By Johann M Cherian and Sukriti Gupta
(Reuters) - The tech-heavy Nasdaq led Wall Street declines on Tuesday, hitting a six-week low after fresh economic data indicated a deterioration in consumer sentiment and investors braced for the potential impact of tighter U.S. trade curbs on Beijing.
A Conference Board report showed an index tracking consumer confidence stood at 98.3 in February compared with an estimate of 102.5, according to economists polled by Reuters.
Investors also focused on a report that said the U.S. was planning further restrictions on Nvidia's chip exports to China and that Washington was consulting with allies about tightening chip controls on China.
Nvidia dropped 2.9%. Other semiconductor stocks also fell, with the broader Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index down 1.6%.
"I think for the (semiconductor) sector there's more geopolitical risk and exposure, especially when you think about China. That's one of the reasons that the sector has struggled recently and is struggling year to date," said Kevin Gordon, senior investment strategist at Charles Schwab.
Nvidia's results on Wednesday will be crucial for technology companies, as investors have questioned the industry's hefty artificial-intelligence spends after low-cost competition from China's DeepSeek rattled markets in January. The S&P 500 technology sector is on track for its first quarterly decline since July 2023, if losses hold.
Most megacap stocks traded lower, with Microsoft and Meta Platforms down 0.8% and 1.8%, respectively, while Tesla led losses with a 5.6% decline.
A gauge tracking investor fear spiked to touch its highest in nearly a month, last up 1.44 points at 20.42.
At 10:14 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 78.98 points, or 0.18%, to 43,382.23, the S&P 500 lost 45.07 points, or 0.75%, to 5,938.18, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 277.57 points, or 1.45%, to 19,007.96.
Seven of the S&P 500's 11 sectors traded lower, with technology stocks leading losses with a 1.4% decline.
Defensive sector consumer staples led gains with a 1.4% rise.
Further tempering risk-taking, U.S. President Donald Trump said late on Monday that tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports were "on time and on schedule" ahead of the March 4 deadline.
Along with the possible global impact of these levies, investors are faced with signs the domestic economy is stalling and that the U.S. Federal Reserve will likely be cautious about cutting interest rates further.
Interest-rate futures currently point to a cut of 25 basis points in July.
Policymaker Thomas Barkin and Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr are expected to speak through the day.
Crypto stocks fell, with Coinbase down 8.3% and MicroStrategy down 10.5% tracking bitcoin prices, which touched a more than three-month low.
Eli Lilly rose 2.5% after the drugmaker said it has begun selling higher doses of its weight-loss drug Zepbound in vials in the U.S., at a discount to the injector-pen versions.
Solventum jumped 9.1% after drug manufacturer Thermo Fisher said it will buy the company's purification and filtration business for about $4.1 billion.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.19-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.6-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P 500 posted 20 new 52-week highs and four new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 24 new highs and 154 new lows.