Benzinga·2026-01-04 16:31Job Market and Economic Outlook - The U.S. job market is expected to start 2026 sluggishly due to trade uncertainty, stricter immigration policies, and cautious corporate investment in AI, but a rebound is predicted later in the year by JP Morgan Chase & Co. [1] - U.S. policy changes and a tightening global memory chip market are putting South Korea's largest semiconductor makers under renewed scrutiny [1] Semiconductor Industry - China's push to localize its semiconductor supply chain is reshaping the global chip equipment market, adding pressure on foreign suppliers while increasing demand for domestic tools [3] - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is under scrutiny following a powerful earthquake near Taiwan, raising concerns about potential production disruptions [7] - Taiwan Semiconductor plans to raise prices for its advanced chips despite heightened geopolitical tensions [7] - Taiwan Semiconductor secured a one-year U.S. export license to import U.S. chipmaking equipment into its China operations [8] Corporate Developments - Intel Corporation completed the issuance and sale of over 214 million shares of common stock to Nvidia in a $5 billion private placement [4] - Nvidia is reportedly in advanced discussions for another M&A deal aimed at acquiring talent due to pressure from Google's internal chip development [4] - TikTok parent ByteDance plans to allocate about 100 billion yuan ($14 billion) to Nvidia chips in 2026 [5] - Meta Platforms Inc. is accelerating its push to build practical, revenue-generating AI tools [6] - SoftBank Group agreed to acquire DigitalBridge Group in a cash deal valued at about $4 billion, marking a significant step in scaling global infrastructure for AI [17] Automotive Sector - XPeng reported strong December performance, delivering 37,508 vehicles in December 2025, a 2% year-over-year increase [12] - Nio reported a record 48,135 vehicle deliveries in December 2025, an increase of 54.6% year-over-year [13] - Tesla could struggle to follow up on a record third quarter, with predictions of weaker fourth-quarter deliveries [14] Artificial Intelligence Developments - South Korean telecom operator SK Telecom launched A.X K1, the country's first hyperscale AI model with 519 billion parameters [18] - OpenAI is shifting its first AI hardware project to Foxconn Technology Group as it accelerates plans for a consumer device [18] - Meta Platforms accelerated its AI push with the acquisition of Manus AI, a startup focused on autonomous agents [19] - VivoPower announced plans to acquire a hydro-powered data center site in Norway as part of its AI-focused digital strategy [20]