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Luke Kawa

TSMC jumps on strong second-quarter outlook with AI demand unblemished by tariffs

The world’s biggest chipmaker is undaunted by the trade war or increased restrictions on semiconductor exports to China.

TSMC is up nearly 3% in early trading after the Taiwan-based foundry giant issued a second-quarter outlook that wowed investors. Management expects revenues to come in between $28.4 billion and $29.2 billion in the current quarter. Even the low end of that range is above the consensus estimate of $27.35 billion.

CEO CC Wei said the recent ban on H20 sales to China has been incorporated into TSMC’s outlook, and that the company continues to see “robust AI-related demand,” maintaining calls for those revenues to double this year.

“We understand there are uncertainties and risks from the potential impact of tariff policies. However, we have not seen any change in our customers behavior so far,” he said on a conference call with analysts. “Therefore, we continue to expect our full-year 2025 revenue to increase by close to mid-20s percent in US dollar terms.”

First-quarter earnings per share of NT$13.94 came in ahead of estimates for NT$13.58. TSMC’s revenue figures were a known quantity, as the chipmaker breaks out its monthly sales with March’s data reported last week.

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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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