Analysis

Microsoft (MSFT) said it plans to deploy its next-generation in-house AI chip, Maia 300, in data centers starting next year and expand the deployment scale of the Maia series to several gigawatts, aiming to power its AI software primarily with in-house hardware and reduce reliance on Nvidia GPUs. The Maia chip is specifically designed for AI inference—using existing models to perform tasks such as summarizing meetings and answering research questions. Microsoft expects that compared to leading GPU systems, Maia 300 will generate 40% more tokens per megawatt. A token is the basic unit of measurement for AI output, typically corresponding to a word or part of a word; this metric measures output capacity per unit of power.

Meta Platforms (META) launched its AI model Muse Wonder on Monday, claiming it possesses "frontier capabilities." The release will test the technological results of Meta’s multi-billion-dollar AI restructuring and reflects the company's push to generate AI revenue beyond its core advertising business. Internally codenamed "Watermelon," Muse Wonder is the company's most capable model since Mark Zuckerberg aggressively recruited talent and overhauled its AI operations. Meta stated that the model rivals OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude in handling coding, financial, and legal tasks, and outperforms Claude Opus 5.5, Fable 5.1, and GPT-6 Astra on certain benchmarks.

Prominent venture capitalist Deedy Das cited Sensor Tower data on X, stating that Meta's (META) standalone AI assistant Muse, launched in September this year, has demonstrated strong user stickiness, with its user retention rate closely trailing market leader ChatGPT (OpenAI).

TradingKey - T-Mobile heads into October 28 earnings after a 13.27% selloff sparked by SpaceX's spectrum deal, even as service revenue, EBITDA and free cash flow remain strong.

On October 12, US Eastern Time, memory stocks tumbled broadly as the market grew concerned over a new-generation DRAM architecture unveiled by Chinese DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). The company's plans to launch related server memory products by the end of the year have sparked fears of intensifying competition in the server memory market. According to data from market research firm Counterpoint, based on global DRAM vendor revenue, ChangXin Technologies held a 7% market share in the second quarter of 2026, ranking fourth globally. If the technology is successfully commercialized, CXMT is expected to lower unit storage costs, thereby putting pressure on the market shares and profit margins of incumbent manufacturers.

TradingKey - Johnson & Johnson heads into October 13 earnings with raised guidance, strong Innovative Medicine growth and fresh two-year ICOTYDE data supporting its immunology franchise.

As Johnson & Johnson is set to release its earnings report, market expectations of steady revenue fail to conceal profit pressures, yet Wall Street remains generally bullish on its stock.

TradingKey - According to a report by The Information, Anthropic has entered into a multi-year cloud services agreement with IREN (IREN). While the two companies have not yet officially disclosed the contract value, compute capacity, or specific duration, the report indicates that the deal is part of Anthropic's recent large-scale expansion of AI computing resources. Following the news, IREN's stock rose more than 5% at one point in pre-market trading as of October 12, Eastern Time.

TradingKey - Tesla heads into October 21 earnings with stronger Q3 deliveries, rebounding China and Europe sales, rising AI spending and $384.59 resistance in focus.

TradingKey - On Monday, October 12, Eastern Time, futures tied to the three major U.S. stock indexes were mixed in pre-market trading. Trading was relatively subdued due to the Columbus Day holiday, as investors awaited earnings reports from major banks this week and the U.S. September CPI data. Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East and shipping risks in the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices higher again, capping risk appetite for tech stocks.

TradingKey - SpaceX expands Starlink Mobile with an $8 billion spectrum deal while Starlink growth and a $40 billion AI-financing plan raise the stakes for SPCX.

Micron Technology fell over 2% in pre-market trading, approaching $1,000. Can the bulls hold this key level?

TradingKey - On October 12, US memory stocks generally weakened in pre-market trading. After Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) announced its R&D progress in next-generation DRAM technology, the market refocused on the global memory industry's competitive landscape, while memory stocks that had previously surged continued to face profit-taking.

TradingKey - Goldman Sachs Group (GS) will report its third-quarter 2026 financial results at 7:30 a.m. ET on October 13, followed by an earnings call at 9:30 a.m.

TradingKey - As of last Friday (October 9) Eastern Time, Amazon (AMZN) closed at $262.43, up 3.29%, after touching an intraday high of $262.80 to set a recent high. Subsequent reports indicated that the company is in talks to acquire AI startup Decart for approximately $7 billion. Against the backdrop of the stock price having just broken through the technical level of $260, this potential transaction has further heightened market focus on the expansion of AWS's AI infrastructure and proprietary chip ecosystem, which may continue to support further upside in the stock price.

TradingKey - ASML (ASML) will report its third-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results on October 14. As a key global supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment, the company is benefiting from demand for advanced chips driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure.

TradingKey - On Monday, October 12 (ET), the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will operate with normal trading hours and will not close early. Regular trading hours are from 9:30 to 16:00. SIFMA recommends a full-day closure for related bond trading, and certain payment services will also follow holiday schedules.

TradingKey - On October 12, South Korean stocks fell sharply, with the benchmark KOSPI Index closing down 3.65% at 6,384.25 points, falling below the key 6,400-point mark. Japanese stock markets were closed today for a public holiday.

TradingKey - According to South Korean semiconductor media outlet The Elec, citing industry sources, ASML will raise the prices of replacement parts for EUV and DUV lithography equipment supplied to the South Korean market by a flat 10%, with the new pricing taking effect for parts delivered starting January 2027. Procurement departments at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have accepted the price increase, though the report did not disclose procurement amounts or specific contract terms.

Anthropic signed a cloud services agreement with IREN, sending IREN's stock price surging nearly 9% on the positive news.