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Hedge Funds Stage Record Exit From U.S. Tech, Chips Take Biggest Hit

Goldman Sachs data says the wave of selling reflects heavy position unwinding that will put upcoming earnings and AI-capex plans to the test.

Overview

  • Goldman’s Prime Services desk reported Monday that the week ending June 25 registered the largest net selling of U.S. information-technology equities since the firm began tracking hedge fund positions in 2016.
  • Hedge funds cut overall U.S. tech exposure by about 10% over two months, selling tech in six of eight weeks as portfolios shifted away from earlier record-long bets.
  • Semiconductor, memory, and AI-infrastructure hardware names absorbed more than half of the selling, driving steeper declines in chipmakers than in broad large-cap tech.
  • The outflow pushed Magnificent 7 exposures to near three-year lows and produced roughly $8.5 billion in U.S. equity net outflows in a single week, as funds reduced longs and increased short positions.
  • Goldman says the move looks driven mainly by positioning and valuation reassessment rather than a collapse of AI fundamentals, but it warns that market direction now hinges on quarterly earnings and corporate AI spending guidance and could spill over into crypto and smaller markets.