Baidu Option Alert: Jun 20 $95 Puts at the Bid: 800 vs 3683 OI; Earnings 5/15 Before Open [est] 

Baidu Option Alert: Jun 20 $95 Puts at the Bid: 800 @ $7.05 vs 3683 OI; Earnings 5/15 Before Open [est] Ref=$95.69

Baidu Option Alert: Jan, 2027 $80 Calls Sweep (14) near the midpoint: 246 vs 711 OI; Earnings 5/15 Before Open [est] 

Baidu Option Alert: Jan, 2027 $80 Calls Sweep (14) near the midpoint: 246 @ $32.497 vs 711 OI; Earnings 5/15 Before Open [est] Ref=$94.76

Baidu Option Alert: Apr 17 $90 Calls at the Ask: 1620 vs 3322 OI; Earnings 5/15 Before Open [est] 

Baidu Option Alert: Apr 17 $90 Calls at the Ask: 1620 @ $14.3 vs 3322 OI; Earnings 5/15 Before Open [est] Ref=$102.265

Baidu Option Alert: Jun 20 $75 Calls Sweep (6) near the Ask: 238 vs 12244 OI; Earnings 5/15 Before Open [est] 

Baidu Option Alert: Jun 20 $75 Calls Sweep (6) near the Ask: 238 @ $28.8 vs 12244 OI; Earnings 5/15 Before Open [est] Ref=$101.66

Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) Stock

BAIDU INC - SPON ADR

Baidu

Baidu is the largest internet search engine in China with over 50% share of the search engine market in 2024 per web analytics firm, Statcounter. The firm generated 72% of core revenue from online marketing services from its search engine in 2023. Outside its search engine, Baidu is a technology-driven company and its other major growth initiatives are artificial intelligence cloud, video streaming services, voice recognition technology, and autonomous driving.

Baidu, Inc. - American Depositary Shares, each representing 8 ordinary share

Baidu Inc

Samsung Electronics (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SSNLF#OTC">SSNLF</a>) has resorted to Chinese technology groups to drive its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/samsung" rel="noreferrer noopener">struggling semiconductor division</a>, according to a report.
The South Korean electronics group struggled to bag prominent U.S. customers despite aggressively investing in its American manufacturing facilities, the Financial Times <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/bf1baea6-32f8-4e6b-997a-5214ea1e89f4" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>.
In March, Samsung noted that the value of its exports to China jumped 54% between 2023 and 2024 amid intensifying U.S. semiconductor sanctions.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/emerging-markets/25/02/43917151/samsung-workers-get-pay-raise-and-stock-benefits" rel="noreferrer noopener">Samsung Workers Get Pay Raise And Stock Benefits</a>
In 2024, Samsung sold the logic die supply over three years to Baidu Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) semiconductor design subsidiary Kunlun Tech.
In 2024, Samsung announced a $40 billion investment in expanding its advanced chip manufacturing and packaging facilities in Texas, lagging behind arch-rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSM#NYSE">TSM</a>), which committed a minimum of $100 billion in chip fabrication plants in Arizona.
Samsung also lagged behind local rival SK Hynix in the high bandwidth memory. Jimmy Goodrich of b told the Financial Times that the demand frenzy from Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) and Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AVGO#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>) restricted SK Hynix&#8217;s access to Chinese companies.
Samsung emerged as the leading supplier of HBM in China, and it is a supplier of Huawei&#8217;s Ascend 910 series of AI chips as per SemiAnalysis.
Goodrich and Samsung acknowledged Samsung&#8217;s compliance with the U.S. semiconductor sanctions.
Samsung expects <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/guidance/25/01/42874446/samsungs-outlook-dims-amid-hbm-supply-struggles-for-nvidia-and-sluggish-consumer-chip-sales" rel="noreferrer noopener">fourth-quarter sales</a> of $51.38 billion (75 trillion Korean won versus 67.78 trillion Korean a year ago) and operating profit of 6.5 trillion Korean&nbsp;won (versus 2.82 trillion Korean won a year ago). The consensus for fourth-quarter operating profit stood at 7.7 trillion Korean won.
The cautious operating profit guidance marks pressure from research and development costs and the ramp-up of manufacturing capacity to cater to&nbsp;Nvidia.&nbsp;Additionally, weakness in demand for conventional memory chips used in PCs and mobile phones also affected the profit forecast.&nbsp;
Read Next:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/02/43815191/taiwan-semiconductors-potential-intel-takeover-could-widen-gap-threatening-samsungs-chip-business-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taiwan Semiconductor&#8217;s Potential Intel Takeover Could Widen Gap, Threatening Samsung&#8217;s Chip Business: Report</a></li>
</ul>
Photo courtesy: Samsung

Asia

Government

News

Regulations

Emerging Markets

Tech

Media

AVGO

BIDU

NVDA

SSNLF

Samsung's China Chip Pivot Gains Steam With 54% Export Surge Amid US Market Struggles

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) CEO Elon Musk doubled down on his longtime <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43327837/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-dismises-lidar-again-says-if-humans-drive-without-shooting-lasers-from-their-eyes-so-can-autonomous-cars">skepticism of LiDAR technology</a> on Thursday following the videos of YouTubers testing his EV vehicles against a ‘Wile E. Coyote' fake wall challenge.
What Happened: Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to repeat a key pillar of Tesla's self-driving vision: cameras and AI are all you need.
"People don't shoot lasers out of their eyes to drive," Musk wrote, sharing an old clip from Tesla's 2019 Autonomy Day. "Just try Tesla self-driving today, which just uses cameras and AI, and you will understand."
In the video, Musk called LiDAR a "fool's errand," saying, "Anyone relying on LiDAR is doomed. Doomed! Expensive sensors that are unnecessary… like having a whole bunch of expensive appendices."
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44508019/tesla-and-other-us-robotics-giants-demand-federal-strategy-to-compete-with-chinas-138-billion-push-warn-america-will-lose-the-race-without-it">Tesla And Other US Robotics Giants Demand Federal Strategy To Compete With China&#8217;s $138 Billion Push — Warn America Will Lose The Race Without It</a>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">People don't shoot lasers out of their eyes to drive. Just try Tesla self-driving today, which just uses cameras and AI, and you will understand. <a href="https://t.co/uArUTLAhlF">https://t.co/uArUTLAhlF</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1905296913567506951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
Unlike <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/11/41676465/tesla-can-make-cybercab-for-the-same-money-it-takes-waymo-to-install-lidar-sensors-on-its-robotaxi-s">competitors such as</a> Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) Waymo and General Motors Co.'s (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GM#NYSE">GM</a>) Cruise, Tesla has famously avoided using LiDAR, opting instead for a vision-based system.
However, in a twist, a 2024 earnings report from LiDAR manufacturer Luminar revealed that Tesla had quietly become its biggest customer. The EV giant accounted for over 10% of Luminar's first-quarter revenue, totaling more than $2 million.
Subscribe to the&nbsp;<a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a>&nbsp;to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It's Important: Musk's latest statement on LiDAR came just weeks after a YouTube video by Mark Rober, known for his science and engineering experiments, surfaced.
The video tested Tesla's camera-only Autopilot/FSD system against a LiDAR-based setup powered by Luminar's technology.
The results indicated that the LiDAR system outperformed the camera-based approach, mainly due to its superior performance in fog and rain, where visibility is reduced.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Can You Fool A Self Driving Car?" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IQJL3htsDyQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</figure>
In response to Rober&#8217;s Tesla fake wall test, creator Kyle Paul shared his video aiming to explore whether the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system can detect a Wile E. Coyote-style road obstruction in real-world conditions.
In Paul's experiment, the Model Y running FSD version 12.5.4.2 performed no better than in Rober's test—requiring manual intervention to avoid crashing into the fake wall, which appeared less convincing to the human eye. However, Tesla saw a glimmer of success with the Cybertruck, running FSD version 13.2.8, which successfully detected the obstruction and slowed down, ultimately coming to complete stop.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Re: Can You Fool A Self Driving Car?" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9KyIWpAevNs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</figure>
Meanwhile, China has also made significant progress in lidar innovation. According to Tokyo-based Patent Result, Chinese companies have filed over 25,000 lidar-related patent applications since 2000—far more than the 18,000 from American firms or the 13,000 from Japanese companies, <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/China-extends-lead-in-lidar-tech-crucial-to-self-driving-cars">reported</a> Nikkei Asia in 2024.
Chinese firms like Hesai Technology and RoboSense now dominate the global lidar market. Hesai, which supplies companies like GM Cruise and Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>), held a 47% market share in 2022.
Last month, it was reported that Hesai Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HSAI#NASDAQ">HSAI</a>) enhanced <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/news/25/02/43629182/hesais-lidar-takes-bigger-role-byds-gods-eye-advanced-driver-assistance">collaboration with Chinese EV</a> giant BYD Co. Ltd. (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BYDDY#OTC">BYDDY</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BYDDF#OTC">BYDDF</a>).
Under the agreement, Hesai will supply LiDAR sensors for over 10 of BYD's upcoming models, which are set for mass production in 2025.
Previously, it was reported that <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43327837/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-dismises-lidar-again-says-if-humans-drive-without-shooting-lasers-from-their-eyes-so-can-autonomous-cars">Tesla&#8217;s sales in China dropped</a> to 30,688 units in February 2025, marking the lowest monthly figure since July 2022.
Price Action: Tesla shares rose 0.39% on Thursday, closing at $273.13, before dipping 0.12% to $272.80 in after-hours trading. Year-to-date, the stock has fallen 27.99%, according to <a href="http://pro.benzinga.com/">Benzinga Pro data</a>.
Benzinga's Edge Rankings give Tesla (TSLA) a 68.11% growth rating. Want to see how it compares to other companies?<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/TSLA"> Click here for the full breakdown</a>.
Image via Shutterstock
Check out more of Benzinga&#8217;s Future Of Mobility coverage by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/mobility" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link.</a>
Read Next:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/01/43373775/tim-cook-praises-chinas-deepseek-for-driving-efficiency-stresses-apples-prudent-and-deliberate-approach-toward-capital-expenditure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tim Cook Praises China's DeepSeek For Driving Efficiency, Stresses Apple's ‘Prudent And Deliberate' Approach Toward Capital Expenditure</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

BYDDF

BYDDY

GOOG

GOOGL

HSAI

TSLA

Elon Musk Says Tesla Doesn't Need Lidar Because 'People Don't Shoot Lasers Out Of Their Eyes' After YouTubers Put His Cars Through Wylie E. Coyote Tests

