Mega-cap chip making company Nvidia Corp (“Nvidia”) became the first company to hit $5 trillion market capitalisation, likely due to U.S. President Trump’s comments ahead of the trade talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of October. The talk resulted in a consensus on cooperation in expanding agricultural trade and pausing the rare-earths licensing regime for a year. Mid-November saw the conclusion of the record U.S. government shutdown, which lasted 43 days, and put an end to unpaid furlough and other government operations. Consequently, the October jobs report was cancelled due to insufficient data. The ambiguity around unemployment rates raised uncertainty about the state of the U.S. economy. Compounding concerns were exacerbated by growing anxieties about stretched valuations of an “AI bubble”, which led to a selloff towards the end of November.
Similarly, the Asian equity market, primarily due to technology companies in the AI landscape, slumped after an initial rally in the previous month’s end. In the semiconductor space, South Korean company Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. reported an 80% surge in profit and SK Hynix Inc. continued to lead in chip memory. In China, different industries continue to diverge as technology companies grow while consumption and property remain a drag. In response, China’s policymakers are evaluating various measures to support the housing market. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell sharply, and losses were led by the tech heavy Korean Kospi index where the aforementioned Korean companies posted steep declines.
Looking ahead, we remain cautious of the volatility in the markets. Due to concerns about inflated valuations for technology companies, the pullback observed in late November may have been a profit taking move or a price correction. Investors remain watchful for indicators of the widely discussed AI bubble, and signals for a potential burst. Against this landscape, we maintain a disciplined and balanced approach, grounded in bottom-up fundamental analysis in our portfolio construction.