Nvidia Corp. (STAR)
NVDA – Nasdaq
Things that are going up fast: 1) Auston Matthews’s NHL-leading goal total; 2) The dollar value of legal judgments against Donald Trump; 3) Nvidia Corp.’s stock price. Shares of the chip maker soared to a fresh record after it reported blowout fourth-quarter results, including revenue of US$22.1-billion that was up 265 per cent from a year earlier, driven by surging demand for its processors used in artificial intelligence applications. With Nvidia’s market capitalization hitting US$2-trillion and the company forecasting first-quarter sales well ahead of estimates, making money on this stock is easier than scoring on an empty net.
Intuitive Machines Inc. (STAR)
LUNR – Nasdaq
This is one stock that’s going to the moon – for real. Shares of Intuitive Machines Inc. shot higher Friday after its Odysseus spacecraft touched down on the moon late Thursday, marking the first lunar landing by a private company. “What I can confirm without a doubt is our equipment is on the surface of the moon and we are transmitting,” said Tim Crain, Intuitive’s mission director. Roger. Now, can you please confirm if the moon is made out of cheese and, if so, what kind?
Teladoc Health Inc. (DOG)
TDOC – NYSE
Teladoc Health Inc.’s online medical services help patients stay healthy. But, in an unfortunate twist, the stock has come down with a bad case of gap-down-itis. Known for its BetterHelp counselling platform, the company shed roughly one-quarter of its value after Teladoc’s first-quarter forecast came up short of Wall Street estimates, as market saturation in telemedicine and lower marketing spending on Better Health are expected to weigh on results. With Teladoc’s shares down about 95 per cent from their COVID-19 peak, when more people were doing medical visits online, investors are feeling very sick indeed.
Nikkei 225 Index (STAR)
For years, the Land of the Rising Sun was better known as the land of sinking stocks. But Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index finally cracked a new high this week – a mere 34 years after the benchmark’s previous peak, which was followed by decades of sluggish economic growth and anemic stock market returns. Analysts cited several factors for the market’s renewed vigour, including strong corporate profits, a weak yen, improvements to shareholders’ rights, economic struggles in China and the tech-driven rally on global markets. But I believe there’s a simpler explanation: more buyers than sellers.
Cascades Inc. (DOG)
CAS – TSX
Good thing Cascades Inc. makes tissues, because investors could use one after the stock got clobbered this week. Hit by a fourth-quarter loss of $57-million, more than double the loss of $27-million a year earlier, the Quebec-based paper and packaging maker said its containerboard segment posted results below expectations because of higher input costs and lower average selling prices, among other factors. Adding to the gloomy mood, Cascades warned that first-quarter results will decrease sequentially, citing lower production of containerboard to manage high inventories and rising raw material costs in its tissue papers segment. There, there. It will be okay.
John Heinzl