​Tech 5: Micron Shares Spike on AI Demand, OpenAI Speculation Swirls

1. Strong US jobs data closes the week

The week began on a positive note as Wall Street’s major indexes opened slightly higher on Monday (September 23). The flash S&P Global Services Purchasing Managers’ Index for September came in at 55.4, marginally ahead of the expected 55.2, reinforcing positive sentiment regarding the health of the economy.

However, Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management CEO Phil Blancato cautioned that the market is anticipating more rate cuts that the US Federal Reserve is likely to deliver, which could lead to volatility in the coming weeks.

China announced aggressive stimulus measures to support its economy on Tuesday (September 24), including issuing special sovereign bonds worth about 2 trillion yuan, news that boosted stocks around the world.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX), S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) and the Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) all set new closing records. Gains to chip stocks including Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) and Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) boosted the PHLX Semiconductor Sector (INDEXNASDAQ:SOX) by 1.23 percent.

Stocks traded flat on Wednesday (September 25) morning, with the Nasdaq Composite dropping by 0.13 percent after the opening bell. By midday, gains in major players NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) had reversed earlier losses for the tech-heavy index. It ultimately closed just 0.17 percent above its opening score, while the S&P 500 and S&P/TSX Composite Index both lost ground.

Thursday’s (September 26) weekly initial jobless claims data for the US shows 218,000 new claims compared to estimates of 225,000, signaling a strengthening in the labor market.

The tech sector was among the top gainers by midday, boosted by Micron’s upbeat forecast, which the company shared just after Wednesday’s closing bell. The S&P/TSX Composite Index logged a new record close above 24,000, its second this week. Meanwhile, gains to chips stocks boosted the PHLX Semiconductor Sector by 3.77 percent, while the S&P 500 hit an intraday record of 5,767.37 before retreating slightly to 5,745.37, still up by 0.4 percent. However, it was the Russell 2000 (INDEXRUSSELL:RUT) that led gains on Thursday, closing 0.62 percent ahead.

Friday’s (September 27) Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index report shows inflation rose slightly in August, leaving stocks largely unchanged. The S&P 500 ended the week down 0.13 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite and Nasdaq-100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) were down 0.39 percent and 0.53 percent, respectively. Small-cap stocks outperformed again, with the Russell 2000 ahead by 0.67 percent at the closing bell.

2. Bitcoin breaks free from price lock

The digital asset market opened the week buoyed by the Fed’s rate cut. While US$65,000 was seen as a key resistance level, favorable market conditions and historical price data were hinting at a potential breakout.

Bitcoin and Ether remained relatively stable on Tuesday and Wednesday, while altcoins saw modest gains. Their lack of movement as Asian stocks rallied suggests a stronger correlation with US economic data.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) maintained momentum for the second week in a row, attracting inflows of US$136 million on Wednesday, the largest in almost a month.

Ether’s price dipped after the US Securities and Exchange Commission decided to delay its decision on whether to approve options trading for spot Ethereum ETFs until November 11. This choice came after the government body approved a similar product for BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (NASDAQ:IBIT) last week.

The crypto market performed strongly on Thursday, propelled by positive jobs data. Bitcoin surged, with its upward momentum continuing into Friday, when it passed US$65,000 to trade above US$66,000 for the first time since July. Ethereum performed similarly, hitting a weekly high of US$2,721 midday on Friday.

As of Friday afternoon, Bitcoin was up 1.6 percent over the past 24 hours, trading at US$65,836, while Ether was up 2.4 percent over the same period, reaching a level of US$2,697.

3. Micron delivers uplifting Q4 results

Micron reported results for its fourth fiscal quarter and full 2024 year on Wednesday, prompting an 18 percent increase in its share price on Thursday morning. As of Friday’s close, shares of Micron stood at US$107.47, reflecting a 16 percent increase for the week and a 9.82 percent gain for the month.

The company’s revenue for Q4 reached US$7.75 billion, exceeding the US$6.81 billion reported in the previous quarter. Micron’s revenue for the same period last year was US$4.01 billion.

Revenue for the full year came in at US$25.11 billion, up from US$9.57 billion during the previous year.

“Micron delivered 93 percent year-over-year revenue growth in fiscal Q4, as robust AI demand drove a strong ramp of our data center DRAM products and our industry-leading high bandwidth memory. Our NAND revenue record was led by data center SSD sales, which exceeded US$1 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time,” said Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra in a statement shared by the company.

“We are entering fiscal 2025 with the best competitive positioning in Micron’s history. We forecast record revenue in fiscal Q1 and a substantial revenue record with significantly improved profitability in fiscal 2025.”