South Korea Industrial Output Growth below expectations (0.5%) in April: Actual (-0.9%)

TradingKey - Micron Technology (MU) released a blowout earnings report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, with revenue surging 346% year-over-year to $41.5 billion, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) reaching $25.11, and its gross margin jumping to 84.9%. All three core metrics set new historic records. The explosive growth in AI memory demand, combined with the implementation of 16 "take-or-pay" Strategic Customer Agreements (SCAs), not only drove a surge in single-quarter performance but also reshaped the company's business model. Following the earnings release, Micron's stock price surged nearly 16% in a single day to hit a new all-time high. Wall Street collectively raised their price targets, and the market generally believes that Micron is in a critical window of transition from a highly cyclical memory manufacturer to a core AI infrastructure asset.

TradingKey - OpenAI may postpone its initial public offering (IPO) until after next year. With the market anticipating weakening demand for AI infrastructure, chip and memory stocks were sold off. The three major indices closed down across the board, with the Nasdaq Composite Index falling for the fifth consecutive day. At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.09% to 51,876.11 points; the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.24% to 25,297.62 points; and the S&P 500 Index fell 0.05% to 7,353.95 points.

TradingKey - In February 2025, SanDisk (SNDK) spun off from Western Digital (WDC) to become an independent, publicly listed company focusing on the NAND flash memory business. Little did anyone expect that this storage manufacturer, whose value was once overshadowed by its parent company's diversification strategy, would go on to create a legend in the US stock market, propelled by the AI wave.

TradingKey - The countdown has begun for the U.S. copper tariff decision. The U.S. Department of Commerce must submit its "Section 232" investigation report to the White House by June 30 to ultimately decide whether to impose import tariffs on refined copper.

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.