U.S. stocks ended lower on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq falling 1% as technology shares declined and weak demand in a 10-year Treasury auction stoked investor jitters in choppy trade.
Market Snapshot
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 234.21 points, or 0.60%, to 38,763.45, the S&P 500 lost 40.53 points, or 0.77%, to 5,199.50 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 171.05 points, or 1.05%, to 16,195.81.
Market Movers
NVIDIA Corp stock fell 5.12% on Wednesday. Nvidia President and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang intends to sell 120K shares of its common stock on Aug 6, with a total market value of approximately $12.61 million. Jen-Hsun Huang has reduced shareholding in NVIDIA by 4.32 million shares since Jun 13, 2024, with a total value of approximately $529.73 million.
Tesla Inc. shares fell 4.4% on Wednesday. Tesla will release a software update to most of the cars it’s ever sold in China due to an issue that could leave an unlocked hood unnoticed, creating a potential safety hazard, according to a notice by the state market regulator.
Super Micro Computer reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that missed analysts’ expectations and its adjusted gross profit margin in the period was 11.3%, down from 17.1% a year earlier. The AI server maker said it expects first-quarter revenue of $6 billion to $7 billion, higher than consensus of $5.52 billion. The company said it “continues to experience record demand of new AI infrastructures.” The company also announced a 10-for-1 stock split. Shares of Super Micro, which provides hardware to house Nvidia’s graphics-processing units, fell 20%.
Shares of Lumen Technologies rose 93% on Tuesday and were up another 33% on Wednesday after the telecommunications company said it expects full-year cash flow of $1 billion to $1.2 billion, much higher than a previous outlook of $100 million to $300 million. The stock’s massive gain Tuesday was driven by Lumen’s announcement that it secured $5 billion in new business “driven by major demand for connectivity fueled” by artificial intelligence.
Airbnb, the online vacation-rental platform, said second-quarter revenue rose 11% to $2.75 billion, beating forecasts, but the company said it was “seeing shorter booking lead times globally and some signs of slowing demand from U.S. guests.” The company said it expects third-quarter revenue to increase 8% to 10% to between $3.67 billion to $3.73 billion, below analysts’ expectations of $3.84 billion. The stock tumbled 13%.
CVS Health fell 3.2% after the drugstore chain and health-insurance company cut its forecast for 2024 adjusted earnings to $6.40 to $6.65 a share, down from prior guidance at least $7. The company cited higher medical costs in its insurance business for the reduced outlook. CVS also missed second-quarter revenue expectations.
Rivian Automotive fell 6.9% after posting a second-quarter adjusted loss of $1.37 a share, wider than estimates that called for a loss of $1.25. Revenue rose to $1.16 billion from $1.12 billion a year earlier. Rivian lost an average of $32,705 on each vehicle it sold. The electric-vehicle startup’s guidance for full-year production was maintained at 57,000 vehicles.
Lyft closed down 17% after the ride-hailing company reported a surprise profit in the second quarter—the company’s first-ever quarterly profit on a GAAP basis—but issued guidance shy of analysts’ estimates.
Fortinet reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, revenue, and billings, and shares of the cybersecurity company jumped 25%. Fortinet forecast third-quarter billings of $1.53 billion to $1.6 billion compared with estimates of $1.59 billion.
Sunrun rose 11%. The residential solar company reported second-quarter earnings of 55 cents a share, well above analysts’ estimates that called for a loss of 33 cents, and revenue of $529.3 million that beat analysts’ estimates. Sunrun also announced that it was teaming up with Tesla in an aggregated power program in Texas. Sunrun said its partnership with Tesla Electric already has enrolled 150 customers.
Shopify surged 18% after the e-commerce platform beat second-quarter earnings and sales estimates. Gross merchandise volume, meanwhile, soared 22% to $67.2 billion in the quarter.
U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk, the maker of weight-loss drug Ozempic, declined 8.4% after the company posted an increase of 3% in second-quarter profit but missed analysts’ expectations. The company reduced its fiscal-year operating profit guidance but raised its sales outlook.
Upstart Holdings jumped 40% after the financial-technology company said it expects third-quarter revenue of $150 million and an adjusted loss for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $5 million. Analysts expected revenue of $135 million in revenue and a $13 million adjusted Ebitda loss. “The improvements in our business are coming from significant advances in our AI model, a revitalized funding supply, and increased operating efficiency. These wins and more are providing the foundation for the Upstart comeback story,” said Chief Executive Dave Girouard.
Walt Disney fell 4.5%. The entertainment giant reported fiscal third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.39 a share, better than estimates of $1.20. Revenue of $23.16 billion topped forecasts of $23.07 billion. Disney’s streaming business posted its first-ever quarterly profit. Operating income at the company’s experiences division, which includes its theme parks, however, fell 3.3% in the period.
Tripadvisor declined 17% after second-quarter revenue at the online travel company missed Wall Street expectations.
Market News
JPMorgan Boosts US Recession Chance to 35% by End of This Year
JPMorgan Chase & Co. now sees a 35% chance that the US economy tips into a recession by the end of this year, up from 25% as of the start of last month.
US news “hints at a sharper-than-expected weakening in labor demand and early signs of labor shedding,” JPMorgan economists led by Bruce Kasman wrote in a note to clients Wednesday. The team kept the odds of a recession by the second half of 2025 at 45%.
Meta Raises $10.5 Billion, Its Largest High-Grade Debt Sale
Meta Platforms Inc. sold $10.5 billion of investment-grade bonds, its largest-ever debt sale, which will boost its cash pile as the company spends heavily on artificial intelligence.
The Facebook and Instagram parent company on Wednesday offered notes in five parts for general corporate purposes, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The longest portion of the deal, a 40-year security, yields 1.3 percentage points above Treasuries after initial discussions of around 1.55 percentage points, said the person, who asked not to be identified as the details are private.
Intel Shareholders Sue Chipmaker After Job, Dividend Cuts Cause Stock Plunge
Intel was sued on Wednesday by shareholders who said the Silicon Valley chipmaker fraudulently concealed problems that led it to post weak results, slash jobs and suspend its dividend, and caused its market value to sink more than $32 billion in a single day.
The proposed class action against Intel, Chief Executive Patrick Gelsinger and Chief Financial Officer David Zinsner was filed in San Francisco federal court.