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CNBC Daily Open: Correction may not be over yet

Published

3 months ago

August 7, 2024

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Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on August 06, 2024 in New York City.

Michael M. Santiago | 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

Broad rally
Wall Street staged a broad-based rally, snapping a three-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose almost 300 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both rose more than 1%. All 11 S&P 500 sectors closed in positive territory. Mega caps rebounded from Monday’s losses, with Nvidia and Meta Platforms, gaining 3.8% and 3.9%, respectively. The yield on the 10-year Treasury ticked higher, while U.S. oil prices rose after hitting six-month lows on Monday.

Not so super
Super Micro Computer shares fell 13% after the company’s fourth-quarter earnings missed estimates. The company, whose first-quarter revenue forecast exceeded Wall Street’s estimates, also announced a 10-for-1 stock split. Super Micro is a key supplier of servers for Nvidia, a major player in the AI boom, and has seen significant growth in recent years. However, the company’s profitability is now a concern for investors. Its gross margin dropped to 11.2% in the reported quarter, down from 17%, a year earlier.

Microsoft vs Delta
Microsoft accused Delta Air Lines of outdated technology after an IT outage in July caused the airline to cancel more than 5,000 flights. The company, which said the incident had caused it $500 million in losses, is seeking damages from Microsoft and CrowdStrike. A botched software update from CrowdStrike last month had affected millions of computers running Microsoft Windows. Microsoft questioned why Delta struggled to recover compared to other airlines, suggesting Delta hasn’t modernized its IT infrastructure. Delta refutes the claim.

X sues advertisers
Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, is suing a group of advertisers for allegedly orchestrating an illegal boycott that cost the platform billions in revenue. The lawsuit, filed in Texas, accuses the World Federation of Advertisers and its members of violating antitrust laws by stopping advertising after Musk’s takeover. Musk, on X, declared “war” against the advertisers, while X CEO Linda Yaccarino cited evidence uncovered by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to support the lawsuit’s claims.

Airbnb shares sink
Airbnb‘s stock fell 14% in extended trading after its second-quarter earnings missed expectations. The company also warned of slowing growth, particularly in the U.S. It reported a net income of $555 million, or 86 cents per share, down 15% year-over-year from $650 million, or 98 cents per share. The company projects third-quarter revenue of $3.67 billion to $3.73 billion but cautioned that it was “seeing shorter booking lead times globally and some signs of slowing demand from U.S. guests.”

[PRO] When to buy more
The “Magnificent Seven” tech giants lost nearly $1 trillion in value at one point, during Monday’s global stock market rout, though some losses were later recovered. This is what investors are looking for before they buy more.

The bottom line

Wall Street spent the session crawling out of a hole but Goldman Sachs warned the correction may not be over yet. And sure enough, futures indicated a lower opening to Wednesday’s session.

Peter Oppenheimer, Goldman Sachs’ chief global equity strategist, told CNBC the market correction was “healthy and somewhat inevitable” after a very strong first half of the year especially given signs of a slowing U.S. economy and growing “complacency” in the market.

“My feeling is that this correction, although is stabilizing, is not yet over. We’re still going to see, I think, some choppy environments in the short-term as investors really start to calibrate and get more confident again about the direction of interest rates and the economy. But at the same time I don’t think we are in a bear market and there are going to be some good opportunities here.”

Asked by CNBC’s David Faber if now was a good entry point to get investors back into the market, with the multiple on the Nasdaq down to 24-time earnings, Oppenheimer said, “I think it hasn’t come down enough.” He expects further declines before value investors see it as a good buying opportunity.

Mega cap stocks were routed on Monday losing $1 trillion in early trading before recovering some ground. There has been a lot of concern around earnings and the billions spent by Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet on AI data centers. Hedge fund Elliott Management reportedly told clients that Nvidia was in a “bubble” and the AI frenzy was “overhyped.”

Ankur Crawford, Alger portfolio manager, urged investors to look beyond short-term earnings and focus on the long-term earnings power of companies leading the AI revolution.

“If you look at just Microsoft‘s Azure numbers, they went from being a zero-dollar business seven quarters ago to having a $6 billion run rate today. I would challenge anyone to tell me what other business grew from zero to $6 billion in a year and a half. And that is just the early early innings of this AI trade.”

— CNBC’s Hakyung Kim, Samantha Subin, Sean Conlon, Jeff Cox, Rohan Goswami, Leslie Josephs and Spencer Kimball contributed to this report.

