Wall Street ends sharply lower as tech stocks weigh on markets

WORLD CAPITALS, 13th February, 2026 (WAM) — US stock markets closed sharply lower on Thursday, with major indexes retreating as investors intensified selling in technology and transport shares amid concerns about potential disruptions from artificial intelligence.

After opening higher, markets turned negative as traders moved out of higher-risk technology stocks and shifted toward more defensive sectors such as utilities, consumer staples and real estate.

The slump was exacerbated by disappointing quarterly results from Cisco Systems, which dampened overall sentiment toward the tech sector.

Transport stocks were also hit as concerns over AI-related disruption spread beyond technology into other industries.