#semiconductors

#semiconductors

The biggest macro factor for DRIV isn't consumer demand or battery costs. It's trade policy: tariffs and industrial incentives that determine where EVs get built and sold. DRIV holds $340 million in assets split between US tech giants and global automakers. When tariff threats emerge or federal EV tax credits shift, the fund's diverse holdings react differently. Watch for announcements from the Office of the US Trade Representative on Chinese EV and battery component tariffs. These typically surface quarterly or around major trade negotiations.

The Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF ( NYSEARCA:CHAT) soared just over 45% in 2025, outpacing the S&P 500's 17% gain and the Nasdaq-100's 21% advance. The fund's 2026 performance trajectory depends on hyperscaler spending on AI infrastructure and the fund's concentrated exposure to companies building that infrastructure. Hyperscaler Capital Spending Is the Engine The biggest macro factor affecting CHAT's performance is capital expenditure by the world's largest cloud providers.

Among the winners, there are a number of stocks I think can continue to outperform in the year ahead. In this piece, I thought I'd dive into two companies that have blown away the market's return this year, and been key drivers of this performance. These are companies I think can continue to outperform in 2026, and may still be buying opportunities after their impressive 2025.

With its new Pax Silica Declaration, Washington has picked its most trusted partners in the AI sector: An array of close U.S. allies, including Australia, the U.K., and Israel. Yet despite deepening trade relations between the U.S. and ASEAN nations like Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, Singapore remains the agreement's only Southeast Asian signatory. That decision comes even as ASEAN nations like Malaysia are investing in their own AI industries, like semiconductors and data centers.

It may have been a wilder ride for the semiconductor stocks and the broader AI trade in 2025. But for the many brave investors who stayed the course, it's been a rewarding year, with the VanEck Semiconductor ETF ( NASDAQ:SMH), my favorite "thermometer" to gauge the heat of the semiconductor stocks, gaining close to 50% on the year. Undoubtedly, with Dr. Michael Burry of The Big Short fame, likely sticking with his bearish bets (and views) of AI for the new year,

Leveraged ETFs demand a different monitoring framework than buy-and-hold funds, and SOXL's 3x daily exposure to semiconductors makes the distinction especially sharp. With $13.6 billion in assets and an extremely high portfolio turnover rate driven by daily rebalancing, this fund combines sector momentum and structural decay. As 2026 approaches, investors need to separate broad semiconductor trends from the mechanics that make leveraged products behave differently than their underlying holdings.

Intel executed a credible turnaround under challenging conditions. The company reported Q3 2025 revenue of $13.7 billion, up 3% year-over-year, with non-GAAP EPS of $0.23 crushing estimates of $0.01. Client Computing grew 5% to $8.5 billion, while Data Center and AI revenue of $4.1 billion declined 1%. Intel secured a $2 billion investment from SoftBank and announced a collaboration with NVIDIA, signaling industry validation of its foundry ambitions.

The U.S. stock market is drifting near its record levels on Wednesday following mixed reactions to profit reports from Macy's, Marvell Technologies, and other companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and pulled within 0.7% of its all-time high set in late October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 174 points, or 0.6%, as of 11:50 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged.

SoftBank Group confirmed on Wednesday that it has completed its acquisition of Ampere Computing. Through its subsidiary Silver Bands 6 (US) Corp., the group has acquired all shares in the American semiconductor company. The transaction, valued at $6.5 billion, was announced in March and has now been fully completed. Ampere will become a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank and will continue to operate under its own name.

Arizona's economy was once dominated by the "five C's": cotton, cattle, citrus, copper, and climate. But a new C has emerged that could grow to overshadow the rest: chips. New semiconductor manufacturing facilities are springing up across the greater Phoenix area, stretching across blocks of new roads with names like "Processor Parkway" and "Transistor Terrace." Just outside the facilities, developers anticipating an influx of workers are planning mixed-use residential and industrial zones like mini modern-day company towns.

Southeast Asia should be well-placed to thrive in a more geopolitically complex world. The region is rich in natural resources, has a young and increasingly wealthy population, and maintains economic and trade links with major economic powers like the U.S., China, India and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Yet during the Fortune Innovation Forum in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Asia Partners co-founder Nicholas Nash challenged Southeast Asian entrepreneurs to be much more ambitious in their aims.

Global investors are focusing on Samsung Electronics as the group sets out a five-year artificial intelligence investment programme worth $310 billion over the coming five-year period, with analysis from Sunnov Investment Pte. Ltd. highlighting how the plan reshapes expectations for capital spending across the semiconductor industry. The commitment concentrates on AI specific semiconductors and on domestic manufacturing capacity in South Korea.

Even as the investing world continues to debate whether we are or are not in an "AI bubble," there shouldn't be any question whether AI-driven dividend stocks are still enjoying a moment. As artificial intelligence dominates much of the daily conversation in the tech world, these stocks and their shareholders are all enjoying outstanding returns. The good news is that not every AI-driven dividend stock is under the microscope as part of the bubble.

To be clear, YMTC is not an ordinary China-based company. YMTC reached the Entity List after first being placed on the Unverified List in October 2022 when BIS was unable to complete end-use checks to verify that exported technology was being used as declared. Under President Biden, YMTC was added to the Entity List based on findings that the company creates a major risk of diversion (sharing key technology) with other parties on the entities list, including Huawei and Hangzhou Hikvision.

Apple ( NASDAQ:AAPL ) continues to dominate the tech landscape as a powerhouse in consumer electronics and services, with its stock delivering robust returns for investors amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Valued at over $4 trillion, the company thrives on its integrated ecosystem, where custom silicon plays a pivotal role in driving performance gains across iPhones, Macs, and emerging AR/VR devices.

The vital flow of chips from China to the car industry in Europe looks poised to resume as part of the deal struck last week between Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The Netherlands has signalled that its standoff with Beijing is close to a resolution amid signs China's ban on exports of the key car industry components is easing.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang offered a blunt prediction that China will beat the U.S. in the AI race and that Western countries are being held back by cynicism. As the battle over who will dominate in the development of the consequential technology, Huang, whose $5 trillion California-based company is trapped in regulatory crossfire, argued that China is structurally advantaged and pointed to the country's radically lower energy costs and permissive regulatory environment.

With solid earnings, cooling inflation, the potential for interest rate cuts, and hopes for a truce between the U.S. and China, there's not much stopping upside potential. Helping, analysts are incredibly bullish. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL): Analysts at Baird just reiterated an outperform rating on Apple ahead of earnings, raising its price target to $280 from $230 a share. The firm expects Apple to post solid earnings and guidance. It's also pleased with the latest iPhone 17.

U.S. President Donald Trump touched down in Asia this week, not just for diplomacy, but to sign deals that could shape the next chapter of the global technology race. The U.S. inked Technology Prosperity Deals (TPD) with Japan and South Korea with an eye toward spurring collaboration on AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotech, space, 6G, and other technologies. The agreements aim to enhance cooperation, strengthen strategic ties, align regulations, and support economic and national security objectives, among other objectives.