On Thursday, Alibaba Group Holding (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>)&nbsp;cloud unit launched a new artificial intelligence model in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/alibaba" rel="noreferrer noopener">its &#8220;Qwen series.</a>&#8220;
The new &#8220;Qwen2.5-Omni-7B&#8221; is a multimodal model that can process inputs, including text, images, audio, and videos, while generating real-time text and natural speech responses, CNBC <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/alibaba-launches-open-source-ai-model-for-cost-effective-ai-agents.html" rel="noreferrer noopener">cites</a> from Alibaba Cloud&#8217;s website.&nbsp;
The company can deploy the model on&nbsp;edge devices&nbsp;like mobile phones.&nbsp;Now, visually impaired people can navigate their environment through real-time audio descriptions.&nbsp;
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44493961/nvidia-faces-17-billion-threat-in-china-as-chip-rules-tighten-and-huawei-gains-ground" rel="noreferrer noopener">In Geopolitical Chess, China&#8217;s Latest Energy Norms Block Nvidia&#8217;s Chip Strategy Amid US Sanctions</a>
Alibaba open-sourced the new model on the platforms Hugging Face and Github.&nbsp;
The emergence of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44254562/deepseek-stays-free-founder-rejects-monetization-plans-new-reasoning-model-amid-alibaba-talks" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese AI startup</a> DeepSeek and claims of affordable AI models led to&nbsp;Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>)&nbsp;losing $600 billion in market cap in&nbsp;a single day. DeepSeek&#8217;s AI model fueled a $1 trillion market wipeout in the U.S. and also fueled a domestic price war, prompting Chinese Big Tech companies to roll out affordable AI models.
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/emerging-markets/25/01/43260751/not-just-deepseek-alibaba-unveils-ai-model-to-rival-openais-operator" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reports in January</a> indicated that Alibaba&#8217;s Qwen2.5-VL AI model surpasses GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 in video analysis, math and document parsing capabilities. Qwen2.5-VL can control devices, analyze charts, and book flights, showcasing advanced AI applications for practical use.
Last week, Baidu&nbsp;Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) launched a new multimodal foundational model and its debut reasoning-focused model.&nbsp;
Alibaba has committed $53 billion in its cloud computing and AI infrastructure over the next three years.&nbsp;
Kai Wang of Morningstar told CNBC that large Chinese tech players like Alibaba are well-positioned to benefit from China&#8217;s post-DeepSeek AI boom.&nbsp;
On Wednesday, Alibaba and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BMWYY#OTC">BMWYY</a>) announced they <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44492590/alibaba-and-bmw-team-up-to-bring-ai-powered-smart-assistant-to-next-gen-cars-in-china" rel="noreferrer noopener">expanded their collaboration</a> to co-develop an AI assistant using Qwen LLM for Neue Klasse models, which will launch in China in 2026.
In March, Alibaba Chair Joe Tsai&nbsp;told CNBC that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44274410/alibaba-chair-says-ai-total-addressable-market-is-10-trillion-expects-benefits-via-its-cloud-business" rel="noreferrer noopener">AI&#8217;s total addressable market</a> is at least $10 trillion, topping industries like transportation and healthcare insurance. Tsai expects Alibaba to benefit from this upsurge of AI courtesy of its cloud computing business.
Alibaba stock surged 85% in the last 12 months.
Price Action: BABA stock is up 1.29% at $133.95 premarket at last check Thursday.
Also Read:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44500801/amazon-takes-creative-control-of-james-bond-taps-top-producers-to-reboot-iconic-franchise" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazon Takes Creative Control Of James Bond, Taps Top Producers to Reboot Iconic Franchise</a></li>
</ul>
Photo by Poetra.RH via Shutterstock

BABA

BMWYY

Alibaba Strikes Back With New AI Model To Rival DeepSeek In China

This whale alert can help traders discover the next big trading opportunities.
Whales are entities with large sums of money and we track their transactions here at Benzinga on our options activity scanner.
Traders often look for circumstances when the market estimation of an option diverges away from its normal worth. Abnormal amounts of trading activity could push option prices to hyperbolic or underperforming levels. 
Below are some instances of options activity happening in the Communication Services sector: 
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Symbol</th>
<th>PUT/CALL</th>
<th>Trade Type</th>
<th>Sentiment</th>
<th>Exp. Date</th>
<th>Strike Price</th>
<th>Total Trade Price</th>
<th>Open Interest</th>
<th>Volume</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>META</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>03/28/25</td>
<td>$630.00</td>
<td>$90.0K</td>
<td>1.4K</td>
<td>7.0K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>EA</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>06/20/25</td>
<td>$145.00</td>
<td>$30.7K</td>
<td>5.4K</td>
<td>1.9K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>NFLX</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>NEUTRAL</td>
<td>03/28/25</td>
<td>$980.00</td>
<td>$26.9K</td>
<td>128</td>
<td>1.2K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BIDU</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>04/17/25</td>
<td>$97.00</td>
<td>$34.1K</td>
<td>695</td>
<td>663</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>GOOG</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>01/16/26</td>
<td>$200.00</td>
<td>$49.0K</td>
<td>9.5K</td>
<td>350</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>GOOGL</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>01/15/27</td>
<td>$230.00</td>
<td>$25.0K</td>
<td>553</td>
<td>287</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>TTD</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>NEUTRAL</td>
<td>06/20/25</td>
<td>$60.00</td>
<td>$26.9K</td>
<td>1.8K</td>
<td>213</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CCOI</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>07/18/25</td>
<td>$65.00</td>
<td>$36.0K</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>162</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SATS</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/16/25</td>
<td>$30.00</td>
<td>$29.5K</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>73</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>RDDT</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>NEUTRAL</td>
<td>06/18/26</td>
<td>$115.00</td>
<td>$30.1K</td>
<td>12</td>
<td>27</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Explanation</h2>
These itemized elaborations have been created using the accompanying table. 
• Regarding META (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 3 day(s) on March 28, 2025. Parties traded 99 contract(s) at a $630.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 6 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $90.0K, with a price of $910.0 per contract. There were 1449 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 7088 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For EA (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/EA#NASDAQ">EA</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be bearish, expiring in 87 day(s) on June 20, 2025. This event was a transfer of 38 contract(s) at a $145.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $30.7K, with a price of $810.0 per contract. There were 5485 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1987 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For NFLX (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NFLX#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>), we notice a put option sweep that happens to be neutral, expiring in 3 day(s) on March 28, 2025. This event was a transfer of 35 contract(s) at a $980.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 9 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $26.9K, with a price of $772.0 per contract. There were 128 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1297 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For BIDU (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be bearish, expiring in 23 day(s) on April 17, 2025. This event was a transfer of 90 contract(s) at a $97.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $34.1K, with a price of $379.0 per contract. There were 695 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 663 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For GOOG (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 297 day(s) on January 16, 2026. This event was a transfer of 50 contract(s) at a $200.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $49.0K, with a price of $985.0 per contract. There were 9574 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 350 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding GOOGL (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>), we observe a put option trade with bearish sentiment. It expires in 661 day(s) on January 15, 2027. Parties traded 4 contract(s) at a $230.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $25.0K, with a price of $6250.0 per contract. There were 553 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 287 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding TTD (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TTD#NASDAQ">TTD</a>), we observe a call option trade with neutral sentiment. It expires in 87 day(s) on June 20, 2025. Parties traded 35 contract(s) at a $60.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $26.9K, with a price of $770.0 per contract. There were 1882 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 213 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For CCOI (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CCOI#NASDAQ">CCOI</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 115 day(s) on July 18, 2025. This event was a transfer of 75 contract(s) at a $65.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 6 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $36.0K, with a price of $480.0 per contract. There were 0 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 162 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For SATS (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SATS#NASDAQ">SATS</a>), we notice a put option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 52 day(s) on May 16, 2025. This event was a transfer of 73 contract(s) at a $30.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 6 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $29.5K, with a price of $405.0 per contract. There were 0 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 73 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding RDDT (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RDDT#NYSE">RDDT</a>), we observe a put option trade with neutral sentiment. It expires in 450 day(s) on June 18, 2026. Parties traded 10 contract(s) at a $115.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $30.1K, with a price of $3018.0 per contract. There were 12 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 27 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
Options Alert Terminology 
 - Call Contracts: The right to buy shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Put Contracts: The right to sell shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Expiration Date: When the contract expires. One must act on the contract by this date if one wants to use it. 
 - Premium/Option Price: The price of the contract. 
For more information, visit our <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/blog/how-to-understand-option-alerts/">Guide to Understanding Options Alerts</a> or read <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/options">more about unusual options activity</a>. 
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Options

