Microsoft released its in-house chip that will directly compete with Nvidia.Here's an AI stock that'll crush the market in 2026, and no, it's not Nvidia (NVDA +1.15%). Microsoft (MSFT +2.23%) is going to have the best year among the AI leaders. Why is that? Because on Jan. 26, the software company revealed its long-awaited Maia 200 chip.NASDAQ : MSFTMicrosoftToday's Change( 2.23 %) $ 10.51Current Price$ 480.79Key Data PointsMarket Cap$3.6TDay's Range$ 473.13 - $ 482.8552wk Range$ 344.79 - $ 555.45Volume1.3M ...

Market Overview - Wall Street experienced renewed momentum with the S&P 500 reaching fresh highs, while major U.S. indices closed mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 0.8% to 49,003.41, the S&P 500 increased by 0.41% to 6,978.60, and the Nasdaq rose by 0.9% to 23,817.09 [1] Seagate Technology Holdings Plc - Seagate's stock increased by 3.76% to close at $371.76, with an intraday high of $383.88 and a low of $361. The stock's 52-week range is between $63.21 and $383.88. In after-hours trading, the stock rose by 9.66% to $407.64 [1] - Seagate reported second-quarter earnings of $3.11 per share, surpassing estimates of $2.81, with revenue of $2.83 billion, exceeding the consensus of $2.73 billion and up from $2.33 billion a year earlier. The results were driven by strong data center demand and momentum from HAMR-based Mozaic products. For the third quarter, Seagate guided for adjusted EPS of $3.20–$3.60 and revenue of $2.8–$3.0 billion, both ahead of Wall Street expectations [2] Texas Instruments Inc. - Texas Instruments saw a marginal increase of 0.02%, closing at $196.63, with an intraday high of $198.41 and a low of $194.34. The stock's 52-week range is $139.95 to $221.69. In after-hours trading, the stock surged by 8.08% to $212.51 [3] - Texas Instruments reported fourth-quarter revenue of $4.42 billion, slightly missing estimates of $4.44 billion, while earnings were $1.27 per share, below the consensus of $1.30. The results included a six-cent per share reduction not part of its original guidance, despite a 10% year-over-year revenue increase. The company generated $7.2 billion in operating cash flow and $2.9 billion in free cash flow over the past 12 months, ending the quarter with $3.23 billion in cash. For the first quarter, the company guided revenue of $4.32–$4.68 billion and earnings of $1.22–$1.48 per share, broadly in line to slightly above expectations [4] Richtech Robotics Inc. - Richtech Robotics surged by 44.62%, closing at $5.51, with an intraday high of $5.60 and a low of $4.05. The stock's 52-week range is $1.37 to $7.43 [5] - The company announced a new partnership with Microsoft to enhance its AI capabilities, which significantly contributed to the stock's gains. The partnership focuses on integrating Azure AI vision, voice, and reasoning tools into its ADAM robot, enabling more contextual and autonomous behavior. The upgraded ADAM platform can now consider various factors such as time of day and weather, while proactively addressing potential operational issues [6] Corning Incorporated - Corning's stock jumped by 15.55% to $109.74, with an intraday high of $113.99 and a low of $100.97. The stock rose by 3.88% in extended trading to $114 [7] - A $6 billion deal with Meta Platforms to supply data center infrastructure significantly boosted Corning's shares. The agreement involves supplying Meta with optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions tailored for high-density AI data centers, aimed at supporting Meta's AI applications and infrastructure needs. Corning plans to expand manufacturing capacity in North Carolina, including a major expansion at its Hickory optical cable facility, where Meta will be the anchor customer [8] Lam Research - Lam Research's stock rose by 7.00%, closing at $238.46, with an intraday high of $239.5 and a low of $228.76. The stock rose by 1.07% to $241 in after-hours trading [9] - Investors are anticipating the company's upcoming earnings report, with expectations of positive guidance and performance exceeding expectations. Analysts expect Lam Research to report EPS of $1.17, with a focus on both potential earnings beats and forward guidance [10]

