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 (Sept 3): The FBM KLCI dipped 6.08 points or 0.33% as escalating US-China trade war concerns weighed upon Asian shares.
At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,813.58 points. In China, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite closed down 0.17% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.63%. Elsewhere, Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 0.69% while South Korea's Kospi was 0.68% lower.
Reuters reported that Asian stocks dropped for the third consecutive session on Monday, hit by worries over further escalation of the US-China trade war and unstable emerging market currencies.
It was reported that US President Donald Trump said last week he was ready to implement the new tariffs as soon as a public comment period on the plan ends on Thursday, which would be a major escalation given the US has already applied tariffs on US$50 billion of exports from China.
In China today, it was reported that Chinese stocks fell on Monday as a private survey showed China’s manufacturing growth slowed to a 14-month low in August, and as the threat of new tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese exports to the US brought trade war fears back into focus.
In Malaysia, Areca Capital Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Danny Wong told theedgemarkets.com that while the US-China trade war has impacted markets, Italy’s fiscal plans and the UK's ongoing Brexit concerns have added more uncertainties to markets.
“I believe they (global matters) will come to a resolution soon but the market needs more clarity. I expect the market to trend like this in the next two to three weeks which is usually the case in September. The market is expected to pick up at the end of the quarter as we see some window dressing and with the announcement of (Malaysia's) Budget 2019 in October. Till then, it could be choppy,” Wong said.
Source: The Edge

Comments
Post a Comment