CCOI

NFLX

RDDT

SATS

10 Communication Services Stocks With Whale Alerts In Today's Session

In a stark warning on AI policy and national security, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged tighter controls on <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44267707/chinas-viral-ai-agent-manus-which-is-being-compared-with-deepseek-taps-alibabas-qwen-for-local-expansion-heres-what-you-need-to-know">open-source AI models</a> and called for American industry leaders to take the lead in securing the future of artificial intelligence.
What Happened: During a conversation on the All-In Podcast with Chamath Palihapitiya and David Friedberg that was posted earlier this week, Lutnick addressed the growing concern around foreign influence in AI, particularly from China — and stressed the need for a new framework to evaluate and secure AI systems developed outside the U.S.
Lutnick specifically cited <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/markets/25/02/43878215/chinas-deepseek-to-open-source-key-code-repositories-in-a-bid-for-full-transparency">open-source AI models</a> such as DeepSeek expressing concern over their presence in the U.S. market.
"I don&#8217;t think we should be having apps in America and I don&#8217;t think we should have their website in America because they all go back home," Lutnick said, referring to companies based in China. "But it's open source, and I want our American companies, including college students, to be able to download it and build on it."
See Also: <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44393971/nvidia-says-dynamo-can-make-deepseek-r1-30x-faster-with-blackwell-months-after-the-ai-model-sparked-selloff-leading-to-a-600-billion-drop-in-its-market-cap">Nvidia Says Dynamo Can Make DeepSeek R1 30X Faster With Blackwell, Months After The AI Model Sparked Selloff Leading To A $600 Billion Drop In Its Market Cap</a>
While Lutnick expressed support for innovation, he warned about potential national security risks embedded in AI systems. To address the issue, Lutnick proposed a security evaluation model driven by the private sector rather than traditional government regulation.
"We're going to have security evaluation and say if the security evaluation model says that this is a good model, then people can download it," he said. "But it's got to go through the industry, and I want it to feel and smell like what we're good at."
&#8220;So what I want to do is I&#8217;m going to embrace what you guys know. You guys used to do product evaluations. So let&#8217;s do security now," he stated.
Adding, &#8220;And say your industry, and you can&#8217;t let it get overrun by Chinese, because what happens is if there&#8217;s a policy, all of a sudden 100,000 people from China come in and they say they&#8217;re John Smith and Todd Peterson, but they&#8217;re not. And then you think the vote is this way, and it&#8217;s easily manipulated. So we have to be very careful.&#8221;
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Why It's Important: Lutnick's remarks come amid intensifying concerns in Washington over China's role in the global AI arms race.
As the U.S. implements export controls on advanced Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) chips and places guardrails around where AI training can occur, officials are grappling with how to secure the open-source ecosystem.
Following the release of DeepSeek's R1 model in January 2025, investors offloaded Nvidia shares, causing the company&#8217;s market capitalization to <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/02/43876025/nvidia-ceo-attributed-the-deepseek-led-sell-off-to-investor-misconception-on-ai-spending-obviously-that-paradigm-is-wrong">decline by $600 billion</a>. This led to a temporary loss of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/management/25/01/43274796/jensen-huang-loses-20b-in-wealth-how-deepseek-hit-nvidia-stock-and-worlds-richest-people">nearly 20% in Nvidia</a> CEO Jensen Huang's net worth.
Earlier this month, Chinese start-up Qingcheng.AI unveiled a new AI framework that could <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/03/44350873/nvidia-faces-new-ai-challenge-as-chinese-start-up-unveils-framework-to-cut-reliance-on-its-gpus">reduce reliance on Nvidia's chips</a> for AI model inference, marking the latest effort by Chinese tech companies to achieve technological self-sufficiency amid U.S. export restrictions.
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has also highlighted <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/general/market-summary/25/03/44273552/ray-dalio-says-china-is-way-ahead-in-ai-and-robotics-us-lags-in-mass-production">China's dominance in the application</a> and usage of AI technology while admitting that the U.S. was "uniquely competitive" in inventing, particularly the best chips in the world.
Amid the intensifying Chinese AI buzz, Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44467544/cathie-wood-bets-on-baidu-as-chinese-ai-buzz-intensifies-ark-loads-up-on-12-4-million-worth-of-stock">increased its stake</a> in Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>).
Check out more of Benzinga&#8217;s Consumer Tech coverage by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42260222/how-nvidia-ceos-clever-but-nerdy-pick-up-line-turned-a-homework-proposal-into-marriage-while-building-338-trillion-ai-chip-giant-along-the-way" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's Clever Pick-Up Line Turned A Homework Proposal Into Marriage While Building $3.38 Trillion AI Chip Giant Along The Way</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Sounds Alarm On AI Threats, Says We 'Can't Let It Get Overrun By Chinese,' Calls For Industry-Led Security Audits Of Companies Like DeepSeek

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NASDAQ">BABA</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABAF#OTC">BABAF</a>)&nbsp; Chairman Joe Tsai announced Tuesday the company will resume hiring, signaling growing confidence in China&#8217;s business landscape following recent economic policy shifts.
What Happened: Speaking at HSBC&#8217;s Global Investment Summit, Reuters reported that Tsai highlighted a pivotal meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and private business leaders as a turning point. 
&#8220;We&#8217;ve seen a very clear sign of business entrepreneurs becoming more confident since January,&#8221; Tsai told attendees, emphasizing the government&#8217;s encouraging message to reinvest and expand the workforce.
The tech giant&#8217;s hiring plans come amid a remarkable <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/emerging-market-etfs/25/03/44365756/chinas-ai-surge-fuels-etf-gains-baidu-alibaba-lead-the-way">resurgence in Chinese equities</a>. The iShares China Large-Cap ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FXI#NYSE">FXI</a>) has surged 20.27% year-to-date, outperforming the S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>), which is down 2.05% in the same period.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44467683/donald-trump-officials-accidentally-text-war-plans-to-journalist-on-signal-exposing-secret-yemen-strike-hours-before-bombs-fell-but-president-says-he-doesnt-know-anything-about-it-youre-saying-that-they-had-what">Trump Officials Reportedly Text War Plans To Journalist On Signal, Exposing Secret Yemen Strike Hours Before Bombs Fell — President Says He Doesn&#8217;t Know Anything About It: &#8216;You&#8217;re Saying That They Had What?&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: Alibaba&#8217;s optimism stems from China&#8217;s broader economic strategies, including a recently announced &#8220;special action plan&#8221; aimed at boosting domestic consumption. The company is also investing heavily in artificial intelligence, committing $52 billion to cloud computing and AI infrastructure <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/emerging-market-etfs/25/03/44365756/chinas-ai-surge-fuels-etf-gains-baidu-alibaba-lead-the-way">over the next three years</a>.
The tech sector&#8217;s momentum is further bolstered by innovations from companies like Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>), which recently unveiled its Ernie X1 AI model, claiming performance comparable to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/emerging-market-etfs/25/03/44365756/chinas-ai-surge-fuels-etf-gains-baidu-alibaba-lead-the-way">competitors at half the cost</a>.
Analysts remain cautiously optimistic. With Alibaba&#8217;s <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/BABA/analyst-ratings">current consensus price target</a> of $138.26 and some analysts projecting up to $190, the company appears poised for significant growth in the rapidly evolving Chinese tech market.
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/24221912/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-7.48.36%E2%80%AFAM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-839451" style="width:520px;height:auto" /></figure>
Price Action: Alibaba&#8217;s ADR closed at $134.48 on Monday, down 0.49%. After hours, it dipped to $134.45. Year to date, the stock is up 58.30%, gaining 88.19% over the past year, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">data from Benzinga Pro</a>.
Alibaba has strong momentum based on Benzinga Edge Rankings. Click <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/BABA">here for the full stock analysis</a>.
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/sports/25/03/44467003/warren-buffett-pays-one-lucky-employee-1-million-heres-how-sports-knowledge-may-have-paid-off">Warren Buffett Pays One Lucky Employee $1 Million: Here&#8217;s How Sports Knowledge May Have Paid Off</a></li>
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Image Via Shutterstock
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Equities

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ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LTD by Alibaba Group Holding Limited

BABAF

Alibaba Chair Says Business Entrepreneurs 'More Confident' After Meeting With Xi Jinping In January, Signals Hiring Boost

On Monday, Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest made significant trades, notably increasing its stake in Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>). This move comes amid Baidu&#8217;s recent advancements in artificial intelligence, positioning itself as a formidable player in the tech industry.
The Baidu Trade
Ark Invest&#8217;s purchase of Baidu Inc. shares on Monday was executed through its ARK Autonomous Technology &amp; Robotics ETF (BATS:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARKQ#BATS">ARKQ</a>) and ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARKW#NYSE">ARKW</a>). The funds acquired 44,623 and 84,828 shares respectively, totaling 129,451 shares. With Baidu&#8217;s closing price at $95.87, the investment amounts to approximately $12.41 million. This acquisition aligns with Baidu&#8217;s <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44349635/baidu-says-its-new-ai-is-smarter-than-deepseeks-and-costs-half-as-much-excellent-multimodal-understanding-ability">recent unveiling</a> of its advanced AI models, ERNIE X1 and ERNIE 4.5, which aim to challenge leading competitors like OpenAI and DeepSeek. 
Other Key Trades:
<ul>
<li>Beam Therapeutics Inc &#8211; Ark Invest purchased 120,217 shares through ARKK and 22,946 shares via ARKG.</li>
<li>UiPath Inc &#8211; A total of 161,225 shares were sold by ARKQ and 81,861 shares by ARKK.</li>
<li>Iridium Communications Inc. &#8211; Acquired 120,343 shares through ARKK, 12,420 shares through ARKQ and 7,839 shares through ARKX.</li>
<li>Roblox Corp &#8211; Sold 78,406 shares by ARKW.</li>
</ul>
Image via Shutterstock
Read Next: 
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/global/25/03/44466804/ray-dalio-jeffrey-sachs-tapped-to-advise-indonesian-sovereign-wealth-fund-during-economic-fallout">Ray Dalio, Jeffrey Sachs Tapped To Advise Indonesian Sovereign Wealth Fund During Economic Fallout</a></li>
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This story was generated using <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro">Benzinga Neuro</a> and edited by <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/shivdeep-dhaliwal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shivdeep Dhaliwal</a>

ETFs

ARKQ

ARKW

Cathie Wood Bets On Baidu As Chinese AI Buzz Intensifies, Ark Loads Up On $12.4 Million Worth Of Stock

