Stocks fall, Nvidia down 3% after the bell despite strong earnings

NEW YORK/LONDON – Global equity markets eased while the US dollar rebounded on Wednesday, and then chipmaker Nvidia’s better-than-expected results failed to impress some investors and the company’s stock fell 3% in extended trading.

Wall Street’s main indexes finished lower, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.39% to 41,091.42, the S&P 500 lost 0.60% to 5,592.18 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.12% to 17,556.03.

Europe’s benchmark STOXX index climbed 0.33% while Japanese stocks closed 0.22% higher. MSCI’s gauge of all stocks across the globe was 0.42% lower at 827.32.

Nvidia’s third-quarter revenue forecast of USD 32.5 billion surpassed Wall Street estimates after markets closed. The report still failed to impress the most bullish investors who have driven a dizzying rally in its shares as they bet billions on the future of generative artificial intelligence. Shares of the Santa Clara, California-based company fell 3% in extended trading.

Nvidia’s stock price is up some 3,000% since 2019 and with a market capitalisation of USD 3 trillion, a move in its share price affects the broader market. It finished down 2% at USD 125.61 during regular hours trading.

“They beat the average estimates because they came in around USD 32 billion and average estimates were USD 31 billion but some people on the street have them up at like USD 37 billion revenue estimates,” said Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital in Los Angeles.

“I think you’re seeing some disappointment on some bets but not really disappointment on the company.”

A preliminary estimate of second quarter US gross domestic product is due on Thursday. The Fed’s preferred inflation measure – the core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index – will be released on Friday.

Markets, which are fully priced for a 25 basis point US interest rate cut next month, see just over 100 basis points of easing by the end of the year.

The yield on benchmark US 10-year Treasury notes, which moves inversely to the price, rose 0.8 basis points to 3.841%.

“The good news is all pretty much priced in whether that be [Federal Reserve Chair Jerome] Powell’s promise more or less to cut rates in September and the fact that we’re now pricing a soft landing again,” said David Spika, chief markets strategist at Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors in Dallas.

“The economic data has been supportive of the fact that the economy is not falling apart.”

After a recent run of declines, the dollar was advancing. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, gained 0.5% at 101.10, with the euro down 0.63% at USD 1.1114.

Gold prices were hurt by the stronger US dollar with spot gold lost 0.68% to USD 2,507.50 an ounce and US gold futures settled 0.6% lower at USD 2,537.80.

Oil prices fell on concerns about Chinese demand and risks of a broader slowdown. Brent crude futures settled down 1.13% at USD 78.65 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.34% to USD 74.52.

(Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York and Lawrence White in London, Editing by Bernadette Baum, Kirsten Donovan, and David Gregorio)