By Emily Bary
A look at the best and worst S&amp;P 500 stocks this year shows how tech investors have piled into semiconductor plays and bailed on software
ServiceNow's stock got hit hard after earnings.
The technology sector's great divide has only gotten starker this earnings season.
Chip stocks have been some of the hottest in the S&amp;P 500 SPX this year, while software stocks have been among the weakest - and Thursday's dramatic escalation of the software selloff underscores the deeply pessimistic view Wall Street has taken of the sector.
Heading into Wednesday's earnings reports from Microsoft (MSFT) and ServiceNow (NOW), a Mizuho trading-desk analyst joked about whether things could really get much worse for the beaten-down software sector. But on Thursday, he revisited that idea, writing in a note to clients that &#34;maybe it can actually get a lot worse.&#34;
Don't miss: Why Microsoft's stock is getting punished after earnings
Investors have worried that software companies, despite their own efforts to integrate artificial-intelligence features, could get disrupted by free or low-cost AI tools. Software companies have been spending up on AI development, but Wall Street isn't sure those investments are appropriately translating into revenue. So far, the financial benefits of AI are more apparent in the chip sector, catalyzing a rotation out of software stocks.
The reports from Microsoft and ServiceNow - and SAP (SAP) the next morning - did little to soothe investors.
&#34;The beats needed to either be really good, or the guides needed to be really good,&#34; Klein wrote. &#34;Otherwise, investors expected the worry and fear of AI threat and risk to remain a [dead] weight on sentiment and multiples across the sector.&#34;
While Microsoft saw 38% constant-currency growth in its Azure cloud-computing business for the December quarter, Klein said that the lack of acceleration relative to the September quarter meant investors were left unconvinced that the company's heavy AI spending will improve growth prospects.
And when factoring in contributions from acquisitions, ServiceNow's outlook wasn't as robust as some investors wanted &#34;given all their AI and spend on acquisitions,&#34; Klein wrote.
See also: ServiceNow says AI is 'really kicking in' - but it's not enough to help the stock
Shares of Microsoft and ServiceNow were two of the S&amp;P 500's weakest performers on Thursday, each down about 12%, at last check. Shares of SAP, which came up short on its cloud backlog, were down more than 15%.
That weakness was rippling through the software sector. Salesforce shares (CRM) were off 7%, while Workday (WDAY) and Figma shares (FIG) were each down about 9%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF IGV was down 5.8% and coursing toward its worst daily drop since it fell 6.2% on April 4.
Intuit (INTU) and ServiceNow shares are the S&amp;P 500's SPX worst performers this year, both down more than 25%. Shares of Workday, Salesforce and AppLovin (APP) also rank in the bottom 10.
Meanwhile, some of the best performers are stocks in the chip sector or adjacent to it, including S&amp;P 500 leaders Sandisk (SNDK), Western Digital (WDC) and Seagate Technology Holdings (STX). Micron Technology (MU), Lam Research (LRCX), KLA (KLAC), Applied Materials (AMAT) and Intel (INTC) are also among the top 10.
-Emily Bary
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones &amp; Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-29-26 1549ET

On October 26th, after the U.S. stock market closed, chip giant Intel released its Q3 2023 financial report. The report showed that Intel's total revenue in the third quarter fell 8% year-on-year to $14.16 billion, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of declining sales, although it was still higher than the market expectation of $13.53 billion. In the second quarter, revenue had previously dropped 15% year-on-year, and the company expects revenue to return to growth in the fourth quarter. However, the sales of the Network and Edge Group (NEX), which includes IoT and other segments, fell 32% year-on-year to $1.5 billion. More importantly, the server chip division, named "Data Center and Artificial Intelligence," has yet to recover growth, with third-quarter revenue declining 10% year-on-year to $3.8 billion. Facing multiple competitive pressures, do you think Intel can turn the tide in the AI era?

On October 26th, after the U.S. stock market closed, chip giant Intel released its Q3 2023 financial report. The report showed that Intel's total revenue in the third quarter fell 8% year-on-year to $14.16 billion, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of declining sales, although it was still higher than the market expectation of $13.53 billion. In the second quarter, revenue had previously dropped 15% year-on-year, and the company expects revenue to return to growth in the fourth quarter. However, the sales of the Network and Edge Group (NEX), which includes IoT and other segments, fell 32% year-on-year to $1.5 billion. More importantly, the server chip division, named "Data Center and Artificial Intelligence," has yet to recover growth, with third-quarter revenue declining 10% year-on-year to $3.8 billion. Facing multiple competitive pressures, do you think Intel can turn the tide in the AI era?

In the AI era, can Intel win a comeback?

MSFO

MSFT

MSFL

MSFY

MSFD

MSFU

MSFX

Software stocks experienced their worst day in 10 months, with significant declines following disappointing earnings reports from Microsoft and ServiceNow. Investors are increasingly concerned about the potential disruption from low-cost AI tools, despite software companies' investments in AI. Microsoft and ServiceNow shares fell around 12%, while SAP dropped over 15%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF declined 5.8%, marking its worst daily drop since April. In contrast, chip stocks continue to perform well, highlighting a stark divide in the tech sector.

- The technology sector's performance has diverged, with semiconductor stocks thriving while software stocks struggle significantly.  
- Investors have expressed concerns over software companies' abilities to compete against low-cost AI tools, leading to a downturn in their stock prices, notably Microsoft and ServiceNow, which both fell around 12%.  
- In contrast, chip sector stocks, like Sandisk and Micron Technology, have emerged as strong performers within the S&P 500, showcasing distinct investor preferences in the current market landscape.

Dow Jones

ServiceNow

iShares Expanded Tech Software Sector ETF

YieldMax MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF

Microsoft

GraniteShares 2x Long MSFT Daily ETF

Kurv Yield Premium Strategy Microsoft MSFT ETF

Direxion Daily MSFT Bear 1x Shares

Direxion Daily MSFT Bull 2X Shares

T-Rex 2X Long Microsoft Daily Target ETF

SPDR S&P Software

Software stocks suffer worst day in 10 months, widening the gap with hot chip stocks