The U.S. Commerce Department has reportedly banned&nbsp;Chinese artificial intelligence&nbsp;model&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44368717/chinas-deepseek-sparks-national-security-alarm-do-not-download-view-access-any-applications" rel="noreferrer noopener">DeepSeek</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44368717/chinas-deepseek-sparks-national-security-alarm-do-not-download-view-access-any-applications" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;on government devices</a>.
Technology
Google parent&nbsp;Alphabet Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) inked an agreement to&nbsp;acquire&nbsp;cloud security firm&nbsp;Wiz&nbsp;for<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44376743/google-parent-alphabet-to-acquire-wiz-in-32-billion-deal-its-biggest-bet-yet" rel="noreferrer noopener"> $32 billion in an all-cash deal</a>.
Young Liu, the CEO of&nbsp;Foxconn (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FXCOF#OTC">FXCOF</a>), also known as&nbsp;Hon Hai Technology, has publicly criticized President&nbsp;Donald Trump&#8217;s&nbsp;tariff policy, warning it&#8217;s creating chaos for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44349466/trump-trade-policy-a-big-headache-for-customers-says-apple-supplier-foxconns-ceo-very-very-hard-to-predict-how-things-will-develop" rel="noreferrer noopener">tech giants like </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44349466/trump-trade-policy-a-big-headache-for-customers-says-apple-supplier-foxconns-ceo-very-very-hard-to-predict-how-things-will-develop" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44349466/trump-trade-policy-a-big-headache-for-customers-says-apple-supplier-foxconns-ceo-very-very-hard-to-predict-how-things-will-develop" rel="noreferrer noopener">and </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44349466/trump-trade-policy-a-big-headache-for-customers-says-apple-supplier-foxconns-ceo-very-very-hard-to-predict-how-things-will-develop" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazon.com, Inc</a>.&nbsp;
As the AI race intensifies,&nbsp;Baidu, Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) has positioned itself as a serious contender by launching two new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44349635/baidu-says-its-new-ai-is-smarter-than-deepseeks-and-costs-half-as-much-excellent-multimodal-understanding-ability" rel="noreferrer noopener">models it says rival top competitors</a>.
Once a&nbsp;potential acquisition target&nbsp;for&nbsp;Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>),&nbsp;iRobot Corp&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IRBT#NASDAQ">IRBT</a>) — the maker of&nbsp;Roomba&nbsp;— is now playing catch-up to hold <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44349807/amazon-pursued-roomba-parent-once-but-now-the-companys-robot-vacuums-face-heat-from-chinese-rivals" rel="noreferrer noopener">its ground against Chinese competitors</a>.
On The Late Show with&nbsp;Stephen Colbert,&nbsp;LinkedIn&nbsp;co-founder and tech entrepreneur&nbsp;Reid Hoffman&nbsp;voiced concern about&nbsp;Elon Musk&#8217;s&nbsp;growing influence over&nbsp;U.S. government operations, warning that treating public service like a startup <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44369839/linkedin-co-founder-reid-hoffman-tells-stephen-colbert-why-elon-musk-running-the-doge-department-like-a-business-should-worry-us-all-government-and-companies-are-not-the-same" rel="noreferrer noopener">could come with serious consequences</a>.
Just days ahead of its expected unveiling,&nbsp;Alphabet Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>)&nbsp;subsidiary&nbsp;Google's Pixel 9a&nbsp;has appeared in full in hands-on video reviews, revealing the budget phone&#8217;s refreshed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44372020/google-pixel-9a-fully-leaks-in-hands-on-videos-before-launchflat-design-48mp-camera-and-5100mah-battery-revealed" rel="noreferrer noopener">design and upgraded specs</a>.
SoundHound AI, Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SOUN#NASDAQ">SOUN</a>) is presenting its conversational AI voice technology this week at the 2025 NVIDIA GPU Technology <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/events/25/03/44380519/soundhound-ai-at-2025-nvidia-gpu-technology-conference-in-car-voice-commerce-ecosystem-a-game-changer-for-automotivetech" rel="noreferrer noopener">Conference (GTC) in&nbsp;San Jose, California</a>.&nbsp;
A&nbsp;new memoir by a former&nbsp;Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) executive reveals how&nbsp;Facebook's massive campaign to promote Free Basics in India was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44351682/meta-whistleblower-reveals-how-a-low-ranking-indian-official-outsmarted-mark-zuckerberg-and-crushed-facebooks-free-basics-with-one-single-click" rel="noreferrer noopener">ultimately undone by a single click</a>.
A renowned industry analyst has said that&nbsp;Nvidia Corp.'s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) GTC 2025 conference&nbsp;could serve as a key turning point for its stock—but only if the company tackles investor concerns around its next-gen AI chips, server <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44352209/gtc-2025-could-reignite-nvidias-stock-rally-but-only-if-b300-ai-server-roadmap-and-scaling-concerns-are-addressed-says-top-analyst" rel="noreferrer noopener">production, and the future of scaling laws</a>.
Nvidia is betting big on embodied AI, with a generalist robot brain that mimics human cognition and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44390580/nvidia-just-unveiled-a-humanoid-ai-brain-which-allows-robots-to-think-slow-jensen-huang-says-this-could-very-well-likely-be-the-largest-industry-of-all" rel="noreferrer noopener">could help fill a growing labor gap</a>.
Nvidia just landed another heavyweight deal—this time with&nbsp;General Motors Co (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GM#NYSE">GM</a>)—and it&#8217;s one that could shake <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/25/03/44399929/how-the-nvidia-gm-partnership-could-challenge-tesla-boost-uber" rel="noreferrer noopener">up&nbsp;the autonomous driving race.</a>
At the GTC 2025 conference in San Jose,&nbsp;Nvidia announced that the company&#8217;s newly released open-source software,&nbsp;Dynamo, can make China&#8217;s&nbsp;DeepSeek R1&nbsp;AI model 30 times faster <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44393971/nvidia-says-dynamo-can-make-deepseek-r1-30x-faster-with-blackwell-months-after-the-ai-model-sparked-selloff-leading-to-a-600-billion-drop-in-its-market-cap" rel="noreferrer noopener">when run on its latest&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44393971/nvidia-says-dynamo-can-make-deepseek-r1-30x-faster-with-blackwell-months-after-the-ai-model-sparked-selloff-leading-to-a-600-billion-drop-in-its-market-cap" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blackwell GPU</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44393971/nvidia-says-dynamo-can-make-deepseek-r1-30x-faster-with-blackwell-months-after-the-ai-model-sparked-selloff-leading-to-a-600-billion-drop-in-its-market-cap" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;chips</a>.
Nvidia Corporation&nbsp;CEO&nbsp;Jensen Huang&nbsp;dismissed reports that the company is involved in any&nbsp;negotiations to take over&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44409577/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-shuts-down-rumors-of-intel-foundry-takeover-nobodys-invited-us-to-a-consortium" rel="noreferrer noopener">Intel Corp's</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44409577/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-shuts-down-rumors-of-intel-foundry-takeover-nobodys-invited-us-to-a-consortium" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/INTC#NASDAQ">INTC</a>) foundry operations</a>.
Short seller The Bear Cave has taken a swipe at Ibotta Inc (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IBTA#NYSE">IBTA</a>) in a new report highlighting slowing growth and collapsing <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44420450/short-seller-says-ibotta-is-a-broken-business-bound-for-lower-share-prices" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">customer and employee relationships</a>.
Smartphones/Electronics
Apple Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) is reportedly entering its annual Top 100 executive retreat this week. This comes amid&nbsp;mounting criticism over&nbsp;the company&#8217;s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44350512/apples-ai-crisis-reaches-boiling-point-ahead-of-top-100-executive-retreat-tim-cook-and-key-execs-called-out-over-siri-failure-by-top-analyst" rel="noreferrer noopener">stalled artificial intelligence efforts</a>.
Security researchers found that the&nbsp;Passwords&nbsp;app introduced with&nbsp;Apple&#8217;s iOS 18&nbsp;was using unencrypted HTTP connections, exposing users to potential phishing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44390868/apples-new-passwords-app-left-users-exposed-to-phishing-attacks-for-months-due-to-serious-http-flaw-researchers-reveal" rel="noreferrer noopener">attacks until a quiet fix was issued</a>.
Eric Migicovsky, the creator of the original&nbsp;Pebble&nbsp;smartwatch, has said&nbsp;Apple&#8217;s&nbsp;iOS&nbsp;restrictions&nbsp;stifle innovation&nbsp;and make building third-<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44411733/pebble-founder-echoes-mark-zuckerbergs-concerns-slams-apple-for-making-it-nearly-impossible-to-build-smartwatches-that-work-with-iphone" rel="noreferrer noopener">party wearables a painful uphill battle</a>.
After months of investor frustration,&nbsp;Samsung Electronics Co.&#8217;s&nbsp;(OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SSNLF#OTC">SSNLF</a>) leadership is once&nbsp;again on the defensive—this time pledging bold moves to recover <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44390468/samsung-apologizes-yet-again-for-ai-missteps-promises-major-deals-as-shareholders-fume-over-plunging-stock-our-company-failed-to" rel="noreferrer noopener">lost ground in AI and chip dominance</a>.
Qualcomm&nbsp;Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QCOM#NASDAQ">QCOM</a>) has launched three new Snapdragon G-series platforms designed to elevate handheld gaming <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/03/44392577/qualcomm-makes-a-renewed-push-into-handheld-gaming-unveils-3-new-snapdragon-g-series-gaming-chipsets" rel="noreferrer noopener">experiences across various platforms</a>.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
A new study suggests artificial intelligence has officially passed the meme Turing Test, with large language models now generating memes rated funnier <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44369538/ai-just-passed-the-meme-turing-test-study-finds-llms-now-create-funnier-memes-than-most-humans" rel="noreferrer noopener">than those created by the average human</a>.
A blockchain project backed by&nbsp;Sam Altman&nbsp;is working to fight off AI bots in video games, one of the latest news pieces since the company <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/gaming/25/03/44387858/sam-altman-wants-to-get-rid-of-ai-bots-in-video-games-heres-the-why-and-how" rel="noreferrer noopener">rebranded from&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/gaming/25/03/44387858/sam-altman-wants-to-get-rid-of-ai-bots-in-video-games-heres-the-why-and-how" rel="noreferrer noopener">Worldcoin&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/gaming/25/03/44387858/sam-altman-wants-to-get-rid-of-ai-bots-in-video-games-heres-the-why-and-how" rel="noreferrer noopener">to&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/gaming/25/03/44387858/sam-altman-wants-to-get-rid-of-ai-bots-in-video-games-heres-the-why-and-how" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Inc.</a>
Andrej Karpathy, the former&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;autopilot head&nbsp;and an ex-OpenAI&nbsp;researcher has outlined practical steps to improve digital privacy and security, offering a clear roadmap for anyone looking to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44391397/former-tesla-autopilot-head-shares-ultimate-digital-hygiene-tips-and-tricks-andrej-karpathys-no-brainer-guide-to-safe-and-private-computing" rel="noreferrer noopener">protect their online identity better</a>.

Large Cap

AAPL

AMZN

FXCOF

IBTA

INTC

IRBT

QCOM

SOUN

Consumer Tech News (Mar 17-Mar 21): Google To Acquire Wiz, US Bans DeepSeek, Nvidia Does Big Revealation At GTC 2025 Event & More

WIIM

BEKE

BILI

DADA

New Oriental Education & Technology Group

FUTU

GSX Techedu Inc. American Depositary Shares

GOTU

UXIN

XPEV

Shares of US-listed Chinese companies are trading lower after the People's Bank of China kept the one-year loan prime rate at 3.1% and the five-year rate at 3.6%, as policymakers navigate supporting economic growth while stabilizing the yuan amid rising trade tensions.

