Part 2/9:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted nearly 900 points, while the Nasdaq shed over 3% in a whirlwind of panic. Headlines buzzed with fears of economic slowdown, tech firms, especially semiconductor giants like Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm, and TSMC, bore the brunt of the turmoil, dropping between 2% and 7%. The VIX—the so-called "fear index"—spiked over 30%, one of the highest moves ever recorded, signaling intense demand for protection against further declines.