Intel plunged 28.6% for its worst drop since 1974 — and the AI sell-off gave the S&P 500 its worst day since June

Intel shares fell 28.6% in a single session, their steepest decline since 1974, while a broader sell-off in AI-linked equities pushed the S&P 500 to its worst day since June. The transmission channel here is equity-risk repricing: a sharp drop in a large, index-weighted semiconductor name combined with pressure on AI-exposed megacaps compressed risk appetite and forced de-leveraging across growth-heavy portfolios. Intel (INTC) carries the most direct exposure given the magnitude of its move, but the index impact reflects the concentration of the S&P 500's gains in a small group of AI beneficiaries, so the Nasdaq-100 and semiconductor sub-indices are the most sensitive secondary exposures. Traders should watch the next consumer price index release and any Federal Reserve commentary on rate expectations, since a hotter inflation print would raise the discount rate applied to high-multiple AI earnings and could extend the pressure.

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