Stock Market

Nasdaq Tumbles as AI Optimism Dims, $1 Trillion Wiped Out

Published

2 months ago

July 25, 2024

The Nasdaq 100 Index suffered a $1 trillion loss on Wednesday as investors reevaluated the potential returns on artificial intelligence investments.

The selloff, the worst since October 2022, was led by key AI-related stocks, raising concerns about the technology’s immediate financial benefits.

Shares of semiconductor giants like Nvidia Corp., Broadcom Inc., and Arm Holdings Plc were hit hard, each experiencing significant declines.

Nvidia, a leader in AI chip technology, fell by 6.8%, while Broadcom lost 7.6%.

The downturn was sparked by Alphabet Inc.’s earnings report, which revealed high capital expenditures without the expected returns, causing its stock to drop over 5%.

Tesla Inc. also contributed to the market’s woes, plunging more than 12% as CEO Elon Musk provided limited updates on the company’s self-driving vehicle projects.

Alec Young, chief investment strategist at Mapsignals, highlighted the overarching worry: “The ROI on all the AI infrastructure spending remains unclear. There’s massive investment, but the payoff is proving elusive.”

This sentiment echoed throughout Wall Street, fueling fears of an AI bubble.

The tech sector’s volatility was further underscored by increased options trading. Nvidia saw its highest options volatility since March, with a notable rise in demand for protective puts on Broadcom Inc. This reflected traders’ concerns over future price swings.

This selloff comes just weeks after a shift from tech stocks to smaller companies expected to benefit from potential Federal Reserve rate cuts.

The Russell 2000 outperformed larger indices, gaining 0.5% this week compared to a 2.6% loss in the Nasdaq 100.

Jim Covello of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. voiced skepticism about the commercial viability of AI, questioning whether the immense spending on AI infrastructure would pay off.

This apprehension was echoed in derivatives markets, where demand for bearish options in tech stocks surged.

Tech valuations have reached historically high levels, with Nvidia trading at 36 times projected earnings, compared to the S&P 500 average of 21.

As tech giants brace for slower profit growth, the stakes for upcoming earnings reports are high.

While Alphabet’s results have dimmed immediate expectations for AI contributions, the market is closely watching upcoming reports from Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Apple, and Amazon. Nvidia, the biggest beneficiary of AI spending, will report later in August.

Cayla Seder, a strategist at State Street, remains cautiously optimistic: “Despite current trepidation, large-cap tech stocks continue to offer attractive growth potential.”

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Dividends

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Declares N1 Interim Dividend, Sets October 7 for Payout

Published

4 days ago

September 13, 2024

Investors King

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc has announced its plan to pay a sum of N1 per share of 50 kobo as interim dividends, to all registered shareholders on October 7, 2024.

According to a recent statement issued by the company on NGX , “the dividend is subject to withholding tax deduction, and will be paid to shareholders whose names appear in the register as of September 25, 2024.”

In its recently released audited consolidated and separate financial statements for the period ended June 30, the Group reported profit before tax (PBT) of N1.004 trillion, becoming the first Nigerian financial institution to cross the N1 trillion mark in profit.

This represented a 206.6 percent increase over N327.4 billion recorded in the corresponding period that ended June 2023.

The group’s profit for the period was slated at N905.67 billion, a 222 percent increase from 280.52 recorded in the corresponding period that ended June 2023.

“On October 7, 2024, the dividend will be paid electronically to ordinary shareholders whose names appear on the Register of Members as at September 25, 2024, and who have completed the e-dividend registration and mandated the Registrar to pay their dividends directly to their bank accounts,” the statement said.

Nigerian Exchange Limited

Nigeria’s Equities Market Gains 0.32% Boosted by Nestle, Flourmills, and FBN Holdings

Published

4 days ago

September 13, 2024

Investors King

Nigeria’s equities market rose by 0.32 percent or N178billion on Thursday, thanks to Nestle, Flourmills and FBN Holdings that led the league of major advancers on the Lagos Bourse.

FBN Holdings increased from N24 to N26.40, adding N2.40 or 10percent. Caverton rose from N2.10 to N2.31, up by 21kobo or 10percent.

Flour Mills moved from N45.05 to N49.55, up by N4.50 or 9.99percent. RT Briscoe increased from N3.02 to N3.32, down by 30kobo or 9.93 percent, while Nestle rallied from N810 to N890, N80 or 9.88percent.

At the close of trading, the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) All Share Index (ASI) and equities market capitalisation increased from 96,715.04 points and N55.575 trillion respectively to 97,025.17 points and N55.753 trillion.

Access Holdings, FBN Holding, UBA, Caverton and Zenith Bank shares were most trading stocks. In 9,615 deals, investors exchanged 390,546,861 shares valued at N7.974billion.

Ahead of Thursday’s trading, analysts said broader market sentiment will remain balanced, with risk-averse investors maintaining a cautious stance ahead of any major corporate earnings announcements.

Nigerian Exchange Limited

Nigerian Exchange Recovers from Early Week Losses, Market Value Hits N55.6 Trillion

Published

5 days ago

September 11, 2024

Samed Olukoya

Nigerian Exchange Limited - Investors King

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) rebounded on Tuesday after opening the week in the red.

The NGX All-Share Index appreciated by 0.62 percent to 96,802.8 points while the market value of listed equities stood at N55.626 trillion.

Investors traded 406,194,548 shares valued at N13.313 billion in 12,241 transactions during Tuesday’s trading session.

Investors continued to show interest in Oando, which emerged as the most traded equity in both volume and value.

A total of 58,485,705 shares worth N5.521 billion were exchanged, with Oando’s stock appreciating by N6, or 6.7 percent, from N89.5 to N95.5 per share.

The second most traded stock on Tuesday was Access Holdings Plc with 30,379,481 shares valued at N557.65 million transacted.

However, Access Holdings’ shares lost 55 kobo, or 2.96 percent, declining from N18.95 to N18 per share.

The Exchange’s year-to-date (YtD) return improved to 29.46 percent.

SFS REIT led the gainers’ chart, increasing by N14.80, or 9.98 percent, from N148.35 to N163.15 per share. This was followed by Custodian Investment, which gained N1.10, or 8.87 percent, rising from N12.40 to N13.50, while RT Briscoe moved from N2.82 to N3.10 per share.