April 15 was a dynamic day for Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). First, it received strong tailwinds thanks to President Donald Trump’s endorsement of its artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputer plans for the U.S., then suffered an administration-induced crash in the extended session.
Specifically, after what has been a protracted deliberative period, judging by previous reports, the White House announced restrictions on H20 chips to China. The ban allegedly forces Nvidia to include a $5.5 billion writedown in its upcoming, late May quarterly report and has had a strong impact in the extended session.
After rising 1.35% during regular trading on April 15 and closing at $112.20, NVDA shares plunged 5.15% in the extended session and are, at press time on April 16, changing hands at $106.42.
The macroeconomic developments, primarily centered on tariffs and other similar policies, have triggered significant volatility for Nvidia stock in 2025 and have generally had a bearish effect. Though the chipmaker’s equity is 18.97% above its latest lows at $94.31, it remained, at the latest close, 18.88% down year-to-date (YTD).
Semiconductor giants worldwide suffer pre-market downturn
Simultaneously, the headwinds have not been limited to Nvidia alone as Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) is also barred from shipping its advanced models to the People’s Republic and has suffered a 6.31% decline in the Wednesday pre-market to its press time price of $89.28.
The tariff turmoil is also having an impact over the Atlantic as the Dutch technology giant ASML (NASDAQ: ASML) is itself down 4.37% in the extended session and is trading at $653.31.
Why a Nvidia stock rally isn’t guaranteed
Lastly, April 16, 2025, is promising to be another eventful day and holds the potential to push NVDA shares back into the green. Specifically, stock market futures have already enjoyed a substantial rally as the Chinese government is willing to negotiate with the U.S., provided the White House shows some ‘respect.’
Still, the situation is uncertain, with Nvidia’s bullish reversal being especially dubious. Advanced semiconductors are strategic goods, making them subject to limits and bans even before Trump’s trade war started. This is due to the strange relationship between the superpowers from the Americas and Asia, given that the two are simultaneously key trading partners and courting the Second Cold War.
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