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Nvidia's AI Fortress Shows 'First Crack'—The China Risk Just Got Real

For months, Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) has been Wall Street's undisputed AI darling, but this quarter may mark the first wobble in its flawless run. Despite delivering strong results, the company's softer-than-hoped guidance and growing uncertainty around China exposed what Direxion's Head of Capital Markets Jake Behan called "the first real crack" in its AI growth story.

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When a stock trades at sky-high multiples, anything short of spectacular feels like a disappointment—and traders are now asking whether Nvidia's hyperscaler customers can keep carrying the load.

Read Also: Nvidia Is Now Worth Twice Tesla, AMD, Palantir, And Intel Combined

China Clouds The Outlook

The geopolitical headwinds are hard to ignore. With no H20 sales in China last quarter and no clarity on future demand, Nvidia's revenue outlook looks murkier than bulls would like.

While Blackwell and Rubin ramps offer promise, the Street wanted a forecast that blew past the $63 billion whisper number—yet Nvidia guided closer to $54 billion. Add in data center revenue that underwhelmed, and suddenly the growth engine looks less bulletproof.

As Behan put it, "anything short of exceptional starts to look like a problem" when expectations are this lofty.

Ripple Effects On The Mag 7

The cracks in Nvidia's armor matter well beyond its ticker symbol. Roughly 40% of the company's revenue comes from hyperscaler spend at Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG), Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) and Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), making its outlook a bellwether for the broader Mag 7.

Direxion's senior VP Ryan Lee noted that this quarter's results may test whether hyperscaler demand is strong enough to offset China softness. Nvidia may still be "firmly in the game," but the real test now is whether it can keep dragging its mega-cap peers higher.

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