If you were watching the tickers today, you saw a lot of red, but the Nasdaq managed to keep its head just above the waves. Well, mostly. Honestly, it was one of those days where the headline number doesn't tell half the story.
The Nasdaq Composite finished the session at 23,709.87, according to the final tallies from Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
That is a drop of 24.03 points, or a modest 0.10%. On paper, it looks like a flat day. Boring, right? But underneath that tiny decimal point, the tech sector was a total battlefield. We saw chipmakers soaring to the moon while big software names and banks were getting dragged through the dirt. It’s the kind of market where you can lose a lot of money even when the "index" says nothing happened.
👉 See also: Working as a Coordinator Consumer Marketing at Paramount: What Nobody Tells You
Why the Nasdaq Composite dipped (but didn't dive)
Basically, the market was chewing on two big things today: inflation data and bank earnings.
The December Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped this morning, and it was... fine. It wasn't the disaster some bears were hoping for. Prices rose 2.7% year-over-year, which matched exactly what we saw in November. If you look at "core" CPI—the stuff that leaves out the volatile food and energy costs—it actually came in at 2.6%. That’s slightly better than the 2.8% most of the suits on Wall Street were predicting.
So why did we close in the red?
Investors are kinda nervous about the Federal Reserve. Even with inflation cooling slightly, there's this lingering anxiety that the Fed might just sit on their hands instead of cutting rates. Plus, we’re dealing with some weird political theater involving a Justice Department probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Traders hate uncertainty. When you mix "decent inflation" with "political drama," you get a market that just wants to go home and take a nap.
The Big Winners: Chips are still king
If you want to know what kept the Nasdaq from a total meltdown, look at the semiconductors. It was a massive day for the hardware guys.
- Intel (INTC): Jumped a whopping 7.33% to close at $47.29.
- AMD: Surged 6.39% to finish at $220.97.
Both of these stocks got a huge boost from KeyBanc analysts who upgraded them to "overweight." The logic? Demand for AI-specific chips isn't just a hype cycle anymore—it’s the actual backbone of corporate spending in 2026.
Nvidia also played it cool, finishing up 0.47% at $185.81. There was some chatter about the U.S. government finally green-lighting exports of H200 chips to China, which gave it a nice little cushion. Without these gains in the chip sector, the Nasdaq would’ve likely followed the Dow’s lead, which tanked by 400 points today.
The Losers: Software and the "Trump Cap"
On the flip side, Salesforce (CRM) had a rough one. The stock tumbled about 7%. Why? They pushed out an update to their Slackbot virtual assistant, and the market basically gave it a thumbs down. There's a growing fear that "Dumb AI" is starting to clutter up professional tools rather than helping them.
Then there’s the banking drama. Even though the Nasdaq is tech-heavy, it’s not immune to the broader financial vibes. JPMorgan Chase shares slid after their earnings report disappointed, partly because of their new deal as the Apple Card issuer.
And don't forget the "10% cap." President Trump's suggestion to cap credit card interest rates at 10% is sending shockwaves through anything even remotely related to consumer finance. Capital One dropped over 6%, and Citigroup was down 3%. If you're a tech company that relies on "buy now, pay later" or integrated payments, you're feeling that heat.
A look at the bigger picture
It's easy to get caught up in the daily "did it go up or down?" game. But step back for a second.
Even with today's 0.10% dip, the Nasdaq is still up about 2.01% for the year so far. If you compare where we are now to where we were on Election Day 2024, the index has surged over 28%.
We are currently sitting about 1.04% off the all-time record close of 23,958.47, which we hit back in October 2025. We’re in a consolidation phase. The market is trying to figure out if the AI revolution has more gas in the tank or if we’re just idling at a very expensive gas station.
What to watch for tomorrow
The "wait and see" mode isn't over. Tomorrow, we get more earnings and likely more commentary from Fed officials trying to walk back the drama from the DOJ probe.
If you're looking for actionable moves, keep your eyes on the 10-year Treasury yield. It's hovering around 4.18%. If that number starts to climb again, tech stocks—especially the ones that don't make a profit yet—are going to feel a lot more gravity.
Actionable Insights for Investors:
- Don't panic about the flat close. A 0.10% drop after a two-day winning streak is just healthy breathing for a market that's been running a marathon.
- Watch the "AI Value" pivot. We’re seeing a shift where investors are moving away from "pure AI" hype and toward companies like Amazon or Micron that have diversified ways to use the tech.
- Check your fintech exposure. The proposed credit card interest rate cap isn't law yet, but it's already moving prices. If you're heavy on payment processors, it might be time to look at their geographically diverse revenue streams.
The Nasdaq closing at 23,709.87 tells us the bulls are still in control, but they’re starting to get picky about which stocks they’re willing to carry.