What Happened?
Shares of content delivery company Fastly (NYSE: FSLY) fell 5% in the afternoon session after the White House announced a new round of steep global tariffs, sparking concerns of a trade war and its impact on the U.S. and global economies. This move creates significant uncertainty for businesses and investors. The new tariffs, with rates of up to 41% on imports from 68 countries and the European Union, prompted a broad market sell-off, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq index showing notable weakness. Adding to the bearish sentiment was a weaker-than-expected July jobs report, which revealed that employers created only 73,000 jobs, far below economists' expectations. This combination of trade fears and signs of a slowing labor market has created a "risk-off" environment, leading investors to pull back from growth-oriented sectors like software and technology.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks. Is now the time to buy Fastly? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
What Is The Market Telling Us
Fastly’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 42 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was about 2 months ago when the stock dropped 8.8% as the major indices pulled back (Nasdaq -1.3%, S&P 500 -1.1%) as Israel carried out significant strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, dramatically escalating fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East. This development has sent crude oil prices surging, as investors fear potential disruptions to global oil supply and a wider regional conflict. The conflict has intensified investor anxiety, compounding existing market volatility, especially in risk assets like stocks, and prompting a pronounced shift toward safe-haven assets.
Fastly is down 29.3% since the beginning of the year, and at $6.52 per share, it is trading 42.5% below its 52-week high of $11.34 from December 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Fastly’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $58.35.
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