Semiconductors have been one of the market's best-performing sectors. Thanks to these catalysts, the good times may not be over yet. The semiconductor sector typically moves in cycles. It can experience long periods of strong growth, but then be followed by a slowdown or contraction. When the structural environment changes, the industry's leaders can see big returns for years. That's what we've se...
Semiconductors have been one of the market's best-performing sectors. Thanks to these catalysts, the good times may not be over yet. The semiconductor sector typically moves in cycles. It can experience long periods of strong growth, but then be followed by a slowdown or contraction. When the structural environment changes, the industry's leaders can see big returns for years. That's what we've seen over the past couple of years in the semiconductor space. And it could be a nice setup for the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX +0.19%) in 2026. Prediction: SOXX will outperform the S&P 500 & Nasdaq 100 in 2026 as AI infrastructure spending accelerates Over the past few years, semiconductor chips have been the core component of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. In 2024 and 2025, the focus was building the infrastructure necessary to support high growth and demand. In 2026, the story likely broadens into a theme of more full-scale adoption. That could benefit the "next-in-line" companies involved in cloud computing, autonomous systems, and data centers. Expand NASDAQ : SOXX iShares Trust - iShares Semiconductor ETF Today's Change ( 0.19 %) $ 0.67 Current Price $ 361.13 Key Data Points Day's Range $ 347.72 - $ 363.80 52wk Range $ 148.31 - $ 363.80 Volume 7.7K All of these trends rely on semiconductors, and the buildout to support AI is likely to last for years. That means billions of dollars of investment will continue to flow into this space. That gives the sector a very good chance for success where the biggest winners may go beyond just Nvidia (NVDA +0.52%) and Broadcom (AVGO 0.75%). And so far they have. Applied Materials (AMAT +1.36%), Micron Technology (MU +0.12%), and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 0.22%) -- all top-five holdings of the iShares Semiconductor ETF -- have all delivered 18%+ gains this year (as of Jan. 26, 2026) to help lift performance. NVDA Total Return Price data by YCharts That kind of breadth will be the key to sustained outperformance. And...
QUALCOMM (QCOM) is back in focus as investors look ahead to its first quarter 2026 earnings release and weigh how its push into AI chips, automotive, and edge computing could reshape the business. The share price has cooled off recently, with a 30 day share price return of a 12.34% decline and a 90 day decline of 15.85%. However, the 3 year total shareholder return sits at 19.94%, suggesting longe...
QUALCOMM (QCOM) is back in focus as investors look ahead to its first quarter 2026 earnings release and weigh how its push into AI chips, automotive, and edge computing could reshape the business. The share price has cooled off recently, with a 30 day share price return of a 12.34% decline and a 90 day decline of 15.85%. However, the 3 year total shareholder return sits at 19.94%, suggesting longer term holders have still seen gains while near term momentum has faded. If Qualcomm’s repositioning around AI has your attention, it could be a good moment to widen your watchlist and check out as potential next ideas. With the shares down in the near term, trading below many recent analyst targets and at a small intrinsic discount, the key question is simple: are you looking at an underappreciated AI transition story, or has the market already priced in the next leg of growth? Advertisement Most Popular Narrative: 49.3% Undervalued According to the most followed QUALCOMM narrative, a fair value of $300 sits a long way above the recent $152.22 close, putting a spotlight on how much cash and earnings power could be ahead if those projections hold. Qualcomm is a steady-growth backbone of the AI era, a proven, cash-generating semiconductor leader that is quietly positioned for a major re-rating. While most attention is on data center chips from NVIDIA or AMD, Qualcomm is building the connective layer that will bring AI to the edge, powering devices, drones, vehicles, and robots that think and communicate in real time. The company is effectively using its dominant smartphone business as a cash engine to expand into automotive, IoT, and industrial AI applications, giving it exposure to multiple secular growth drivers without the same volatility as pure-play AI chipmakers. I see Qualcomm as a lower-risk, high-upside compounder, a bridge between established tech giants and next-generation innovators. It is described as undervalued relative to its potential role as the “connective...
Key Points The now-retired Warren Buffett oversaw a nearly 6,100,000% cumulative gain in Berkshire Hathaway's Class A shares (BRK.A) under his leadership. Buffett's unwritten investing rules were the catalyst that fueled Berkshire Hathaway's ascendance to a trillion-dollar market cap. However, a short-term trade in an industry-leading company that's at the forefront of the artificial intelligence ...
Key Points The now-retired Warren Buffett oversaw a nearly 6,100,000% cumulative gain in Berkshire Hathaway's Class A shares (BRK.A) under his leadership. Buffett's unwritten investing rules were the catalyst that fueled Berkshire Hathaway's ascendance to a trillion-dollar market cap. However, a short-term trade in an industry-leading company that's at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution has turned into an expensive "what if?" for Berkshire's investing legend. 10 stocks we like better than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing › We've officially entered uncharted territory for one of only 12 public companies to have ever reached the $1 trillion market cap plateau. As of Jan. 1, Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) Warren Buffett has retired from his role as CEO -- a post he held for well over a half-century. During the Oracle of Omaha's tenure as Berkshire's overseer of day-to-day operations, he led his company's Class A shares (BRK.A) to a scorching-hot aggregate return of nearly 6,100,000%. These eye-popping returns are the result of Warren Buffett holding true to his investing principles in every economic climate. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » However, one of the rare times Warren Buffett overlooked one of his guiding investing rules has cost his company dearly -- approximately $16 billion (and counting). Warren Buffett's unwritten investing rules are the foundation of Berkshire Hathaway's success But before diving into the Oracle of Omaha's rare mistake, it's imperative to lay the foundation of what made him and his company so successful over the span of six decades. Although lengthy books have been written covering the laundry list of "rules" Warren Buffett followed when investing, we'll touch on a few of the most important principles. One of the most crucial aspects of Buffett's investment approach is his long-term mindset. He ap...
