US stocks saw the Nasdaq under pressure in overnight trading, but the semiconductor and memory sectors rebounded strongly, with memory chains leading the gains among tech stocks.
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US pre-market news at a glance: Samsung's earnings report triggered a collective weakness in semiconductor stocks in pre-market trading; SpaceX officially debuts on the Nasdaq 100 today.
According to BlockBeats, the following are key market news items before the US stock market opened on July 7th: 1. Samsung released its Q2 earnings forecast, showing an operating profit increase of over 1800% year-on-year, with single-quarter profits exceeding the total of the previous three years. Simultaneously, the company's revenue also increased by 129% year-on-year, reaching 171 trillion won. Affected by the semiconductor sell-off triggered by the "sell-off" of Samsung's earnings, chip-related technology stocks generally weakened in pre-market trading. The three major US stock futures indices showed mixed results in pre-market trading: Dow Jones futures rose 0.41%, Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.9%, and S&P 500 futures fell 0.09%. 2. SpaceX officially debuted on the Nasdaq 100 before the US stock market opened today, with Wall Street institutions collectively bullish. Most institutions believe that SpaceX is no longer just a traditional aerospace company, but a platform company with the potential for rocket launches, Starlink satellite internet, AI infrastructure, and future space computing. 3. DeepSeek is secretly developing its own inference chip. If successful, this would reduce reliance on external suppliers and give it more cost-effective hardware control. However, the project is still in its early stages and faces manufacturing and memory acquisition restrictions due to US export controls. 4. UBS recommends investors buy SK Hynix's upcoming American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and sell its South Korean shares, as these new shares are expected to trade at higher prices. 5. JPMorgan strategists say the recent weakness in semiconductor stocks should be seen as a buying opportunity, as the chip upcycle is not yet over, and truly meaningful new supply may not appear until 2028. 6. US ADP employment change for the week ending June 20 was 21,000, compared to 30,750 in the previous week. 7. BlackRock will launch an ETF tracking the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index, aiming to meet investors' growing demand for participation in the AI-driven stock market rally and challenge Invesco's dominant position. 8. Amazon is returning to the US bond market to raise funds for its artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company will issue eight benchmark bonds with maturities ranging from 3 to 40 years, raising at least $25 billion in the dollar bond offering. 9. Global brokerages have begun coverage research on Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPCX.O), and a preliminary consensus has formed on Wall Street: buy the stock. At least six brokerages, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and UBS, have given it a buy rating, optimistic about its long-term growth prospects, although doubts remain about profitability and valuation.
In pre-market trading on the US stock market, semiconductor, memory, and optical communication sectors continued their decline, with Micron and SanDisk both falling by more than 5%.
According to Mars Finance, on July 8th, based on BIT (bit.com) market data, semiconductor stocks generally fell in pre-market trading in the US. Marvell Technology (MRVL) fell 4.46%, Arm (ARM) fell 3.51%, Intel (INTC) fell 3.47%, Lam Research (LRCX) fell 3.11%, and Applied Materials (AMAT) fell 2.85%. The memory sector saw the largest declines, with SanDisk (SNDK) falling 5.59%, Micron Technology (MU) falling 5.28%, Western Digital (WDC) falling 4.53%, and Seagate Technology (STX) falling 4.19%. Optical communication concept stocks also came under pressure, with Astera Labs (ALAB) down 4.57%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) down 4.47%, Credo (CRDO) down 4.42%, Corning (GLW) down 4.22%, Ciena (CIEN) down 3.69%, and Coherent (COHR) down 3.44%.
U.S. stocks closed lower across the board, with semiconductor, memory, and optical communication sectors leading the declines. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 4.65%.
