Andy Chen

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

TradingKey - As of May 2026, the most recent list of largest global firms by market value is heavily influenced by technology, primarily due to the current rapid expansion of AI technology.

TradingKey - Among investment vehicles available to traders trying to get greater exposure to fast-growing technology sectors, ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ) and Direxion Daily Semiconductors Bull 3X Shares (SOXL) are two of the most often discussed 3X daily leveraged ETFs. Although both products are

TradingKey - With global enterprises reconstructing their technology stack around cloud computing and generative AI, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) have emerged as the two dominant cloud giants investing heavily in AI infrastructure to capitalize on the opportunities created in t

TradingKey - Meta Platforms released its Q1 2026 financial results after the U.S. market close on April 29. During the period, Meta Platforms reported revenue of $56.311 billion, up 33% year-on-year from $42.314 billion in the same period last year. Operating profit reached $33.439 billion, a 35% year-on-year increase, while the operating margin remained flat at 41%.

TradingKey — April 29: As the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting approaches, a strong wait-and-see sentiment prevails in the market, with Asia-Pacific equity markets showing mixed performance. The Fed is convening in Washington this week and will announce its interest rate decision at 2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, followed by a press conference with Chair Jerome Powell 30 minutes later. Given that this session will feature Powell's last press conference, the market is closely monitoring the policy signals released to gauge the future trajectory of the Fed's decision-making.

TradingKey - Fuel cell technology provider Bloom Energy announced its first-quarter 2026 financial results after the market close on April 28. During the period, Bloom Energy reported revenue of $751 million on a non-GAAP basis, a substantial year-over-year increase of 130.4% and significantly highe

Since 2026, persistent geopolitical risks have kept issues such as the "U.S.-Iran conflict, oil prices, and inflation" repeatedly in the public eye. Geopolitical maneuvering in the Strait of Hormuz, sticky inflation driven by wide-range oil price volatility at elevated levels, and uncertainty regard

On Monday, April 27, spot gold settled at $4,681.9, down nearly 0.6%. June gold futures in New York closed at $4,693.7 per ounce, falling approximately 1%. As of press time, spot gold edged down 0.18% to $4,672.2 during the Asian session. International gold prices remain under pressure as recurring

TradingKey - Several major global stock indices have recently reached all-time highs, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rising for 18 consecutive trading days, marking its longest winning streak on record. After a decline of nearly 10%, the S&P 500 took only 11 trading days to return to pre-conflict levels and hit a record high last Friday. At the close of that day, the S&P 500 rose 0.8% to 7,165.08, after reaching an intraday high of 7,168.59.