tupungato/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Mike Larson Almost all the line items in Microsoft Corp.’s ( MSFT ) fiscal second quarter looked great. But the stock melted down the most since 2020 anyway. Why? It all goes back to worries about AI spending. Take a look at the MoneyShow Chart of the Day, which shows Microsoft stock going back 12 months. You can see that MSFT was already losing momen...
tupungato/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Mike Larson Almost all the line items in Microsoft Corp.’s ( MSFT ) fiscal second quarter looked great. But the stock melted down the most since 2020 anyway. Why? It all goes back to worries about AI spending. Take a look at the MoneyShow Chart of the Day, which shows Microsoft stock going back 12 months. You can see that MSFT was already losing momentum, with RSI peaking last summer and the shares making a series of lower highs in Q4 2025. But yesterday’s breakdown on massive volume really stands out! Source: StockCharts So, what happened? Let’s start with the positives from Microsoft's report. Profit came in at $38.5 billion, or $5.16 per share. That beat analyst estimates . Revenue came in at $81.3 billion. That also beat estimates. Operating income? Same story. But here's the thing: Capital expenditures soared 66% year-over-year to $37.5 billion. At the same time, sales growth at its Azure cloud computing division slowed just a bit to 38%. That dredged up lingering concerns that Big Tech is spending oodles of cash on data centers, Artificial Intelligence model development, and human capital…but that all of the upfront investment might not generate enough profit down the road. While Meta Platforms Inc. ( META ) also reported results – and did just fine – the net effect was for tech stocks to slide. The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLK ) is now basically unchanged since October. Clearly, the AI story isn’t going away. But neither are AI spending worries. Keep a close eye on this leadership group – because if it continues to struggle, the markets probably will, too. Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors. Originally published on MoneyShow.com
tupungato/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Mike Larson Almost all the line items in Microsoft Corp.’s ( MSFT ) fiscal second quarter looked great. But the stock melted down the most since 2020 anyway. Why? It all goes back to worries about AI spending. Take a look at the MoneyShow Chart of the Day, which shows Microsoft stock going back 12 months. You can see that MSFT was already losing momen...
tupungato/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Mike Larson Almost all the line items in Microsoft Corp.’s ( MSFT ) fiscal second quarter looked great. But the stock melted down the most since 2020 anyway. Why? It all goes back to worries about AI spending. Take a look at the MoneyShow Chart of the Day, which shows Microsoft stock going back 12 months. You can see that MSFT was already losing momentum, with RSI peaking last summer and the shares making a series of lower highs in Q4 2025. But yesterday’s breakdown on massive volume really stands out! Source: StockCharts So, what happened? Let’s start with the positives from Microsoft's report. Profit came in at $38.5 billion, or $5.16 per share. That beat analyst estimates . Revenue came in at $81.3 billion. That also beat estimates. Operating income? Same story. But here's the thing: Capital expenditures soared 66% year-over-year to $37.5 billion. At the same time, sales growth at its Azure cloud computing division slowed just a bit to 38%. That dredged up lingering concerns that Big Tech is spending oodles of cash on data centers, Artificial Intelligence model development, and human capital…but that all of the upfront investment might not generate enough profit down the road. While Meta Platforms Inc. ( META ) also reported results – and did just fine – the net effect was for tech stocks to slide. The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLK ) is now basically unchanged since October. Clearly, the AI story isn’t going away. But neither are AI spending worries. Keep a close eye on this leadership group – because if it continues to struggle, the markets probably will, too. Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors. Originally published on MoneyShow.com
creisinger The German economy expanded 0.3% on the quarter in the past three months of 2025, the strongest performance in three quarters, compared to a flat reading in the previous period and above forecasts of 0.2%, preliminary estimates showed. Y/Y, the GDP grew 0.4%, the most in three years, after a 0.3% rise in each of the previous three quarters and above forecasts of 0.3%. Germany’s seasonal...
creisinger The German economy expanded 0.3% on the quarter in the past three months of 2025, the strongest performance in three quarters, compared to a flat reading in the previous period and above forecasts of 0.2%, preliminary estimates showed. Y/Y, the GDP grew 0.4%, the most in three years, after a 0.3% rise in each of the previous three quarters and above forecasts of 0.3%. Germany’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 6.3% in January. More on Germany U.S. Dollar Stakes Get Raised - What To Do Now In The Rates Space? Technical Levels For Major FX Pairs Ahead Of The FOMC Rate Decision DAX: What To Know About The ETF That Tracks The 'S&P 500' Of Germany European markets buoyed on hopes of stronger euro France GDP growth slows in Q4