Trump Media & Technology Stock Stays Volatile After Debate

Trump Media & Technology stock has traded erratically in recent months and last night's presidential debate sparked more volatility in DJT shares.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on split tv screen during Tuesday's presidential debate
(Image credit: Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) stock has been volatile since the media company merged with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Digital World Acquisition in late March. And DJT stock is on the move again following Tuesday night's presidential debate between current Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Indeed, DJT stock is down nearly 68% since March 26, but gained roughly 10% in the five days leading up to the debate. Today, shares were down nearly 14% in pre-market trading, and opened solidly in the red.

Is DJT stock a buy, sell or hold?

Given this volatility, many market participants may be wondering if DJT stock is worth buying, but the truth of the matter is it remains a risky proposition for investors. 

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One warning sign is that there is currently no analyst coverage on shares of Trump Media & Technology, at least as far S&P Global Market Intelligence is concerned. Analysts typically have access to research and information not readily available to retail investors, so having their insight is helpful when determining the best stocks to buy, as well as the worst.  

That said, Interactive Brokers Chief Strategist Steve Sosnick offered some insight on DJT stock several months back.

In a March 26 note, Sosnick said he believes there are "political motivations driving the stock," and "that the company's most devoted investors viewed it as a call option on the MAGA movement."

DJT stock's underlying fundamentals also make it speculative investment for market participants. For instance, in August, the company reported second-quarter results, showing $836,900 in revenue, down 30% from the year-ago period. Trump Media & Technology Group also posted a net loss of $16.4 million. 

However, Sosnick says that if "one's investment decisions are based primarily upon emotions, then it is hardly a surprise that standard valuation metrics will be cast aside. True believers don't really care about prosaic concerns like price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios and the like. They're not doing detailed calculations about the discounted future cash flows of their favorite stocks."

DJT is hardly a penny stock and Trump Media & Technology Group boasts a market cap of nearly $4 billion. Nevertheless, DJT stock remains a very risky and speculative play for market participants and if you do decide to trade it, do so in a small amount with money you can afford to lose. 

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Joey Solitro
Contributor

Joey Solitro is a freelance financial journalist at Kiplinger with more than a decade of experience. A longtime equity analyst, Joey has covered a range of industries for media outlets including The Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Market Realist, and TipRanks. Joey holds a bachelor's degree in business administration.