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January 18, 2025

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Quantum Computing: Top Stocks You Should Watch Now!

3 Mins Read

Jensen Huang may have burst the quantum computing bubble when he said it would take over 15 years for quantum computers to gain widespread use. And yet four quantum computing stocks made it to the top of the list in the StockCharts Technical Rank (SCTR) Report in the Top 10 Mid-Cap Category. You can thank Microsoft (MSFT) for this — the company is talking about becoming ‘quantum-ready’ this year.

A few weeks ago, we covered quantum computing stocks. At the time, the four stocks discussed in the article — Quantum Computing, Inc. (QUBT), Rigetti Computing, Inc. (RGTI), Quantum Corp. (QMCO), and D-Wave Quantum, Inc. (QBTS) — were in the small-cap category. In three weeks, three of these stocks crossed into the mid-cap category. The fourth stock that climbed up the ladder was IonQ, Inc. (IONQ). The four stocks that made it to the top on Thursday are displayed in the image below.

FIGURE 1. TOP 10 MID-CAP SCTR STOCKS. Quantum computing stocks clinch the top four spots.Image source: StockCharts.com. For educational purposes.

In the last article, QUBT, RGTI, and QBTS were trending higher and above their 21-day exponential moving average (EMA). Things have changed since then. IONQ also followed a similar pattern as the other three stocks (see chart layout below).

FIGURE 2. TOP FOUR QUANTUM COMPUTING STOCKS. QUBT, RGTI, IONQ, and QBTS were the top four stocks in the mid-cap SCTR category.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For educational purposes.

All four stocks gapped lower after Huang’s statement, reached a support level of a previous low, and bounced back. QUBT, RGTI, and QBTS are battling at or close to their 21-day EMA, whereas IONQ has broken above it.

Will these stocks gain enough momentum to re-establish their bullish trend? The moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) hasn’t given the signal yet. Once it does, and all four stocks break above their 21-day EMA and revisit their 52-week highs, they could continue their bullish trend.

Get Your Quantum Advantage

It’s worth creating a ChartList of quantum computing stocks even if you’re on the face. At a favorable price point, quantum computing stocks could be worthwhile investments. If you have the luxury of investing for several years, this could be a group of stocks that could add value to your portfolio. There’s also the Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM) that will give you broad exposure to several quantum computing and other technology stocks. For more details on QTUM, check out this Symbol Summary page.

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

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In World news

Trump holds ‘very good’ phone call with China’s President Xi

3 Mins Read

Donald Trump said he held a “very good” phone call with China’s President Xi Jinping, as the US-president elect prepares to return to the White House next week.

“I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately.”

Trump said the pair discussed trade, fentanyl, TikTok and other subjects, and that the call was “very good” for both countries.

“President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” he wrote.

In a readout from China’s Foreign Ministry, Xi said he and Trump “attach great importance to mutual interactions,” and “hope for a good start of the China-US relationship” during Trump’s second term.

The phone call, believed to be the first between the pair since Trump left office after his first term, comes during a tense moment in Washington-Beijing relations.

Swiftly after the call, the US Supreme Court ruled that a controversial ban on TikTok can take effect on Sunday, rejecting an appeal from the popular app that claimed the ban violated the First Amendment.

Earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry said that Xi would skip Trump’s inauguration on Monday. Instead, Vice President Han Zheng will attend the ceremony in Washington, DC, as Xi’s special representative.

Xi sent Trump a message of congratulations after his reelection in November, telling him that the US and China “stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” and said he hoped the two countries could find a way ‘to get along with each other.”

In an interview with NBC following his reelection, Trump said he got along “very well” with Xi during his time in office.

But Trump’s rhetoric has not always been so amicable. As a candidate, Trump pledged to slap 60% tariffs on all goods coming in from China. As president-elect, he has tempered his claims, threatening to raise tariffs on Chinese goods by an additional 10% until Beijing prevents the flow of illegal drugs to the US.

Trump’s cabinet picks also comprise several prominent China hawks, including Marco Rubio, tapped for secretary of state and currently sanctioned by Beijing, and Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host tapped for defense secretary who has warned China is bent on defeating the US and achieving global domination.

