Tech titans surge while legacy giants stumble in 2024
The latest analysis of top market value gainers and losers has uncovered intriguing trends in the stock market. Notably, there is a significant surge in investor appetite for technology stocks, charting divergent market trajectories compared to other industries. During the evaluation period from 31 January 2024 to 31 January 2025, the top gainer in market value was Santa Clara-based GPU maker NVIDIA while the top loser was the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), reveals the Company Profiles Database of GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company
NVIDIA reportedly added a staggering $1.4 trillion to achieve a market capitalization of $2.9 trillion by the end of the review period. In stark contrast, Saudi Aramco witnessed its market value decline by $182.1 billion to reach $1.8 trillion.
Murthy Grandhi, Company Profiles Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “NVIDIA’s explosive growth is largely attributed to its dominance in artificial intelligence (AI) chips, cloud computing, and data center expansion. As the primary supplier of AI GPUs, NVIDIA capitalized on the AI boom, securing massive contracts with cloud service providers and enterprises investing in machine learning.
On the other side, Saudi Aramco witnessed a downturn in its stock value due to the ongoing global transition to renewable energy, lower demand from China, and the diminishing reliance on fossil fuels.
Apple Inc, despite being the largest company by market value at $3.5 trillion, recorded a relatively modest growth of $697.8 billion. This highlights the challenges even tech giants face in maintaining exponential growth at such a massive scale.
Grandhi continues: “Pharmaceutical companies, once considered recession-proof, have faced significant headwinds. Moderna Inc. saw its market value plummet to $15.2 billion, a decline of $23.4 billion, primarily due to the waning demand for COVID-19 vaccines and rising competition within the biotech sector. Denmark-based Novo Nordisk faced an $87.7 billion drop in valuation, attributed to regulatory scrutiny and intensifying competition in the weight-loss drug market. Meanwhile, Merck & Co., Inc. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. experienced declines of $56.1 billion and $28.8 billion, respectively, as concerns over drug patent expirations and pricing pressures weighed on investor sentiment.”
Samsung Electronics lost $114 billion in market cap due to weak consumer electronics demand and struggles to compete in the AI chip market. Intel shed $98 billion amid supply chain disruptions and intensifying competition. Adobe declined by $88.8 billion as software subscriptions slowed and AI-driven creative tools gained traction. AMD lost $82.7 billion due to softening semiconductor sales. ASML fell $37 billion, impacted by reduced chipmaker demand and the US sanctions restricting sales of advanced lithography equipment to China, limiting its access to one of its key markets.
Grandhi concludes: “The coming months of 2025 will be highly volatile, driven by renewed tariff wars, interest rate cuts, and the divide between booming tech and struggling traditional industries. Geopolitical tensions, energy transitions, and inflation concerns will add uncertainty. While AI and renewables fuel investor optimism, supply chain disruptions and policy shifts pose risks. Businesses must embrace adaptability and diversification to navigate an unpredictable financial and economic landscape.”
