Category: Stock Market

Sanlam Share Price 2025: Partnerships and Africa Expansion Drive Momentum Post H1 Earnings

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

Sanlam Limited (JSE: SLMJ) has staged a strong rebound in 2025, driven by new partnerships in Africa and India, improved business inflows, and a major UK divestment that sharpened its strategic focus. Continue reading “Sanlam Share Price 2025: Partnerships and Africa Expansion Drive Momentum Post H1 Earnings” →

Forex Signals Sept 18: Powell’s Caution Tempers Dovish Expectations, What It Means for BOE

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

Global markets steadied after the Federal Reserve’s latest policy move, leaving traders cautious ahead of the Bank of England’s upcoming decision. Continue reading “Forex Signals Sept 18: Powell’s Caution Tempers Dovish Expectations, What It Means for BOE” →

Tesla TSLA Stock Up 8% Weekly on Robust Q3 Delivery Forecasts and Insider Buying

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

Tesla shares have rallied to their highest level since February, fueled by Elon Musk’s $1 billion insider purchase, robust sales in China, and optimism around Q3 deliveries and autonomous driving progress. Continue reading “Tesla TSLA Stock Up 8% Weekly on Robust Q3 Delivery Forecasts and Insider Buying” →

Dow Jones Hits New Record Before Pullback Amid Fed and BoC Rate Meetings

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

U.S. and Canadian rate cuts sparked a volatile trading session, with markets initially rallying before pulling back, with Dow Jones printing a new record high, as central bank commentary failed to match investors’ dovish hopes. Continue reading “Dow Jones Hits New Record Before Pullback Amid Fed and BoC Rate Meetings” →

AVGO Stock Leads Chip Fall, As Sector Faces Growing Competition from China

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

Broadcom’s sharp decline is indicative of a growing apprehension in the tech sector as post-earnings enthusiasm gives way to concerns about valuation and escalating geopolitical threats.
Continue reading “AVGO Stock Leads Chip Fall, As Sector Faces Growing Competition from China” →

Palantir PLTR Stock and Nvidia Drop as China Pushes Domestic Chip Production

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Nvidia and Palantir’s stocks are facing heavy selling pressure as investor enthusiasm around artificial intelligence gives way to valuation worries and global policy risks.
Continue reading “Palantir PLTR Stock and Nvidia Drop as China Pushes Domestic Chip Production” →

Citi Tempers ETH Hype: $4.3K Target Signals Ethereum Pullback

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Citigroup recently announced that Ethereum (ETH)  could reach $4,300 by the end of 2025. This target reflects a slight decline from the current market value of approximately $4,500, indicating the bank’s cautious yet optimistic approach.

The bank’s forecast is multifaceted. In its base scenario, Ethereum is expected to end the year at $4,300. However, Citigroup also outlined a bull case where Ethereum could soar to $6,400, driven by widespread adoption and increased capital investments. Conversely, their bear case predicts a drop to $2,200, pointing out risks such as decreased network usage and tighter global liquidity.

Citi analysts highlighted that Ether’s value is heavily reliant on network activity. The more Ethereum is used for applications, transactions, and decentralized finance (DeFi), the greater the demand for it. As demand increases, so does the value of ETH, its native token.

Recently, layer-2 scaling solutions, including rollups, sidechains, and off-chain systems, have gained popularity. These platforms can process transactions more quickly and at lower costs before settling them on the main Ethereum blockchain, which helps alleviate congestion. However, Citi notes that not all activity on these layer-2 systems is detrimental to the ecosystem.

Citi estimates that only 30% of layer-2 activity significantly impacts Ethereum’s valuation. Based on this metric, Ether is currently trading above its fair value. The analysts believe that other factors, such as consistent inflows from institutional investors, enthusiasm for tokenization initiatives, and the growing importance of stablecoins on Ethereum’s network, can explain this discrepancy.

The introduction of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on Ethereum has added another layer of complexity. Although ETH ETF flows are still smaller than those for Bitcoin, they have a larger price impact per dollar invested. However, due to Ethereum’s smaller market capitalization and lower recognition among novice cryptocurrency investors, the bank expects that Ether ETFs will attract fewer inflows compared to Bitcoin.

Citi does not see much potential in the macroeconomic environment outside of crypto-specific factors, especially alongside U.S. stocks that are currently trading near the bank’s assessments.

