$NVDA (-7,25%)
$AAPL (-6,8%)
$DELL (-6,54%)
$SMCI (-7,83%)

AI training is not possible without fast hardware. For Apple Intelligence, Apple is now to help itself to the Nvidia shelf once again.

Apple is apparently planning to invest billions in more and newer AI technology for Apple Intelligence. The supplier is said to be GPU specialist Nvidia. This was reported by analyst Ananda Baruah from the American investment firm Loop Capital, citing sources in the supply chain. According to the sources, the order is worth around one billion US dollars. Of this, up to 250 new servers are to be purchased.

AI servers specialized in reasoning

As Baruah writes in an investment report in the stock market journal IBD, the systems in question are of the GB300 NVL72 type. These are systems that are not yet officially on the market and are intended to be particularly suitable for reasoning AI applications. A large language model reveals the work steps that were used to reach a conclusion. Corresponding models are available from major providers such as OpenAI in the USA and DeepSeek in China. Apple does not yet operate its own chatbot and does not yet use reasoning in products that are accessible to customers.

A GB300-NVL72 system is based on 72 Blackwell Ultra GPUs plus 36 Grace CPUs "in a single platform optimized for test-time scaling inference", as Nvidia describes. The systems can also be used to build so-called AI factories, in which the machines are connected to Quantum X800 InfiniBand or Spectrum X Ethernet. When using a ConnectX-8 SuperNIC, the inference output of reasoning models can be increased fifty-fold compared to the previous Hopper platform.

Large server cluster for Gen AI at Apple

Baruah also announced that Apple plans to spend between 3.7 and 4 million dollars per server. In addition to Nvidia, Dell and Super Micro are probably also among Apple's suppliers for AI hardware. According to the analyst, Apple is now "officially in the game for large server clusters in the Gen AI sector". "Gen AI" stands for generative AI systems, i.e. large language models (LLM) with and without reasoning and image generators.

Apple is pursuing a dual strategy. The company is also developing its own AI servers based on the M4, among others, in order to implement its private cloud compute concept, in which AI applications run securely in the cloud without the company itself being able to see into them.

https://www.heise.de/news/Grosser-Serverkauf-Apple-vor-KI-Megabestellung-bei-Nvidia-10328562.html

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand that. Could you please repeat that?"

Apple users have been hearing this too often from Siri for too many years - and not just when trying to order AI server hardware. The fact that the performance and quality of Apple's former flagship voice assistant has not improved in around a decade has finally been realized in Cupertino.

Apple's solution is typical Apple: replace the person responsible and pull out the blank checkbook. CEO Tim Cook has replaced the Head of AI John Giannandrea abgesetzt and replaced him with in-house veteran Mike Rockwell, who was most recently responsible for the development of Apple Vision. Rockwell's first official act was to directly introduce a Großbestellung bei Nvidia ($NVDA (-7,25%)) for BG300 NVL72 systems with a total value of around $1 billion US dollars, enough for at least 250 high-end AI servers. The servers are to be built by Dell ($DELL) and Super Micro Computer ($SMCI (-7,83%)).

This is unlikely to be the last billion that Apple $AAPL (-6,8%) will have to invest in the coming years to make Siri at least competitive.

#siri
#nvidia
#apple
#problemsolvingstrategy

Wells Fargo overturns emissions target

Wells Fargo $WFC (-2,73%) has abandoned its goal of achieving net zero emissions for its financed portfolio by 2050. This decision is part of a comprehensive reassessment of sustainable lending in the banking industry. The bank stated that the conditions were not right for its clients to transition to greener business practices. The move comes at a time when the political mood in Washington is changing, particularly since President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement. Critics such as Ben Cushing of the Sierra Club call the decision irresponsible and risky for the planet.

Super Micro share price falls sharply

Super Micro $SMCI (-7,83%) experienced a drop of over 26% this week. This is part of a long period of volatility as investors weigh the company's growth opportunities in artificial intelligence against concerns over questionable accounting practices and increasing competition. The stock's decline has partially erased gains from a rally earlier this month. Despite the challenges, Super Micro remains a major player in the AI server market, particularly through its partnerships with companies such as Meta. However, analysts warn that the company's recurring financial problems could affect its risk perception.

