Overnight, shares of photolithography giant ASML experienced a flash crash due to significant concerns over the company's performance.
By the end of the trading session, ASML's stock had plummeted 16.26% to $730.43, resulting in a market capitalization of $287.37 billion. Statistically, this marks the company's largest single-day drop since 1998.
The company reported that net bookings for the September quarter amounted to 2.6 billion euros ($2.83 billion), significantly lower than the 5.6 billion euros anticipated by LSEG. However, net sales exceeded expectations, reaching 7.5 billion euros.
Many analysts described ASML's pessimistic forecast as "clearly disappointing," predicting it would place pressure on semiconductor stocks. Despite this, they stated, "the company's revised outlook does not imply a shift in the AI growth narrative."
Additionally, the company's cutting-edge lithography has yet to sufficiently impress TSMC, which is hoping to purchase the technology at a more competitive price (currently around $2.5 billion each). After all, Intel and Samsung remain pivotal players in the production and advancement of cutting-edge processes.