Intel heads into its April 23 earnings with rising investor expectations , but the key question remains whether AI-driven CPU demand can offset ongoing margin weakness . Revenue Stable, But Margins Under Pressure Intel is expected to deliver Q1 revenue around US$12.4 billion , slightly above the midpoint of its guidance range. However, the real concern lies in profitability: Gross margin guided at 34.5% , down from 39.2% a year ago EPS near breakeven (~US$0.00) vs US$0.13 last year This highlights continued pressure from costs, utilisation, and product mix , despite improving demand signals. AI CPUs: A Key Growth Driver Intel’s near-term bullish case centers on AI-related CPU demand , particularly its Xeon processors. A key development is its partnership with Alphabet , which reinforces: Intel’s role in AI data centre infrastructure Growing demand for AI inference and general-purpose computing Investors will watch c...
The FBM KLCI index gained 4.15 points or 0.25% on Tuesday. The Finance Index increased 0.50% to 14696.66 points, the Properties Index up 0.69% to 1159.57 points and the Plantation Index rose 0.10% to 7900 points. The market traded within a range of 7.63 points between an intra-day high of 1673.57 and a low of 1665.94 during the session.
Actively traded stocks include SUMATEC, HOVID, IFCAMSC, REACH-WA, HIBISCS, VIZIONE-OR, GPACKET, SUMATEC-WB, BIOHLDG-WA and SCOMI. Trading volume increased to 2683.74 mil shares worth RM2107.28 mil as compared to Monday’s 1804.35 mil shares worth RM1452.13 mil.
Leading Movers were MAXIS (+17 sen to RM6.18), GENM (+10 sen to RM4.85), BAT (+86 sen to RM46.28), PPB (+30 sen to RM16.38) and HAPSENG (+15 sen to RM9.00). Lagging Movers were PETGAS (-42 sen to RM20.98), TENAGA (-12 sen to RM13.80), ASTRO (-2 sen to RM2.70), YTL (-1 sen to RM1.52) and PETCHEM (-3 sen to RM7.17). Market breadth was positive with 414 gainers as compared to 368 losers.
The KLCI closed higher with last minute spike before the closing bell rang at 1672.05 points amid overnight mixed performance in US market. The performance of our local bourse was lifted by buying interest in heavy weight counters such as Maxis, Genting Malaysia and Genting Berhd.

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