Core Insights - Microsoft is expected to report its fiscal second-quarter results, with analysts predicting revenue growth driven by strong AI demand [1] - Options pricing indicates traders anticipate a stock movement of up to 5% in either direction following the earnings report [1] Financial Expectations - Analysts forecast Microsoft will report revenue of $80.31 billion for the fiscal second quarter, representing a 15% year-over-year increase [1] - Intelligent Cloud revenue is expected to rise by 27% to $32.39 billion [1] - Earnings per share are projected to be $3.87, up from $3.23 a year ago [1] Market Sentiment - Microsoft shares have declined approximately 11% since the last earnings report in October, where the company exceeded estimates but announced significant AI infrastructure investments [1] - Analysts remain bullish on Microsoft, with 14 out of 15 recommending a buy, and a mean price target of around $615, suggesting nearly 30% upside from the recent close [1] Investor Concerns - There are concerns regarding the costs associated with Microsoft's AI buildout, which may overshadow the anticipated strong earnings and revenue growth [1] - Investors are particularly interested in insights regarding capital expenditures and projections for the Intelligent Cloud segment, including Azure [1]

Capital Expenditure and Industry Impact - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced a capital expenditure of US$52 billion to US$56 billion for 2026, representing an increase of 27% to 37% compared to 2025 [1] - This investment is beneficial for ASML Holding, the sole manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines essential for advanced chip production [3][4] - TSMC's expansion plans include building four new advanced packaging plants and starting mass production of its 2-nanometre process, which will require ASML's machines [4] ASML's Market Position - ASML reported net system bookings of €5.4 billion for Q3 2025, with €3.6 billion from EUV systems alone, indicating strong demand for its technology [3] - Despite expected revenue decline from China due to export restrictions, ASML's management is confident that total net revenue for 2026 will not fall below 2025 levels [5] Microsoft and Cloud Infrastructure - Microsoft reported a 40% growth in Azure and other cloud services revenue for Q1 FY 2026, driven by AI service demand [6] - The company serves 80,000 Azure AI customers, including 80% of the Fortune 500, and offers access to over 11,000 AI models [7] - Microsoft is investing up to US$15 billion in Anthropic, showcasing a strategy to diversify its AI model investments [8] Meta's Revenue Generation - Meta's AI-powered ad tools are generating a US$60 billion annual run-rate, with ad revenue from its Family of Apps surpassing US$50 billion, up 26% year-over-year [9][10] - CEO Mark Zuckerberg is optimistic about AI advancements and is investing accordingly, with a focus on monetizing new features like Reels and Business AI [11] Overall Industry Dynamics - TSMC's capital expenditure is a signal based on customer orders from hyperscalers building AI infrastructure, indicating strong demand from enterprises and consumers [12] - The success of the AI supply chain relies on the performance of ASML's bookings, Microsoft's cloud growth, and Meta's ad revenue [12]

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 3.08 points at 33,096.40.Many economists expect no change in the Bank of Canada’s benchmark interest rate on Wednesday and possibly for the rest of the year. Financial market odds for a rate hold this week stood at 93% as of Tuesday afternoon, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.“Especially lately, people are really analyzing every little word that comes out from both central banks. It is expected, probably a hold here in Canada,” Inglis said.“Depending on what economist yo ...

Core Insights - Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. has appointed Dr. Homaira Akbari to its Board of Directors, increasing the total number of board members to seven [1] - Dr. Akbari has extensive experience in leadership roles across technology companies, particularly in energy and finance sectors, and has served on the Advisory Board of B&W from 2022 to 2025 [2] Company Profile - Babcock & Wilcox is headquartered in Akron, Ohio, and is recognized as a leader in energy and environmental products and services for power and industrial markets globally [4] Expertise and Strategic Impact - Dr. Akbari's expertise in AI factories, data centers, and power generation systems, including fossil-fuel and waste-to-energy technologies, is expected to enhance the company's strategic perspective and support both immediate and long-term value creation [3]

