Investing in semiconductor companies, which produce chips, could be a smart way to benefit from the booming artificial intelligence (AI) industry. Semiconductors are essential for AI, and the demand for them is high. Experts believe that the limited competition in this sector will allow chipmakers to maintain high profits even in the short term. However, it's important to keep an eye on fund flows as a potential indicator of future performance.
The S&P 500 gained this week, marking its biggest weekly increase this year, despite most stocks falling on Friday. The market was influenced by the Federal Reserve's plan for further interest rate hikes, but not all sectors performed equally. While technology stocks like Apple and Microsoft showed limited growth, financials and industrials saw improvement. Company-specific news included a decline in Nike and Lululemon shares due to revenue concerns, while FedEx shares rose after exceeding profit expectations.
Congress is increasing its scrutiny of U.S. investments in China, with bipartisan support for restricting funds flowing to companies with alleged military or security ties. Some proposals aim to ban investments in certain advanced technology sectors to prevent China from leveraging American capital for its military development. While it's difficult to pass sweeping restrictions, the issue is gaining attention, with initiatives focusing on transparency and accountability to ensure investments do not contribute to China's potential military advancements.
NVIDIA unveiled the Blackwell GPU, a major upgrade with 5x the power of its predecessor, Hopper. The chip targets AI and data science, where demand for computing power is surging. NVIDIA also announced the NIM software, which optimizes AI inference. Together, they aim to establish NVIDIA as a leader in the AI ecosystem, not just as a hardware supplier, driving stock gains and shaping the tech industry as AI grows increasingly important.
