Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called on Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. to step up their efforts to expand memory chip production in the US to help address a global shortage in components critical to the development of artificial intelligence. Speaking at an event hosted by Micron Technology Inc. , Lutnick confirmed that he’s in discussions with the two South Korean memory producers,...
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called on Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. to step up their efforts to expand memory chip production in the US to help address a global shortage in components critical to the development of artificial intelligence. Speaking at an event hosted by Micron Technology Inc. , Lutnick confirmed that he’s in discussions with the two South Korean memory producers, though he declined to offer specifics. He acknowledged that Micron Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Mehrotra might not embrace having the company’s rivals expand their US presence, but Lutnick cited the need to make the American chip supply chain more robust. “You know, he won’t like it, but I want to bring his competitors, Samsung and SK Hynix, here to America to build,” Lutnick said. “Micron’s leading the way. And now the others are going to be jealous, right? And they’re going to have to follow.” Lutnick’s comments came as SK Hynix prepared for its public debut on US exchanges in a move that could raise nearly $27 billion based on the most recent close of its stock in Seoul, funds that the company intends to put toward boosting its production capacity. SK Hynix’s American depositary receipts are set to begin trading in the US on Friday. Read More: Micron Boosts US Spending to $250 Billion to Feed Memory Boom Spokespeople for Samsung and SK Hynix didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. SK Hynix and Samsung plan to invest a combined $880 billion over the next several years on new plants to help meet soaring demand for memory products fueled by the global AI boom. Earlier Thursday, Micron announced that it would increase its planned US investment to $250 billion through 2035, a move that Lutnick hailed during an appearance outside new facilities that the company is building near Syracuse, New York. “We want to protect our great companies and those who invest in intellectual property in America,” Lutnick said. “So it is my view that you want Micron to build as fas...
tadamichi/iStock via Getty Images After I first covered Philip Morris International Inc. ( PM ), I bought my first shares in that business. Since that article (I linked it above), PM's stock price has jumped by over 70%. And I'm happy to say that it beat the market by 2.5 times when including dividends. Seeking Alpha Still, I rated PM a Hold the last time I covered it. And now, I see that PM will ...
tadamichi/iStock via Getty Images After I first covered Philip Morris International Inc. ( PM ), I bought my first shares in that business. Since that article (I linked it above), PM's stock price has jumped by over 70%. And I'm happy to say that it beat the market by 2.5 times when including dividends. Seeking Alpha Still, I rated PM a Hold the last time I covered it. And now, I see that PM will publish Q2 2026 financials in 2 weeks . With that in mind, I decided to prepare a follow-up coverage with an earnings preview. And I can say right at the get-go: PM is still a Hold for me. A Quick Look At Q1 2026 PM's organic growth was okay, but it will improve. Reviewing top-line metrics is the first thing I've always done in my M&A job. In terms of PM, I see they recorded a solid revenue jump (of over 9%). With a low single-digit part of that driven organically. I'm pasting the management's comment on that from the last Earnings Call : Let's discuss our Q1 results in more detail, starting with the headline financials. We delivered over $10 billion in net revenues, representing a plus 9% increase in reported terms and plus 2.7% organically, surpassing our expectation for a broadly flat delivery. The strong performance of IQOS and our multi-category portfolio more than offset the Q1-specific combination of U.S. and combustible headwinds, I just mentioned. Yes, I know that some investors were concerned with a slower organic growth. I mean, that metric was much higher for the full 2025. So I'm not surprised investors weren't happy with the 2.7% mentioned above. But I keep the long-term perspective in mind here. I see that PM expects to grow the top line by 5-7% (on an organic basis) in 2026. And that's something I'd be very happy about. PM's Investor Relations PM remains the leader of the smoke-free front I'm a big fan of PM's smoke-free business. I see that SFP scored the highest organic growth in the Int'l segment. And that's true for both revenue and gross profit. PM's In...
