Apple's Tim Cook said he is “heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis” and has expressed concerns privately to President Trump following the killing of a man by federal agents there this past weekend, a memo to staff said https://t.co/gRcO0LHDjF ...

Market Overview - US stock futures showed modest gains with the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 both up approximately 0.2%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures increased by 0.1% as investors awaited Apple's earnings report [1] - The S&P 500 is approaching the 7,000 mark, driven by a more than 8% surge in Meta shares due to a strong quarterly revenue outlook and plans to invest up to $135 billion in data centers this year [2] - Microsoft shares fell nearly 7% despite exceeding earnings expectations, attributed to a slowdown in cloud sales growth [3] Company Earnings and Performance - Tesla's stock rose over 2% as it shifted focus from electric vehicles to robotics, despite reporting its first annual revenue decline [3] - Comcast reported a loss in broadband customers, missing analysts' estimates due to increased competition [6] - Las Vegas Sands stock dropped 10% in premarket trading after earnings fell short of expectations, while Royal Caribbean's stock rose 6% following better-than-expected earnings guidance [9] - Whirlpool's stock fell 10% after an unexpected decline in sales [9] - SAP shares plummeted 15% after reporting a cloud backlog and disappointing guidance, with cloud pre-orders at $25 billion, missing estimates by 1% [10] - IBM stock surged 8% after reporting a 12% revenue growth, driven by a 14% increase in software revenue, with total revenue reaching $19.69 billion [14][15] Economic Indicators - The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates, with markets anticipating two quarter-point rate cuts by the end of the year [5][6] - Investors are closely monitoring updates on jobless claims, durable goods orders, and wholesale inventory figures for economic insights [5] Commodity Market - Gold prices surged, briefly exceeding $5,500 per ounce, amid a declining dollar and rising tensions in the Middle East [4][18] - Oil prices increased, with Brent crude futures rising 2.4% to nearly $69 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate futures jumping 2.6% to above $64, following President Trump's threats to Iran [16]

Group 1 - Despite a projected 7% year-on-year decline in global smartphone chip shipments in 2026, market revenue is expected to grow robustly in double digits due to increased semiconductor content per device and rising average selling prices (ASP) [1] - The core challenge for shipment volume is the rising memory prices, as foundries and memory suppliers prioritize high-margin HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) to support data center expansion, leading to a shortage of standard memory [1] - The low-end smartphone market, particularly those priced below $150, is most directly impacted by cost pressures, while brands with in-house chip capabilities show stronger resilience [1] Group 2 - The high-end smartphone market remains strong, with nearly one-third of smartphones sold in 2026 expected to be priced over $500, benefiting companies like Apple and Qualcomm [1] - Samsung is expected to solidify its position in the high-end market with the launch of its first 2nm smartphone chip, Exynos 2600, ahead of the Galaxy S26 series [2] - The rapid adoption of generative AI (GenAI) is driving up device prices, with flagship smartphones expected to achieve peak AI computing power of 100 TOPS by 2026, while mid-range models will rely more on cloud-based AI processing due to memory cost pressures [2] Group 3 - MediaTek's market share stands at 34.0% with an 8% year-on-year decline in shipments [4] - Qualcomm holds a market share of 24.7% with a 9% year-on-year decline in shipments [4] - Apple's market share is 18.3% with a 6% year-on-year decline in shipments [4] - Unisoc's market share is 11.2% with a 14% year-on-year decline in shipments [4] - Samsung's market share is 6.6% with a 7% year-on-year increase in shipments [4]

Market Overview - US stock market showed mixed results as investors digested the latest Federal Reserve interest rate decision, with the Dow Jones increasing by 12.19 points (0.02%) to 49,015.60, and the Nasdaq rising by 0.17% to 23,857.45, while the S&P 500 slightly declined by 0.01% to 6,978.03, marking an intraday historical high above 7,000 points [3] Technology Sector Performance - Star tech stocks exhibited divergence, with Nvidia rising by 1.59%, Google by 0.38%, and Microsoft by 0.22%. In contrast, Tesla fell by 0.10%, while Meta, Amazon, and Apple dropped over 0.6%, with Apple down by 0.7% and Oracle down by 1.20% [4][5] - The Nasdaq China Golden Dragon Index increased by 0.32%, with Alibaba up by 1.70%, NetEase by 1.46%, and Baidu by 0.02%. However, JD.com fell by 0.92% and Pinduoduo dropped by 3.84% [4] Semiconductor Sector Insights - The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose by 2.3%, with Intel increasing by 11.04% and Texas Instruments by 9.9%. However, ASML saw a decline of 2.1% despite reporting record net sales of €9.7 billion for Q4 2025, exceeding market expectations [6] - ASML's order volume reached €13.2 billion, double the analysts' average forecast, and the company raised its sales outlook for 2026 to between €34 billion and €39 billion, compared to the analysts' expectation of €35 billion [6] Federal Reserve and Economic Indicators - The Federal Reserve decided to maintain interest rates, citing robust economic expansion and signs of stabilization in the unemployment rate. Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated that current monetary policy is not significantly tight [6][7] - The current inflation level is slightly above the Fed's target, while unemployment has risen, creating a contradiction that keeps the Fed's policy stance neutral until data changes necessitate a clear choice [7] Commodity Market Movements - Precious metals saw strong gains, with COMEX gold futures for January delivery rising by 4.36% to $5,301.60 per ounce, and silver futures increasing by 7.19% to $113.11 per ounce [8]

The 10 Biggest Companies in 2000MicrosoftGeneral ElectricNTT DocomoCiscoWalmartIntelNippon TelegraphNokiaPfizerDeutsche TelekomThe 10 Biggest Companies TodayNvidiaAppleMicrosoftAlphabetAmazonSaudi AramcoMeta PlatformsTSMCBroadcomBerkshire Hathaway ...

