The Bot Brief

"There is no force on earth more powerful than an idea whose time has come."       

- Victor Hugo

Bots in the News:

The strength of the S & P 500 for the week was not reflected by the Bot Index. The broader index gained 1.32% while the bots were down 45 basis points. Contributing to the under performance was, once again, weakness in the Asian component of the Bot Index. Three of the six weakest performers were from Chinese, Taiwan and Japanese companies. The worst of which was the 10.37% slide by the EV maker NIO Inc. Despite showing a good May delivery schedule, the company posted an earnings loss of 36 cents in the first quarter, worse than the 31 cent decline that analysts had predicted. Revenues were also below expectations - $1.37 billion versus $1.48.

Offshore International was the worst performer for the week. The stock slid 11.91% on significant volume following its earnings that was considerably below Wall Street’s anticipations.

The bots were led by the 17% rise in the fortunes of a perennially weaker company within the Index. 3D Systems, a company with only $488 million in revenues, announced it had obtained a $250 million, five year contract, to produce clear dental aligners. Management noted it has researched a variety of dental applications and the aligners are an early indication of the 3D company’s printing opportunities.

Market Intelligence News & Insights:

North American Robot Orders Hold Steady in Q1 2025 as A3 Launches First-Ever Collaborative Robot Tracking

Robot orders in North America remained essentially flat in the first quarter of 2025, with companies purchasing 9,064 units valued at $580.7 million, according to new data released by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Compared to Q1 2024, this represents a 0.4% increase in units ordered and a 15% rise in order value, signaling continued demand and increased investment in higher-value automation systems.

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Certainly, all the news surrounding NVIDIA’s earnings and 10 for 1 stock split aided the stock this week. The company rose just under 10.27 percent to be the only other double digit gainer for the week.

Member: American Economic Association, Society of Professional Journalists, United States Press Association. Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, Robotic Industries Association (now A3 Automation), Member IEEE.

The Bot Brief is a weekly newsletter designed for economists, investment specialists, journalists, and academicians. It receives no remuneration from any companies that may from time to time be featured in the brief and its commentaries, analysis, opinions, and research represent the subjective view of Balcones Investment Research, LLC. Due to the complex and rapidly changing nature of the subject matter, the company makes no assurances as to the absolute accuracy of the material presented.