Environment

Loren McDonald stops by Quick Charge to discuss EV charging, Paren, and more

Published

10 hours ago

November 14, 2024

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Loren McDonald stops by Quick Charge to discuss EV charging, Paren, and more

Leading electric vehicle analyst, author, and industry thought leaders Loren McDonald and Bill Ferro stop by Quick Charge to discuss EV Adoption’s acquisition by Paren, the “crisis” of EV charging reliability, and the real state of the EV market.

Depending on who you listen, EVs are either driving brands to record growth and are about cross that critical 10% of the overall market nationwide, or the future is bleak, the market is down, and EVs just aren’t selling. What’s really going on? Loren and Bill (probably) have some answers.

Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Click here to learn more.

Source Links

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New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news!

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Chevy EV owners in Texas now get free overnight home charging with Reliant

Published

12 hours ago

November 14, 2024

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Chevy EV owners in Texas now get free overnight home charging with Reliant

Chevy EV Texas Reliant — Chevy Blazer EV (left), Chevy Equinox EV (middle) Chevy Silverado EV (right) (Source: GM)

Chevy EV owners in Texas who have Reliant as their electric utility can now charge for free at night with renewable energy.

Over 150 Chevrolet dealerships across Texas are now offering the Reliant Free Charge Nights plan to new EV buyers. With Free Charge Nights, customers can offset their charging costs by receiving credits for electricity used between 11 pm and 6 am. The plan is powered entirely by renewable energy, thanks to the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs).

Rasesh Patel, president of NRG Consumer, says the plan is about making power personal: “We’re excited to help Chevrolet EV drivers offset the cost of charging their vehicle all while having access to a renewable electricity plan.”

This collaboration aims to make EV adoption more appealing by making charging cheaper and greener. GM Energy’s chief revenue officer, Aseem Kapur, emphasized that partnerships like this help build the ecosystem needed to support an all-electric future: “The Reliant Free Charge Nights plan is a great example of how an automaker and an energy company can work together to make EV adoption an easy decision.”

Existing Reliant customers can also sign up for the Free Charge Nights plan. To get started, Chevrolet EV owners need to designate their vehicle on the GM Energy Smart Charging Portal before enrolling in the plan.

Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, serves over 1.5 million customers in Texas, making it one of the largest electricity providers in the state.

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Environment

Texas to get 1 GW AI-powered virtual power plant, enough to power 200,000 homes

Published

14 hours ago

November 13, 2024

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Texas to get 1 GW AI-powered virtual power plant, enough to power 200,000 homes

Texas is about to get a major power boost – a new AI-powered virtual power plant (VPP) delivering capacity equivalent to 200,000 homes during peak demand.

NRG Energy is teaming up with Renew Home to bring nearly 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity to the Texas grid by 2035, aiming to make it more resilient while helping residents save on energy costs.

The new VPP will rely on hundreds of thousands of smart thermostats and other connected home devices, making use of AI technology provided by Google Cloud. These devices, like Vivint and Nest smart thermostats, will be offered to eligible customers at no cost. By automating HVAC adjustments, they help shift energy use to when electricity is cheaper, cleaner, and less strained.

NRG and Renew Home have big plans for the VPP. Starting in spring 2025, the companies plan to roll out the program across Texas, installing these smart thermostats in homes served by NRG’s retail electricity providers. Eventually, they plan to add home battery storage and EVs to expand the power plant’s capabilities.

Texas has faced record-breaking energy demands, with peak usage hitting 85 GW in 2023. As the state’s population grows and extreme weather becomes more frequent, VPPs like this one could play a key role in stabilizing the grid. VPPs aggregate a lot of small-scale energy resources, from smart thermostats to home batteries, and use them to help balance supply and demand during times of high stress on the grid.

This nearly 1 GW VPP will be one of the largest of its kind in Texas. NRG’s president of consumer operations, Rasesh Patel, calls it a “pivotal step” for improving customer experience while making Texas’ energy infrastructure more sustainable and resilient.

In addition to Renew Home, NRG is working with Google Cloud to maximize the power plant’s effectiveness. Google Cloud’s AI and analytics tools will help predict weather conditions, forecast renewable generation, and optimize energy usage, all of which will help make energy management smoother for both customers and the grid.

Ben Brown, CEO of Renew Home, said:

NRG’s commitment to creating a more resilient and sustainable energy future while also making electricity bills more affordable makes them an ideal partner for co-developing this unique VPP program.

This initiative raises the bar for future-proofing our electricity infrastructure and delivering cost savings to customers.

Read: Chinese solar giant Trina sells its Texas factory a week after it opens

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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.