Copyright Benzinga

Rigetti Computing Inc (NASDAQ:RGTI) and other quantum computing stocks are trading lower on Wednesday afternoon, caught in a broader market downturn. Here’s what investors need to know. RGTI is among today’s weakest performers. See the full breakdown here. What To Know: The sell-off is exacerbated by a Reuters report that the U.S. is considering new curbs on exports of technology utilizing U.S. software to China. This move has cast a shadow over the tech sector, creating uncertainty and prompting investors to reduce their exposure to companies with potential international supply chain vulnerabilities. The decline comes despite a recent surge in optimism for the quantum computing industry. Just last week, the sector received a boost from news that JPMorgan Chase was considering significant investments in quantum computing as part of a national security initiative. The Trump administration has also shown support for the industry, signing the National Quantum Initiative Act to accelerate development. The potential for new export restrictions is a significant headwind that is currently overshadowing the long-term positive outlook for companies like Rigetti. The new regulations could limit market access and increase operational costs, creating a challenging environment for growth and innovation in the near term. Benzinga Edge Rankings: Benzinga Edge stock rankings give you four critical scores to help you identify the strongest and weakest stocks to buy and sell. Despite Wednesday’s downturn, RGTI maintains an exceptional Benzinga momentum score of 99.89. RGTI Price Action: Rigetti shares were down 10.68% at $35.73 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to data from Benzinga Pro. The stock is trading within its 52-week range of $1.06 to $58.15. This significant pullback comes after a remarkable performance of 2,800% over the past year, indicating that despite the current decline, the stock has experienced substantial growth over the past months. From a technical perspective, Rigetti is currently trading approximately 31.4% above its 50-day moving average of $27.29 and about 132.1% above its 200-day moving average of $15.45. These indicators suggest that while the stock is experiencing a notable correction, it remains in a strong upward trend over the longer term. Read Also: Tech Stocks Drop, Netflix Sinks 10% On Worst Day Since 2022: What’s Moving Markets Wednesday? How To Buy RGTI Stock By now, you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Rigetti Computing — be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company. Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share. In the case of Rigetti Computing, which is trading at $35.65 at some point on Wednesday, $100 would buy you 2.81 shares of stock. If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading — either way, it allows you to profit from the share price decline. Image: Shutterstock