The story behind the cartoon
The Nasdaq 100 fell 6.4% on Thursday, November 5, erasing about $2.3 trillion in market value in a single day — its worst day since March 2020 — as investors dumped chip and data-center stocks on fears that the Democrats' midterm sweep will slow the AI infrastructure buildout and bring tighter AI regulation.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index plunged 12%, Nvidia fell 8%, and the Nasdaq Composite slid into correction, trading more than 10% below its October 6 record. The S&P 500 fell 4.4%, its worst day since April 2025. Texas loomed large: the state is a hub for planned data centers, and its governor-elect campaigned on a temporary data-center moratorium and ending tax incentives for data-center builders.
The selloff reversed Wednesday's post-election rally, when markets had risen on reduced political uncertainty. Analysts split on what comes next: some called the move a knee-jerk reaction, while others said the earnings forecasts behind the AI trade's valuations no longer hold and investors are cutting risk until the outlook clears.
The joke is the ride down: Merv clings to the giant red arrow as it dives off the cliff, the AI balloon already popped beside him, while the cranes that were supposed to build the future stand idle — the trade that only went up finally found the edge.
