Trump Media & Technology shares were tumbling on Thursday. It's tough to see this particular "Trump trade" lasting now the U.S. election is over.
The Truth Social parent, which trades under the ticker DJT and is majority owned by President-elect Donald Trump, plummeted 14% to $30.83 in morning trading. Other Trump-linked shares also dropped. Phunware fell 9%; Rumble fell over 0.8%.
In the run-up to Tuesday's election, DJT shares seemed to trade as a proxy for a Trump victory. Now he's won, it's fair enough to wonder what's next for the stock.
The early signs aren't good. Shares spiked as much as 35% Wednesday when it became clear Trump would beat Vice President Kamala Harris, but then gave up most of their gains, likely because traders who had been lured in by the stock's volatility opted to lock in profits by closing their positions.
DJT is now trading 13% below the level it hit on July 15, when Trump survived an assassination attempt and he became the favorite to return to the White House.
While the stock might have made sense as a short-term trade, it would be hard to justify investing in Trump Media based on its underlying fundamentals. With a total market capitalization of $7.8 billion, the company looks very overvalued.
Truth Social is still a niche player in the social-media market, which is dominated by the likes of Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Elon Musk's X.
Trump Media is also losing money -- in surprise earnings published the day of the election, the company reported a third-quarter operating loss of $23.7 million. Its revenue fell 6% from a year ago to $1 million.Trump's come-from-behind win sent shockwaves through Wall Street, with investors scrambling to reposition themselves amid uncertainties surrounding the potential policies and leadership style of a new Trump administration. While the former president's pro-business agenda, including plans for tax cuts and deregulation, could potentially benefit some sectors, his own company Trump Media appears to have been caught in the wave of post-election volatility.
Analysts cited concerns about the future prospects of the Trump-affiliated company under the leadership of his former political opponent. Trump's confrontational approach to issues like trade and his penchant for making market-moving statements could also lead to increased volatility, impacting companies closely associated with him.
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