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) is showing signs of a potential breakout, with its stock price climbing above key moving averages and approaching <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/golden-cross">a Golden Cross</a>—a widely followed bullish technical indicator.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/pro/?utm_source=BZprocontent&amp;t=be2bearmibe3na1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="618" height="487" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20104534/Screenshot-2025-03-20-at-7.19.07-PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-833979" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20104534/Screenshot-2025-03-20-at-7.19.07-PM.png 618w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20104534/Screenshot-2025-03-20-at-7.19.07-PM-300x236.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px" /></a></figure>
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/pro/?utm_source=BZprocontent&amp;t=be2bearmibe3na1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chart created using Benzinga Pro</a>
The stock has gained 6.19% in the past month and is up 15.11% year to date, fueled in part by the company&#8217;s aggressive push into artificial intelligence (AI). While the trend is moderately bullish, lingering selling pressure suggests that investors should keep an eye on potential downside risks.
Read Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/emerging-market-etfs/25/03/44365756/chinas-ai-surge-fuels-etf-gains-baidu-alibaba-lead-the-way">China&#8217;s AI Surge Fuels ETF Gains: Baidu, Alibaba Lead The Way</a>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIDU Stock: Golden Cross On The Horizon</h2>
BIDU stock, at $95.36, well above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) of $92.48 and its 50-day SMA of $89.41. More importantly, BIDU stock&#8217;s 200-day SMA stands at $89.83, meaning the stock has solid technical support. 
If the 50-day SMA crosses above the 200-day SMA, it will confirm a Golden Cross—a signal that often precedes extended bullish trends.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">AI Catalysts Fuel Investor Optimism</h2>
Baidu recently <a href="https://www.investors.com/news/technology/baidu-stock-ai-reasoning-alibaba-deepseek/">unveiled</a> its Ernie X1 deep-thinking reasoning model, which it claims rivals DeepSeek R1 for half the cost. The company also launched Ernie 4.5, an upgrade to its AI chatbot, making it free to users ahead of schedule.
These advancements position Baidu to strengthen its competitive edge in China's AI landscape, where it faces rivals like Alibaba and DeepSeek.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Investor Implications: Bullish, But Watch For Risks</h2>
The bullish technical setup, combined with Baidu's AI-driven momentum, suggests further upside potential for the stock. However, the presence of selling pressure means investors should remain cautious. A confirmed Golden Cross could reinforce confidence among momentum traders, while long-term investors may see Baidu's AI push as a reason to stay invested. 
If selling pressure persists, BIDU stock could see short-term pullbacks before resuming its upward trend.
For now, Baidu's stock is approaching a pivotal technical moment. If the Golden Cross materializes, it could mark the beginning of a sustained bullish phase, but traders are advised to watch for confirmation before making aggressive moves.
Read Next: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/sector-etfs/25/03/44382780/3-best-performing-semiconductor-etfs-since-last-gtc-and-why-this-time-is-different">3 Best-Performing Semiconductor ETFs Since Last GTC And Why This Time Is Different</a></li>
</ul>
Photo: Shutterstock

Technicals

Signals

Trading Ideas

Baidu Stock Nears A Golden Cross As AI Ambitions Spark Bullish Momentum

Nvidia (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) GTC kicks off today, Mar. 18, and lays the groundwork for another installment of AI and semiconductor-fueled fervor. 
If past is prologue, this could translate to new <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/etfs">momentum for some ETFs</a>.
The following funds have been on a winning streak since the previous GTC, or GPU Technology Conference, took place last March.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/events/25/03/44380519/soundhound-ai-at-2025-nvidia-gpu-technology-conference-in-car-voice-commerce-ecosystem-a-game-changer-for-automotivetech">SoundHound AI At 2025 NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference: In-Car Voice Commerce Ecosystem &#8216;A Game-Changer For #AutomotiveTech&#8217;</a>
<ul>
<li>ProShares UltraShort Semiconductors (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SSG#NYSE">SSG</a>) — AUM up 28.3% (according to YCharts), price up 13.33%</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Direxion Daily NVDA Bear 1X Shares (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDD#NASDAQ">NVDD</a>) — AUM up 119.9%, price up 8.69%</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3x Shares (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SOXS#NYSE">SOXS</a>) — AUM down 51%, but price up 8.1%</li>
</ul>
The increased AUM indicates that investors have been actively hedging or trading against semiconductor volatility using them. With the buzz on GTC, we may see such trends replicate once all the dust settles after the event.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/emerging-market-etfs/25/03/44365756/chinas-ai-surge-fuels-etf-gains-baidu-alibaba-lead-the-way">China&#8217;s AI Surge Fuels ETF Gains: Baidu, Alibaba Lead The Way</a>
Why This Time Could Be Different—Or Not
This year&#8217;s GTC is a big deal not only for Nvidia but also other tech giants like Broadcom (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AVGO#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>), Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSM#NYSE">TSM</a>), and heavy hitters like Vistra (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/VST#NYSE">VST</a>). Even quantum computing equities like D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QBTS#NYSE">QBTS</a>) may experience some aftershocks.
One fascinating aspect is the amount of sessions Nvidia is conducting in Chinese, with some heavy-hitters like Baidu (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>), Alibaba (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>) Cloud, and ByteDance, according to TechCrunch. Missing from the lineup, however, is DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company that shook Nvidia&#8217;s stock this spring.
DeepSeek&#8217;s meteoric growth resulted in government attention, with reports even suggesting some employees were put under travel bans. The lack of DeepSeek at GTC could reinforce the geopolitical overhang over the AI sector—another influence that could move ETFs in the weeks ahead.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What To Watch Post-GTC</h2>
Last GTC revealed Nvidia&#8217;s Blackwell GPUs, and another significant one is likely to come this time. That may portend a new rally in semiconductor ETFs—but also increased volatility.
In addition, with the large Chinese companies showcasing at GTC, investor sentiment regarding U.S.-China AI rivalry may affect ETF performance.
Traders may again mob funds such as NVDD, SSG, and SOXS to bet on both bullish and bearish trends in semiconductors if the last twelve months are anything to go by.
Nvidia&#8217;s GTC has a history of shaping AI and semiconductor markets. Whether it&#8217;s another leg higher or a wave of profit-taking, ETFs that rode last year&#8217;s wave of success could again be the vehicle of choice for traders as they navigate the post-GTC world.
Read Next: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/sector-etfs/25/03/44380264/consumer-spending-stumbles-time-to-buy-the-dip-in-retail-etfs">Consumer Spending Stumbles: Time To Buy The Dip In Retail ETFs?</a></li>
</ul>
Image: Shutterstock

Sector ETFs

NVDD

QBTS

Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares

SOXS

3 Best-Performing Semiconductor ETFs Since Last GTC And Why This Time Is Different

Financial giants have made a conspicuous bearish move on Baidu. Our analysis of options history for Baidu (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) revealed 42 unusual trades.
Delving into the details, we found 42% of traders were bullish, while 52% showed bearish tendencies. Out of all the trades we spotted, 8 were puts, with a value of $681,187, and 34 were calls, valued at $2,274,499.
<h3>Projected Price Targets</h3>
Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $90.0 to $130.0 for Baidu during the past quarter. 
<h3>Volume &amp; Open Interest Development</h3>
In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Baidu stands at 3755.04, with a total volume reaching 32,442.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Baidu, situated within the strike price corridor from $90.0 to $130.0, throughout the last 30 days.
<h3>Baidu Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview</h3>
<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2025/1742309151_0.png" alt="Options Call Chart" />
<h3>Biggest Options Spotted:</h3>

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Symbol</th>
<th>PUT/CALL</th>
<th>Trade Type</th>
<th>Sentiment</th>
<th>Exp. Date</th>
<th>Ask</th>
<th>Bid</th>
<th>Price</th>
<th>Strike Price</th>
<th>Total Trade Price</th>
<th>Open Interest</th>
<th align="right">Volume</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>BIDU</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>03/21/25</td>
<td>$5.25</td>
<td>$4.85</td>
<td>$5.0</td>
<td>$100.00</td>
<td>$280.0K</td>
<td>9.1K</td>
<td align="right">401</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BIDU</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>06/20/25</td>
<td>$8.9</td>
<td>$8.8</td>
<td>$8.85</td>
<td>$110.00</td>
<td>$261.9K</td>
<td>3.6K</td>
<td align="right">617</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BIDU</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>08/15/25</td>
<td>$8.25</td>
<td>$8.05</td>
<td>$8.05</td>
<td>$120.00</td>
<td>$161.0K</td>
<td>2.1K</td>
<td align="right">221</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BIDU</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>08/15/25</td>
<td>$7.85</td>
<td>$7.7</td>
<td>$7.7</td>
<td>$120.00</td>
<td>$154.1K</td>
<td>2.1K</td>
<td align="right">421</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BIDU</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>06/20/25</td>
<td>$16.95</td>
<td>$17.0</td>
<td>$17.0</td>
<td>$115.00</td>
<td>$147.9K</td>
<td>727</td>
<td align="right">87</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h3>About Baidu</h3>
Baidu is the largest internet search engine in China with over 50% share of the search engine market in 2024 per web analytics firm, Statcounter. The firm generated 72% of core revenue from online marketing services from its search engine in 2023. Outside its search engine, Baidu is a technology-driven company and its other major growth initiatives are artificial intelligence cloud, video streaming services, voice recognition technology, and autonomous driving.
Having examined the options trading patterns of Baidu, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance
<h3>Where Is Baidu Standing Right Now?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Currently trading with a volume of 5,583,110, the BIDU's price is up by 0.96%, now at $103.25. </li>
<li>RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.</li>
<li>Anticipated earnings release is in 58 days.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What The Experts Say On Baidu</h3>
A total of 2 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $117.5.
Turn $1000 into $1270 in just 20 days?
20-year pro options trader reveals his one-line chart technique that shows when to buy and sell. Copy his trades, which have had averaged a 27% profit every 20 days. <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/options-moneyline-2/?t=Moop1arja3be22op14&amp;adType=benzinga-insights&amp;ad=options-activity&amp;campaign=wallstreetadvantage">Click here for access</a>. 
&#x2A; An analyst from Mizuho has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on Baidu, which currently sits at a price target of $105. 
&#x2A; An analyst from Benchmark downgraded its action to Buy with a price target of $130. 
Trading options involves greater risks but also offers the potential for higher profits. Savvy traders mitigate these risks through ongoing education, strategic trade adjustments, utilizing various indicators, and staying attuned to market dynamics. Keep up with the latest options trades for Baidu with <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/pro/">Benzinga Pro</a> for real-time alerts.

