Highlights of the week: Nvidia is worth $4 trillion, new bitcoin record, Apple's failure in AI

US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose 50 percent duties on copper imports and 200 percent duties on imports of pharmaceutical products. Apple came under pressure, with analysts calling for the company to change its CEO, pointing to the weakness of its position in AI. Meanwhile, Nvidia became the first public company to reach a capitalization of $4 trillion. The main events of July 7-11 are in our review;

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50 percent duty on copper imports and promised to announce 200 percent duties on pharmaceutical products soon, reported CNBC. "Today, we are taking on copper," he said at a cabinet meeting on July 8. 

On the social media network Truth Social, Trump wrote that the duty on copper imports will go into effect on Aug. 1. He explained that the decision was made after a "comprehensive assessment of national security threats." He said copper is needed to produce semiconductors, aircraft, ships, ammunition, data center equipment, lithium-ion batteries, radars, missile defense systems and even hypersonic weapons. Copper is the second most important material used by the U.S. Department of Defense, the American president wrote.

Following the announcement, copper prices jumped more than 13%, the sharpest one-day rise since 1989, CNBC wrote. Copper is the third most consumed metal in the world after iron and aluminum. The U.S. imports about 50% of the copper it consumes, mostly from Chile.

As for the duties on pharmaceutical imports, manufacturers will be given 12 to 18 months to relocate production facilities in the U.S. before the measures take effect. 

The market value of Nvidia in the course of trading on July 9 for the first time broke the mark of $4 trillion - Nvidia securities at the moment rose by 2.8%, reaching $164.42 per share.This is a new historical maximum. At the end of trading on Friday, July 11, the company's value was just above $4 trillion. The AI chip developer became the first in the world to achieve such capitalization, wrote Reuters. 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has risen to seventh place thanks to a rally in Nvidia stock, surpassing investor Warren Buffett on Forbes' billionaires list. At the close of trading on July 11, Huang's wealth was valued at $143.6 billion, according to Forbes, while Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett had $142.4 billion. 

Nvidia shares are up about 74% from their April lows as global markets crashed following Donald Trump's decision to impose trade duties. The stock has added about 23% since the start of the year - by comparison, the S&P 500 index is up only 6.4% over the same period. Но аналитики Уолл-стрит по-прежнему считают, у бумаг компании есть потенциал роста. 

Nvidia's value exceeds the combined capitalization of the stock markets of Canada and Mexico, and all publicly traded companies in the UK. Microsoft is now second only to Nvidia in terms of market capitalization (about $3.74 trillion).  

In trading on July 11, bitcoin broke the $118,000 mark for the first time in its history, wrote CNBC. 

The cryptocurrency's record growth comes amid a general rally in stock markets, which included a sharp rise in the price of technology companies' shares. As written by Reuters, the drivers of bitcoin's rise since the beginning of the year have been increased investor appetite for risk and sustained institutional interest. CNBC also noted that the surge in shares of Nvidia - a company whose value hit the $4 trillion mark on July 9 - has played a role in bitcoin's strength.

"Insatiable demand, including investments through ETFs and companies holding crypto assets as a reserve, is pushing the market up," noted Spencer Hallarn, global head of OTC trading at investment firm GSR. Still, the market remains volatile. "Traders should keep an eye on possible profit taking and macroeconomic factors. But for now, the mood is unambiguously bullish," said Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Kronos Research.

On Friday evening, July 11, bitcoin was trading at a price just above $117k 

What else is there to read about it?"

- Oninvest correspondent Victoria Sirota told why analysts advise investors to get rid of Coinbase crypto exchange securities in the material "Analyst advised to sell Coinbase shares. Why should you take profits now?". 

This week, analysts at LightShed Partners criticized Apple's slowdown in artificial intelligence. They believe Apple needs a new kind of executive - one focused on product breakthroughs rather than operational efficiency. 

"Apple needs a CEO who will drive products, not just manage logistics," wrote analysts Walter Paysick and Joe Galone. In their view, Tim Cook is the perfect crisis manager, but not the kind of leader who can lead the company forward in the new AI reality. They note that Apple's attempts to make a name for itself in AI remain at the level of promises made at the WWDC 2024 developer conference, and while industries around the world are reorganizing for AI, Apple risks being left behind.

