NEW YORK, July 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday as investors rotated out of AI-related names and oil prices advanced following a new incident in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.25 percent to 52,925.15. The S&P 500 sank 0.45 percent to 7,503.85. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 1.16 percent to 25,818.69.
Six of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors closed higher, led by energy and health care with gains of 3.03 percent and 1.55 percent, respectively. Industrials and technology were the main laggards, declining 1.67 percent and 1.62 percent.
Volatility persisted in the technology sector after Reuters reported that DeepSeek is developing its own chip, intensifying competition with major players including Nvidia. Micron Technology fell 4.71 percent, while KLA, Marvell Technology, Broadcom and AMD also posted notable declines.
"Expectations are up, and fundamentals are struggling to meet these high sky-high demands, and that's what's fueling today's decline," said Mike Bailey, director of research at FBB Capital Partners. "I would expect the rotations that we've seen to continue."
Meanwhile, oil prices rose after Iran attacked a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery gained 1.89 U.S. dollars, or 2.76 percent, to settle at 70.44 dollars per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for September delivery rose 2.17 dollars, or 3.01 percent, to settle at 74.16 dollars per barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
Most of the Magnificent Seven mega-cap technology stocks finished higher, though Tesla declined 4.02 percent after leading gains the previous session. SpaceX shares fell nearly 7 percent on its Nasdaq 100 debut, despite a slew of bullish analyst calls.
The financial sector is preparing for the start of second-quarter earnings season next week. Analysts expect strong results driven by robust capital markets activity and resilient commercial loan growth.