A Closer Look at Baidu's Options Market Dynamics

As of March 18, 2025, two stocks in the communication services sector could be flashing a real warning to investors who value momentum as a key criteria in their trading decisions.
The RSI is a momentum indicator, which compares a stock&#8217;s strength on days when prices go up to its strength on days when prices go down. When compared to a stock&#8217;s price action, it can give traders a better sense of how a stock may perform in the short term. An asset is typically considered overbought when the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/rsi">RSI is above 70</a>, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/">Benzinga Pro</a>. 
Here's the latest list of major overbought players in this sector.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/EA#NASDAQ">EA</a>)</h3>
<ul>
<li>On Feb. 4, Electronic Arts announced preliminary financial results for its third quarter ended Dec. 31, 2024. &#8220;The record success of our EA SPORTS FC 25 Team of the Year event demonstrates our creative teams&#8217; ability to adapt, innovate, and execute at scale,&#8221; said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts. &#8220;As we build on this momentum across EA, we are confident in a return to growth in FY26 and beyond as we bring our next wave of iconic entertainment to players and fans worldwide.&#8221; The company's stock gained around 11% over the past month and has a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/EA">52-week high of $168.50</a>.</li>
<li>RSI Value: 70.3&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>EA Price Action: Shares of Electronic Arts gained 3.1% to close at $142.90 on Monday.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Baidu Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>)</h3>
<ul>
<li>On March 12, Baidu announced completion of CNY10 billion offering of CNY-denominated senior notes. The company's stock gained around 13% over the past month and <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/BIDU">has a 52-week high</a> of $116.25.</li>
<li>RSI Value: 74</li>
<li>BIDU Price Action: Shares of Baidu closed at $102.27 on Monday.</li>
</ul>
Read This Next: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/03/44355158/jim-cramer-says-this-tech-stock-is-a-meme-stock-recommends-buying-accenture">Jim Cramer Calls This Stock A &#8216;Meme Stock,&#8217; Recommends Buying Accenture</a></li>
</ul>
Photo: Shutterstock

Short Ideas

Pre-Market Outlook

Top 2 Tech And Telcom Stocks That May Keep You Up At Night In March

U.S. stock futures were flat on Tuesday after a bounce back on Monday. Futures of all four benchmark indices were mixed in premarket trading.
On Monday, stocks continued their recovery from last week&#8217;s sell-off, which had pushed the S&amp;P 500 into correction territory amid growing concerns over the U.S. economy&#8217;s ability to withstand President Donald Trump&#8216;s trade war.
The two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee will begin today as they discuss and announce their decision on interest rates slated to be released tomorrow. Chairman Jerome Powell will address a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The 10-year Treasury yield stood at 4.31%, while the two-year yield was at 4.04%. According <a href="https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html">to</a> the CME Group's FedWatch tool, there is a 99% chance that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged tomorrow.
<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"> 
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Futures</td>
<td>Change (+/-)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nasdaq 100</td>
<td>-0.21%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>S&amp;P 500</td>
<td>-0.06%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dow Jones</td>
<td>0.02%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Russell 2000</td>
<td>-0.22%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</figure>
The SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QQQ#NASDAQ">QQQ</a>), which tracks the S&amp;P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, dropped slightly in premarket on Monday. The SPY was down 0.15% to $566.37, and the QQQ also declined 0.25% to $481.54, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a> data.
Cues From The Last Session
Real estate, energy, and consumer staples stocks led Monday&#8217;s market rally, with significant gains across the S&amp;P 500. Conversely, consumer discretionary stocks dipped.
This sector-driven strength propelled the Dow Jones higher extending the market&#8217;s recovery after last week&#8217;s sharp declines, which saw the Dow lose 3.1% and the S&amp;P 500 drop over 2%.
In company news, Guess? Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GES#NYSE">GES</a>) shares surged 30% on acquisition interest, and Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) shares climbed 9% following the launch of new AI models.
Economic data presented a mixed picture, with retail sales growth below expectations, a sharp drop in the NY Empire State Manufacturing Index, and a decline in housing market confidence.
<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"> 
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Index</td>
<td>Performance (+/-)</td>
<td>Value</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nasdaq Composite</td>
<td>0.31%</td>
<td>17,808.66</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>S&amp;P 500</td>
<td>0.64%</td>
<td>5,675.12</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dow Jones</td>
<td>0.85%</td>
<td>41,841.63</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Russell 2000</td>
<td>1.19%</td>
<td>2,068.33</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</figure>
Insights From Analysts
The market sentiment seemed to be recovering on Monday after the S&amp;P 500 index recorded an upmove in 90% of its issues for two consecutive days. Ryan Detrick of Carson Research highlighted that this was a rare occurrence when 90% of S&amp;P 500 constituents rose back-to-back for two days.
According to the historical data shared by him, this has only happened 12 times since 1972 and the index has been higher in all instances after a year.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Back-to-back 90% advancing issues for the S&amp;P 500. Using <a href="https://twitter.com/NDR_Research?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NDR_Research</a> data back to 1972 shows higher six and 12 months later every single time, with much better than average returns. I&#39;m sure this will make everyone mad, but it made me &#x1f603; <a href="https://t.co/QWf8lJx2eQ">pic.twitter.com/QWf8lJx2eQ</a>
&mdash; Ryan Detrick, CMT (@RyanDetrick) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanDetrick/status/1901824344839336317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
Meanwhile, Liz Ann Sonders and Kevin Gordon of Charles Schwab said in a note "The only thing we can be certain of is that things will remain uncertain for the time being."
They quoted the data from a few years ago when confidence metrics went through a soft patch giving a &#8220;false&#8221; recessionary signal amid strong underlying growth and the hard data. They termed it as a &#8220;vibecession.&#8221;
Whereas they termed the current period as &#8220;vibespansion," which was evident a few months ago, however, many strong sentiment metrics are receding. "If the soft data stay soft long enough, we see more risk of the hard data catching down," the note added.
Edward Yardeni or Yardeni Research highlighted that the markets could have bottomed out on Thursday last week and rose on Friday and Monday because there was no comment from Trump on tariffs.
He said, "From a sentiment perspective, it is possible that Thursday's selloff followed by Friday's rally marked a bottom in the correction. We will be more inclined to call a bottom when we see the stock market move higher on a day or days when Trump blusters about tariffs again, which he did not do on Friday."
"Any day without a Trump tariff comment is a good day for the market. We know that on April 2 there will be lots of reciprocal tariffs imposed on many more nations by the administration, undoubtedly eliciting lots of comments from Tariff Man," he added.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/how-to-trade-futures">How to Trade Futures </a>
Upcoming Economic Data
Here&#8217;s what investors will keep an eye on Tuesday:
<ul>
<li>February&#8217;s housing starts, building permits, and import price index data will be announced at 8:30 a.m., ET.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Also, February&#8217;s industrial production and capacity utilization data will be released at 9:15 a.m., ET.</li>
</ul>
Stocks In Focus:
<ul>
<li>IHS Holding Ltd. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IHS#NYSE">IHS</a>) was up 0.77% in premarket on Tuesday ahead of its earnings before the opening bell. Analysts expect earnings of 4 cents per share on revenue of $424.00 million.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>HealthEquity Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HQY#NASDAQ">HQY</a>) advanced 0.28% as Wall Street expects it to report earnings of 72 cents per share on revenue of $306.05 million after the closing bell.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>StoneCo Ltd. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/STN#NASDAQ">STN</a>) rose 0.49% ahead of its earnings after the closing bell. Analysts expect earnings of 35 cents per share on revenue of $647.56 million.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Getty Images Holdings Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GETY#NYSE">GETY</a>) jumped 2.33% after posting an upbeat earnings result for its fourth quarter on Monday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Sangamo Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SGMO#NASDAQ">SGMO</a>) dropped 6.83% after reporting worse-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) was 4.39% higher continuing the momentum from yesterday following the launch of new AI models.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Bon Natural Life Ltd. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BON#NASDAQ">BON</a>) surged 29.71% after it secured $12 million in gross proceeds from a best efforts unit offering.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Harrow Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HROW#NASDAQ">HROW</a>) zoomed 24.14% after it projected 2025 revenue of over $280 million, driven by branded products.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Bakkt Holdings Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BKKT#NYSE">BKKT</a>) plunged 30.24% after it rescheduled its fourth-quarter earnings call to March 18, 2025.</li>
</ul>
Commodities, Gold And Global Equity Markets:
Crude oil futures were trading higher in the early New York session by 1.35% to hover around $68.28 per barrel.
The gold spot index was up by 0.70% to $3,022.11 per ounce. Its last record high was at $3,028.49 per ounce. The Dollar Index was down by 0.05% at the 103.322 level.
Asian markets closed higher on Tuesday with China&#8217;s CSI 300, Japan's Nikkei 225, South Korea's Kospi, Australia's ASX 200, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, and India's S&amp;P BSE Sensex advancing in trade. European markets were also higher in trade.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/03/44371661/ai-bubble-bursting-magnificent-7s-profit-margins-face-pressure-as-capital-spending-can-tumble-in">AI Bubble Bursting? Magnificent 7&#8217;s Profit Margins Face Pressure As &#8216;Capital Spending Can Tumble&#8217; In 2025</a></li>
</ul>
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

Market Summary

Futures

Economics

Federal Reserve

Bakkt Holdings, Inc. Class A Common Stock

BKKT

GETY

HROW

SGMO

US Futures Show Caution Among Investors Ahead Of FOMC Meeting: Analysts Say Only Certainty Is That 'Things Will Remain Uncertain For The Time Being'

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed some improvement in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the &#8220;Extreme Fear&#8221; zone on Monday.
U.S. stocks settled higher on Monday, with the Dow Jones index surging more than 350 points during the session. All three of the major indices recorded back-to-back gains.
Despite gains recorded on Monday, US stocks recorded losses last week. The Dow dipped around 3.1% to record its worst week since March 2023. The S&amp;P 500 dipped more than 2%, recording its fourth straight losing week.
Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GES#NYSE">GES</a>) shares jumped 30% on Monday after the company announced it received a non-binding proposal from WHP Global to acquire the company for $13 per share in cash. Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) shares gained 9% after the company announced the launch of ERNIE 4.5 and deep-thinking model ERNIE X1.
On the economic data front, U.S. retail sales rose 0.2% month-over-month in February following a revised 1.2% decline in January but down from market expectations of a 0.6% rise. The NY Empire State Manufacturing Index declined 26 points to -20.0 in March, recording the lowest reading since May 2023. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell to 39 in March versus a reading of 42 in February.
Most sectors on the S&amp;P 500 closed on a positive note, with real estate, energy, and consumer staples stocks recording the biggest gains on Monday. However, consumer discretionary stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.
The Dow Jones closed higher by around 353 points to 41,841.63 on Monday. The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.64% to 5,675.12, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.31% at 17,808.66 during Monday's session.
Investors are awaiting earnings results from IHS Holding Ltd. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IHS#NYSE">IHS</a>), HealthEquity Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HQY#NASDAQ">HQY</a>) , and StoneCo Ltd. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/STNE#NASDAQ">STNE</a>) today.
What is CNN Business Fear &amp; Greed Index?
At a current reading of 22.1, the index remained in the &#8220;Extreme Fear&#8221; zone on Monday, versus a prior reading of 20.9.
The Fear &amp; Greed Index is a measure of the current market sentiment. It is based on the premise that higher fear exerts pressure on stock prices, while higher greed has the opposite effect. The index is calculated based on seven equal-weighted indicators. The index ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 represents maximum fear and 100 signals maximum greediness.
Read Next:<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/03/44355158/jim-cramer-says-this-tech-stock-is-a-meme-stock-recommends-buying-accenture"> </a>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/03/44355158/jim-cramer-says-this-tech-stock-is-a-meme-stock-recommends-buying-accenture">Jim Cramer Calls This Stock A &#8216;Meme Stock,&#8217; Recommends Buying Accenture</a></li>
</ul>
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

