Wall Street closed out the week on a deeply unsettling note Friday, with a sweeping selloff hammering every major index. The Nasdaq bore the heaviest damage, cratering 4.80% to close at 25,593.68 as high-multiple technology and growth stocks were aggressively dumped. The S&P 500 fell 2.58% to 7,382.88, while the small-cap Russell 2000 shed 3.55% to 2,805.23, signaling that the selling was broad-based and not confined to any single sector.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average held up best in relative terms but still surrendered 1.35%, closing at 50,648.89. The relative outperformance of the Dow reflected a rotation away from growth and into more traditionally defensive, value-oriented components — a classic risk-off playbook.
Gold continued to assert itself as the safe-haven of choice, with the precious metal holding firm at $4,326.94 — a level that underscores persistent investor anxiety about equity valuations and macro uncertainty. Visa's modest 1.06% gain to $323.57 stood out as a rare bright spot, while Tesla's 6.56% plunge to $391.00 exemplified the pain concentrated in momentum darlings.
Heading into the weekend, sentiment is bruised. The magnitude of the Nasdaq decline in particular raises questions about whether this is a one-day flush or the beginning of a deeper corrective phase.