afternoon

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Tech stocks fell Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) declining 0.7% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) dropping 1.4%.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index shed 1.4%.

In sector news, China's DeepSeek presented a method for training AI agents aimed at enabling them to learn more efficiently while mitigating safety risks, Bloomberg reported, citing a paper on online archive arXiv. The potential platform, which the company calls DeepSeek Elastic Compute, will have so-called sandboxes in which AI agents can be tested on tasks, the report said. The approach reallocates computing power to agents only when they are active, enabling a more efficient use of resources, according to the report.

In corporate news, Microsoft (MSFT) plans to invest more than $10 billion in capital and operating expenses on cloud and AI infrastructure across the Middle East by 2030. Microsoft shares rose 0.3%.

Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic employees Logan Graham and Sholto Douglas have personally invested in Pilgrim, The Wall Street Journal reported. The startup has developed Argus, a device designed to detect viruses and other biological threats in the air, as concerns grow that advanced AI could make it easier to create dangerous biological agents, according to the report. Amazon shares were falling 2.5%.

IonQ (IONQ) shares gained 5.5% after the company said it will install its Superion 256 quantum computer at Nvidia's (NVDA) Accelerated Quantum Research Center in 2027.

What else is happening in Sectors?

Sectors

Sector Update: Energy Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

Energy stocks were lower late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index down 0.5% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) shedding 1.1%.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was 0.2% lower, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was 0.3% lower.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 1.2% to $94.59 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract shed 1.2% to $99.13 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures gained 5.7% to $3.00 per 1 million BTU.In geopolitical news, President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly that a deal with Iran is possible after the midterm elections, but his other choice is to "annihilate the Islamic Republic," multiple news outlets reported.In corporate news, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) shares were down 3.1% after Jefferies downgraded the stock to hold from buy.Abu Dhabi's XRG is considering taking a stake in the Shell-backed (SHEL) LNG Canada project, Bloomberg reported. Shell shares were up 0.7%.Southern (SO) unit Georgia Power said late Monday it formed a partnership with Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google to advance nuclear energy in the state and provide about $900 million in benefits to consumers. Southern shares were down 0.4%.Fervo Energy (FRVO) said Tuesday it has won two US Department of Energy awards totaling about $20 million to support the development of geothermal projects in Idaho and Nevada. Fervo shares were shedding 2.3%.

$FRVO$MPC$SHEL$SO
Sectors

Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Rise Late Afternoon

Healthcare stocks rose late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Healthcare Index adding 0.5% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) up 0.7%.The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) climbed 1.8%.In corporate news, Amgen (AMGN) shares rose 4.3% after the firm reported positive topline results from its phase 3 trial of dazodalibep in adults with Sjogren's disease and moderate-to-severe systemic disease activity.Beta Bionics (BBNX) shares gained 4.1% after it reported Tuesday a partnership to integrate its iLet Bionic Pancreas and Mint automated insulin delivery systems with Senseonics' (SENS) Eversense 365 continuous glucose monitoring system. Senseonics shares were up 2.9%.Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) shares surged 35% after the firm said Tuesday VK2735 showed "superior weight maintenance" under less frequent dosing regimens compared with a placebo over 12 weeks in a clinical study.Compass Therapeutics (CMPX) shares fell nearly 32% after the firm said the FDA recommended a new trial showing survival benefit before submitting a biologics license application for tovecimig in patients with previously treated, advanced biliary tract cancer.

$AMGN$BBNX$CMPX$SENS$VKTX
Sectors

Sector Update: Financial Stocks Fall Tuesday

Financial stocks fell Tuesday with the NYSE Financial Index falling 1.3% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) dropping 2%.The Philadelphia Housing Index gained 2.6%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) eased 0.2%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell 0.3% to $86,223, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was little changed at 4.968%.In economic news, Redbook US same-store sales last week rose 7.6% from a year earlier after an 8.5% increase in the previous week.The Richmond Fed's monthly manufacturing index fell to minus 2 in September from 4 in August, compared with the expectations for 2 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank's monthly nonmanufacturing activity index worsened to minus 22.0 in September from minus 10.6 in August, compared with expectations for an improvement to minus 8.7 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.In corporate news, funds backed by Apollo Global Management's (APO) Atlas SP Partners face a potential loss of up to 860 million pounds ($1.1 billion) from the collapse of Market Financial Solutions earlier this year, Bloomberg reported, citing court-appointed administrators. Apollo shares fell 2.9%.Goldman Sachs (GS) has emerged as the leading bidder to buy Palmer Square Capital Management, a credit manager that oversees $37 billion, Bloomberg reported. Goldman shares dropped 1%.Better Home & Finance (BETR) former CEO Vishal Garg criticized the company's actions related to his effort to remove five directors from its board. The company's shares rose 5.8%.PayPal Holdings (PYPL) entered into a partnership with Meta (META) that will allow customers to shop and checkout using their Muse AI agents. PayPal shares added 0.5%.

$APO$BETR$GS$PYPL