What Happened?

A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after the U.S. government shutdown halted the release of crucial economic data, creating uncertainty for investors and policymakers. 

In its second week, the shutdown had stopped the flow of key federal figures on job creation and inflation. This came at a critical time, as the job market showed signs of slowing, and there were concerns that further declines could drag down the broader economy. In addition, Jamie Dimon raised concerns about a market correction. He added, "I would give it a higher probability than I think is probably priced in the market and by others, so if the market is pricing in 10%, I would ... say it's more like 30%." Dimon's remarks are closely watched given his influence as head of one of the nation's largest banks.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.

Among others, the following stocks were impacted:

• Digital Media & Content Platforms company Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) fell 4.8%. Is now the time to buy Getty Images? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Electronic Components & Manufacturing company TTM Technologies (NASDAQ: TTMI) fell 3.5%. Is now the time to buy TTM Technologies? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Hardware & Infrastructure company Dell (NYSE: DELL) fell 5.2%. Is now the time to buy Dell? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Professional Staffing & HR Solutions company Alight (NYSE: ALIT) fell 3.6%. Is now the time to buy Alight? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Specialized Technology company Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) fell 3.3%. Is now the time to buy Zebra? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Zooming In On Dell (DELL)

Dell’s shares are very volatile and have had 21 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 1 day ago when the stock gained 8.3% on the news that the company raised its long-term financial outlook, citing strong demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) hardware. Dell boosted its expected annual revenue growth target to a range of 7% to 9%, up from its previous forecast of 3% to 4%. The company also nearly doubled its annual non-GAAP diluted earnings per share growth target to 15% or better. According to Dell's CEO, Michael Dell, customers showed a strong appetite for the company's AI-related products and services. Adding to the positive news, the company extended its commitment to grow its quarterly dividend by 10% or more each year through fiscal 2030. Following the announcement, analysts at firms including JPMorgan and Citi raised their price targets for the stock.

Dell is up 33.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $156.00 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $164.53 from October 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Dell’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $2,281.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. While Nvidia and AMD are trading close to all-time highs, we prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) semiconductor stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report on our favorite semiconductor growth story.