Traders work the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on August 16, 2024.
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here.
What you need to know today
Winning run
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite rose for the eighth straight session, up 0.97% and 1.39%, respectively, marking their longest winning streak so far this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 0.58%. Meanwhile, the yield on the 10-year Treasury was little changed as investors await minutes of the Federal Reserve’s meeting and Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole on Friday. U.S. oil prices fell almost 3% as the U.S. pushes for a Middle East ceasefire deal.
AMD deal
Advanced Micro Devices is acquiring server maker ZT Systems for $4.9 billion to strengthen its AI chip and hardware portfolio. The move allows AMD to roll out AI chips at the scale customers such as Microsoft require and to compete more effectively with Nvidia. AMD, which had $5.34 billion in cash and short-term investments as of the second quarter, plans to finance 75% of the acquisition with cash and the rest with stocks. The company also plans to split and sell its server manufacturing business as it does not wish to compete with the likes of Super Micro Computer, CEO Lisa Su said.
GM layoffs
General Motors is laying off over 1,000 salaried employees globally in its software and services division, following a review to streamline operations, CNBC has learned. The cuts include about 600 jobs at its tech campus near Detroit. The layoffs, representing 1.3% of GM’s global salaried workforce, come as automakers, including GM, focus on reducing costs amid industry challenges while investing heavily in electric and so-called software-defined vehicles.
Icahn fined
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn and his company $2 million for failing to disclose billions in personal margin loans pledged against Icahn Enterprises stock. Without admitting wrongdoing, Icahn agreed to pay $500,000, while the company will pay $1.5 million. Icahn had pledged 51% to 82% of his company’s shares to secure billions in loans.
New low
Trump Media‘s stock hit a new post-merger low, closing at $22.24, down 3.5%. The company, which owns Truth Social and is majority owned by former President Donald Trump, has seen volatile trading since its debut. Its fortunes remain closely tied to Trump’s political trajectory. The unexpected withdrawal of President Biden from the election race and his endorsement of Vice President Harris as the Democratic nominee have shifted betting odds in Harris’s favor, likely impacting the stock.
[PRO] Priced in
MoffettNathanson has a price target of $211 for Apple, 7% lower than Monday’s close. While acknowledging Apple’s potential AI success, analyst Craig Moffett argues that this is already reflected in the stock price.
The bottom line
AMD estimates the AI chip market will reach $400 billion by 2027. CEO Lisa Su is on a mission to capture a significant share of that market. However, it has to compete with Nvidia, the industry leader. Analysts predict Nvidia’s AI revenue from data centers will hit $105.9 billion this year, while AMD lags with $4.5 billion.
It’s like Microsoft’s Bing challenging Google’s search business. However, AMD is winning customers including Microsoft and Meta Platform. And its striving to strengthen its offerings with the acquisition of ZK Servers to better compete with Nvidia.
“I don’t think it changes anything for the next 1 to 2 years,” said Doug Clinton, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” He emphasized that AMD’s focus is on becoming more competitive in training clusters, supporting hyperscalers in building data centers. However, Nvidia already excels in this area. “It’s not a big threat,” Clinton added.
Nvidia’s dominance is so strong that Bank of America expects its earnings report on Aug. 28 to be a bigger market catalyst than Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole on Aug. 23, CNBC’s Sarah Min has more on bank’s views.
While investors were concerned about a recession at the start of the month, which contributed to a sell-off, Goldman Sachs has lowered the probability of a recession to 20% after more favorable jobs and retail sales data.
Jan Hatzius, Goldman Sachs chief economist, told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” that the investment bank could lower the probability further depending on the next jobs report in September. In the meantime, Hatzius doesn’t believe Powell will allow himself to be “nailed down” on what the Fed’s next move will be.
“I think he’s not going to be specific, in terms of the moves that are coming, I’m sure his comments will be consistent with the idea that the risks are more two-sided, and there are some signs of softening in some areas and more importantly, or as importantly, inflation has come down. I don’t think he’s going let himself be, you know, nailed down one way or the other,” Hatzius said.
“If the data supports 50 [basis points], they should do 50, and I think they will do 50 but I think it much more likely that things would look good enough for a series of 25 basis point cuts to do the job.”
— CNBC’s Alex Harring, Kevin Breuninger, Samantha Subin, Jenni Reid, Rohan Goswami, Michael Wayland and Spencer Kimball contributed to this report.
