Stock Market Update: Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Futures Rise Slightly as Investors Anticipate Key PCE Data
Market Overview: U.S. stock futures are up slightly after a decline on Thursday, with major economic data expected to influence market sentiment, including the Personal Consumption Expenditures index.
Sector Performance: Most S&P 500 sectors were down on Thursday, with health care and consumer discretionary leading losses, while Intel Corp. was a standout gainer, rising 8.87% due to investment talks.
Economic Data Insights: Analysts note that the S&P 500's significant rally since 2019 is supported by earnings growth, and upcoming economic data releases on personal income and spending are anticipated to impact market direction.
Global Market Trends: Asian markets are mostly down, while European markets show gains; crude oil and gold prices have seen slight increases, reflecting mixed global economic signals.
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- Market Dominance: TSMC controls 99% of the foundry market for AI server compute and custom AI processors, positioning itself as a critical technology enabler for emerging AI giants like Anthropic, thereby solidifying its leadership in the semiconductor industry.
- Revenue Growth Momentum: In 2025, TSMC achieved a 36% revenue increase to $122.4 billion, with January 2026 revenue growing nearly 37% year-over-year, indicating potential to exceed its 30% growth target and boosting investor confidence.
- AI Chip Market Outlook: RBC Capital Markets projects AI chip sales to rise from $220 billion last year to over $550 billion by 2028, placing TSMC in a prime position to capitalize on this lucrative market as the preferred foundry for AI chip designs.
- Investment Appeal: TSMC's forward earnings multiple of 26 aligns closely with the Nasdaq-100 index, and its earnings are expected to grow faster than the broader market, suggesting that investors are unlikely to go wrong with this semiconductor giant.
- Nvidia's Market Leadership: As a leading designer of AI processors, Nvidia is poised to benefit from the increasing spending on AI data center infrastructure, particularly as Alphabet and Meta ramp up capital expenditures to $185 billion and $135 billion respectively, driving demand for Nvidia's processors.
- Alphabet's Gemini Success: Alphabet's Gemini chatbot now boasts 750 million monthly active users, a 67% increase from nine months ago, and has secured a partnership with Apple to make Gemini the underlying AI model for an upcoming version of Siri, which is expected to generate billions in revenue for Alphabet.
- Taiwan Semiconductor's Market Share: Taiwan Semiconductor holds a 70% share of the global semiconductor manufacturing market, with revenue projected to increase by 30% to $122.4 billion by 2025, and diluted earnings expected to rise by 47% to $10.65 per ADR, showcasing its strong performance amid surging AI processor demand.
- Long-Term Competitive Advantage: Research from Morningstar indicates that TSMC's organic growth driven by major tech trends could last for decades, with management confidently forecasting a 30% increase in sales this year, further solidifying its market position.
- Nvidia's Market Position: As the leading designer of AI processors, Nvidia's stock remains attractive despite bubble concerns, with a current P/E ratio of 47, slightly above the tech sector average of 43, indicating strong demand amid increasing AI infrastructure spending.
- Alphabet's AI Success: Alphabet's Gemini chatbot has reached 750 million monthly active users, a 67% increase in nine months, and its collaboration with Apple to integrate Gemini into Siri is expected to generate billions in revenue, further boosting its cloud computing growth.
- Taiwan Semiconductor's Competitive Edge: Holding a 70% market share in the global semiconductor market, TSMC's advanced chip manufacturing and high yield rates position it well, with projected revenue growth of 30% to $122.4 billion by 2025, reflecting strong performance amid surging AI processor demand.
- Optimistic Industry Outlook: All three companies excel in the AI sector, with reasonable P/E ratios of 47, 30, and 34 for Nvidia, Alphabet, and TSMC respectively, suggesting that investors can expect substantial returns over the coming years.
- Market Share Advantage: TSMC holds a 99% share in AI server compute and custom AI processor manufacturing, making it a crucial enabler for emerging AI giants like Anthropic, thereby solidifying its leadership in the semiconductor industry.
- Significant Revenue Growth: In 2025, TSMC's revenue surged by 36% to $122.4 billion, with January 2026 revenue growing nearly 37% year-over-year, indicating potential to exceed its 30% growth target and boosting investor confidence.
- AI Chip Market Outlook: RBC Capital Markets projects AI chip sales to rise from $220 billion last year to over $550 billion by 2028, positioning TSMC as the foundry of choice for AI chip designs, ready to capitalize on this lucrative market opportunity.
- Enhanced Investment Value: TSMC's forward earnings multiple of 26 aligns with the Nasdaq-100 index, and its earnings growth is expected to outpace the broader market, suggesting that investors will not be disappointed with this semiconductor giant.
- Cryptocurrency Market Decline: The overall cryptocurrency market has fallen over 45% since reaching a high of $4.28 trillion on October 6, 2025, primarily driven by Bitcoin's price drop and institutional ETF withdrawals, highlighting the market's heavy reliance on sentiment and liquidity.
- Alphabet's Strong Earnings: Alphabet reported $113.8 billion in revenue for Q4, an 18% year-over-year increase, with net income of $34.45 billion, up nearly 30%, although the market reacted cautiously to its $185 billion AI infrastructure spending, the rapid growth of its cloud computing division indicates strong business potential.
- TSMC's Market Share Growth: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing increased its market share from 66% to 72% in Q3, with Q4 revenue reaching $33.73 billion, a 25.5% year-over-year increase, and guidance for even better revenue in Q1, showcasing its leadership and robust growth prospects in the semiconductor industry.
- Oracle's Cloud Computing Growth: Oracle generated $7.97 billion in revenue in Q2 of fiscal 2026, a 34% increase year-over-year, with cloud computing becoming its largest revenue driver; despite over $100 billion in debt, its growth potential remains significant compared to the risks associated with cryptocurrencies.
- Attractive Valuation for Sandisk: Despite Sandisk's (SNDK) stock price doubling this year, its forward P/E ratio remains at 15 times, indicating strong attractiveness for fiscal 2026, with expectations of robust revenue growth driven by the recovery in the flash memory market over the coming years.
- Surging NAND Prices: The surge in demand for high-performance solid-state drives in AI data centers has led to a significant increase in NAND prices, boosting Sandisk's sales and gross margins, which is expected to enhance its competitive position and solidify its market share.
- TSMC's Market Dominance: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM), as the world's largest foundry, has a forward P/E of about 26 times, and despite trading near all-time highs, its central role in AI infrastructure makes it a valuable investment, with AI chip revenue projected to grow at over 50% annually through 2029.
- Strong Pricing Power: TSMC's near-monopoly in advanced chip manufacturing, characterized by high pricing power and low defect rates, positions it as a crucial partner for chip designers, ensuring continued benefits from the surging demand for AI chips in the future.