A complicating factor, however, is Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of the electric vehicle giant Tesla, which makes more than half its cars in China. Musk is often invited to meet Chinese officials on his trips there.

Echoing some of Beijing’s talking points, Musk has previously said the two countries can maintain a “win-win” relationship, in a sharp break from Trump’s more zero-sum attitude.

Despite pointing to the prospects for cooperation, Xi told Trump that it is “natural for two big countries with different national conditions to have some disagreements,” singling out “the Taiwan question.”

Beijing has repeatedly stressed that it views Taiwan as a breakaway territory that must be “unified” with the mainland, and that it is willing to use force if necessary.

Trump was seen as a friend to Taiwan during his first term, but his rhetoric has since hardened. On the campaign trail, Trump claimed the self-ruling democracy should pay the US more for “protection” and that it had “stolen” America’s chip business.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

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In Business

UnitedHealth CEO says U.S. health system ‘needs to function better’

4 Mins Read

The CEO of UnitedHealth Group said Thursday that shortcomings of America’s health care system must be addressed.

On the company’s first earnings call since the fatal shooting of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson, CEO Andrew Witty said that while the U.S. provides world-leading care in many respects, there are systemic flaws that are working to drive up health costs for people in the country. 

“The health system needs to function better,” he said, adding that the “variety” of state, federal and private sector structures and programs have created a “confusing,” “complex” and “costly” health care landscape. 

Witty began the call expressing gratitude for the condolences received in the wake of Thompson’s death.

“Many of you knew Brian personally,” Witty said, referring to the investors on the call. “You knew how much he meant to all of us and how he devoted his time to help make the health system work better for all of the people we’re privileged to serve.”

The suspect charged in Thompson’s killing, Luigi Mangione, is currently being held without bond in Brooklyn. He faces capital murder charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty. 

While past UnitedHealth earnings calls have featured general remarks about the company’s desire to deliver improved outcomes for its customers, Witty’s comments Thursday acknowledged the broader debate about the state of U.S. health care that has emerged in the wake of Thompson’s shooting. 

Witty’s remarks came as United Health reported record 2024 revenues. Shortly before Thompson was killed, its stock price was at an all-time high.

Prior to addressing the company’s financial performance, Witty discussed some of the shortcomings of the profit-driven model of U.S. health care head on.

“Participants in the system,” he said, derive benefit from high health care costs. While lower prices and improved services can be good for consumers and patients, Witty said, they can “threaten revenue streams for organizations that depend on charging more for care.”

Witty did not discuss to what extent UnitedHealth itself was a beneficiary of such circumstances. 

When it comes to drug costs, for example, he said U.S. health care participants “pay disproportionately more than people in other countries,” citing the cost of the weight loss drug GLP, which he said in Europe costs approximately one-tenth its price in the U.S. 

Witty directly blamed drug companies for discrepancies like those, while stating that UnitedHealth’s pharmacy-benefit managers (PBM), who help negotiate retail drug prices and who have come under increasing public pressure for their role in setting drug prices, continue to work to pass savings on to customers. 

UnitedHealth’s improved PBM performance “will help make more transparent who is really responsible for drug pricing in this country: the drug companies themselves,” Witty said, without elaborating.

In a statement late Thursday, a representative for PhRMA, which represents drug companies, pushed back on Witty’s assertion.

‘Congress, the FTC, state attorneys general, and others who have looked at this issue have all come to the same conclusion that PBM abuses are driving up costs,’ Alex Schriver, PhRMA senior vice president of public affairs, said in an email.

‘Investigations have exposed big insurer and PBM companies for charging thousands of different prices for the same medicines at the same time. The FTC just released a second report showing the same companies mark up medicines at their own pharmacies 10 times or more.’

‘These big health care conglomerates make billions in profit from controlling what medicines people get, the price they pay and what pharmacy they can use. That’s why there’s unprecedented bipartisan support for holding them accountable.’

For the quarter, UnitedHealth reported worse-than-expected results, sending its shares down more than 4% Thursday.  

“Health care in every country is complex and the solutions are not simple, but you should expect this company to continue to work at it,” Witty stated. 

CORRECTION (Jan. 16, 2025, 9 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated how much the weight loss drug GLP costs. It is one-tenth of its U.S. price in Europe, not one-tenth less.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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