DAILY UPDATE: Truth Social and Weak Stock Markets

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Quote: “This is a very unusual situation. The stock is pretty much divorced from fundamentals.”—Jay Ritter, finance professor and IPO expert at the University of Florida, on the surging value of the newly public Trump Media. Truth Social, its only active product, has been shedding both users and cash. (CNN)

Shares of Truth Social owner Trump Media & Technology Group plunged Monday after the company disclosed that it lost more than $58 million and generated very little revenue in 2023. Former President Donald Trump is the company’s majority shareholder, and his net worth tumbled by more than $1 billion Monday as a result.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource

Here’s where the major benchmarks ended:

Stocks started Q2 off soft yesterday, as investors continued to fret about inflation. Stock spotlight: Trump Media, the newly public company that owns Truth Social, plunged yesterday after revealing that it lost $58 million last year, generated just $4.1 million in revenue, and had 10 times fewer users than Threads.

  • The S&P 500 index fell 10.58 points (0.2%) to 5,243.77; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) shed 240.52 points (0.6%) to 39,566.85; the NASDAQ Composite® ($COMP) added 17.37 points (0.1%) to 16,396.83.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield jumped 13 basis points to 4.323%.
  • The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) rose 0.64 to 13.65.

Banks were among the market’s weakest performers Monday, likely reflecting concern that elevated interest rates could pinch margins. The KBW Regional Bank Index (KRX) sank 2% after ending at a two-month high last week. The small-cap Russell 2000® Index (RUT) was also soft, dropping 1% after closing at a two-year high last week. 

Communication services and semiconductor shares turned in strong performances, as did energy, lifted by WTI Crude Oil (/CL) futures’ extending a rally to its highest level since late October. WTI Crude Oil is up almost 18% so far this year amid concern over supply disruptions stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East conflict.

In other markets, the U.S. dollar index ($DXY) strengthened for the fourth straight day and reached its highest point since mid-November behind expectations the Fed will keep interest rates high.

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