Technology stocks slump worsens

The deepening rout in once high-flying technology shares sent U.S. stocks tumbling to start the second quarter, as fresh presidential criticism of Amazon.com and retaliatory tariffs from China rattled markets. Gold rose on haven demand.

The S&P 500 Index closed at the lowest level since early February and finished below its average price for the past 200 days for the first time since June 2016. The index is now lower by more than 10 percent from its January record. The Cboe Volatility Index jumped to 23.

Selling was heaviest in technology stocks. The Nasdaq 100 Index lost 2.9 percent as investors continued to offload some of the bull market’s biggest gainers. Amazon, up 50 percent in the past year, sank after Donald Trump renewed his attack on the online retailer. Netflix slid 5 percent, while chipmakers in the S&P 500 plunged 4.3 percent thanks to Intel’s worst day in two years. Bonds erased declines and gold spiked higher as the equity selling picked up steam.

“This is definitely a flight to safety type of market,” said Peter Jankovskis, cochief investment officer at Oakbrook Investments. “You’re seeing people coming out of the stocks that had been performing well. There’d been various stories that momentum was extended in the market place, and I would say today’s activity supports that trying to unwind a bit.”

Trump and renewed trade concerns roiled U.S. financial markets to start the second quarter after the worst three months for global stocks in more than two years. The risk-off tone comes just two weeks before earnings season starts, with investors still anticipating a strong showing even as signs have emerged that the synchronized global growth story is faltering just as the Federal Reserve steps up its tightening.

“The U.S. economy is showing a lot of symptoms of being late-cycle,” said Marc Chandler, global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.