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Luke Kawa

Nvidia, AMD reportedly granted export licenses for chip sales to China in exchange for giving US government 15% of revenues

The Financial Times is reporting that Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices have formally secured permission to export AI chips tailored for China to the world’s second-largest economy. As part of the deal, the companies have agreed to send 15% of the revenues generated from these chip sales to the US government, per the FT, citing people familiar with the situation including a US official.

That part of this arrangement is highly unusual, and has been met with critiques from trade policy experts.

After the close on Friday, the FT reported that Nvidia had received an export license that would allow the chip designer to send its H20 processor to China once again.

In mid-July, both companies received assurances that they’d be granted export licenses to restore their access to what Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls a $50 billion data center market, sparking big rallies in their stocks.

In its second-quarter earnings report last week, AMD posted better-than-expected guidance for the current quarter, but noted that its license application was still under review and that this outlook did not include any revenues from MI308 sales to China.

Per Reuters, Chinese demand for Nvidia’s H20 chips is also so intense that the chip designer has already ordered an additional 300,000 chips from TSMC.

In their Q1 earnings reports, Nvidia and AMD took $4.5 billion and $800 million write-downs, respectively, related to the loss of their China business in light of export controls put in place in April.

Nvidia’s calendar 2025 sales estimates are up just 0.7% in the past month, suggesting that analysts have been slow to incorporate the impact of renewed access to the Chinese market into their forecasts. For AMD, however, estimates are up 3.6% over the same period, which may have been indicative of Wall Street expecting some boost from sales to China or may have also reflected optimism around its new line of AI chips.

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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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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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Rocket Lab deal lifts space stocks

Shares of Rocket Lab are surging after announcing an $8 billion acquisition of satellite communications operator Iridium Communications, helping lift a broader basket of space-related stocks as investors piled back into the sector.

Planet Labs, AST SpaceMobile and Redwire all traded higher alongside Rocket Lab, extending gains in an industry that has drawn enhanced investor attention in recent months in light of the strategic importance that governments place on space and satellite communications infrastructure.

In a presentation, Rocket Lab’s management called the purchase “a shortcut” for its satellite communications business.

Under the terms of the agreement, Iridium shareholders will receive $27 in cash and Rocket Lab stock, valuing Iridium at $54 per share. Backed by a $3.6 billion bridge loan committed by Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo, Rocket Lab absorbs Iridium’s globally licensed spectrum and an active base of 2.5 million subscribers.

Rocket Lab has also remained one of the most active launch providers in the sector. The company completed its 12th launch of the year last week, maintaining one of the highest launch cadences among commercial space companies.

Today's rally helps offset a brutal stretch for the group. Rocket Lab shares had fallen over 35% over the prior month, while Planet Labs stock was down more than 40% and AST SpaceMobile stock was down around 30% over the same window.

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