The Bot Brief

Bots in the News:

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

- Victor Hugo

The Bot Brief: 

It was something of a peculiar trading week for the Bot Index’s components. With only a two-basis point move, the Index experienced two double digit decliners, an again week Asian market and five stocks that made significant upward production.

The Chinese EV company NIO Inc. fell 10.35% following the announcement that the Biden Administration was quadrupling tariffs on electric vehicles from China.

3D Systems declined 14.81%, giving back some of the 17% gain of the prior week. The stock’s volatility has been a result of a major dental contract announced two weeks ago but has been a bit weak in the details.

Immersion Corp., a haptics company, gained 9.24% to lead the best performers. Earnings improvement led Zachs Investment Research to select the company as ‘Bull of the Day’ and moved the company to its Strong Buy category.

Not surprisingly, NVIDIA Corp. jumped another 9.09% as its 10 for 1 stock split hit the market this week. The stock has been on a tear since April 19 when the split adjusted price hovered at $76. The post-split week ending value was $131.77.

Apple Corp. rose 7.92% following the announcement by management of the inclusion of AI ChatGPT within Apple iPhones.

AeroVironment rose 6.41% following The Motley Fool’s posting a report entitled “3 Incredible Robotics Stocks to Buy Hand Over Fist,”

Cognex Inc. gained 5.14% after InvestorPlace published an analysis “The 3 Most Undervalued Robotics Stocks to Buy in June 2024.” Which included the machine vision company.

Let’s Chat:

The London Economist published three articles involving humanoid robots this past week. The three features noted the, after a rather slow start, the rapid evolution of robots that interact with ordinary humans has exploded. The insertion of Artificial Intelligence with the development of increased mechanical skills has created avenues for non-humans to augment needs in the factory and in the home. The capabilities of the ‘Humanots’ have so dramatically expanded under AI injections that the devices can react, discuss and alter their perceptions all without new programing. They are, “getting better at generalizing from one skill to another. This opens the door for robots to move out of factories and warehouses. The new models are less likely to hallucinate-tech speak for make things up, because their perception is grounded in observations of the world, and they aim to ensure that cognitive and physical reality match. That makes them safer and more reliable.”

All in all, it appears that the development of robots will likely become like that of the automobile in the early days. They will become easier to construct, develop increasing skills and abilities, become more affordable for the average business or individual consumer and be as ubiquitous as today’s car/truck in the business world and at home.

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.