According to BlockBeats, on July 8th, based on BIT (bit.com) market data, the US reinstated military strikes against Iran and oil sanctions. As a result, all three major US stock indices closed lower: the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.25%, the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.16%, and the S&P 500 fell 0.45%. The semiconductor and memory sectors declined, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index falling 4.65%, and SpaceX falling nearly 7%, hitting a new low since its IPO. The memory sector saw the largest declines, with Western Digital (WDC) down 7.86%, Seagate Technology (STX) down 4.68%, Micron Technology (MU) down 4.71%, and SanDisk (SNDK) down 7.26%. Semiconductor stocks generally declined, with Lam Research (LRCX) down 6.87%, Applied Materials (AMAT) down 6.46%, Marvell Technology (MRVL) down 7.45%, KLA-Tec (KLAC) down 7.22%, AMD (AMD) down 6.51%, and Intel (INTC) down 9.66%. Optical communication concept stocks also faced pre-market pressure, with Astera Labs (ALAB) down 11.12%, Ciena (CIEN) down 3.44%, Coherent (COHR) down 6.43%, Lumentum (LITE) down 4.42%, and Corning (GLW) down 4.84%.
Market forecasters predict the Nasdaq 100 may experience volatility in the second half of the year, with AI trading momentum slowing.
According to Mars Finance, on July 8th, data from the prediction market platform Kalshi showed that traders are becoming more cautious about the NASDAQ-100 Index's performance in the second half of the year. Currently, the market believes there is approximately a 50% probability that the NASDAQ-100 will stabilize above 30,000 points by the end of the year, about a 40% probability that it will break through 32,000 points, and only about a 27% probability that it will rise to 33,000 points. This reflects a cooling of investor expectations regarding the sustainability of the AI-driven rally. Meanwhile, UBS released a report indicating that after the semiconductor sector's surge in the second quarter, the market is reassessing the next phase of AI trading. Although the long-term growth logic of AI remains unchanged, market leadership may undergo a structural shift, with funds potentially flowing from overvalued technology stocks to other sectors. Technology stocks may face more significant valuation corrections and sector rotation pressures in the second half of the year.
Semiconductor stocks rallied in early trading, with CanSemi and Fudan Microelectronics rising over 10%.
Mars Finance reported on July 8th that the semiconductor sector rallied in early trading, with Cansun Semiconductor and Fudan Microelectronics rising over 10%, followed by VeriSilicon Holdings, Rockchip Technology, and Shengke Communication. (Science & Technology Treasure Broadcast)
South Korean stocks plunge 20%, nearing a bear market; the AI boom faces the awkward situation of "the more disastrous the earnings, the steeper the decline."
According to BlockBeats, on Wednesday afternoon, July 8th, South Korean stocks extended their losses as investors reassessed the outlook for AI demand. The KOSPI index fell by more than 6% at one point, breaking below 7200 points, and has cumulatively fallen by more than 20% from its all-time high last month, poised to enter technical bear market territory. Memory chip maker SK Hynix fell by as much as 5%, and Samsung Electronics fell by 6.9%. The Korea Exchange initiated a temporary trading halt on the KOSPI index, suspending algorithmic trading. South Korean stocks were among the strongest performing markets globally this year, but their performance is highly dependent on SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, amplifying volatility when sector sentiment weakens. Even with Samsung Electronics announcing a 19-fold surge in quarterly profits earlier this week, chip stocks continued to be under pressure. Jordan Klein, a TMT sector expert at Mizuho Securities, stated that investors overreacted to Samsung's preliminary second-quarter results. He believes this sell-off in semiconductor stocks is more a sign of waning momentum than a deterioration in fundamentals. Klein stated that excluding one-off bonus expenses, Samsung's operating profit actually significantly exceeded expectations, with its storage business implied operating margin potentially exceeding 80%. He indicated that Samsung's single-quarter operating profit has already surpassed the total of the past three years, and reacting to Samsung's stock price based solely on preliminary results is "extremely short-sighted." Meanwhile, an AI trading rotation occurred in Asian markets. Hong Kong-listed Chinese stocks rose, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rising as much as 3.4%, the Hang Seng Tech Index rising over 5% intraday, Alibaba rising over 8%, and Tencent rising over 3%. Market analysts believe that funds are flowing from crowded trades focused on AI infrastructure to markets with lower valuations and more value-oriented characteristics. Reuters' report on DeepSeek's self-developed chip and The Information's report on Zhipu AI considering designing its own AI chip further fueled this rotation. (Jinshi)