Trump: tariffs on cars would hit German steel industry twice

The announcement of higher US tariffs on cars could have a significant impact on the German steel industry. The steel industry is already affected by tariffs on steel of 25 percent and could be hit twice if further tariffs on cars were to follow. These tariffs could affect the competitiveness of German car manufacturers and steel producers and put the industry under pressure. Friedrich Merz, the new CDU chairman, faces major challenges in politics as he tries to drive forward the necessary changes. The debate about Germany's political course is further fueled by the measures taken by the US government.

Sources:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wells-fargo-drops-financed-emissions-202700466.html

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/super-micro-stock-sees-nearly-30-weekly-loss-as-ai-server-competition-mounts-190707076.html

https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/donald-trump-hoehere-us-zoelle-auf-autos-duerften-stahlindustrie-in-deutschland-hart-treffen-a-12c358a3-7656-424e-85bd-dab7f8268530

After sleepless nights and a lot of back and forth, it has finally come to an end. I am happy to have finally been able to exit at a profit and have now switched completely into $PLTR (-11,65%) completely. Here's to a hopefully somewhat less painful time. 🤕

There is good news for Super Micro shareholders! Following the filing of delayed regulatory documents, Super Micro's share price has $SMCI (-7,83%) gained up to 15.5% in after-hours trading. This came after the company met Nasdaq's deadline to avoid delisting.

On Tuesday after market close, Super Micro filed updated quarterly reports for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, as well as for the quarters ended September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2024.

Previously, the stock fell 11.8% in regular trading. Super Micro's problems began last year when short-seller Hindenburg Research reported alleged accounting manipulation. These allegations led to a dramatic fall in the share price and an investigation by the Department of Justice.

Despite the difficulties, Super Micro denied the allegations and hired a new auditor. An independent review also found no evidence of wrongdoing. Is Super Micro now on the road to recovery?

NVIDIA to the rescue? Trump causes dip in growth + Novo Nordisk strong again + Home Depot disappoints with outlook + Eon beats 2024 market estimates + Deutsche Telekom with record dividend for 2024 + Supermicro shares rise after filing financial reports

Nvidia $NVDA (-7,25%)Numbers after hours today

• Investors are hoping that NVIDIA's quarterly figures on Wednesday after the close can turn the ship around in the tech sector.
• A positive trend on Wall Street in the run-up to the figures would therefore not be surprising.
• However, only one thing is certain - the share will see a fluctuation of a few percent in one direction or the other after the results.
• It's going to be a wild ride!

Novo Nordisk $NOVO B (-6,66%)strong - Semaglutid copycat under pressure

• Novo Nordisk shares continued to recover on Tuesday, rising 5.6 percent at times.
• On Friday, the US health authorities officially declared the shortage of the GLP-1 antidiabetic agent semaglutide to be over.
• Novo's drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, which are primarily known as weight loss injections, are also based on this active ingredient.
• With the FDA's announcement, exemptions for copycat products containing semaglutide are now likely to expire.
• What is good news for Novo is bad news for its suppliers, who are being punished accordingly on the stock market.
• The shares of Hims & Hers Health $HIMS (-7,52%)fell by almost a quarter in pre-market Nasdaq trading.
• After Monday's attempt at stabilization, the stock is now likely to continue its steep decline.
• The semaglutide boom had brought them a record price of almost 73 dollars on Wednesday last week.
• Since September, they have increased around fivefold.
• They now cost only around 39.50 dollars in pre-market trading.

Home Depot $HD (+0,24%)disappointed with outlook

• The world's largest DIY chain Home Depot is entering the new year with cautious targets despite recent buoyant business.
• On a comparable basis, the management around CEO Ted Decker expects an increase in sales of around one percent this year, as the company, which is listed in the leading US index Dow Jones Industrial, announced in Atlanta on Tuesday.
• Analysts had expected more on average.
• In the final quarter of last year, however, sales on a comparable basis rose by a surprising 0.8 percent.
• Experts had predicted a decline here.
• However, the share price fell by more than two percent in pre-market US trading due to the outlook for the new year.
• In the full year 2024, the US company's revenue rose by 4.5 percent to 159.5 billion dollars (152.1 billion euros); on a comparable basis, however, this represents a decline of 1.8 percent.
• The bottom line profit fell by 2.2 percent to 14.8 billion dollars.
• Home Depot spent more on administration and sales, and depreciation and amortization also increased.
• Higher interest payments were also incurred.
• The quarterly dividend is nevertheless set to rise by 2.2 percent to 2.30 dollars per share.

