Mixed Close for US Stocks as Chipmakers Rally
- Chipmaker Strength: ASML reported record Q4 bookings of €13.2 billion, significantly exceeding the consensus of €6.85 billion, which boosted chipmakers and AI infrastructure stocks, enhancing market confidence in AI spending sustainability.
- Fed Policy Unchanged: The FOMC maintained the interest rate at 3.50%-3.75% as expected, with Chair Powell indicating strong economic performance without signaling imminent rate cuts, keeping market focus on future policy directions.
- Dollar and Gold Fluctuations: The dollar index rebounded after hitting a nearly four-year low, while President Trump's comments on dollar weakness pushed gold prices up over 3% to a new all-time high, reflecting increased demand for safe-haven assets.
- Economic Data Expectations: Initial jobless claims are expected to rise by 5,000 to 205,000 this week, and Q3 nonfarm productivity is anticipated to remain at 4.9%, indicating ongoing economic growth and potential market volatility.
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Market Sector Dynamics: A shift in market sector dynamics is occurring, with technology stocks leading the performance among the 11 major groups in the S&P 500 over the past week.
Tech Sector Performance: The technology sector is the only one showing a gain during this period, although it is a modest increase.
Recent Struggles: Despite the recent positive performance, the tech sector has struggled over the past three months, experiencing a decline of more than 5%.
Constructive Start: The recent gain in the tech sector is seen as a constructive start, indicating potential recovery after a challenging period.
Market Sector Dynamics: A shift in market sector dynamics may be occurring, with technology stocks showing signs of improvement.
Performance of Technology Stocks: The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund has been the best-performing sector in the S&P 500 over the past week, despite only a fractional gain.
Recent Struggles: Technology stocks have struggled over the past three months, experiencing a decline of more than 5%.
Positive Outlook: The recent performance of tech stocks is seen as a constructive start, indicating potential recovery after a challenging period.
- Micron's Revenue Surge: Micron's DRAM revenue reached $10.8 billion in Q1 2026, marking a 69% year-over-year and 20% quarter-over-quarter increase, indicating strong demand and growth potential in the memory market, which is expected to further solidify its market leadership.
- SanDisk's Revenue Growth: SanDisk reported a 61% year-over-year and 31% quarter-over-quarter revenue increase in Q2 2026, with the CEO noting that customers are proactively seeking long-term commitments, reflecting its pricing power and advantages from supply-demand imbalances in the NAND memory market.
- High Bandwidth Memory Outlook: Micron's high bandwidth memory (HBM) is completely sold out, with expectations for the total addressable market to reach $100 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 40%, which strongly supports its competitiveness in the AI chip market.
- Low Market Valuation: Despite Micron's optimistic growth prospects, its stock trades at a low price-to-earnings ratio of 11.5, reflecting market concerns about its cyclical nature; however, the current upward cycle in memory may persist, presenting investment opportunities.
- Micron's Strong Performance: Micron generated a record $10.8 billion in DRAM revenue in Q1 2026, reflecting a 69% year-over-year and 20% quarter-over-quarter increase, indicating robust demand and competitive strength that is expected to drive future growth.
- Robust NAND Market: Micron's NAND revenue reached $2.7 billion, up 22% year-over-year, with demand significantly outpacing supply, particularly as AI chip requirements surge, further solidifying its market position.
- SanDisk's Rapid Growth: SanDisk reported a 61% year-over-year and 31% quarter-over-quarter revenue increase in Q2 2026, with Q3 revenue expected to rise over 50% sequentially, showcasing its strong pricing power and customer demand in the NAND market.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Both Micron and SanDisk hold significant positions in the memory market, with Micron mitigating risks through multi-year HBM contracts and SanDisk collaborating with SK Hynix to standardize next-generation memory technology, positioning both for sustained growth ahead.
- Market Recovery: The stock market experienced its largest rebound in almost a year.
- Influence of Political Statements: President Donald Trump's comments regarding a potential early end to the war in Iran contributed to this market surge.











