Here's a quiz question for you. Which S&P 500 company delivered the highest stock gains, percentage- wise, in 2025? The correct answer isn't NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), believe it or not. In actuality, the winner is a company that most investors don't think about very often. At the same time, it's a technology hardware firm that's benefiting from a wave of interest in memory chip stocks. So now, it's time to reveal last year's S&P 500 top performer. Along with that, we'll consider whether this stock could stage a ...

Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX) is one of the Best Unstoppable Growth Stocks to Buy Right Now. Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX) has risen more than 4.90% since the start of 2026. The recent gain marks the continuation of a more than 225% increase in the share price of the company in 2025. On January 5, Reuters reported that the shares of memory chip providers rose on January 2 as investors continued to bet on further price gains due to the increasing demand from AI infrastructure ...

January 8, 2026 07:01 AM GMT Investor Presentation | Asia Pacific 2026 Outlook: Prefer AI to Non-AI; Both Logic and Memory Are Attractive | Downloaded by Neil.Wang@troweprice.com M | Not for redistribution without written consent of Morgan Stanley Charlie Chan Equity Analyst | | | --- | --- | --- | | | | Foundation | | January 8, 2026 07:01 AM GMT | | | | Investor Presentation Asia Pacific | Morgan Stanley Taiwan Limited+ | | | 2026 Outlook: Prefer AI to Non-AI; Both Logic and | Charlie.Chan@morganstanley.c ...

Samsung Electronics expects record, above-consensus earnings for the final quarter of 2025, underscoring the scale of an artificial-intelligence-driven rebound in the global memory-chip market. The So... ...

Core Insights - Samsung Electronics anticipates a tripling of its profits in Q4, reaching a record high of 20 trillion won, driven by surging memory prices due to AI demand [1][2] - The projected operating profit surpasses Samsung's previous record of 17.6 trillion won set in Q3 2018, indicating a significant year-over-year improvement [2] - The memory market is experiencing a 'Hyper-Bull' phase, with prices increasing by 40%-50% in Q4 2025 and expected to rise further in early 2026 [3] Company Performance - Samsung's shares have increased by over 145% in the past year, reflecting strong market performance amid rising memory prices [4] - The company is focusing on expanding its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production capacity to compete with SK Hynix in the AI processor market [5] Market Dynamics - The demand for memory chips, particularly for AI applications, has led to a shortage affecting other sectors, including personal computers and mobile devices [2] - Major competitors in the memory space, such as SK Hynix and Micron, are also benefiting from the current market conditions [4]

Core Insights - Big tech stocks have seen a decline, but investor interest in momentum stocks remains strong, particularly in data storage following Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's comments on AI demand for memory and storage hardware [1][6] Group 1: Stock Performance - Sandisk (SNDK) shares surged over 27% on Tuesday, following a remarkable increase of more than 500% in 2025 and an additional 43% in the first three sessions of 2026 [2] - Western Digital (WDC) and Seagate Technology (STX) stocks, which tripled in value last year, rose 17% and 14% respectively on the same day [2] - Despite these gains, all three stocks experienced a pullback on Wednesday [2] Group 2: Market Dynamics - The AI sector has faced challenges, with concerns about an AI bubble impacting stock performance; as of Tuesday, all stocks in the Magnificent Seven, except Amazon (AMZN), were down this year [3] - Huang indicated that AI-specific storage and memory represent an unserved market, which is expected to become the largest storage market globally [4] - The demand for memory and data storage devices significantly outpaced supply last year, leading to a rise in prices; Micron's (MU) gross margins increased to 56% from 38% year-over-year [4] Group 3: Future Outlook - Companies like Sandisk, Western Digital, and Seagate are poised to benefit from the increasing data generated by AI, which is expected to double globally between 2024 and 2029 [5] - Analysts from Bank of America predict that the active data stockpile will continue to grow as organizations retain more information for AI training and analytics, forecasting 2026 as a significant year for AI inferencing [6]

Brent Lewin / Bloomberg via Getty Images Memory and storage stocks were some of the S&P 500's best performers in 2025. Key Takeaways Memory and data storage stocks soared in the first trading days of 2026, with the rally getting a boost on Tuesday after bullish comments from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Data storage stocks have been on a tear for months, with booming demand and a severe supply crunch helping them to dodge the AI bubble concerns that have weighed on the rest of the AI ecosystem. Big tec ...

Micron received a series of price target hikes as analysts doubled down on shares of the memory chip maker. ...

Nvidia's long run at the centre of the artificial intelligence investment narrative may be facing its first real test, as investors rotate toward memory-product companies seen as key beneficiaries of ... ...

Market Sentiment - The CNN Money Fear and Greed index improved to a reading of 52.1, remaining in the "Neutral" zone, up from 47.9 [7] - U.S. stocks closed higher, with the Dow Jones index gaining approximately 1%, reaching record highs as investors shifted towards cyclical and blue-chip stocks [1] Sector Performance - Memory chip stocks, including Sandisk Corp., Western Digital Corp., and Seagate Technology Holdings, experienced significant gains due to expectations of rising memory prices amid a global supply crunch [2] - Most sectors on the S&P 500 ended positively, with materials, health care, and industrials showing the largest gains, while energy and communication services sectors closed lower [5] Company-Specific Developments - Tesla Inc. saw a decline of over 4%, marking its tenth drop in 11 sessions, influenced by competitive pressures in the robotaxi market and market share losses in Europe to BYD [3] - Investors are anticipating earnings results from Albertsons Companies Inc., UniFirst Corp., and Constellation Brands Inc. [6] Economic Indicators - The S&P Global services PMI decreased to 52.5 in December from 54.1 in the previous month, while the composite PMI fell to 52.7, the lowest in eight months [4]