BUZZ - Aker shares decline due to concerns over Nscale IPO valuation

October 19 - ** Aker ASA (AKER.OL) shares fell nearly 6%, with analysts attributing the drop to growing concerns about its portfolio company Nscale

** Danske Bank stated that negative news in the AI sector continues to drag down market sentiment, noting that CoreWeave, also a provider of AI infrastructure, has shown weak performance

** The broker pointed out that reports indicate Microsoft has exited a Nscale data center project in Loughton, UK, due to project delays and uncertainty over electricity supply

** According to media reports cited by Danske Bank, some investors are seeking to lower Nscale's IPO valuation from $30-35 billion to $16-19 billion

** Danske Bank said that if Nscale's planned listing is postponed or fails to happen, a weak IPO market may require existing shareholders to provide additional funding

** Today's share decline wiped out 5.3 billion Norwegian krone ($562 million) from the company's market capitalization

(1 USD = 9.4226 Norwegian krone)

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