Earnings

CWCO

SAIC

STNE

Dow Jumps 350 Points Following Positive Economic Data: Investor Fear Eases, But Greed Index Remains In 'Extreme Fear' Zone

Chinese equities are on track to deliver their strongest quarterly performance relative to the S&amp;P 500 in nearly 15 years, as investors rotate out of overvalued U.S. stocks into battered Chinese shares, betting on <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/china">a policy-driven recovery.</a>
The iShares China Large-Cap ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FXI#NYSE">FXI</a>) has surged 26.6% year-to-date through March 17 close, heading for its best quarterly performance since early 2009. Meanwhile, the SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>) is down 3.2% year-to-date, pushing Chinese stocks' relative outperformance to nearly 30%, the widest margin since mid-2007.
Value Partners Group expressed optimism about the Chinese equity market, stating in an email Monday that "the China A-share market is close to the bottom. Valuations are low, and so are market expectations, which means downside risk is limited." 
The firm anticipates an upward market trend in 2024, albeit with volatility due to uncertainties surrounding Trump-related tariffs, geopolitics and China's domestic policy focus on demand versus supply-side measures.
<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Chart: Chinese Stocks Outshine S&amp;P 500 In Best Quarter Since 2007</h1>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="529" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/17162512/image-140-1024x529.png" alt="" class="wp-image-828125" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/17162512/image-140-1024x529.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/17162512/image-140-300x155.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/17162512/image-140-768x396.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/17162512/image-140-1536x793.png 1536w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/17162512/image-140.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<h1 class="wp-block-heading">China's Policy Push To Stimulate Consumption</h1>
On Sunday, China&#8217;s State Council announced a &#8220;special action plan&#8221; to boost domestic consumption. The initiative includes policies aimed at raising incomes, expanding social safety nets, improving product quality and lifting purchase restrictions to spur spending.
Goldman Sachs' economist Yuting Yang acknowledged the direction of the stimulus but emphasized that "both funding and implementation matter for the effectiveness of China&#8217;s consumption stimulus." 
China has struggled with weak consumer confidence, exacerbated by a troubled real estate sector and sluggish labor demand. 
&#8220;Stabilizing property prices, improving labor demand and establishing a better social safety net are necessary to improve household income and facilitate a more sustainable consumption recovery,&#8221; Yang added.
<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Tech Giants Lead The Market Surge</h1>
Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>) soared 4.6% on Monday, extending its year-to-date rally to a staggering 74%. 
Meanwhile, Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) surged over 9% after unveiling Ernie X1, its latest AI model. The company claims Ernie X1 delivers performance comparable to DeepSeek's AI at half the cost, reinforcing China&#8217;s AI ambitions in the global tech race.
For now, the numbers tell a compelling story: Chinese equities are mounting an extraordinary comeback, outpacing U.S. stocks at a rate not seen since 2007. Whether this rally is a temporary repricing or the start of a longer-term trend depends on Beijing's ability to sustain economic growth and investor confidence.
Read Now: 
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<li><a href="http://benzinga.com/government/regulations/25/03/44364688/feds-march-meeting-expected-to-signal-no-hurry-on-rate-cuts-as-powell-likely-to-tread-carefully">Fed&#8217;s March Meeting Expected To Signal No Hurry On Rate Cuts As Powell &#8216;Likely To Tread Carefully&#8217;</a></li>
</ul>
Photo: Shutterstock

Macro Economic Events

Broad U.S. Equity ETFs

Global

Econ #s

Chinese Stocks Poised For Best Quarter Vs. S&P 500 Since 2007 As Investors Bet On Policy Turnaround

The Hang Seng Index on Monday was affected by worldwide signals, especially the soon-to-be-held U.S. Federal Reserve meeting and the announcement of Hong Kong&#8217;s February 2025 unemployment rate. The index closed nearly 1% higher. This upbeat action came after <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/china">China&#8217;s better-than-forecast</a> retail sales figures.
The Hang Seng TECH Index also increased by over 2% on March 14th, and remained largely flat Monday, reflecting the strength in the tech sector. Market sentiment seemed to be cautiously optimistic, waiting for more cues from the Fed and the local unemployment figures. 
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/03/44350873/nvidia-faces-new-ai-challenge-as-chinese-start-up-unveils-framework-to-cut-reliance-on-its-gpus">Nvidia Faces New AI Challenge As Chinese Start-Up Unveils Framework To Cut Reliance On Its GPUs</a>
There&#8217;s growing investor interest in ETFs tracking Chinese AI stocks as leaders like Baidu (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) and Alibaba (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>) continue to lead the charge in AI technology. Recent news reports showcase that there&#8217;s a lot of excitement building up China&#8217;s emerging sector in artificial intelligence. 
Investors are anticipating a chance to benefit from China&#8217;s tech success story as it competes on a global scale. China is blowing up thanks to tech, and there&#8217;s potential for people who invest.
For&nbsp;American&nbsp;investors&nbsp;looking&nbsp;to get&nbsp;a piece of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/china">China&#8217;s&nbsp;growing&nbsp;AI&nbsp;industry</a>,&nbsp;ETFs&nbsp;following China&#8217;s AI sector are becoming an increasingly appealing choice. A few of the prominent ETFs with large exposures to Baidu, Alibaba, and other Chinese AI companies include:
KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/KWEB#NYSE">KWEB</a>): One of the most&nbsp;popular&nbsp;China-tracking&nbsp;ETFs, KWEB&nbsp;offers&nbsp;exposure to&nbsp;large&nbsp;Chinese internet and technology&nbsp;giants,&nbsp;such&nbsp;as&nbsp;Baidu and Alibaba.
iShares MSCI China ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MCHI#NASDAQ">MCHI</a>): This China ETF covers broad-based AI leaders and other Chinese blue-chip stocks, such as PDD Holdings (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PDD#NASDAQ">PDD</a>).
Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PGJ#NASDAQ">PGJ</a>): A U.S.-listed ETF that&nbsp;follows&nbsp;U.S.-listed Chinese&nbsp;firms,&nbsp;some&nbsp;of which are leading&nbsp;companies&nbsp;in AI development like Alibaba and Baidu.
Baidu&#8217;s AI Breakthroughs
Baidu <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44349635/baidu-says-its-new-ai-is-smarter-than-deepseeks-and-costs-half-as-much-excellent-multimodal-understanding-ability">brought two new AI models </a>to the market that highlight the company's push for leadership in the space. Over the weekend, Baidu introduced Ernie X1, a reasoning model that competes with DeepSeek R1 but at half the price. Additionally, the company launched Ernie 4.5, a multimodal foundation model that Baidu claims outperforms OpenAI's GPT-4.5 in multiple benchmarks while costing just 1% of its counterpart's price.
As part of its AI push, Baidu is releasing its Ernie Bot publicly for the first time ahead of schedule and intends to roll out its most recent models into its product ecosystem, including Baidu Search, China&#8217;s leading search engine. These steps make Baidu a strong competitor in China&#8217;s AI competition and could make it more appealing to ETFs with high exposure to the stock.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/movers/25/03/44360533/whats-going-on-with-baidu-shares-monday">What&#8217;s Going On With Baidu Shares Monday?</a>
Alibaba&#8217;s AI Surge
At the same time, Alibaba is also creating ripples in the AI world with its <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/emerging-markets/25/03/44308308/alibaba-unveils-new-ai-powered-app-with-chatbot-image-generation-and-task-automation">Quark AI assistant</a>, which runs on its in-house Qwen reasoning AI model. Quark has been well-received on Chinese social media and is viewed as a potential &#8220;killer app&#8221; in the AI space.
In a&nbsp;dramatic&nbsp;move&nbsp;to&nbsp;deepen&nbsp;its&nbsp;technology&nbsp;advantage, Alibaba&nbsp;said last month&nbsp;it&nbsp;will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/alibaba-to-spend-more-than-52-billion-in-ai-cloud-over-next-three-years-167f46ea">invest&nbsp;</a>$52 billion in cloud computing and AI infrastructure over the next three years. This&nbsp;is&nbsp;the&nbsp;biggest&nbsp;computing project ever&nbsp;funded&nbsp;by a single private&nbsp;firm&nbsp;in China and&nbsp;represents&nbsp;the&nbsp;country&#8217;s&nbsp;overall&nbsp;drive&nbsp;to&nbsp;push the envelope for the top position in&nbsp;AI development.
Economic Rebound And AI Investments Drive Market Optimism
China&#8217;s economy is shifting from pandemic-induced austerity to pro-growth policies to bolster the country&#8217;s crucial sectors. China has <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/05/china-reportedly-targets-around-5percent-growth-in-2025-amid-trade-war-worries.html">set </a>its 2025 GDP growth goal at 5%, with an emphasis on economic stabilization, like reviving the real estate  sector after the Evergrande crisis.
This revival is evident in the Hang Seng Index, which recorded its first year-on-year gain in 2024 after 2021 and has continued to rally in 2025 with a 23% year-to-date return. The renewed optimism in the market, along with the fervent AI investment, is making China&#8217;s technology sector more desirable to foreign investors.
Read Next: 
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44363430/covered-call-etfs-a-smart-income-play-in-volatile-markets">Covered Call ETFs: A Smart Income Play In Volatile Markets</a></li>
</ul>
Photo: NESPIX/Shuttestock.com