JaysonPhotography/iStock via Getty Images Wall Street’s major averages inched higher on Thursday as traders moved past the ongoing Middle East conflict and semiconductor stocks rose. The benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) ended +0.8%, while the heavy-tech Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) closed +0.3%, and the blue-chip Dow Jones ( DJI ) finished +1.3%. Despite the U.S. striking Iran again, crude oil futures...
JaysonPhotography/iStock via Getty Images Wall Street’s major averages inched higher on Thursday as traders moved past the ongoing Middle East conflict and semiconductor stocks rose. The benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) ended +0.8%, while the heavy-tech Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) closed +0.3%, and the blue-chip Dow Jones ( DJI ) finished +1.3%. Despite the U.S. striking Iran again, crude oil futures ( CL1:COM ) were lower at $72, while Brent ( CO1:COM ) was $76 per barrel. Now, here are three things to pay attention to on Friday: Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) reports earnings on Friday during market hours. EPS estimate is $1.50, while revenue estimate is $18.85B. The airline giant has had nine upward revisions and six downward revisions in the past 90 days. The stock is up about 28% year-to-date. BlackRock launched the iShares Nasdaq 100 ETF ( IQQ ) that includes companies across the technology, healthcare, consumer discretionary, and communications services sectors. This ETF undercuts the Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF ( QQQM ) on expenses, with a waiver reducing the expense ratio to 0.10% through July 31, 2027. Some of the biggest banks, including JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ), Bank of America ( BAC ), Goldman Sachs ( GS ), Wells Fargo ( WFC ), and Citigroup ( C ), are expected to report earnings results in the coming days, and the financial sector ( XLF ) has shown a sustained upward momentum that historically precedes rallies. Investors will monitor how the sector performs on Friday. More on the markets AAII Sentiment Survey: Pessimism Drops 5 Eerie Signs Of A 1999-Like Market Top Markets Appear To Be Shaking Off Mideast Conflict Investors should focus on quality stocks, stay cautious – Clough Capital Wall Street pushes higher despite Middle East concerns
(RTTNews) - After seeing considerable volatility early in the session, stocks moved mostly higher over the course of the trading day on Thursday. The major averages all moved to the upside after yesterday's mixed performance, with the Nasdaq leading the charge.
(RTTNews) - After seeing considerable volatility early in the session, stocks moved mostly higher over the course of the trading day on Thursday. The major averages all moved to the upside after yesterday's mixed performance, with the Nasdaq leading the charge.
Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) could be one of the quieter winners of the AI buildout as data storage becomes harder to ignore. The upside case is built on cloud demand, pricing power, and AI-driven data growth, but the stock's huge rally raises a tougher question about expectatio
Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) could be one of the quieter winners of the AI buildout as data storage becomes harder to ignore. The upside case is built on cloud demand, pricing power, and AI-driven data growth, but the stock's huge rally raises a tougher question about expectatio
Why Have Central Bankers Gone Radio Silent On The Digital Currency Agenda? Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us During the 2020 pandemic hysteria there was a mad rush by globalist institutions like the WEF, IMF, BIS and numerous national central banks to speed-run the concept of “CBDCs” (Central Bank Digital Currencies) into the mainstream consciousness. The idea of digital currencies roote...
