01 Stock Market
As of Aug 12, U.S. stock index futures performed as follows: Dow Jones Industrial Average contracts inched up 0.3%, S&P 500 futures advanced 0.43%, and Nasdaq 100 futures led with a 0.93% rise.
The consumer price index was expected to increase 0.1% in July, with an annual rate of 3.4%, according to the Dow Jones consensus forecast. Excluding food and energy, the respective core estimates were 0.2% and 2.5%.
Notable Stock Movers: NBIS up 13.86% at $220.01 after a disclosed strategic stake, while AI-infrastructure peer CRWV soared 18.41% at $106.95 on record backlog guidance. Server specialist SMCI climbed 8.77% at $34.37 following upbeat fiscal-year targets. Memory leader MU gained 2.92% at $893.84, leveraged chip ETF SOXL rose 6.54% at $141.70, and graphics powerhouse NVDA added 0.90% at $219.45. Optical-component maker LITE advanced 8.46% at $890.00 after better-than-expected forecasts.
Drivers and Themes: Robust quarterly results from semiconductor and AI hardware names, coupled with renewed institutional interest, are reinforcing momentum across the sector. Reports of elevated hedge-fund short positions in select AI beneficiaries hint at the potential for further volatility, while investors await incoming U.S. inflation data to refine macro expectations.
02 Other Markets
• 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 0.52%, to 4.66%.
• U.S. Dollar Index dipped 0.0341% to 99.79.
• WTI crude oil futures rose 0.54% to 83.65 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures rose 0.67% to 4,470.90 USD/ounce.
03 Key News
1. Global-E Online raised full-year revenue and profit guidance after 39% second-quarter sales growth. The cross-border e-commerce platform credited higher merchant volumes and efficiency gains for the outperformance and unveiled a new $500 million share-buyback authorization, sending its shares sharply higher in pre-market trade.
2. T1 Energy beat consensus with $250.1 million in second-quarter revenue, lifting the stock 7.6% pre-opening. Management highlighted stronger realized prices and disciplined cost control, though it posted a modest per-share loss tied to elevated operating expenses.
3. CoreWeave doubled quarterly revenue and unveiled a $104 billion order backlog, driving its shares up more than 15% before the bell. The cloud GPU specialist plans to accelerate capital spending to expand capacity amid surging demand for AI computing services.
4. Super Micro Computer reported higher margins and guided its new fiscal year above market forecasts. The server maker’s improved profitability and upbeat outlook propelled its stock nearly 9% higher in early trading as investors welcomed signs of sustained AI-driven demand.
5. Carlyle disclosed a new position in Nebius, sparking a 14% surge in the AI infrastructure firm’s shares. The private-equity move added to speculation about strategic partnerships and underscored ongoing investor appetite for firms building large-scale cloud systems.
6. Lumentum delivered fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and guidance that exceeded consensus, citing robust laser demand from communications and industrial customers. Management pointed to rising orders for high-power products used in AI data centers, sending the stock more than 6% higher in pre-market dealings.
7. AI start-up Manus announced plans to separate from Meta Platforms and operate independently. To comply with regulatory requirements, Manus will delete certain user data and notify impacted customers, unwinding a previously agreed $2.5 billion acquisition blocked by Chinese authorities.
8. Hazeltree reported hedge funds expanded short positions in key AI hardware names in July. Super Micro Computer, CoreWeave, Nebius, and Nvidia ranked among the ten most shorted stocks, indicating elevated bearish bets that could amplify future price swings.
9. Tencent Holdings posted an 11% rise in second-quarter revenue but marginal profit growth amid heavier AI investment. The mixed outcome highlighted strong advertising momentum yet underscored cost pressures; ADR investors will gauge read-across for sector peers traded in the U.S.
10. BTCPay Server backers offered a 10% bounty to recover Bitcoin stolen in a recent wallet exploit. The open-source payment gateway is seeking information leading to restitution, capping rewards at 3 BTC as it works to bolster security and reassure affected users.
Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.
