JD Joins The China Party

After missing out on last year’s tech run, many investors are choosing not to risk that feeling again. As a result, they continue to pile into stocks in the semiconductor industry and related fields. Arm Holdings joined the fray today, jumping sharply after reporting results.

The chip design technology giant reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $0.29 on $824 million in revenues. That topped estimates of $0.25 and $761 million. 🤩

As we’ve discussed, speculation continues to spread to all corners of the market. Even those areas that have been left for dead for quite some time. Today’s example of this is Jumia Technologies, the “Amazon of Africa” that caught wildfire early in its life before the gravity of reality brought it back down to earth. 🛒

The company reported reducing its losses by over 90% in the fourth quarter as it focused on restoring order and gross merchandise value (GMV) growth. Like other struggling companies, it cut costs significantly and leveraged lower tax provisions to help drive the earnings improvement. 

Although mega-cap technology giants like Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon are having no trouble in the advertising market, smaller players like Snap are. That trend continued today, with Pinterest missing revenue estimates. Let’s take a look at the numbers. 👇

The social media company’s adjusted earnings per share of $0.53 topped the expected $0.51. However, revenues of $981 million were $10 million shy of estimates despite rising 12% YoY.

One of the core themes we’ve been discussing for a long time is the “ad-ification” of everything. No matter where you go or what you do, you’re likely being targeted by some form of advertising. And the reason why is because it’s such a high-margin, profitable business opportunity. 🎯

As a result, it’s no surprise to see America’s largest employer and big-box retailer, Walmart, leaning heavily into that narrative during its earnings call.