Apple and Nvidia tank in pre-market trading as 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks take a battering

• Shares in the "Magnificent Seven" tech giants fell on Monday amid a global sell-off.
• Nvidia's share price dropped by more than 14% ahead of the bell.

Shares in the so-called "Magnificent Seven" tech giants plummeted on Monday as fears of a US recession triggered global market disruption.

Apple shares were down 9% in pre-market trading, while Nvidia declined by 14.5%, and Tesla was down 9.8%.

The remaining four mega-cap tech companies, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, were all hovering at declines between 5% and 8% ahead of Monday's bell.

Tech stocks were first hit at the close of last week after higher-than-expected unemployment levels triggered a sell-off in US markets amid concerns that the country's economy was headed for recession.

The declines were compounded by disappointing quarterly earnings reports from big-cap tech companies, driving down investors' hopes for quick returns on their AI investments.

Tesla missed its earnings expectations and lowered annual earnings forecasts by more than four percentage points, while Apple reported declining iPhone revenue for the third quarter.

Nvidia does not report earnings until the end of August, but sales remain strong. However, the company is at the center of fears over an AI bubble, given its monopoly over critical semiconductor production.

Confidence in Nvidia dipped sharply following a report by The Information on Friday that revealed it could delay delivery of its AI chips by up to three months.

The pessimism driven by earnings brought the Nasdaq composite officially into correction territory on Friday, dropping more than 10% below its July 10 peak.

The combined value of the "Magnificent Seven" is now $14.7 trillion, down from a peak of $17 trillion in July.

The tech sector's market volatility was set to continue on Monday, with Nasdaq futures down 4.25% ahead of the bell.