As the stock prices of U.S. quantum computing-related stocks have been plummeting daily, it is estimated that the majority of overseas individual investors (retail investors in U.S. stocks) have entered a loss phase. The evaluation losses for investors who engaged in 'averaging down' on the first day of the stock market crash have increased.
According to the financial investment industry on the 14th, shares of IonQ, the representative stock for quantum computing, closed at $27.86 on the New York Stock Exchange overnight. The stock price fell by 13.83% ($4.47) compared to the previous trading day. Although IonQ announced a contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory for the establishment of a quantum network infrastructure, it could not change the stock price trend.
Other quantum computing-related stocks performed even worse. The stock price decline rates compared to the previous trading day were ▲SiLC Technologies (LAES) -41.54%, ▲D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) -33.62%, ▲Rigetti Computing (RGTI) -32.25%, and ▲Quantum Computing (QUBT) -27.39%.
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, said on the 7th (local time) that it would take 20 years until quantum computing commercialization, after which the stock prices of quantum computing-related stocks halved or more. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Meta, also stated on the 11th (local time) during a podcast that the industry believes it will take at least 10 years for quantum computing to be implemented in various fields, further exacerbating the decline in quantum computer stock prices.
As quantum computer stocks plummeted, the proportion of investors entering the evaluation loss phase also increased. Among the 32,116 investors who purchased IonQ shares through NH Investment & Securities, over 30% have an average purchase price of $32.02 (approximately 46,911 won) as of the 10th. Considering that day's closing price of $27.86 (approximately 40,814 won), those who either sold all their shares or did not purchase additional shares entered the evaluation loss phase.
The situation is more severe for other stocks. Considering the average purchase price on the 10th and the current stock price, more than 90% of SiLC Technologies investors are estimated to be in a state of evaluation loss. Similarly, about 80% of investors in Rigetti Computing and Quantum Computing, as well as D-Wave Quantum, are likely experiencing evaluation losses.
There are also a significant number of investors who judged the short-term decline as a buying opportunity. According to the Korea Securities Depository, on the 8th (with the settlement date on the 13th), when the stock prices of quantum computers began to fall following CEO Huang's comments, domestic investors net purchased $23.4 million (approximately 34.3 billion won) worth of Quantum Computing stocks. On the same day, they also favored buying IonQ for $9.95 million (approximately 14.6 billion won) and Rigetti Computing for $470,000 (approximately 700 million won).
CEOs of quantum computing corporations noted that the quantum computing industry is steadily growing and that there are already cases where commercialization has begun depending on the model. However, it has been assessed that a short-term rebound will not be easy due to diminished investor sentiment.
Kim Seung-hyuk, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said, "Quantum computing-related corporations have not yet demonstrated consistent performance, so until performance is proven, stock price trends will exhibit considerable volatility."