The GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF (NVDL) experienced a sharp decline of 6.93% in Friday's pre-market trading session, mirroring and amplifying a downturn in NVIDIA's stock. This movement comes as select semiconductor stocks faced pressure against the broader market trend, with NVIDIA (NVDA) itself falling more than 2%.
The semiconductor sector's weakness appears to be triggered by recent announcements from former U.S. President Donald Trump regarding potential tariffs on imported semiconductor products. Trump stated that the U.S. government would impose "substantial, but not excessive" tariffs on semiconductor companies that fail to relocate their production to the United States. This news has sparked concerns about the potential impact on major players in the industry, including NVIDIA.
Adding to the uncertainty, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang was notably absent from a high-profile White House tech dinner focused on AI and power challenges. While other tech leaders praised the administration's efforts to promote investment in chip manufacturing and AI, Huang's absence might have contributed to investor unease. As a leveraged ETF, NVDL's performance is designed to deliver twice the daily return of NVIDIA's stock, explaining its more pronounced decline compared to NVIDIA's drop.