US stocks plummeted, with their market capitalization briefly erasing nearly $3 trillion, as funds poured into Treasuries and gold as safe havens.

US stocks suffered a sharp selloff during Thursday's intraday trading. The Nasdaq Composite closed down 5.52%, the S&P 500 fell 4.36%, and the Dow Jones dropped 3.44%, marking the worst single-day performance in nearly 19 months. Tech and chip stocks led the decline, with S&P 500 companies' market capitalization erasing roughly $3 trillion intraday; the VIX fear gauge surged 11.57 points to around 28.2 over the same period. The selloff was primarily driven by expectations of Democrats controlling Congress after the midterm elections, as well as market concerns over AI data center development and tighter regulation. Tech and chip stocks led the drop, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index falling more than 12%. During the market downturn, capital clearly flowed into safe-haven assets: - US short-term bonds were in high demand: the 2-year Treasury yield plummeted roughly 11-12 basis points to around 4.47%, while the 10-year yield dropped 5-6 basis points to 4.84%, steepening the yield curve. - Spot gold rose around 1% to close at roughly $4,090-$4,100 per ounce. - The Japanese yen and Swiss franc strengthened. - Berkshire Hathaway hit an all-time high intraday; while it pulled back slightly at close, it still significantly outperformed the broader market, reflecting inflows of defensive capital. Going forward, the market will continue to monitor employment data, Federal Reserve statements, and AI-related policy implementations, which may impact the sustainability of these capital flows. Notably, the US October unemployment rate and seasonally adjusted nonfarm payrolls data will be released at 21:30 ET tonight, which is expected to drive significant market volatility.