Asian shares were mostly lower on Thursday as regional markets tried to digest the strong and highly anticipated profit report from Nvidia.
Nvidia has grown into a nearly USD 3.6 trillion behemoth because of nearly insatiable demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology.
Asian shares were mostly lower on Thursday as regional markets tried to digest the strong and highly anticipated profit report from Nvidia.
Nvidia again topped analysts' expectations. But technology shares in Tokyo declined as they had already risen earlier in anticipation. In after-hours trading, Nvidia's shares lost 2.5 per cent.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.9 per cent to 38,025.66, as shares in semiconductor equipment maker Advantest Corp dropped 2.6 per cent. Chip maker Tokyo Electron shed 0.5 per cent.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped less than 0.1 per cent to 8,323.00. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.5 per cent to 2,493.73. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.2 per cent to 19,667.42, while the Shanghai Composite rose less than 0.1 per cent to 3,368.80.
Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, noted the market reaction to Nvidia's results was muted, partly because of the positioning that happened before the release. Its long-term prospects remain complex, he added.
“The bigger question remains: where exactly is the bar for Nvidia now?” Innes said. “This push to integrate AI into every corner of the corporate world risks backfiring when the technology is forced into roles it isn't fully equipped to handle.”
Trading in the options market suggested Nvidia's profit report was the most anticipated event left in 2024, more than even the Federal Reserve's upcoming meeting on interest rates, according to Barclays Capital.
Nvidia has grown into a nearly USD 3.6 trillion behemoth because of nearly insatiable demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology.
It's grown so fast, with its stock nearly tripling for the year so far, that pressure has grown for it to show it can keep leapfrogging past analysts' already high expectations.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 finished the day virtually unchanged, at 5,917.11 after coming back from a loss of 1 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a 0.3 per cent gain, to 43,408.47, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1 per cent to 18,966.14.
US retailer Target's 21.4 per cent tumble followed a report showing weaker profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The retailer also gave a forecast for profit in the upcoming holiday season that was below analysts' estimates.
Rival Walmart reported another quarter of stellar sales Tuesday and released optimistic projections for the holiday season.
Hints about how US consumers are doing are under particular scrutiny, since their spending will help determine if the US economy will continue growing and avoid a recession. Shoppers are contending with high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates.
“I find the Target and Walmart earnings very interesting because we typically see a waterfall type effect when the economy begins to struggle, with shoppers trading down from stores such as Target to Walmart,” said JJ Kinahan, CEO of IG North America.
Comcast rose 1.6 per cent after announcing the spinoff of USA, CNBC, MSNBC and other cable television networks into a standalone company that will have its own stock trading on the market.
All told, the S&P 500 inched up by 0.13, or less than 0.1 per cent, to 5,917.11. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 139.53 points to 43,408.47, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 21.32 to 18,966.14.
Financial markets are also still absorbing the impacts of Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election, including expectations that Trump's policies will drive faster US economic growth and inflation.
Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The 10-year yield edged up to 4.41 per cent from 4.40 per cent late Tuesday. It has been generally rising from less than 3.70 per cent in September.
In energy trading, benchmark US crude gained 12 cents to USD 68.87 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 12 cents to USD 72.93 a barrel.
In currency trading, the US Dollar fell to 155.09 Japanese Yen from 155.31 Yen. The Euro cost USD 1.0552, down from USD 1.0546. (AP) NPK