Emerging Market ETFs

KWEB

MCHI

Citigourp Global Markets 2% Protected Notes Linked To The Djia

PowerShares Golden Dragon Halter USX China Portfolio

China's AI Surge Fuels ETF Gains: Baidu, Alibaba Lead The Way

U.S. stocks traded higher midway through trading, with the Dow Jones index gaining around 400 points on Monday.
The Dow traded up 0.97% to 41,888.57 while the NASDAQ climbed 0.33% to 17,812.14. The S&amp;P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.72% to 5,679.43.
Check This Out: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44324575/top-3-industrials-stocks-that-may-rocket-higher-this-month">Top 3 Industrials Stocks That May Rocket Higher This Month</a>
Leading and Lagging Sectors Energy shares jumped by 1.9% on Monday.
In trading on Monday, consumer discretionary shares fell by 0.3%.
Top Headline
U.S. retail sales rose 0.2% month-over-month in February following a revised 1.2% decline in January but down from market expectations of a 0.6% rise.
Equities Trading UP &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GES#NYSE">GES</a>) shares shot up 28% to $12.45 after the company announced it received a non-binding proposal from WHP Global to acquire the company for $13 per share in cash.</li>
<li>Shares of Qifu Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QFIN#NASDAQ">QFIN</a>)got a boost, surging 11% to $48.04 after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results.</li>
<li>Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) shares were also up, gaining 9% to $102.50 after the company announced the launch of ERNIE 4.5 and deep-thinking model ERNIE X1.</li>
</ul>
Equities Trading DOWN
<ul>
<li>Solaris Energy Infrastructure, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SEI#NYSE">SEI</a>) shares dropped 17% to $20.40 after Morpheus Research issued a report.</li>
<li>Shares of Aditxt, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ADTX#NASDAQ">ADTX</a>) were down 15% to $4.2650.</li>
<li>Gorilla Technology Group Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GRRR#NASDAQ">GRRR</a>) was down, falling 14% to $29.01 after Citron Research made comments criticizing the company on social media.</li>
</ul>
Commodities In commodity news, oil traded up 0.8% to $67.69 while gold traded up 0.2% at $3,007.00.
Silver traded down 0.2% to $34.355 on Monday, while copper rose 1.6% to $4.9755.
Euro zone
European shares were higher today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 gained 0.79%, Germany's DAX 40 jumped 0.73% and France's CAC 40 gained 0.57%. Spain's IBEX 35 Index rose 1.09%, while London's FTSE 100 rose 0.56%.
Asia Pacific Markets
Asian markets closed higher on Monday, with Japan's Nikkei gaining 0.93%, China's Shanghai Composite Index gaining 0.19%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index surging 0.77% and India's BSE Sensex gaining 0.46%.
Economics
<ul>
<li>U.S. retail sales rose 0.2% month-over-month in February following a revised 1.2% decline in January but down from market expectations of a 0.6% rise.</li>
<li>The NY Empire State Manufacturing Index declined 26 points to -20.0 in March, recording the lowest reading since May 2023.</li>
<li>The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell to 39 in March versus a reading of 42 in February.</li>
<li>U.S. business inventories increased 0.3% month-over-month in January following a 0.2% drop in December.</li>
</ul>
Now Read This: 
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/price-target/25/03/44325485/wall-streets-most-accurate-analysts-spotlight-on-3-real-estate-stocks-delivering-high-dividend-yields-4">Wall Street&#8217;s Most Accurate Analysts Spotlight On 3 Real Estate Stocks Delivering High-Dividend Yields</a></li>
</ul>
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Eurozone

Commodities

Intraday Update

ADTX

GRRR

QFIN

Dow Jumps 400 Points; US Retail Sales Increase Less Than Expected

U.S. stocks were higher, with the Dow Jones index gaining around 350 points on Monday.
Shares of Science Applications International Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SAIC#NASDAQ">SAIC</a>) rose sharply during Monday's session after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results.
The company reported fourth-quarter sales growth of 6% year-on-year to $1.84 billion, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Adjusted EPS of $2.57 beat the consensus estimate of $2.08.
Science Applications International shares jumped 7.1% to $111.88 on Monday.
Here are some other big stocks recording gains in today's session.
<ul>
<li>Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GES#NYSE">GES</a>) shares jumped 28.5% to $12.47 after the company announced it received a non-binding proposal from WHP Global to acquire the company for $13 per share in cash.</li>
<li>Diginex Limited (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DGNX#NASDAQ">DGNX</a>) gained 21.3% to $64.00.</li>
<li>Alpha Technology Group Limited (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ATGL#NASDAQ">ATGL</a>) rose 17.1% to $30.00.</li>
<li>Metsera, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MTSR#NASDAQ">MTSR</a>) gained 13.8% to $28.69.</li>
<li>Qifu Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QFIN#NASDAQ">QFIN</a>) rose 11.1% to $47.98 after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results.</li>
<li>Hesai Group (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HSAI#NASDAQ">HSAI</a>) gained 10.4% to $21.83.</li>
<li>Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CALM#NASDAQ">CALM</a>) rose 9.9% to $91.25.</li>
<li>Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LION#NASDAQ">LION</a>) gained 9.2% to $8.28.</li>
<li>Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) climbed 8.9% to $102.17 after the company announced the launch of ERNIE 4.5 and deep-thinking model ERNIE X1.</li>
<li>American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AEO#NYSE">AEO</a>) gained 8.6% to $12.02 after the company announced a $200 million accelerated share repurchase program with Bank of America, N.A.</li>
<li>Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/INTC#NASDAQ">INTC</a>) gained 7.8% to $25.93 after Reuters reported new CEO Lip-Bu Tan plans to overhaul chip design and manufacturing, restart AI efforts, and examine further cost cuts.</li>
</ul>
Now Read This: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44361043/this-blueprint-medicines-analyst-begins-coverage-on-a-bullish-note-here-are-top-5-initiations-for-monday">This Blueprint Medicines Analyst Begins Coverage On A Bullish Note; Here Are Top 5 Initiations For Monday</a></li>
</ul>
Photo: Shutterstock

Movers

ATGL

CALM

DGNX

LION

MTSR

Science Applications Posts Better-Than-Expected Earnings, Joins Qifu Technology, Baidu, American Eagle And Other Big Stocks Moving Higher On Monday

Stocks were little moved during midday Monday trading in New York, as a mixed retail sales report failed to generate a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets">bullish response from investors.</a>
Retail sales rose 0.2% month-over-month in February, rebounding from a concerning 1.2% decline in January but falling short of the 0.6% forecast. Yet, when excluding volatile categories, the picture looked slightly brighter.
The control group measure — which strips out sales from auto dealers, building materials, gas stations, office supply stores, mobile home dealers and tobacco retailers — rose 1% in February, fully offsetting January's 1% decline and significantly surpassing the expected 0.2% increase.
Despite this, concerns over a broader economic slowdown remain, with traders now looking ahead to Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech on Wednesday for reassurance that the U.S. economy is not headed for a recession.
Major indices remained broadly flat, though small caps outperformed. Energy led sector gains, while consumer discretionary lagged.
In currency markets, the U.S. dollar index softened 0.3%, heading towards six-month lows. Gold continued to edge higher, hovering around the symbolic all-time high of $3,000 per ounce level.
Oil prices rebounded 0.8%, as crude rallied following President Donald Trump's vow to strike the Houthis in the Red Sea. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>) climbed 1.4%, recovering some ground after a 2% drop on Sunday.
<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Monday&#8217;s Performance In Major U.S. Indices, ETFs</h1>
<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"> 
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Major Indices</td>
<td>Price</td>
<td>1-day % chg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Russell 2000</td>
<td>2,059.31</td>
<td>0.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dow Jones</td>
<td>41,698.02</td>
<td>0.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>S&amp;P 500</td>
<td>5,649.40</td>
<td>0.2%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nasdaq 100</td>
<td>19,690.47</td>
<td>-0.1 %</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Updated at 12:20 p.m. ET</figcaption></figure>
According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/pro/?utm_source=BZprocontent&amp;t=be2bearmibe3na1">Benzinga Pro</a>&nbsp;data:
<ul>
<li>The&nbsp;SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>) inched 0.2% up to $564.16.</li>
<li>The&nbsp;SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DIA#NYSE">DIA</a>) rose 0.5% to $417.56.</li>
<li>The tech-heavy&nbsp;Invesco QQQ Trust Series&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QQQ#NASDAQ">QQQ</a>)&nbsp;eased 0.1% to $479.08.</li>
<li>The&nbsp;iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IWM#NYSE">IWM</a>) rose 0.7%. </li>
<li>The&nbsp;Energy&nbsp;Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XLE#NYSE">XLE</a>) outperformed, up 1.6%; the&nbsp;Consumer Discretionary&nbsp;Select Sector SPDR Fund&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XLY#NYSE">XLY</a>) lagged, down 0.6%.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Monday&#8217;s Stock Movers</h3>
<ul>
<li>Shares of NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) dropped 2.6% on Monday, as investors braced for the company&#8217;s highly anticipated GTC AI conference, set to begin later in the day.</li>
<li>Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NFLX#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>) surged 3.6% after Moffett Nathanson upgraded its rating from &#8220;Neutral&#8221; to &#8220;Buy&#8221; and raised the stock's price target by $250 to $1,100.</li>
<li>Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) tumbled 6% decline, giving back some of the gains from Friday </li>
<li>Chipmaker Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/INTC#NASDAQ">INTC</a>) jumped 7.6% after a Reuters report indicated incoming CEO Lip-Bu Tan may streamline operations by reducing middle management layers, optimizing chip production and launching new AI-focused semiconductors.</li>
<li>Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) climbed 7.5% following the unveiling of Ernie X1, its latest artificial intelligence model. Baidu asserts that Ernie X1 delivers performance levels comparable to rival DeepSeek's AI but at only half the cost. </li>
<li>Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NCLH#NYSE">NCLH</a>) gained 4.4%, reaching $20.04, after JPMorgan upgraded the cruise operator&#8217;s stock to &#8220;Overweight&#8221; from &#8220;Neutral.&#8221;</li>
<li>In contrast, Affirm Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AFRM#NASDAQ">AFRM</a>) tumbled 10% after Swedish fintech Klarna announced it would become the exclusive Buy Now, Pay Later provider for Walmart Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/WMT#NYSE">WMT</a>). Previously, Affirm held that exclusive partnership.</li>
</ul>
Read Next: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/economics/macro-economic-events/25/03/44357674/restaurant-sales-sink-recession-warning-or-just-weather-driven-dip">Restaurant Sales Sink: Recession Warning Or Just Weather-Driven Dip?</a></li>
</ul>
Photo: Shutterstock

$BTC

AFRM

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust

NCLH

Select Sector SPDR-Consumer Discretionary

Wall Street Wavers On Mixed Retail Sales, Nvidia Falls Ahead Of GTC AI Conference, Intel Rallies: What's Driving Markets Monday?

Offerings

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Baidu Announces Completion of CNY10 Billion Offering of CNY-denominated Senior Notes

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Contracts

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TCOM

Autohome Inc. American Depositary Shares, each representing four class A ordinary shares.

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Date	Put/Call	Strike Price	Exp Date	DTE	Trade Vol	Day Vol	Vol / OI	OI	Trade Type	Sentiment
10:53 AMMar 24, 2025	PUT	$95.00	Jun 20, 2025	76	933	800	25	3683	TRADE	BULLISH
12:13 PMMar 21, 2025	CALL	$80.00	Jan 15, 2027	650	300	246	42	711	SWEEP	NEUTRAL
01:23 PMMar 17, 2025	CALL	$90.00	Apr 17, 2025	12	1926	1620	58	3322	TRADE	BULLISH
12:49 PMMar 17, 2025	CALL	$75.00	Jun 20, 2025	76	2124	238	17	12244	SWEEP	BULLISH