LightShed does not dispute the merits of Tim Cook. Under his leadership, the company sold $2 trillion worth of iPhones, and the stock has grown more than 14 times. However, according to analysts, the "super cycle of updates" is no longer saving sales, and Apple's future requires a new approach and a new leader.

The analysts' publication comes shortly after the news of the departure of Apple's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, Cook's closest associate and the main contender for the position of the company's CEO. This event only intensified talk that Apple is on the verge of change.

What else is there to read about it?"

- In the material  "Analysts Suggest Apple Consider Changing CEO Over AI Strategy Failure," Oninvest correspondent Vlad Osipov details why an AI blunder could seriously impact Apple's ability to continue to grow.

- In article  "Love by calculation: how investors' attitude to company leaders affects stocks", journalist Polina Vorobyeva described how CEOs' different management approaches and their public activity can significantly affect the trajectory of business development.

Chinese online retailer Shein sent a confidential application for an initial public offering in Hong Kong. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing anonymous sources. The move is seen as an attempt to accelerate the long-delayed entry into the stock exchange and at the same time - as a way to put pressure on British regulators in the hope that they will soften the conditions for the IPO in London;

The company filed for an IPO in London 18 months ago, but the approval process has stalled. The main stumbling block was the risk disclosure section: in particular, Shein's involvement in supplies related to Xinjiang, a region where China has been accused of human rights abuses against Uighurs. The FT's interlocutors note: Shein still prefers a platform in London - there is a more diverse international pool of investors. However, the lack of progress is forcing the company to consider alternative sites. Hong Kong is likely to be more loyal - Beijing is actively promoting this platform as the main channel for Chinese companies to enter foreign markets.

One of the sources of the FT did not rule out that after the approval of the IPO in Hong Kong, the British regulator may approve a secondary offering in London. However, the likelihood that two regulators will approve the listing at once, analysts estimate as low.

What else is there to read about Shein?"

- Back in late May, Oninvest wrote why a Hong Kong flotation contradicts Shein's strategy - in article "Shein prepares for Hong Kong IPO after rejecting London flotation - Reuters".

- In June, the French Senate voted in favor of a bill to restrict advertising and impose environmental fees on ultra-fast fashion companies. What this means for Chinese giants Temu and Shein, wrote Oninvest columnist Alexander Pukhov in material "Speeding Up: How France is Trying to Stop the Shein and Temu Offensive".

Tesla CEO Ilon Musk has once again triggered a collapse in the company's shares. Investors sold off its securities after he announced plans to create his own political party in the United States. On July 7, Tesla's share price fell 6.87%. 

The market took this move as a signal of the businessman's growing political ambitions - to the detriment of his attention to the weakening Tesla business. Additional pressure on quotations came from Donald Trump's harsh statement accusing Musk of inadequate behavior. Downside traders could earn about $1.4 billion in "paper profits" on the collapse of Tesla shares, calculated by Reuters. 

"It pains me to watch Ilon Musk go completely off the rails, turning into a real disaster in the last five weeks," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Amid political escalation, investment firm Azoria Partners has postponed the launch of an ETF focused on Tesla stock and options. CEO James Fishback called on Tesla's board of directors to demand that Musk clarify his political plans and their compatibility with his duties as CEO.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, one of the most positive on Tesla on Wall Street, maintained a "buy" recommendation on its shares and a target price of $500 - 59.5% above the current value. But he warned: a return to politics by Musk could increase pressure on Tesla's securities, especially if his party turns out to be in opposition to Trump. "Shut up, Dan," Musk succinctly responded under Ives' post at X. 

What else is there to read about it? 

- Oninvest correspondent Victoria Sirota in a piece  "Shut up, Dan: Musk responds sharply to advice from the chief " bull" on Tesla on Wall Street" wrote about what Ives believes the automaker's board of directors should do to reduce the impact of the Tesla CEO's political activities on the company's business.  "Shut up, Dan": Musk responded sharply to advice from the chief  "bull" on Tesla on Wall Street.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor