Andy Chen

Tradingkey - Markets continue to monitor details of the meeting between the U.S. and Chinese heads of state, with major Asia-Pacific equity markets hovering at high levels. U.S. inflation rose to 3.8% in April, a nearly three-year high, weighing on U.S. chip stocks. Samsung may face the longest strike in its history, which pressured Japanese and South Korean stocks in early trading before they fluctuated upward to close higher. U.S. President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening. According to sources close to the matter, the summit will discuss Iran, artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and rare earths. The business delegation for this visit spans technology, finance, aviation, and agriculture, including Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook, and executives from semiconductor firms such as Qualcomm (QCOM) and Micron (MU). The aviation sector includes Boeing (BA) CEO Kelly Ortberg, while the financial sector includes Citigroup (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), and Blackstone Group (

Tradingkey - At 8:30 AM ET on May 12, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the April CPI report, a critical window for verifying the transmission of oil prices to inflation. Data indicated that U.S. inflation ran hot in April, with the year-on-year increase reaching 3.8%, the highest in near

Tradingkey - The imminent meeting between the U.S. and Chinese heads of state and the upcoming release of U.S. CPI data have fueled a strong "wait-and-see" sentiment in the market. Asia-Pacific stock markets showed mixed performance; Japanese and Taiwanese stocks edged higher, while the rally in South Korean equities paused, closing down 2.29%. The Nikkei 225 Index closed up 0.52% at 62,742.57 points. During the session, it reached a high of 63,218.51 and a low of 52,158.43, continuing to hover at elevated levels.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release the April CPI report. Top investment banks now widely believe that the Federal Reserve's first rate cut will be delayed until 2027, with no cuts expected in 2026. JPMorgan Chase has developed three scenarios based on the CPI data—even in an optim

Tradingkey - During the early trading session on May 12, the KOSPI Index briefly touched the 8,000-point mark at the open before plunging more than 5% to a low of 7,421.71 points. As of press time, the index remains down 1.24% at 7,725.33 points. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which together account for nearly half of the KOSPI's total market capitalization, were the primary drivers of this flash crash. Currently, SK Hynix is down 3.62% at 1.144 million KRW, while Samsung Electronics has fallen 2.28% to 279,000 KRW.

Tradingkey - Strong US employment data combined with an AI chip trading frenzy propelled US stocks to new record highs on Friday, marking the S&P 500’s sixth consecutive weekly gain, while chip stocks boosted the Nasdaq by 1.71%. Fueled by bullish sentiment in semiconductor investments, Asian equity markets broadly opened higher today. Both the KOSPI and the Nikkei 225 hit new record highs, though intraday performance diverged. South Korea's KOSPI index climbed after a high opening to reach an all-time intraday peak of 7,899.32 points. It closed up 4.32% at 7,822.19 points. Over the five trading days in May, the index has recorded a cumulative gain of 18.54%. Among heavyweight stocks, SK Hynix surged 12.87%, Samsung Electronics rose 6.42%, and Hyundai Motor gained 4.89%.

Tradingkey - Last Friday (May 8), U.S. tech stocks strengthened again, supported by the dual catalysts of improving geopolitical conditions and stellar corporate earnings. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 1.71% to hit a record high, closing at 26,247.08 points. The PHLX Semiconductor Index jumped 5.51% to close at 11,775.5 points, also reaching a record high. Among mega-cap tech stocks, Micron Technology (MU) surged 15.49%, Intel (INTC) rose 13.96%, AMD (AMD) gained 11.44%, Qualcomm (QCOM) climbed 8.17%, and Tesla (TSLA) increased 4.02%.

Tradingkey - International oil prices surged during early Asian trading hours after U.S. President Trump and Iran rejected each other's latest responses to long-term peace proposals. Both major crude oil futures rose by over 3%, with WTI crude briefly hitting the $100 mark again. As of press time, WTI is up 3.79% at $99/bbl, while Brent crude has gained 3.29% to reach $104.62/bbl.

TradingKey - The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the April CPI report on May 12 at 8:30 a.m. ET. Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran conflict in late February, the global energy market has experienced the most severe geopolitical supply shock in history. As the conflict enters its third month, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly below pre-war levels, with approximately 20% of the world's oil transit routes still facing "interruption." This inflation report will serve as a critical validation window for the transmission effects of oil prices.

TradingKey - According to a Reuters report on May 8, AI startup Anthropic has signed a $1.8 billion contract with Akamai Technologies (AKAM). This deal represents the largest single contract since Akamai’s inception, a development that quickly ignited enthusiasm in the capital markets. By the close of U.S. trading on Friday, Akamai's share price surged 26.58% to $147.71, after reaching an intraday high of $149.76. The company's market capitalization has reached $21.475 billion, with its cumulative gains over the past 12 months expanding to 65%.

TradingKey - On May 8 at 8:30 AM ET, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the April Non-farm Payrolls report. This marks the first time in nearly a year that non-farm payrolls have recorded growth for two consecutive months, further supporting the Federal Reserve's stance to maintain interest rates and shifting market focus toward inflation data. Specifically, U.S. April seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls increased by 115,000, exceeding the expected 62,000, while the previous figure was revised from 178,000 to 185,000.

TradingKey - Asia-Pacific stock markets were mostly under pressure today as the escalation of the US-Iran conflict triggered a pullback in some technology stocks, though Japanese and South Korean equities continued to hover at elevated levels. The Nikkei 225 Index opened lower and trended downward in the morning session before rebounding amid volatility in the afternoon, closing the day down 0.19% at 62,713.65 points. It reached an intraday high of 62,724.36 points, remaining near its recent highs. Among heavyweight stocks, Keyence rose 6.07% and Kioxia gained 2.49%; conversely, SoftBank Group fell 4.56% and Toyota Motor declined 2.18%.

TradingKey - Commercial aerospace leader Rocket Lab released its Q1 2026 financial results after the market close, delivering a performance where both revenue and order backlog beat market expectations across the board. During the period, Rocket Lab’s revenue hit a record high of $200 million, up 63.46% year-on-year from approximately $122.6 million in the same period last year, exceeding the market estimate of $189 million.

TradingKey - Excitement is building in the financial sector surrounding the SpaceX IPO that is set to break all records in terms of U.S. equity listings, as CEO Elon Musk prepares the aerospace and satellite company to go public for the first time ever.

TradingKey - According to the latest data from GasBuddy, the U.S. national average gasoline price has risen above $4.50 per gallon, its highest level since mid-July 2022. However, recent reports indicate positive signals in peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. Iran stated on Wednesday that it is reviewing a peace proposal submitted by the U.S. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the proposal would formally end the current conflict. Driven by expectations of an agreement to end the hostilities, the geopolitical risk premium rapidly dissipated. The international crude oil market experienced severe volatility, with Brent crude’s intraday decline reaching as much as 11.2%, while WTI crude also recorded a drop of over 11%. The losses subsequently narrowed, with Brent crude closing at $101.27, down 7.8%, and WTI crude closing at $95.08, down over 7%.

TradingKey - On May 6, AI chip leader NVIDIA and Corning officially announced a long-term strategic partnership. The two companies will collaborate to upgrade U.S. domestic manufacturing capacity for AI optical infrastructure and establish underlying interconnect systems for next-generation AI computing clusters. This major partnership quickly ignited enthusiasm in capital markets; following the announcement, Corning's stock price surged 12% in a single day, bringing its total market capitalization to $156.2 billion, while NVIDIA's shares also closed nearly 6% higher. This collaboration represents a powerful alliance between two companies that have benefited significantly from the AI boom. Over the past twelve months, Corning’s stock has seen a low of $43 and a high of $195, representing an absolute gain of nearly fivefold.

TradingKey - Lithium giant Albemarle released its first-quarter 2026 financial results during the U.S. after-market session. As the world’s largest lithium producer, the company’s operating performance is regarded not only as its own financial data but also as a leading indicator for the entire industry. During the period, Albemarle recorded sales of $1.429 billion, up 33% year-on-year, slightly above average market expectations. Adjusted EBITDA reached $664 million, a 148% increase from $267 million in the same period last year, significantly exceeding the market forecast of $468 million.

At 8:30 AM ET on May 8, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will release the April non-farm payroll data. Against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions driving up inflation, the non-farm payroll report will serve as a key bellwether for the labor market and influence the trajectory of the Fede

TradingKey - When it comes to investing in a volatile environment, investors often choose to use a low-cost and diversified exchange-traded fund (ETF) from Vanguard. Their two most popular ETFs are the VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF) and VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF). When you look at both funds,

TradingKey - The semiconductor sector has been experiencing a massive rally recently, with Nvidia reaching an all-time high in terms of stock price. As of April 27, this chip manufacturer's market cap is now above $5 trillion with an impressive financial performance for its year ended 1-25-2026. Dur