Why Have Central Bankers Gone Radio Silent On The Digital Currency Agenda? Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us During the 2020 pandemic hysteria there was a mad rush by globalist institutions like the WEF, IMF, BIS and numerous national central banks to speed-run the concept of “CBDCs” (Central Bank Digital Currencies) into the mainstream consciousness. The idea of digital currencies rooted to a blockchain ledger was presented as a solution to the pandemic. A number of globalists asserted that digital exchange would be necessary because “paper money carries the covid virus.” This was, of course, complete nonsense. There was zero evidence that shifting to digital would prevent the spread of the virus in any way. But, as I’ve said for years now, covid was their big play. It was intended to become a nexus point for a global coup; the “New World Order” takeover. The elites figured the population was so terrified that they would agree to anything without a logical reason. They were wrong, at least in the long run. The virus was a dud (which seemed to catch them by surprise) and the death rate was minimal (0.23% median IFR). The public eventually woke up to the deception and the agenda was forced to dissolve, largely due to nearly half of all US states blocking the mandates. If Americans could live just fine without restrictions, then the rest of the world was going to follow. I mention the pandemic once again because the attempted coup gave the general public a once in a lifetime insight into the plans and motives of the globalists. This event changed everything. Millions of people who once thought that “conspiracy theorists” were crazy just had their eyes opened to a dark reality. There really is an international cabal. They really do make evil plans in smoky rooms. They really do want a “New World Order.” And, a big part of this new order is a global digital currency scheme. As researchers, all of our suspicions were confirmed. Seeing the intended plans of the ...
Investing.com -- Following a year of radical restructuring and aggressive capital deployment, Meta Superintelligence (MSL) is positioned to leapfrog Google in the frontier AI hierarchy within the next six months. According to a new report from boutique research firm SemiAnalysis, Mark Zuckerberg's relentless pursuit of proprietary data, elite talent, and unprecedented compute infrastructure has ef...
Investing.com -- Following a year of radical restructuring and aggressive capital deployment, Meta Superintelligence (MSL) is positioned to leapfrog Google in the frontier AI hierarchy within the next six months. According to a new report from boutique research firm SemiAnalysis, Mark Zuckerberg's relentless pursuit of proprietary data, elite talent, and unprecedented compute infrastructure has effectively transformed the ecosystem into a race where Google has "faded dramatically". While competi
Key PointsAT&T continues to transition from a media-heavy conglomerate back to its connectivity roots, focusing on a unified wireless and fiber bundling strategy.
Key PointsAT&T continues to transition from a media-heavy conglomerate back to its connectivity roots, focusing on a unified wireless and fiber bundling strategy.
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Micron ( MU ) plunged after a solid fiscal Q3 report issued in June. I outlined a bullish long-term outlook on MU right after the numbers hit the tape, but that idea is not looking good right now. Indeed, the stock plunged nearly 30% peak to trough over the last two weeks post-earnings. Today, I’m going short-term. I am bullish on the Direxion Daily MU B...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Micron ( MU ) plunged after a solid fiscal Q3 report issued in June. I outlined a bullish long-term outlook on MU right after the numbers hit the tape, but that idea is not looking good right now. Indeed, the stock plunged nearly 30% peak to trough over the last two weeks post-earnings. Today, I’m going short-term. I am bullish on the Direxion Daily MU Bull 2X ETF ( MUU ). I see upside to near $950 on MUU, perhaps even $1,000, depending on the sequence of returns. I’ll detail that target at the conclusion of the thesis. MUU soared 13% on Thursday, July 9, on news of the company accelerating its planned US fab and tech investments related to AI development. The endeavor may include up to $250 billion of capex through 2035, up from $200 billion previously. Surging memory/storage chip demand was the reason for the upgraded investment, and the street gave MU a thumbs up. MU: Remains A 2026 Winner Despite A Post-Earnings Plunge StockCharts .com According to the issuer , MUU seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 200% of the performance of Micron Technology's common shares. Please read through to the end of the article for investment risks associated with 2x-leveraged ETFs. Despite the steep drop following the Q3 report, MU remains among the top-performing S&P 500 stocks year to date. Up 257%, it has beaten the S&P 500 and even the high-momentum VanEck Semiconductor ETF ( SMH ) by a wide margin. Implied volatility on MU shares is intense at near 98%, according to data from Option Research & Technology Services. Thus, investors should only use a small position size when trading MUU. For a fundamental background on MU, the Q3 report was stellar; you can read more about it in my company analysis. Third-quarter GAAP EPS of $25.11 blew past street estimates, with a massive 346% YoY revenue rise. Guidance was firm, too, but the stock closed 3.8% lower in the session after the number crossed the wires. The decline...
