Analysis

Intel surged 8.4% Tuesday on three confirmed catalysts: Xeon 8000 MT memory upgrade, expanded Google Cloud AI deal, and 18A cloud foundry commitment. 18A yields at 85%. Earnings Thursday. At $105, here is the setup.

TradingKey - On July 21 ET, the three major U.S. stock indices closed higher collectively, led by the Nasdaq. Despite Middle East tensions continuing to drive up oil prices and Treasury yields, investors returned to AI and semiconductor stocks following a sharp correction, leading to a notable recov

Japanese and South Korean stock markets extended their rally, with the KOSPI surging nearly 6% and the Nikkei 225 gaining nearly 2%. Kioxia and SK Hynix soared approximately 9%, while Samsung Electronics and SoftBank also followed the upward trend.

TradingKey - This earnings season is off to a strong start, with 87% of the 54 S&P 500 components that have reported so far exceeding profit expectations. Additionally, reports that TSMC will raise prices by 10% next year boosted rallies in chip and memory stocks. U.S. stocks rebounded sharply, with all three major indices closing higher and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index surging over 5%. At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.74% to 52,224.64; the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 1.29% to 25,837.21; and the S&P 500 Index climbed 0.89% to 7,509.20.

TradingKey - Ahead of its 26Q2 earnings release, Google (GOOGL) launched three new Gemini models: Gemini 3.6 Flash, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, and Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber, which is specifically designed for cybersecurity. Gemini 3.6 Flash and Flash-Lite are available starting today via the Gemini API, Google AI Studio, Gemini Enterprise, and the Gemini app; Flash-Lite will also be integrated into Google Search. As its flagship AI model Gemini 3.5 Pro faces developmental pressure and competitors close in, Google is betting on cost-effectiveness.

Tradingkey - Nvidia (NVDA) has released the full specifications and benchmark data for its first self-developed data center CPU, Vera, marking its official entry into the server CPU market dominated by Intel and AMD. Company representatives confirmed that Vera chips were delivered to customers including OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX in June, and OpenAI plans to begin large-scale deployment starting this quarter. Following the announcement, Nvidia's stock price pulled back slightly as the market reacted tepidly to the news. As of press time, the stock was up 1.06% at $205.43.

TradingKey - Novo Nordisk (NVO) has officially filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleging that Eli Lilly’s (LLY) advertisements for its blockbuster weight-loss drug Zepbound and diabetes injection Mounjaro are misleading and violate federal and state laws concerning false advertising and unfair competition. The essence of the lawsuit is a data war between the two pharmaceutical giants over the multi-hundred-billion-dollar GLP-1 drug market, where the key weapon on the battlefield is a set of clinical comparison data alleged to be "outdated."

Tradingkey - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Tuesday that the Trump administration will scrutinize Chinese open-source AI models for evidence of intellectual property theft from U.S. companies, threatening to impose sanctions if such activity is confirmed. These comments come as Chinese open-source models rise rapidly at minimal costs and following a collective slump in U.S. tech stocks last week fueled by fears that "U.S. AI leadership is being shaken." This stance adds a new dimension of strategic competition to the upcoming meeting between the U.S. and Chinese heads of state scheduled in approximately two months.

TradingKey - IBM is trading around $213 today, slightly higher after last week's record crash. Options pricing a 7% swing before Wednesday's full Q2 report. Wedbush holds $350. Average analyst target $271. Here is what the session and the chart are saying.

Tradingkey - Memory stocks collectively surged in early trading on Tuesday (EST). As of press time, Western Digital (WDC) rose 9.05%, SanDisk (SNDK) gained 8.13%, SK Hynix (SKHY) climbed 7.90%, Seagate Technology (STX) increased 7.47%, and Micron Technology (MU) rose 6.67%. SanDisk and Micron, which at one point rose by more than 10% and 9% respectively, led the rally. The immediate catalyst was a bullish report from Morgan Stanley, which predicts memory prices will rise by at least 25% between the second and third quarters of 2026 and explicitly stated it is "buying the dip" in the storage sector.

TradingKey - Halliburton beat Q2 2026 estimates on EPS and revenue, rising 2.5% to $36. New Iraq contract, Saudi Aramco wins, and growing international backlog are the story. Citi targets $52. At $36, here is what the triangle setup says next.

TradingKey - Intel will announce its second-quarter 2026 financial results after the US market close on July 23. The importance of this earnings report has long surpassed that of a mere quarterly scorecard.

TradingKey - On July 21, ET, TSMC (TSM) pre-market shares rose nearly 4%. Market reports suggest the world's largest chip foundry has reached a final agreement with customers for a 5%-10% hike in wafer prices for 2027, with the increase covering both advanced and mature processes. As of press time, TSMC was trading at approximately $417.35 pre-market.

TradingKey - 3M reports Q2 2026 this morning. JPMorgan upgraded to Overweight on Friday. Consensus: EPS $2.27, revenue $6.38B. Microsoft confirmed as the first hyperscale EBO customer. Four consecutive EPS beats. At $159.60, the $161.63 triangle is the level to watch.

TradingKey - HAL has a Rs 2.55 lakh crore order book worth 7 years of revenue. Q4 FY26 EPS beat estimates by 17.4%. But Tejas Mk1A delays and supplier fraud have raised execution risk. At Rs 4,491, here is the setup ahead of August 7 earnings.

TradingKey - On July 21 Eastern Time, the three major U.S. stock index futures rose collectively in pre-market trading. As of press time, Nasdaq 100 Index futures were up 1.33%, S&P 500 Index futures rose 0.45%, and Dow Jones Index futures gained 0.31%.

TradingKey - U.S. industrial giant 3M (MMM) delivered second-quarter results that beat market expectations and simultaneously raised its full-year earnings guidance, signaling that operational improvement momentum has further strengthened, driven by cost optimization, product upgrades, and strategic positioning in high-growth sectors.

TradingKey - On Monday, July 20, Eastern Time, Nvidia (NVDA) filed a Schedule 13G with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosing that it holds approximately 9.3% of the Class A ordinary shares of AI cloud service provider Nebius Group (NBIS), totaling 22,256,412 shares. Following the announcement, Nebius's pre-market share price rose by more than 7% on Tuesday. As of press time, Nebius was trading at approximately $194.45, up 6.48%.

TradingKey - Ahead of its upcoming second-quarter 2026 earnings report, Intel (INTC) has once again initiated an organizational restructuring. According to multiple media reports, Intel has notified employees in its Data Center & AI Group (DCG) that the company will implement a new round of layoffs.

TradingKey - Goldman Sachs' (GS) global commodities research team released a new report stating that if the transportation of crude oil and refined products through the Strait of Hormuz faces sustained and severe disruptions, Brent crude (UKOIL) prices could rise above $120 per barrel by the fourth quarter of 2026. Goldman Sachs also emphasized that $120 is not its current baseline forecast, but rather an upside scenario based on conditions such as long-term restrictions on transit through the strait, a significant decline in crude oil exports from the Gulf region, and insufficient alternative transportation capacity.