Key TakeawaysThe S&P 500 dropped 1.4% on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, as concerns about possible export restrictions on semiconductor equipment weighed on the tech sector.Shares of semiconductor equipment providers and chipmakers suffered heavy losses.GE Vernova stock sank, while shares of 3M spinoff climbed. Tech stocks, and particularly shares of semiconductor firms, have played a key role in driving major U.S. equities indexes to record highs, but the tides changed on Wednesday. The broad-based S&P 500 fel ...