Just over 24 hours since billionaire Richard Branson made history and took off into space and Virgin Galactic stock has plummeted from the sky
Shares in Virgin Galactic rose over 200 per cent in the two months ahead of Sunday’s world first flight.
The luck for the space tourism company continued with a stock climb of about 9 per cent in Monday’s pre-market trading.
However, shares took a steep fall around 17 per cent during the regular session on Monday.
The stock’s move feels odd given the success the company had on Sunday.
The landmark flight to the edge of space opened up a new frontier for commercial space travel in a race between billionaires that has investors eye’s peeled.
Part of the reason for the fall may have to do with Virgin Galactic’s plans to sell more stock.
Market Expert Christopher Uhl joined ticker news and says there are simply no more buyers willing to pay higher prices for Virgin Galactic stock, now that the huge event of heading to the skies has passed.
Market Expert Christopher Uhl
“I was once a kid with a dream”: Richard Branson blasts into space
Well he finally did it. 17 years after Richard Branson first launched Virgin Galactic, the thrill-seeking billionaire has taken to the skies and reached space.
In his boldest adventure yet, the 70 year old Richard Branson took off for the first stage of the flight.
On the ground, about 500 people watched on, including Richard Branson’s wife, children and grandchildren.
On board were his five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space tourism company.
The space plane detached from the mother ship at an altitude of about 13km and fired its engine, reaching the edge of space about 88km up.
After a few minutes of weightlessness for the crew, the space plane is began its decent, set to end with a glide to a runway landing.
Richard Branson couldn’t contain his excitement, as he spoke on the journey back to earth.
He thanked his crew and remembered all those who had worked on the mammoth project.
After a decade of promises, the moment finally came for Richard Branson to unveil his spaceship for the people.
He said on board:: “To all you kids down there, I was once a kid with a dream. Now I’m up here, in a space ship!”
Customer spaceflight experience
As Branson took to space onboard Virgin Galactic, his official role for the journey will be “evaluating customer spaceflight experience”.
And that’s an important role – after all anyone who wants to rise Virgin Galactic will need to part with a quarter of a million dollars first, and that price is expected to rise.
Along with the two pilots, there is room for six passengers with a flight time of about an hour and a half.
The Virgin Galactic rocket ship detached from the mothership.
The spaceship will just go over the 82 kilometres, which is where the US recognises someone as having been into space.
Then, passengers will get to experience about six minutes of weightlessness and seeing the curvature of the Earth and the darkness of space.
They will then descend, landing on a runway much like the old space shuttle or a normal passenger plane.
Jeff and Blue Origin are promising a completely different experience for their customers.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard, which has no pilots and room for six passengers, reaches more than 100 kilometres high, which is the internationally recognised boundary of space
Passengers on Blue Origin will get about three minutes to float around and feel like they are in space.
Might be half the time, but the price is 50,000 dollars cheaper than flying on Virgin Galactic.
But either way, the expensive thrill ride marks the beginning of earth’s commercial passenger trips into space.
Virgin Galactic doesn’t expect to start flying customers before next year.
Markets gain momentum ahead of Thanksgiving, with the Dow up 388 points and Oracle rising 4% amid investor optimism.
Markets are moving into the Thanksgiving break with strong momentum, as stocks notch four straight days of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 388 points, while the S&P 500 added 0.9%, pushing both indexes toward their best week since June.
Oracle led major movers, rising more than 4% after Deutsche Bank reaffirmed its bullish outlook on the tech giant. Broad investor optimism continues building across sectors as economic data softens and earnings remain resilient.
All eyes are now on the Federal Reserve and what potential shifts in interest-rate policy may mean for the markets. U.S. markets will close Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday and reopen Friday for a shortened trading session.
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In Short:
– Dow Jones rose 569 points, reflecting optimism for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut.
– Alphabet’s stock increased as Meta may invest in AI chips, but Nvidia’s declined amid market concerns.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 569 points or 1.2% on Tuesday, reflecting investor optimism for an upcoming Federal Reserve interest rate cut. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also posted gains, up 0.8% and 0.4% respectively. This represented a recovery from earlier losses, where the S&P 500 briefly fell by 0.7%.
Markets anticipate an 85% chance of a quarter-point rate cut in December, driven by comments from New York Fed President John Williams, who indicated the possibility of lower rates soon. Investor sentiment strengthened following reports that Kevin Hassett may be appointed as the next Fed chair, potentially resulting in a more lenient monetary policy.
Tech Sector
Alphabet saw its stock rise by over 1% after reports indicated that Meta Platforms might invest in its AI chips. This could signal increased demand for AI technology, benefiting the sector overall. However, Nvidia’s stock fell more than 3%, suggesting concerns about its dominance in the AI chip market.
Investors are also wary of the valuation of tech stocks. Despite recent gains, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq remain down over 1% and 3%, respectively, for November, while the Dow has lost more than 1% this month. The broader market’s performance indicates ongoing scrutiny regarding tech valuations amid changing economic expectations.
Gold prices surge as central banks increase demand; risks include a stronger dollar and rising interest rates.
Gold prices are climbing fast as central banks ramp up buying, pushing demand to its highest levels in years. The metal’s reputation as a safe haven is strengthening, especially amid rising geopolitical tensions and global financial uncertainty.
But experts warn the shine could fade. A stronger US dollar and the possibility of rising interest rates may weigh on momentum, making investors question how long the rally can last.
Dr Steven Enticott from CIA Tax breaks down the drivers behind gold’s surge—from ETF inflows to physical bar demand—and what could send the price sharply higher… or lower.
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