Ripple: BlackRock, Crypto.com Signal Massive XRP Upturn

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Kris Marszalek, CEO of Crypto.com, made the audacious prediction that XRP’s ETF could draw $8 billion in inflows in its first year in a video John Squire posted on X.

 

The XRP community was already feeling excited about this prediction, with many hoping that the inflows would result in a significant increase in XRP’s value.  The anticipated rise in liquidity may bolster the asset and reinforce its position in the cryptocurrency market.  Marszalek’s comments highlighted XRP’s growing institutional interest and suggested that significant investments may be forthcoming. This influx of capital is likely to improve XRP’s status and attract both individual and institutional investors.

BlackRock’s head of digital assets, Robert Mitchnick, a former Ripple executive,  released research projecting a double-digit target for XRP. Mitchnick joined BlackRock after working at Ripple.

He was a co-author of a research report at the time of his move that examined digital assets and their potential values. Mitchnick’s report modeled both possible success and failure scenarios for XRP, estimating the asset’s future price in double digits.

The report’s low estimate of $6.37, although significantly higher than XRP’s current trading level, was explained by him. The forecast was then summarized into a range of fundamental values..

“The resulting fundamental value range of between $1.59 and $8.23” was reached after giving the success case a 25 percent chance, while the failure case assumed that XRP would have no value.

Although BlackRock has not yet applied for an XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF), the company has significantly expanded its presence in the cryptocurrency market.

Oracle-Led Consortium with Silver Lake, Andreessen to Acquire TikTok

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Oracle would be part of the consortium that would purchase TikTok’s US operations. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week to discuss a deal involving Andreessen Horowitz and private equity firm Silver Lake Management LLC.

Silver Lake, Oracle, and venture capital firm Andreessen will all own shares in the new business. If a deal is reached, it will settle a point of contention in Washington-Beijing relations and help determine the future of China’s most valuable private company, a $400 billion startup whose video product attracted 170 million users, primarily young Americans, before being classified as a national security threat.

ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok will fall below 20 percent to comply with a US law set to take effect in 2024. This law requires the Beijing-based company to sell off its assets or face a ban from the US market. A source familiar with the terms of the agreement indicated that users of the app would transition to a new platform once the sale is finalized.

TikTok’s US engineers have tested the new app, which will replicate the recommendation algorithms that originally made the platform popular. A Beijing official stated that ByteDance will license the underlying technology as part of the framework agreement.

Additionally, the agreement stipulates that Oracle will continue providing cloud services to TikTok in the US, which has become a reliable source of income for the Austin-based company. TikTok and Oracle already collaborate to host user data in the US and other countries.

Baidu, Alibaba, JD.com, Meituan Soar as Investors Bet Big on AI Growth

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Hong Kong-listed Chinese technology stocks surged to their highest level in nearly four years, driven by demand fueled by optimism about artificial intelligence. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, the Hang Seng Tech Index increased by up to 3.5 percent on Wednesday, reaching its highest level since November 2021.

Baidu led the gains with a 16 percent increase, while other tech giants also saw rises during morning trading. Companies like JD.com, Meituan, and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. experienced gains as well.

The index is now on track for its seventh consecutive week of increases, supported by a reduction in tensions between the U.S. and China, as well as optimism that significant investments by tech companies in artificial intelligence will prove profitable.

The price-to-earnings ratio, a crucial metric for investors, remains significantly lower for Chinese tech stocks compared to their US counterparts. Bloomberg-compiled data shows that the Hang Seng Tech Index is trading at 20.5 times forward earnings, which is less than the Nasdaq 100 Index’s ratio of 27 times earnings.

China’s largest tech companies are also on a massive spending spree in AI as they compete with US companies and one another to dominate a market widely predicted to transform how people live and work.

Total investment from well-known Chinese internet companies, including Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba. According to a report by Bloomberg Intelligence, Baidu and JD. com is expected to reach $32 billion in 2025, more than doubling from $13 billion this year. This has contributed to a funding frenzy in the bond and equity markets.

Alibaba raised $3 billion last week through a successful convertible bond offering, while Tencent sold its first bond in four years on Tuesday for 9 billion yuan ($1.27 billion) through the dim sum bond market. According to a state television report on Tuesday night, China Unicom’s Sanjiangyuan data center has signed contracts to use AI chips from Chinese companies, including Alibaba’s chip division T-Head. This is the most recent news that has fueled optimism.