The technology rally stalled on Thursday, Oct. 29, as investors questioned whether heavy artificial-intelligence spending would generate enough profit and cash to justify its cost. Alphabet’s earnings miss made that concern tangible: strong cloud growth could not offset weaker-than-expected results and a large cash outflow. Samsung’s results and shareholder-return disclosures added to the pressure in Asia.
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Alphabet put AI returns in focus
Alphabet reported third-quarter earnings of $2.12 per share on $127.58 billion in revenue, below analyst expectations. Google Cloud revenue rose 103%, but that growth did not erase concerns about earnings, search advertising and the financial burden of AI investment. The company’s reported quarterly cash outflow was about $9.1 billion.
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Alphabet’s share-price decline varied across market reports and trading snapshots: one described a fall of nearly 12%, while another later reported a 13.7% decline.
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5 The differing figures are a reminder that intraday and later-session reports do not necessarily show the same return.
South Korea gave back part of its rally
The Kospi closed at 5,937.66, down 1.24%, after rising 6.63% the previous day. Samsung reported record quarterly earnings, but its semiconductor results fell short of market expectations, and investors were disappointed by the lack of specific additional shareholder-return details.
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The contrast with the prior session was sharp: SK Hynix’s record results and announced shareholder returns had helped drive the earlier rally.
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24 Samsung’s weaker reception underscored how investors were weighing both business performance and what companies plan to return to shareholders.
U.S. stocks and after-hours results extended the pressure
U.S. technology shares led the decline. The Nasdaq Composite fell about 1.4%, the S&P 500 slipped about 0.3%, and the Dow also ended lower. Microsoft was a counterpoint in early trading, with reports noting an initially positive reaction to its results.
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After the U.S. close, Amazon and Intel shares fell as investors assessed their results and outlooks. Amazon’s sales and guidance disappointed despite strength in its cloud business; Intel dropped sharply after issuing a weaker revenue outlook. One report recorded Intel down 23.32% at 7:09 p.m. Eastern, a time-specific after-hours snapshot rather than a settled closing figure.
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What the selloff did—and did not—show
The session reflected a reassessment of the near-term financial payoff from AI investment. Cloud growth remained strong at Alphabet, but investors also scrutinized earnings, cash generation and spending. The evidence supports a market reaction to uncertainty about returns; it does not establish that demand for AI had collapsed.
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