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 (March 18): The FBM KLCI closed up 10.4 points or 0.62% today at its intraday high amid speculation of a dovish US interest rate stance ahead of the Federal Reserve Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday (March 19 and 20).
Today, the KLCI finished at 1,690.94. Across Bursa Malaysia, 3.26 billion shares worth RM1.92 billion were transacted. Bursa Malaysia's top gainer was Tenaga Nasional Bhd followed by Petronas Dagangan Bhd and Maxis Bhd.
The Malaysian stock market trend was in line with gains across Asian markets amid dovish US interest rate sentiment. Reuters reported that there is much talk that Fed policymakers will lower their interest rate forecasts, or "dot plots", to show little or no further tightening this year.
In Malaysia, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd senior analyst Kenneth Leong told theedgemarkets.com that "gains in the local stock market were mainly due to the regional bourses, which were largely positive".
Leong said investors took cue from external factors such as strong gains in US shares on Friday, optimism on China-US trade talks and expectation of dovish US interest rate stance.
In China today, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite closed up 2.47% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 1.37%. Elsewhere across Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.62% while South Korea's Kospi was 0.16% higher
Source: The Edge
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