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 (Oct 24): The FBM KLCI closed down 5.33 points or 0.3% as foreign selling of Malaysian blue-chip shares continued amid near-term US interest rate hike expectation. At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,736.14 points.
Across Bursa Malaysia, 2.49 billion shares were transacted for RM2.13 billion. Decliners outpaced gainers by 578 versus 255 respectively.
TA Securities Holdings Bhd technical analyst Stephen Soo said foreign selling of Malaysian shares is not over yet.
“It is quite big selling pressure on blue chips and until and unless there is significant buying and local funds coming in, I don’t see a reversal soon. However, the market is oversold and it is ripe for a rebound.
“I believe it could happen by the end of the week with the tabling of the Budget (Malaysia's Budget 2018). The (KLCI's) immediate resistance would be 1,750 points,” Soo told theedgemarkets.com.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will table Budget 2018 in Parliament this Friday (Oct 27).
Across Asia today, the impact of US interest rate hike expectation was apparent in Hong Kong markets.
Reuters reported that Hong Kong stocks fell on Tuesday amid signs of tighter liquidity, which some analysts attributed to the prospects of another US rate hike by year-end. The Hang Seng index fell 0.5 percent, to 28,154.97, while the China Enterprises Index lost 0.7 percent, to 11,405.55 points.
It was reported that Hong Kong's 3-month interbank fixing rate spiked to the highest level in five months on Tuesday, and the one-month rate has also been rising.
Source: The Edge
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