🇬🇧 Close, but no cigar

Chip company ASML issued a bad omen | UK inflation was close to expectations, but close doesn't cut it | [Finimize](   TOGETHER WITH     Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 18th in 3:13 minutes.   🤝 Tom and Jerry, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. You're a stellar fintech brand looking to get your name out there, and [we're a newsletter]( with hundreds of thousands of brainy, switched-on readers. Let's become the next picture-perfect duo: [Talk to the team]( Today's big stories - Influential chip company ASML reported worse-than-expected order numbers, which doesn’t bode well for its future profit - Seven stress-free tips that can help you take control of your financial future – [Read Now]( - UK inflation fell by less than expected in March Chip Then Dip [Chip Then Dip] What’s going on here? ASML [reported]( less-than-satisfying order numbers last quarter, signaling that profit from its chipmaking machinery could take a drop. What does this mean? ASML’s sales and profit from last quarter might’ve hovered close to expectations, but those sales were around 21% lower than the same time last year. More importantly, the firm’s order numbers – a key indicator of future profit – came in at €3.6 billion ($3.8 billion), nearly 28% below traders’ expectations and 61% lower than the quarter before. Still, the company maintained its prediction that orders will pick up in the second half of the year before really taking off in 2025. But investors don’t seem willing to wait for the pricey stock to justify itself: ASML’s share price fell 6% after the results. Why should I care? Zooming in: Friends can make or break you. ASML sells some of the most advanced chip-making machines on the market. That can give chipmakers an edge – but they’ll pay for it: the newest model is said to cost around $380 million. Naturally, then, ASML’s customers tend to be the biggest and the best, like TSMC, Samsung, and Intel. And luckily, all three have plans to build new plants – so it’s hardly surprising that ASML is counting on seeing some healthier sales later in the year. Zooming out: Quality over quantity. Any company that sells especially expensive products will struggle to maintain a constant flow of sales, so a slow quarter doesn’t necessarily signal a long-term trend. Plus, the US’s ban on exporting chip-making materials to China doesn’t seem to be having an impact. The restrictions only apply to ASML’s most advanced machines, which explains how the company managed to make 49% of its sales from China last quarter – up from 39% the quarter before. So actually, investors might take this opportunity to buy ASML’s stock now that it’s a little cheaper. You might also like: [Three AI chip plays that are cheaper than ASML and Nvidia.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Chip Then Dip&utm_campaign=daily-global-18-04-2024&utm_source=email) Analyst Take How Not To Let Retirement Anxiety Push You Off Track [How Not To Let Retirement Anxiety Push You Off Track]( Retirement is so often associated with [relaxation and ease](. Think about it: your working life is behind you and you finally get to unwind and spend time doing the things you enjoy most. The problem is, thinking about retirement is anything but relaxing for a lot of folks. In fact, [abrdn’s latest research]( shows that people have become increasingly anxious about their post-work lives and finances. That’s today’s Insight: [how to think about retirement and plan for it – without the anxiety](. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY VANTAGEPOINT The next Nvidia could be lurking in the pharma industry Nvidia? The whole market has been there, done that. According to VantagePoint, the next Nvidia is hiding in the pharmaceuticals sector – and it’s [flashing some of the same signals]( that the AI chipmaker did before it took off. With [VantagePoint’s live trading session](, you’ll discover how to use AI tools to better predict market movements across a wide range of assets, from stocks to crypto. That includes a zoom-in on [the hidden opportunity]( that VantagePoint believes to be the next Nvidia. [Check out the live trading event to discover the stock](. [Find Out More]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. If you want your brand featured here, [get in touch.]( Almost Doesn’t Cut It [Almost Doesn’t Cut It] What’s going on here? Annual British inflation [came]( in at 3.2% in March, enough to one-up the US, but not enough to put interest rate cuts on the agenda. What does this mean? UK inflation might have reached its lowest level in two and a half years in March, but it was still slightly above the 3.1% that economists and the Bank of England (BoE) had predicted. Higher fuel prices can’t take the flak, because even core inflation – which strips out volatile food and energy prices – didn’t slow as much as economists had hoped. So while the central bank still expects inflation to hit its 2% target later this year, it’ll need sustained, concrete evidence that the UK is headed in the right direction before it can consider trimming its highest interest rates in 16 years. Why should I care? For markets: You can’t plan anything. That data came hot on the heels of higher-than-expected US inflation figures, which pushed traders to slash their bets on rate cuts. And after the British figures failed to do damage control, traders trimmed those bets again. They now predict the first BoE cut in November instead of September, and think there’s only a 30% chance of a second trim this year – a significant shift from the two or three cuts that they predicted just weeks ago. The bigger picture: Take that, America. March marked the first time that British inflation was lower than the US’s since 2022. Mind you, the pair are fighting different battles, which is why the BoE suggested earlier this week that the UK may be able to cut rates first. Stateside inflation is largely a result of strong consumer spending that encourages sellers to raise prices, and higher interest rates can help by making it more expensive to borrow money. Meanwhile, the UK is hampered more by supply issues that drive prices up, and higher interest rates can’t unravel those kinks. You might also like: [AI could be inflation’s Achilles’ heel.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Almost Doesn’t Cut It&utm_campaign=daily-global-18-04-2024&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day "Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." – Julia Child (an American chef and author) [Tweet this]( Connect your brand with the next generation of investors Our one-million-strong international financial community has some big plans. They want to [develop their investing skills]( and discover [expert tools]( that could help them trade better, all in a bid to achieve their dreams of financial freedom. [Your brand could help them]( do just that: whether you provide information, tools, or tricks, [you could help retail investors]( around the world make smarter decisions. So [showcase your mojo]( in this very spot, and [introduce yourself to over a million engaged investors]( – you might even help us change the world of finance for the better. [Get Your Name Out There]( Earnings season is the Super Bowl of investing: it's tempting to shut the door, grab the snacks, and zone in. But according to Stéphane, [you'll need to keep one eye on another ball this time around](. [Read The Quicktake]( 🎯 On Our Radar 1. Talk about reclaiming your space. NASA’s latest failure could spell [an opportunity for space startups](. 2. The metaverse could change everything. Prepare yourself for a [new investing landscape.](* 3. What Netflix did. The streaming company is suspected of [using AI-generated photos]( in its latest true-crime documentary. 4. Size up the opportunities. You can [trace the world’s biggest stock indexes]( without paying mammoth prices.* 5. Nike’s Olympic uniform has been getting attention for the wrong reasons. Female athletes have [spoken up about that unitard](. When you support our sponsors, you support us. 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