Analysis

Eli Lilly (LLY) shares hovered near $1,260 on Thursday, just about 2% shy of its all-time high of $1,292. From a technical perspective, the stock has broken above a key resistance level and is poised to breach its record high. In terms of catalysts, a week-long sell-off in AI hardware stocks prompted capital to rotate into defensive sectors dominated by pharmaceuticals, helping drive the stock's surge.

Meta (META) and Apple (AAPL) have entered into a rare partnership in the AI sector. According to information released by Meta and related reports, the two companies announced on Thursday that developers can locally run Meta's newly launched open-weight model, Muse Spark Open, on Mac Studio powered by the M5 Ultra chip. Months in the making, the collaboration has enabled the two companies to find new common ground after years of strained relations.

On October 15 Eastern Time, CoreWeave (CRWV) fell by as much as 9.5% in early Thursday trading before recovering its morning drop of over 9%. A sell-off over the past four consecutive trading days has erased more than $10 billion from CRWV's market capitalization. As of Thursday, the stock's cumulative loss for the week exceeded 22%. As of press time, CRWV shares reversed course to rise 1.6% to $66.83.

On October 15, US Eastern Time, Micron (MU) shares reversed losses to turn higher, after falling over 6% intraday to a low of $858, hitting their lowest level since August 11. Recently, new technological advancements by ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) sparked market concerns over the DRAM competitive landscape. However, both HSBC and Daiwa believe the short-term impact may be overestimated, while Elon Musk's affirmation of Micron's pricing strategy offers another perspective on its long-term customer relationships.

On October 15, Eastern Time, SpaceX (SPCX) stock tumbled to as low as $140.66, down over 20% from its recent high of $176.42 on October 6 and hitting its lowest level since early September. However, the sharp pull-back in stock price does not necessarily signal a simultaneous deterioration in fundamentals; the decline is more likely dragged down by a broader sell-off in AI hardware stocks. Meanwhile, speculation surrounding a potential merger between SpaceX and Tesla (TSLA) continues to heat up, which could serve as the latest catalyst for near-term stock price recovery.

US September PPI data unexpectedly heated up, sending Bitcoin tumbling in volatile trading and putting the key $80,000 defense line at risk.

TradingKey - On October 15, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Producer Price Index (PPI) for September. U.S. PPI surged 1.3% month-on-month in September, significantly exceeding market expectations of around 0.6% and marking the largest single-month increase since March 2022. Year-on-year, it rose 6.3%, also notably higher than the August level, indicating a further escalation of price pressures on businesses.

TradingKey - Netflix cuts about 1,000 jobs before Q3 earnings as World Cup rights broaden live sports. Explore margin guidance and critical NFLX support at $66.98.

Tesla continues to fall in pre-market trading as the Roadster launch event fails to offset CPI headwinds, risking a further 15% decline.

TradingKey - On Thursday (October 15) Eastern Time, US stock index futures showed divergent trends in pre-market trading. Financing risks in AI infrastructure continued to weigh on tech stocks, while Dow futures edged higher, driven by capital shifts into traditional blue-chip and defensive sectors. The US September CPI, released on Wednesday, rose 3.7% year-over-year, exceeding the market expectation of 3.6% and heightening concerns over further Federal Reserve rate hikes. Meanwhile, investors are awaiting a batch of economic data scheduled for release today, including PPI, retail sales, and initial jobless claims.

TradingKey - Apple’s $299 HomeView expands Siri AI as iPhone 18 demand faces rising memory costs. Explore China, November earnings and AAPL resistance at $348.15.

TradingKey - CoreWeave’s $104 billion backlog faces surging borrowing costs. Explore AI infrastructure funding, Q3 guidance and key CRWV support at $60.57.

TradingKey - On Thursday (October 15), gold prices (XAUUSD) rebounded following a sharp decline on Wednesday. As of the European session on Thursday, gold bounced back to near $4,160, reaching an intraday high of $4,162, up approximately 1.3% for the day. Previously, US September CPI data exceeded market expectations, pushing the US dollar and Treasury yields higher and sending gold down to $4,073.41 at one point, a one-week low. As the dollar pulled back from an 18-month high today, gold recovered some of its losses, though overall price action remains under pressure.

TradingKey - TSMC reports $46.72 billion Q3 revenue as 2nm ramps rapidly. See AI growth, 52.3–54.3 billion Q4 guidance and TSM's critical support levels.

TradingKey - Micron Technology's (MU) labor dispute in Taiwan remains unresolved, with core disagreements centered on bonus calculation methods and long-term profit-sharing mechanisms.

TSMC posted strong Q3 revenue and profit, but struggling against major macroeconomic headwinds, its share price risks testing the $400 mark.

TradingKey - On October 15, Eastern Time, the US is set to release the September Producer Price Index (PPI). With the September CPI released this Wednesday coming in significantly above market expectations, the PPI will further confirm whether upstream price pressures are heating up, directly influencing market expectations for the Federal Reserve's October and December rate decisions.

TradingKey - South Korea's Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) has fallen for several consecutive trading sessions. As of the close on October 15, the KOSPI index dropped to 5,554.22 points, marking a cumulative decline of over 16% in the past month. SK Hynix fell by more than 10% on the day, while Samsung Electronics dropped over 9%.

TradingKey - On October 15, Japanese and South Korean stock markets suffered a sharp sell-off. South Korea's KOSPI Index closed down 7.57% at 5,554.23 points, with intraday losses extending to 9% at one point and triggering a circuit breaker for the tenth time this year; Japan's Nikkei 225 Index closed down 4.90% at 64,425.90 points.

XRP has retreated to $1.30 under heavy pressure from interest rate hikes, but a further decline to test $1.00 is unlikely, as the probability of an October rate hike by the Federal Reserve remains low.