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...
KUALA LUMPUR (June 29): The FBM KLCI ended the trading day almost flat, up only 0.13 points to close at 1,771.36 points, although the regional markets had been lifted by the rebound in the United States.
Areca Capital Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Danny Wong Teck Meng told theedgemarkets.com: “Yesterday night, the US market rebounded; ignoring the warning from US Federal Reserve chair Janel Yellen’s that stock valuations are rich in the US.”
“Our side (KLCI) took after the good sentiment from the US,” he added.
Wong noticed that the small- and mid-cap stocks had rebounded but not the big cap counters. Hence, the KLCI ended flattish.
Across the board, some 1.4 billion shares worth RM1.56 billion were traded. There were 490 gainers and 292 decliners.
Over in the US, Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 143.95 points to 21,454.61 on Wednesday — less 75 points from its record high of 21,528.99 points. Meanwhile, S&P 500 was up 21.31 points to 2,440.69 points, which is whisker away from its all time high of 2,453.46 points.
Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up 1.1% and South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.55%.
Reuters reported that Japan's Nikkei share average neared two-year highs on Thursday after Wall Street rebounded, with tech shares such as Advantest Corp and Shin-Etsu Chemical outperforming the overall market.
The Nikkei gained 0.45%to 20,220.30, moving closer to 20,318.11 hit last week, the highest level since August 2015, Reuters said.
Tech shares, which stumbled the previous day, rebounded after the Nasdaq overnight posted its best session since Nov 7, Reuters added.
Source: The Edge
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