Daily Market Heatmap Analysis – February 3, 2026

Major Market Movers

The session was defined by extreme divergence. While the indices churned, individual stock dispersion was high.

Intuit (INTU) – Down 10.98% Investors aggressively exited high-valuation software names. Fears regarding AI disruption to traditional tax/accounting models are weighing heavily on sentiment.
S&P Global (SPGI) – Down 10.88% A sharp decline driven by concerns over slowing debt issuance volumes and general "risk-off" sentiment hitting financial data providers.
Palantir (PLTR) – Up 6.33% The rare tech survivor. Strong earnings and bullish guidance for 2026 revenue growth allowed it to buck the sector-wide sell-off.
Exxon Mobil (XOM) – Up 4.22% Energy acted as a primary safe haven today. Rising geopolitical tensions and climbing crude prices drew capital away from tech and into oil majors.
PepsiCo (PEP) – Up 4.88% Classic defensive rotation. Investors parked cash in consumer staples, favoring reliable dividends and steady demand over growth volatility.

Sector Performance

📉 Technology: The "Red" Zone

The tech sector faced a broad and violent rotation. The selling was not limited to one sub-industry but was particularly acute in Software and Semiconductors.

Software Slump: The "SaaS Premium" evaporated today. ServiceNow (NOW) dropped 7.87%, Adobe (ADBE) fell 7.01%, and Salesforce (CRM) lost 6.82%.
Semiconductor Weakness: Even the leaders faltered. Nvidia (NVDA) dipped 3.29%, while Broadcom (AVGO) and Micron (MU) fell over 4%.

🏦 Financials: A Tale of Two Cities

Financials were split down the middle.

Banks Held Firm: Diversified giants like JPMorgan (JPM) rose 1.96%, acting as a stabilizer.
Asset Managers Crumbled: High-beta financial firms saw massive outflows. KKR plunged 9.60% and Blackstone (BX) fell 5.01%, likely due to their exposure to tech valuations in their private portfolios.

🛡️ Defensive & Energy: The "Green" Zone

Capital fled to "Old Economy" sectors.

Energy: Chevron (CVX) rose 2.45% alongside Exxon, signaling a clear sector-wide bid.
Consumer Staples: Walmart (WMT) gained 2.89% and Coca-Cola (KO) added 2.17%, reinforcing the flight to safety.

Notable Patterns

The "SaaS" Liquidation

There was a distinct correlation in the selling of high-multiple software stocks. The market treated INTU, ADBE, SNPS, and CDNS as a single basket to be sold. This suggests a systematic unwinding of "growth at any price" positions rather than stock-specific bad news for every company.

Risk-Off, But Not "Panic"

Despite the deep red in tech, the VIX (volatility) did not explode, and the broader market didn't crash. The buying in Utilities (+2.40% for NEE) and Gold Miners (+3.44% for NEM) suggests a controlled rotation. Money isn't leaving the market; it's just moving to a different room.

Key Takeaways

Regime Change: The market flipped from "Greed" (Tech/AI) to "Fear/Safety" (Staples/Energy) in a single session.
Valuation Matters Again: Investors punished companies with high P/E ratios (Software) and rewarded those with cash flow and dividends (Energy).
Selective Strength: The rally in Palantir proves that exceptional earnings can still override macro headwinds, but the bar for success is significantly higher.

The Great Tech Shakeout: Why the S&P 500 Rotated Today