Despite MS Concerns, Meta and Tesla Show Strength [Morning Market Update]
Strong Big Tech Despite MS Performance Concerns
The three major stock indices in the New York Stock Exchange rose together. On the 30th local time at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 44,883.48, up 169.96 points (0.38%) from the previous session. The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index rose 32.53 points (0.54%) to 6,071.84, and the Nasdaq Composite Index closed at 19,678.05, up 45.72 points (0.23%).
On this day, the performance outlook of Microsoft, considered a representative of American big tech, disappointed, causing anxiety in the market. However, the stock prices of other giant tech companies like Meta and Tesla rose solidly, leading the market to close on a strong note.
Meta's stock price rose by 1.55%, driven by remarks from CEO Mark Zuckerberg the previous day. Zuckerberg anticipated that the number of users of Meta AI, an AI assistant, would reach 1 billion this year and expressed confidence that the soon-to-be-released large language model (LLM) LLaMA 4 would become an industry leader.
Tesla's fourth-quarter sales last year fell short of market expectations, but comments during a conference call about proceeding with low-cost electric vehicle production as planned in the first half of this year and the growth in car sales this year had an impact. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that RoboTaxi, an autonomous taxi, would provide services in several cities by the end of the year.
Samsung Electronics to Announce Q4 Results Today
Samsung Electronics will announce its fourth-quarter and annual results today. The semiconductor division's operating profit for the fourth quarter is expected to be around 3 trillion won due to sluggish demand for PCs and smartphones and the low-cost supply offensive from China, as well as the lack of clear achievements in high-bandwidth memory (HBM).
According to the preliminary results announced on the 8th, Samsung Electronics' consolidated sales and operating profit for the fourth quarter of last year were 75 trillion won and 6.5 trillion won, respectively. Compared to the previous quarter, these figures represent a decrease of 5.18% and 29.19%, respectively.
The securities industry had initially expected fourth-quarter operating profit to be around 10 trillion won, but recently lowered the estimate to the 7 trillion won range. However, the preliminary results announced did not meet even the lowered market expectations.
Samsung Electronics explained in a statement that "the Device Solutions (DS) division saw a decline in sales and profits due to the deterioration of the IT product market, and the Device eXperience (DX) division experienced a decrease in performance due to the reduced effect of new mobile product launches and intensified competition among companies."
Acting President Choi to Preside Over Cabinet Meeting This Afternoon
Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Economy and Finance, will preside over a cabinet meeting this afternoon to decide whether to request reconsideration of the second 'Rebellion Special Prosecutor Act' passed by the National Assembly led by the opposition party.
There is a strong possibility that Acting President Choi will exercise the right to request reconsideration (veto), but some speculate that he might ultimately decide to promulgate the bill. Acting President Choi is expected to deliberate on whether to exercise the veto until the cabinet meeting.
On the 31st of last month, Acting President Choi requested reconsideration of the first Rebellion Special Prosecutor Act processed by the opposition party and separately announced a message requesting "the ruling and opposition parties to agree on a special prosecutor act without unconstitutional elements." If Acting President Choi requests reconsideration of the second Rebellion Special Prosecutor Act, it will be the seventh time he has exercised the veto since assuming the role of acting president.
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