2026년 2월 7일 · Unknown · financial · 출처 Uk
Amazon, controlled by billionaire Jeff Bezos, plans a fresh $200bn (£148bn) spending surge on AI - Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images
Nearly $240bn has been wiped off the value of Amazon in a sign that investors have become anxious at the eye watering sums being spent by Wall Street on AI.
The e-commerce giant’s shares plunged by 10pc at the start of trading after it outlined a $200bn (£148bn) spending surge on AI infrastructure.
Its fresh spending plans were announced a day after Google said its AI spending would double this year to $185bn in an arms race between the major companies.
The total capital expenditure on AI projects by Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft is on track to hit $650bn this year alone.
Investors raced to defend their backing of major tech companies in the AI race after sharp downturn on Wall Street on Thursday, which saw the tech heavy Nasdaq drop by 1.6pc. US stocks rebounded in early trading today.
Fabiana Fedeli, chief investment officer of equities at M&G Investments, said the recent sell-off was a “meaningful adjustment rather than a structural break in the AI investment cycle”.
She said: “While some have drawn comparisons to the year 2000, today’s conditions differ significantly: public companies driving the current capex surge generally have strong cash flows and the financial flexibility to invest, even if some of that spending ultimately proves misallocated.
“Investors are rightly questioning whether this is the ‘AI bubble’ deflating or simply another episode of volatility. Concerns around rising capex and software companies over‑promising on AI revenue delivery are legitimate, yet this is not a watershed moment. Instead, it marks a reset as markets reassess expectations.”
Andy Jassy, the company’s chief executive, said the tech giant’s capital expenditure would grow by around 60pc this year as its giant cloud computing business attempts to keep ahead of rivals.
The spending plans came a day after Google said its AI spending would double this year to $185bn in an arms race between the major companies.
Shares fell by as much as 10pc, wiping almost $250bn off the company’s value, in after-hours trading.
Amazon, controlled by billionaire Jeff Bezos, said profits grew by 31pc last year to $77.7bn, and annual sales grew 12pc to $717bn.
06:26pm
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More than £18bn was wiped off London-listed software and data giants over the past week as concerns rose about artificial intelligence disrupting the industry.
However, stocks then started to rebound as investors bought the dip, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rising 2pc.
The S&P 500 was up 1.7pc and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new high of 49,938 points after climbing 2pc.
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Following plunging 16pc on Thursday, its biggest fall in one day ever recorded, Bitcoin has risen 3pc. Gold and silver have also bounced back as all three commodities were swept up in traders buying the tech pull-back.
06:06pm
Gold and silver rise
Gold and silver prices have bounced after both suffered significant intraday plunges last week.
Gold has risen almost 2pc to $4,960 an ounce following dropping from an all-time high of $5,600 to $4,400 as investors switched back to the dollar ahead of the announcement of Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve boss.
Silver has climbed 1pc to $77.46 an ounce, above the $68 the precious metal fell to when it plunged 30pc in the space of one day in a historic first.
Both metals rebouded as tech stocks and Bitcoin also reverse losses.
05:00pm
UK and European stocks reverse losses
UK and European stocks have rebounded alongside Wall Street as investors bought the pull-back in tech stocks.
The FTSE 100 closed 0.6pc higher with 10,370 points and the mid-cap FTSE 250 rose 0.5pc to 23,208 points.
Germany’s Dax climbed 0.9pc, while France’s Cac edged 0.4pc higher.
04:54pm
Bitcoin advances following drop
Bitcoin has risen 3pc after its price suffered its worst one-day loss recorded on Thursday, falling 14pc and wiping off $200bn (£178bn) from its value.
The world’s biggest cryptocurrency is now hovering close to $70,000 following a drawdown amid a widespread sell-off in tech stocks.
The coin started to rise as traders cashed in on buying the dip, with several software stocks, including Arm and Strategy, now rebounding.
04:41pm
Big Tech to spend $650bn on AI
Some of the largest technology companies in the world are planning to spend a combined $650bn on artificial intelligence (AI) in 2026, according to Bloomberg.
Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft have all boosted their capital expenditures for this year in an attempt to gain dominance in the AI industry.
On Thursday, Amazon announced that it intends to spend $185bn on AI, a move which has sent shares down 8pc.
It comes as investors have grown more wary of companies cashing in big bets on the relatively new tech tools, with concerns about how AI may disrupt businesses.
04:31pm
Dow Jones reaches new high
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has reached a new high of 49,934 points as US stocks rebound following steep declines over the past few days.
The blue-chip index rose 2pc in late morning trading in New York, with predominantly financial and industrial stocks leading its gains.
However, the Dow’s top performer is chip-making giant Nvidia, which has climbed alongside a number of tech and software stocks like Arm and Strategy.
04:24pm
US stocks rebound from tech rout
US stocks have reversed some of their losses from a tech rout driven by a sell-off in the software sector.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.8pc, led by gains in Nvidia, which is up almost 7pc, and construction firm Caterpillar, which is up about 5pc.
The benchmark S&P 500 climbed by 1.4pc and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.5pc.
04:02pm
Tech trust considers share buy-backs amid software sell-off
A British tech trust s…