Five of the biggest bits of tech news this week. Capital One buys Brex for 5.15% billion. The internet didn't love it.The truth is latestage investors got at least a 1x back. Mickey Maler at Ribbit made a ton of money. Why combinator did very well.The real question is actually they bought it at 7x ARR. If they waited longer, they could have definitely got a higher price. That's an interesting question.Second on the agenda, the Tik Tok deal is finally done. It is over. US investors will now own 80% of the co ...

Core Insights - AppLovin Corporation (APP) has been upgraded from "Hold" to "Buy" by Needham analyst Bernie McTernan, with a price target set at $700, driven by anticipated growth in e-commerce revenue [1] - The 2026 e-commerce revenue estimate has been raised from $1.05 billion to $1.45 billion, reflecting expected growth in advertisers due to the self-service launch and increased spending [1] Company Overview - AppLovin is a leading mobile technology company that provides advertising, marketing, analytics, and monetization tools for app developers and businesses [3] - The company utilizes AI-powered platforms to connect brands with daily active users across various sectors, including mobile apps, streaming TV, gaming, and e-commerce [3] Financial Performance - AppLovin reported a 68% year-over-year increase in revenue for Q3 fiscal 2025, reaching $1.41 billion, surpassing Wall Street's expectation of $1.35 billion [5] - The company has a market capitalization of $183.7 billion and has seen its stock price increase by 52.5% over the past 52 weeks, with a 48.3% rise in the last six months [4] - The stock reached a 52-week high of $745.61 in late September but has since declined by 26% from that peak [4]

-- Nvidia's Plans to Sell More Chips in China Just Cleared a Major Hurdle [S&P 500 Hits New High, Dow Slides][How One Stock Shaved 400 Points Off the Dow][What to Expect from Wednesday's Fed Meeting][How Much Traders Expect Tesla to Move After Earnings]- Top StoriesNvidia CEO Jensen Huang at last week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.Krisztian Bocsi / Bloomberg / Getty ImagesClose### Key Takeaways- The Trump administration gave the green light to Nvidia to sell the chips late last year for a 25% ...

Market Overview - US stocks have reached new record highs, primarily driven by the tech sector, with upcoming earnings reports from major tech companies like Tesla, Meta, and Microsoft being closely monitored [1] - The Federal Reserve is expected to maintain current interest rates, shifting focus back to economic conditions, while also facing scrutiny regarding its leadership and ongoing investigations [2][37] Company-Specific Developments - Amazon has announced a reduction of 16,000 jobs, bringing total layoffs to 30,000 over three months, as part of efforts to streamline operations and reduce bureaucracy [3][4] - The CEO of Amazon indicated that AI advancements will further reduce workforce needs as the company automates more processes [4] - Starbucks reported a 4% increase in same-store sales in the US for the first time in two years, although overall earnings missed expectations [34] - GE Vernova's stock is under pressure despite solid fourth-quarter results and raised guidance, primarily due to a key metric, EBITDA, missing expectations [35] Sector Insights - The tech sector's positioning has been neutral, with expectations of growth slowing in the coming quarters, yet the current setup for mega-cap tech growth appears positive [10][11] - The labor market is showing signs of slowing, with hiring rates at pandemic lows, indicating a cautious approach from companies amid economic uncertainty [16][18] - The dollar's weakness is seen as a mixed factor for corporate earnings, providing a translation benefit but lacking in volume growth [26][28] Earnings Season and Economic Outlook - Earnings season is underway, with expectations for a broadening of growth across sectors, as evidenced by the increase in sectors reporting positive growth [25] - The market is currently in a "wait and see" mode regarding hiring, with expectations that hiring will gradually pick up as earnings improve [21][24]

Microsoft’s (MSFT) ambitions to achieve an end-to-end AI infrastructure received a boost when they announced Maia 200, an inference accelerator that will help the company deploy AI at scale. The new chip is built on TSMC’s (TSM) 3nm process and is the most efficient inference system the Windows maker has ever deployed, offering 30% better performance per dollar than the existing infrastructure. As a reaction to the news, BNP Paribas came out with a list of stocks that could benefit from this major develo ...

