New Delhi, Oct. 30 -- Wall Street's hopes for a tech-led boost, pinned in part to the AI investment theme, are starting to fade, as the biggest names fall short of expectations and the broader market starts to look worryingly soft headed into the final months of the year.

Alphabet's stunning Thursday slump, putting the Google parent on pace for its worst day on record, combined with modest declines for megatech rival Microsoft to send stocks sharply lower.

The S&P 500, in fact, is on pace for a modest October gain of 1%, following a 0.45% decline in September. The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, has fallen 2.2% this month.

The disappointing results from the Magnificent Seven giants reporting so far, and the lack of a clean read on the AI ...