Eon $EOAN (-6,15%)exceeds market estimates and forecast for 2024 better than expected

• Energy supplier Eon closed the past year better than the market had expected.
• Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (ber EBITDA) amounted to a good €9 billion, Eon announced in Essen on Wednesday.
• Although this is three percent less than in 2023, analysts had expected an even sharper decline.
• The experts surveyed by the company also did not expect Eon to return to the earnings level of 2023 in 2025.
• However, the management of the DAX-listed company is convinced of this.
• It expects an adjusted operating profit of EUR 9.6 to 9.8 billion in the current year, which would exceed the 2023 level even in the worst-case scenario.
• This will be made possible by strong investments, particularly in the expansion of the grid infrastructure.
• Eon increased its investment plans on Wednesday, as well as its medium-term profit expectations.

Deutsche Telekom $DTE (-4,46%)wants to grow - record dividend for 2024

• Deutsche Telekom intends to make further gains in the current year.
• Profit adjusted for special effects including leasing costs (EBITDA AL) is set to increase by around 4.5 percent to around 44.9 billion euros, the DAX-listed company announced in Bonn on Wednesday.
• The adjusted free cash flow is expected to increase by around 4 percent to around 19.9 billion euros.
• The latter figure can provide information on the ability to pay dividends and buy back shares.
• Group CEO Tim Höttges is positioning himself more cautiously than analysts expect on average for both key figures - Deutsche Telekom, on the other hand, argues with different exchange rate assumptions, among other things.
• In 2024, Deutsche Telekom generated revenue of just under 115.8 billion euros, around 3.4 percent more than in the previous year.
• Adjusted for special effects, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization including leasing costs (EBITDA AL) rose by 6.2 percent to 43 billion euros.
• The Group's performance in both key figures was roughly in line with industry experts' expectations.
• On the bottom line, Telekom earned 11.2 billion euros after just under 17.8 billion euros in the previous year.
• There was a positive special effect from the sale of the radio tower.
• Shareholders are to be paid a dividend of 90 cents per share for the past year - more than ever before.

Supermicro shares $SMCI (-7,83%)rise after submission of financial reports

• Super Micro Computer recently filed its delayed financial reports, averting the threat of delisting from the Nasdaq.
• This news led to a significant increase in the company's share price, which rose by over 20% following the filing.
• Investors reacted positively to the news, as meeting the deadlines strengthens confidence in the company's management.
• Super Micro Computer has reached an important milestone with the timely filing of its financial reports, boosting investor confidence and driving share prices higher.
• The filing of the reports was crucial as Supermicro has faced uncertainty in recent months.
• In August last year, allegations of accounting manipulation were made, which led to the resignation of the auditor.
• These incidents had shaken investor confidence and led to a significant drop in the share price.
• The timely submission of the reports now marks a turning point for the company.

Wednesday: Stock market dates, economic data, quarterly figures

• Quarterly figures / company dates USA / Asia
• 15:00 3M Co, Investor Day
• 22:05 Salesforce.com Inc, 4Q results
• 22:05 Adtran Inc, Result 4Q
• 22:05 Ebay Inc, Result 4Q
• 22:20 Nvidia Corp, Result 4Q

• Quarterly figures / Company dates Europe
• 07:00 Fresenius SE | Covestro | Deutsche Telekom | Eon
• 07:00 Gerresheimer | Anheuser-Busch | Wienerberger Annual results
• 07:30 Auto1 | Munich Re | Danone Annual results
• 07:45 Ahold Delhaize detailed annual results and annual report
• 08:00 Stellantis | CRH annual results
• 09:00 Aston Martin annual results | Covestro BI-PK
• 10:00 Ceconomy AGM | Fresenius SE AGM-PC | Deutsche Telekom AGM-PC | Eon AGM-PC | Gerresheimer Analyst Conference
• 12:00 Eon Analyst Conference
• 13:30 Fresenius SE Analysts' Conference
• 15:00 Covestro Analyst Conference
• No time specified: BP Capital Markets Day

• Economic data

08:00 DE: GfK consumer climate indicator February

08:00 DE: Real wages (preliminary) 4Q & year 2024

08:45 FR: Consumer Confidence February

09:00 DE: Economic Barometer of the DIW (German Institute for Economic Research) February

16:00 US: New home sales January

16:30 US: Crude oil inventory data (week) from the government Energy Information Administration (EIA) previous week

Are you holding $SMCI (-7,83%) until 23.02 or are you not taking the risk and selling today? I think I'll stay in. I already have a nice profit, but I'm optimistic that they will publish their figures. How are things looking for you?