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Intel trades higher on TSMC investment talks and report on new Trump administration plans to boost US chip production

Intel has approached TSMC about potential investments or manufacturing partnerships, The Wall Street Journal reports, a day after Bloomberg reported that Apple was also in talks with the struggling chipmaker.

The outreach comes as Intel ramps up efforts to secure outside backers, following a $5 billion investment from Nvidia, a $2 billion injection from SoftBank, and an $8.9 billion (~10%) stake taken by the US government — which, so far, has paid off handsomely for Uncle Sam.

Separately, the WSJ also reports that the Trump administration is mulling plans to force companies to equalize their usage of chips produced domestically with those that are imported, or they could face tariffs. The potential measures could be beneficial for companies that have a large US foundry footprint or are in the process of boosting production stateside. As such, this report may also be buoying shares of Intel this morning, as well as fueling a rally in GlobalFoundries.

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has been seeking partners to turn the chipmaker around, as the company trails rivals in AI chips and struggles to set up its supply chain. Earlier this year, Tan met with Apple CEO Tim Cook and TSMC chief C.C. Wei about “a partnership or joint venture,” per the WSJ.

Intels shares closed Thursday up 8.9%, reaching their highest level in more than a year, and were extending their gains in premarket trading Friday, up 5%. TSMC is down ~2% premarket.

Related reading: Intel rises as the company seeks Apple as next big backer amid turnaround push, per Bloomberg report

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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