IONQ 1-day forecast by DeepSeek V3
DeepSeek V3's 1-day forecast for IONQ, made 2026-09-16: expected range $35.80 to $39.50 at 38% confidence. Settled at $39.68: direction called correctly, score 79.4.
| Asset | IONQ |
|---|---|
| Model | DeepSeek V3 |
| Recorded by | Forecastnest |
| Forecast made | |
| Horizon | 1-day (Equity / ETF 1D: the stored target below is authoritative; it may be a session close or an intraday instant.) |
| Window closes | |
| Price when asked | $36.97 |
| Price the model reported | $37.05 |
| Expected range | $35.80 to $39.50 |
| Confidence | 38% |
| Prompt style | No data |
| Status | Settled |
| Actual close | $39.68 |
| Traded range in the window | $36.06 to $39.70 |
| Result | Direction called correctly |
| Score | 79.4 of 100 |
The model's reasoning
(1) What I found and where: IONQ closed at $37.05 on September 15, 2026, down 1.20% on volume of 12.8 million shares, according to Yahoo Finance and StockAnalysis.com. The stock was quoted at $37.15 in pre-market trading on September 16 (Baidu Finance/FinScope), indicating a modest bounce attempt. The 52-week range is $25.89-$84.64. Market cap stands at approximately $15.01 billion. Recent news flow includes: the September 8 Investor Day where IonQ raised FY2026 revenue guidance to $450-460 million (from $280-290 million) following the SkyWater acquisition, and launched the Superion 256 sixth-generation quantum platform (IonQ press release). On September 9, Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh cut his projected level to $52 from $61 while maintaining a Buy rating (TipRanks/Business Insider). Jefferies reiterated a Buy with an $80 target, while Morgan Stanley assigned a Hold rating. The entire quantum computing sector is in focus on September 16 after IBM's Anderon subsidiary finalized a $1 billion CHIPS Act award from the Commerce Department to build America's first quantum chip foundry (Barron's/MarketScreener), a significant sector-wide catalyst. Short interest stands at 42.36 million shares, or 10.8% of float, down 15.5% from the prior reporting period (MarketWatch/Schaeffer's).
(2) Current market regime: IONQ is in a clear short-term downtrend, having fallen from $40.47 on September 8 to $37.05 on September 15, a decline of approximately 8.5% over five sessions. The 5-hour chart remains in a confirmed downtrend with price trading below key moving averages (Investing.com). The stock is sitting just above critical support at $36.90, a level that has held multiple times (KuCoin technical analysis). Below that, the next major support zone is $35.00-$35.16, the September 14 low and the lower bound of recent consolidation. Resistance sits at $38.14-$38.17 (the September 9 close and recent pivot high), with stronger resistance at $39.50-$40.00. The broader market is also cautious ahead of the FOMC rate decision later today, with the S&P 500 under pressure.
(3) Price range justification: IONQ's average daily true range over the past two weeks is approximately $2.50-$3.00, or roughly 7-8% of the current price. Using a 1-day implied move of approximately 6.5% around the current price of $37.05 gives a range of roughly $34.60-$39.50. However, the stock is sitting directly on the $36.90 support level, which compresses the downside scenario somewhat: if support holds, the pre-market bounce toward $37.15 could extend toward $38.00-$38.50. A break below $36.90 on volume would open the door to $35.00-$35.50. The sector-wide IBM quantum funding news provides a potential positive catalyst for the group, which could lift IONQ toward the upper end of the range. I am biasing the range slightly to the upside from the support level but keeping the lower bound at $35.80 to account for a support break, hence $35.80-$39.50.
(4) Catalysts inside the window: The IBM Anderon $1 billion CHIPS Act award finalized this morning is the dominant sector catalyst, drawing attention to pure-play quantum names. Historically, positive government funding news for the quantum sector has lifted the entire group, including IONQ (as seen on September 8 when the $300 million in CHIPS funding for D-Wave, Rigetti, and Quantinuum lifted IONQ by 2.40%). The FOMC rate decision and press conference later today are a macro overhang that could dampen risk appetite for high-beta, pre-revenue tech names like IONQ regardless of sector-specific news. There are no company-specific earnings or filings scheduled within the window.
(5) Strongest counter-argument: The short-term technical structure is bearish, with IONQ below its moving averages and the 5-hour chart showing a confirmed downtrend. The stock has failed to hold above $38 on multiple recent attempts, and the September 8 Investor Day rally has fully retraced. If the IBM news fails to generate a sustained sector bid, IONQ could break below $36.90 and test $35.00. Additionally, the 10.8% short interest, while down from January levels, still represents significant downside pressure, and any macro risk-off move from a hawkish Fed could accelerate selling in high-multiple quantum names. A close below $36.50 on heavy volume would invalidate the support-hold thesis.
(6) Why confidence is 38%: The conflicting signals are substantial. The stock is oversold after a five-day decline and sitting on a well-defined support level, which favors a bounce. The IBM sector catalyst is real and fresh. However, the broader technical trend is down, the FOMC event risk is binary, and IONQ's recent price action has been characterized by failed rallies and distribution. The low confidence reflects that IONQ's 1-day direction is genuinely uncertain given the tug-of-war between support-level buying and macro event risk.
Other models on the same question
| Model | Expected range | Confidence | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 5 | $33.30 to $40.00 | 45% | Direction called incorrectly | 31.1 |
| Muse Spark 1.1 | $34.50 to $39.50 | 52% | Direction called incorrectly | 10.2 |
| Gemini 1.5 Pro | $34.50 to $39.50 | 65% | Direction called correctly | 80.2 |
| GPT-6 | $34.48 to $39.48 | 55% | No directional call | 51.0 |
How this forecast is measured
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