Applied Digital Falls 1.69% as Trading Volume Ranks 333rd Highlighting Shift from Crypto to AI Infrastructure Amid Volatile Sector Momentum

On August 14, 2025, Applied Digital (APLD) closed at $14.55, declining 1.69% with a trading volume of $0.30 billion, ranking 333rd in market activity. The stock has shown significant long-term gains since its 2022 IPO as Applied Blockchain, capitalizing on its GPU infrastructure to transition into AI data center operations. Recent developments, including Nvidia’s investment and CoreWeave’s expanded licensing agreement, have driven volatility amid broader sector momentum.

Applied Digital’s pivot from cryptocurrency mining to AI infrastructure positioned it to benefit from rising demand for high-performance computing. Strategic partnerships, such as CoreWeave’s data center expansion, have reinforced growth expectations. However, the stock’s performance remains sensitive to macroeconomic shifts and sector-specific risks, reflecting the high volatility typical of emerging technology plays.

The strategy of buying the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day from 2022 to 2025 generated a total return of 31.52% over 365 days, with a 1-day average return of 0.98%. The approach peaked at 7.02% in June 2023 but faced a -4.20% drawdown in September 2022, underscoring its exposure to short-term market fluctuations while maintaining an overall positive trend.