Shares of Opendoor Technologies (OPEN -8.58%) fell on Monday, finishing the day down 8.6%. The drop came as the S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.43%) lost 0.4% and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC -0.22%) lost 0.2%.
While Opendoor stock finished down nearly 9%, it was initially up more than 15% earlier in the day on continued enthusiasm from Friday's rate cut news, before dropping as investors consider what the future might hold.
Rate cuts could be coming, but it's unclear how many
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell gave a speech on Friday that painted a somewhat mixed picture of the economy. Ultimately, however, Powell said that the economy was resilient, and although he didn't say so explicitly, he seemed to indicate a rate cut would be coming in September.
This sent markets higher, especially for riskier investments like Opendoor stock. However, today, that enthusiasm began to fade as investors faced the reality that there are still some significant uncertainties. How many rate cuts, how large they will be, and when they will come is very much up in the air still.
Image source: Getty Images.
This is especially impactful for Opendoor stock because the company's top and bottom lines are heavily tied to interest rates. Lower interest rates could allow the company to refinance its significant debt, reducing costs. They would also likely help spur consumer demand for housing and drive sales.
Opendoor is still a risk
Opendoor has a compelling narrative driving its meme status -- that it could transform itself through artificial intelligence (AI) using its proprietary data. I think there is something to this idea, but I would still stay away from Opendoor stock. The company is operating in the red, relies heavily on debt, and the real estate market does not look particularly promising, regardless of rate cuts.