Gold Market - Gold prices have reached a record high of $5,300 an ounce, driven by investor demand for safe-haven assets amid geopolitical risks and a weakening dollar [1][2] - The yellow metal has increased approximately 20% in 2026, following significant gains in the previous year, with projections suggesting prices could rise to $10,000 an ounce if monetary policy becomes more supportive [2] Semiconductor Industry - Global chip stocks have generally risen as investors return to the AI sector, with strong demand across the supply chain [3] - ASML and SKH Highix have led gains, with ASML reporting fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded estimates and provided optimistic sales guidance [3][4] - SKH Highix reported record full-year profits for 2025, benefiting from increased demand for memory chips [3][6] - Reports indicate that China has approved requests from major companies like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent to purchase Nvidia's H200 system, potentially marking a significant shift for Nvidia in the Chinese market [4] Earnings Reports - Upcoming earnings reports from major companies such as Apple, Mastercard, and Caterpillar are anticipated, with a focus on iPhone sales and AI outlook for Apple [10][12] - Apple expects first-quarter revenue to be the highest ever, with double-digit growth anticipated in iPhone revenue, services revenue, and revenue from China [11] - The ongoing memory shortage may impact Apple's margins, which investors will be closely monitoring [11] Economic Indicators - Initial jobless claims and trade balance data are expected, with attention on the implications of recent fluctuations in foreign exchange markets and the dollar's performance [13][14]

JUST IN: @Apple to absorb memory costs avoiding price-hike on iPhone 18- Rising costs of data centers due to AI demand would normally translate to an increase in cost of the iPhone- According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is looking to take it on the chin with the higher memory costs ...

Group 1: Market Performance - Nvidia ranked first in trading volume, closing up 1.58% with a transaction volume of $27.873 billion, amid a general rise in the semiconductor sector [1][9] - Tesla ranked second, closing down 0.10% with a transaction volume of $21.42 billion, reporting Q4 earnings per share of $0.24, down from $0.66 year-over-year, and a revenue of $24.9 billion, a 3.1% decrease year-over-year [1][9] - Micron ranked third, closing up 6.10% with a transaction volume of $17.715 billion, as the storage sector saw a general increase [1][9] Group 2: Company-Specific Developments - Apple closed down 0.71% with a transaction volume of $10.176 billion; only 6% of surveyed iPhone buyers chose the iPhone Air, significantly lower than the iPhone 17 series [2][10] - Intel closed up 11.04% with a transaction volume of $9.673 billion, as it announced a new initiative to match federal funds for employees' children [2][10] - Carvana saw a significant drop of 14.17%, closing at $8.062 billion, with allegations of artificially inflating profits by $1 billion, while its reported net profit for 2023-2024 was approximately $550 million [4][13] Group 3: Financial Results and Forecasts - Tesla's Q4 adjusted earnings per share were $0.50, exceeding the estimate of $0.45, while its free cash flow decreased by 30% year-over-year [1][9] - Seagate Technology's Q2 results exceeded expectations, with a 19.14% increase in stock price and a transaction volume of $6.379 billion, providing a positive outlook for the future [6][14] - Amphenol reported a sales figure of $6.43 billion for Q4 2025, a 49% year-over-year increase, surpassing market expectations [6][15]

Group 1 - The fourth quarter earnings season is underway, with major tech companies like Microsoft, Meta, Tesla, and Apple leading the earnings calendar [1] - An optimistic consensus is forming, with 13% of S&P 500 companies having reported fourth quarter results, and analysts estimating an 8.2% increase in earnings per share for the quarter, marking the 10th consecutive quarter of annual earnings growth if this rate holds [2] - Analysts had initially expected an 8.3% jump in earnings per share heading into the reporting period, a decrease from the third quarter's 13.6% growth rate, but expectations have been raised for tech companies recently [3] Group 2 - The earnings season will test the improved stock market breadth observed at the start of 2026, with ongoing themes from 2025 such as artificial intelligence and economic policies continuing to influence investor sentiment [4] - In addition to the major tech stocks, earnings updates will come from a diverse range of companies including UnitedHealth, Boeing, General Motors, IBM, Starbucks, and others, indicating a broad economic impact [5]

So for some more insight on just expectations into these reports and I'd like to welcome in Daniel Rabbino, editor and chief of Windows Central. Daniel, always appreciate you joining us, especially as we're on the heels of so many news catalysts for big tech as well as just the overall market, but wanted to start off your your thoughts here on Microsoft, of course, the the earnings before Apple. How crucial is AI momentum for this earnings event and really what will you be watching to gauge the real-time mo ...