Nasdaq, S&P end lower as tech stocks fall

STORY: U.S. stocks ended mixed on Wednesday, with the Dow gaining just over a third of a percent, while the S&P 500 edged slightly lower and the Nasdaq lost more than four-tenths of a percent.Investors were intensely focused on chip maker Micron Technology's results after the closing bell. The stock, which has surged more than 200% this year, climbed in extended trading on Wednesday, after Micron forecast quarterly earnings above Wall Street estimates, signaling that heavy investments in AI-related infrastructure will drive strong demand for its memory chips.Michael Landsberg is chief investment officer at Landsberg Bennett Private Wealth Management."What's happened now is with AI, a lot of these chips are needed to make AI work faster and better. So the demand has really been strong across the entire sector. We think it continues. And that's really, I think, why this rally in that space has got some legs. And we think it could continue for a while."Several tech stocks, however, slid during Wednesday's session, including chip designer Cerebras, which tumbled more than 19%. In its first report since going public, Cerebras forecast full-year profit margins would drop below first-quarter figures. Concerns around debt-backed AI spending by hyperscalers and mounting fears of a more hawkish Federal Reserve have fueled a market downturn this week that has erased more than $1 trillion in market value from the Nasdaq 100.Among the session's other stock moves, homebuilders soared after President Donald Trump canceled a planned signing of bipartisan legislation aimed at speeding up availability of affordable housing. Shares of Hovnanian Enterprises, PulteGroup and Toll Brothers all ended higher.And shares of Hertz tumbled more than 40% after the car-rental firm said it expects second-quarter adjusted core earnings near the lower end of its forecast range and announced a proposed offering of $100 million of common stock.