SK Hynix, Nvidia’s key memory chip supplier, begins trading on Nasdaq Friday, giving U.S. investors a direct way to bet on one of AI’s hottest picks-and-shovels plays.
SK Hynix, Nvidia’s key memory chip supplier, begins trading on Nasdaq Friday, giving U.S. investors a direct way to bet on one of AI’s hottest picks-and-shovels plays.
Thick black smoke rose from the building and several people were stranded on the roof awaiting rescue. Photo: CCTV News A fire at a shoe factory in southeastern China's Fujian province killed 28 people on Tuesday. The blaze broke out around noon at the Huiteng Shoes Co. plant in Jinjiang, trapping several workers on the building’s roof before firefighters largely extinguished the flames by late af...
Thick black smoke rose from the building and several people were stranded on the roof awaiting rescue. Photo: CCTV News A fire at a shoe factory in southeastern China's Fujian province killed 28 people on Tuesday. The blaze broke out around noon at the Huiteng Shoes Co. plant in Jinjiang, trapping several workers on the building’s roof before firefighters largely extinguished the flames by late afternoon. The deadly disaster in a major footwear manufacturing hub underscores China's persistent industrial safety challenges, prompting top leaders to order a nationwide crackdown on workplace hazards following a string of fatal accidents this year.
While artificial intelligence (AI) investing is still a central theme in the market, some of the key players in that space haven't been doing so hot lately. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is one of them. It's down by more than 16% from its all-time high. Furthermore, it's only up around 6% this year, trailing the market's nearly 9% gains, as measured by the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) . So not only has it be...
While artificial intelligence (AI) investing is still a central theme in the market, some of the key players in that space haven't been doing so hot lately. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is one of them. It's down by more than 16% from its all-time high. Furthermore, it's only up around 6% this year, trailing the market's nearly 9% gains, as measured by the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) . So not only has it been a poor performer overall, but the most basic investment an investor can make is outperforming it. However, I think the time is coming for Nvidia's stock trend to turn around. If I were handcuffed and only allowed to buy one AI stock, I think it would be Nvidia. The company still stands right at the center of the AI build-out, and with massive growth in store, it's a smart buy now. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
George Cottrell’s mother Fiona at the centre of criminal inquiry over potential evasion of restrictions on donations Police are investigating donations worth £500,000 made to Reform UK by the mother of a convicted fraudster and ally of Nigel Farage. The investigation concerns two donations of £250,000 made by Fiona Cottrell, whose son George has often accompanied Farage to Reform events and media ...
George Cottrell’s mother Fiona at the centre of criminal inquiry over potential evasion of restrictions on donations Police are investigating donations worth £500,000 made to Reform UK by the mother of a convicted fraudster and ally of Nigel Farage. The investigation concerns two donations of £250,000 made by Fiona Cottrell, whose son George has often accompanied Farage to Reform events and media appearances. The May 2024 donations are under investigation over whether they were intended to conceal a donation by an impermissible donor. Continue reading...
In late June 2026, QUALCOMM was removed from several Russell growth and defensive indices even as it announced a partnership with Scam.ai to power Halo, an on-device deepfake detection model optimized for Qualcomm-based PCs and launched at Computex 2026. This combination of index exclusion and expansion into on-device AI security highlights how QUALCOMM is being reshaped by both mechanical fund fl...
In late June 2026, QUALCOMM was removed from several Russell growth and defensive indices even as it announced a partnership with Scam.ai to power Halo, an on-device deepfake detection model optimized for Qualcomm-based PCs and launched at Computex 2026. This combination of index exclusion and expansion into on-device AI security highlights how QUALCOMM is being reshaped by both mechanical fund flows and its push beyond smartphones into AI-focused platforms. We’ll now examine how QUALCOMM’s...