Market Performance - US equities advanced, with the S&P 500 reaching the 7,000 level for the first time, rising 0.3% and hitting an intraday high of 7,002.28, marking a significant milestone after years of gains driven by technology and AI-related stocks [1] - The index has more than doubled from its pandemic-era lows, supported by strong corporate earnings, aggressive AI investment, and supportive monetary policy [2] - The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.7%, indicating renewed strength in growth-oriented stocks, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was relatively unchanged, up just 24 points [2] AI-Driven Earnings - Gains were bolstered by earnings reports linked to the AI boom, with ASML shares rising about 1% after reporting record orders and strong guidance for 2026, citing sustained demand for advanced chipmaking tools due to global AI investment [3] - Seagate Technology's shares surged over 13% after exceeding earnings and revenue expectations, with the CEO highlighting robust demand for data storage driven by AI workloads, indicating AI investment's impact on the semiconductor and hardware supply chain [4] Semiconductor Market Developments - Chinese authorities approved companies like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent to purchase Nvidia's H200 AI chips, leading to a roughly 2% rise in Nvidia shares and gains for other chipmakers such as Advanced Micro Devices and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing [5] - This approval alleviated some investor concerns regarding Nvidia's access to the Chinese market, which has faced uncertainty due to export controls and regulatory restrictions [6]

Let's bring back our panel. Craig Johnson of Piper Sandler, Joel Kina of Web Bush, and Brian Gardner of Stifel. And we still have so much to get to here before the end of the hour.We just talked about dollar right before the break. So Craig, I'm going to come to you on this one because you got the dollar index falling below a key technical level, four-year low, and this decoupling again between the dollar and treasuries, which reminds me of liberation day, post liberation day market trading last year. >> Yo ...

Market Overview - Major U.S. index futures indicate a higher open, with stocks expected to continue the upward trend from the previous sessions [1] - Semiconductor stocks are leading the gains, with ASML shares surging 5% after strong Q4 results and positive 2026 guidance [1] Semiconductor Industry - SK Hynix shares spiked after reporting better-than-expected Q4 results and a record full-year profit for 2025 [2] - China has approved Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent to purchase over 400,000 Nvidia H200 AI chips, contributing to a 1.6% increase in Nvidia shares [3][2] Technology Sector - Major tech companies like Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Tesla are set to report quarterly results, with Microsoft shares rising 2.2% and Apple shares increasing by 1.1% [4][6] - The Nasdaq index reached a nearly three-month closing high, driven by strong performances in the tech sector [5][10] Economic Indicators - The Conference Board reported a significant drop in consumer confidence, with the index falling to 84.5 in January from 94.2 in December, marking the lowest level since May 2014 [9][8] Oil and Commodity Markets - Crude oil futures increased by $0.62 to $63.01 per barrel, following a previous surge [12] - Gold prices rose to $5,277.70 per ounce, up $195.10 from the previous session [12] European Market Reaction - European stocks mostly declined ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy decision, with the French CAC 40 Index down by 1.5% and the German DAX Index down by 0.6% [22][23] - ASML Holding saw a significant rise in shares due to exceeding analysts' expectations for Q4 orders [23]

Group 1 - Nvidia is navigating complex trade negotiations with the U.S. while selling chips to Chinese companies, with a focus on China's ambition to develop its own AI chips [1] - An exclusive report indicates that Nvidia has secured approvals for sales of over 400,000 H200 chips to major Chinese firms like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent, although the conditions of these sales remain unclear [2] - Nvidia's CEO highlights China as a $50 billion opportunity, which is not included in the company's revenue forecasts, with the expected revenue for the current quarter projected at $65 billion, plus or minus 2% [3] Group 2 - Nvidia's market capitalization stands at $4.6 trillion, significantly surpassing traditional leaders like Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon, driven by investor enthusiasm for its future prospects in China [4] - The company has reported a substantial backlog for Blackwell chips, with investments in data centers for AI reaching hundreds of billions last year, potentially approaching a trillion dollars annually, predominantly utilizing Nvidia chips [5] - Despite skepticism regarding Nvidia's future, the stock has surged 1,351% over the past five years, with investors confident in the AI sector's potential, viewing it as a pivotal technology [6]

Core Insights - Nvidia's strategic partnership with Siemens aims to develop industrial and physical AI solutions, enhancing AI-driven innovation in industrial workflows [1] - Strong earnings reports from ASML and SK Hynix have positively impacted chip stocks, with Nvidia's shares also experiencing a rise [2][4] - China has approved major domestic tech companies to purchase Nvidia's H200 chips, marking a significant development in Nvidia's market position in China [3] Group 1: Nvidia's Market Position - The approval for ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent to buy Nvidia's H200 system is crucial for Nvidia's operations in China, a key market [3] - Earlier this year, the U.S. authorized H200 sales, but China had been encouraging its companies to seek domestic alternatives [3] Group 2: Industry Performance - The VanEck Semiconductor ETF increased by over 3% in premarket trading, reflecting positive sentiment in the semiconductor sector [2] - ASML reported strong fourth-quarter earnings with orders exceeding analyst expectations, and its 2026 sales forecast was also above estimates [2] - SK Hynix shares rose more than 5% after announcing record full-year profits for 2025 [2]