Market Performance - Major U.S. stock indexes showed mixed results, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 rising while the Dow experienced a pullback [1][2] - The Nasdaq increased by 215.74 points (0.9%) to close at 23,817.10, and the S&P 500 rose by 28.37 points (0.4%) to a record high of 6,978.60 [1] - The Dow closed down by 408.99 points (0.8%) at 49,003.41, despite recovering from its worst levels during the session [2] Company Earnings - Positive sentiment was bolstered by strong earnings reports from companies like General Motors and UPS [3] - Microsoft shares surged by 2.2%, Apple shares increased by 1.1%, and Meta shares saw slight gains ahead of their earnings announcements [2] - UnitedHealth shares fell sharply by 19.6% after reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings but disappointing revenue guidance [3] Economic Indicators - The Conference Board reported a significant drop in consumer confidence, with the index falling to 84.5 in January from a revised 94.2 in December, marking the lowest level since May 2014 [4][5] - Economists had anticipated a slight increase in the consumer confidence index to 90.0 [5] Sector Performance - Semiconductor stocks saw a notable increase, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rising by 2.4% to a record closing high [6] - Computer hardware and networking stocks also contributed to the gains in the tech-heavy Nasdaq [6] - Oil service stocks advanced alongside rising crude oil prices, with the Philadelphia Oil Service Index up by 2.0% [6] - Conversely, healthcare, airline, and housing stocks faced significant selling pressure [7] International Markets - Stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region mostly rose, with Japan's Nikkei 225 Index up by 0.9%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index up by 1.4%, and South Korea's Kospi surging by 2.7% [8] - Most European stocks also experienced gains, with the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index climbing by 0.6% and France's CAC 40 Index rising by 0.3%, while Germany's DAX Index dipped by 0.2% [9] Bond Market - U.S. treasuries moved modestly lower, leading to a slight increase in the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which rose by 1.0 basis points to 4.223% [9]

Core Viewpoint - The memory stock sector, particularly companies like Seagate, Western Digital, and Micron, has seen significant gains, with some stocks rising over 30% in January 2026 and Sanders up more than 100% in the last three weeks [1][2]. Group 1: Earnings Expectations - Seagate's upcoming earnings report is highly anticipated, with expectations of stability in earnings due to long-term agreements that include price escalators [4][5]. - The current market sentiment is that while demand is strong, there are concerns about the ability to meet that demand, as indicated by tight supply conditions [5][7]. Group 2: Market Dynamics - The memory trade is now heavily influenced by AI, with data centers driving demand for memory products [4][9]. - Companies like Samsung and SKH Hynix are expected to report on their capacity and pricing strategies, which will impact the overall market dynamics [8][12]. Group 3: Competitive Landscape - The memory market consists of various players, including DRAM and NAND manufacturers, with Micron, Samsung, and SKH Hynix being key players in DRAM, while Western Digital and Seagate dominate the hard disk drive segment [12][14]. - The barriers to entry are higher in DRAM and hard disk drives compared to NAND, where competition is more intense, including from Chinese manufacturers [16][17]. Group 4: Future Outlook - The sustainability of high prices in the memory sector is uncertain, with potential declines in data center spending anticipated around 2028 to 2029 if AI advancements do not progress as expected [9][10]. - The overall growth of the memory sector is expected to continue, driven by the need for all three subsegments: DRAM, NAND, and hard disk drives [15].

Microsoft is heading into its earnings report this week facing what one analyst calls a "prove it" moment, with investors looking for signs that its massive AI bet is translating into sustained cloud ... ...

Group 1 - NuScale Power shares have increased by 40% year-to-date in 2026, reflecting strong investor interest in the nuclear energy sector [1] - The stock's recent performance contrasts with the historical performance of NuScale Power shares over the past few years, indicating mixed results for long-term investors [2] - The nuclear energy industry received a boost in September 2024 when Constellation Energy signed a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, enhancing interest in advanced nuclear companies like NuScale Power [4] Group 2 - In May 2025, President Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed at revitalizing the nuclear energy sector, which positively impacted NuScale Power's stock performance [5] - Market interest in NuScale Power remains strong as the company approaches commercial operations, with a $1,000 investment three years ago growing to $2,000 by January 23 [6] - NuScale Power is recognized as a leader in next-generation nuclear reactors, offering significant growth potential for investors willing to accept higher risks [8]