January 2, 2026
Semis Surge: Micron/ASML Peak; Nvidia/Groq Team Up
Nvidia (NVDA)
Market Position: Described as the "best stock in the room" for the AI trade.
Valuation: Currently 10% below its highs; its forward P/E multiple is in the mid-to-high 20s, which analysts consider "relatively cheap".
CES 2026: CEO Jensen Huang is expected to unveil new hardware, including smaller AI desktop computers and software innovations.
Strategic Moves: Recently entered a $20 billion non-exclusive licensing deal with Groq to focus on IP and licensing partnerships.
AMD (AMD)
Stock Performance: Finished the first day of 2026 up over 4%.
CES 2026: CEO Lisa Su is scheduled for a major press event at the show.
Broadcom (AVGO)
Market Position: Trading approximately 15% below recent highs.
Drivers: Performance is primarily driven by demand for custom silicon.
Nvidia (NVDA)
Market Position: Described as the "best stock in the room" for the AI trade.
Valuation: Currently 10% below its highs; its forward P/E multiple is in the mid-to-high 20s, which analysts consider "relatively cheap".
CES 2026: CEO Jensen Huang is expected to unveil new hardware, including smaller AI desktop computers and software innovations.
Strategic Moves: Recently entered a $20 billion non-exclusive licensing deal with Groq to focus on IP and licensing partnerships.
AMD (AMD)
Stock Performance: Finished the first day of 2026 up over 4%.
CES 2026: CEO Lisa Su is scheduled for a major press event at the show.
Broadcom (AVGO)
Market Position: Trading approximately 15% below recent highs.
Drivers: Performance is primarily driven by demand for custom silicon.
Micron (MU), ASML (ASML), and Lam Research (LRCX)
Micron (MU): Surged 10% on the first day of 2026.
ASML (ASML): Recorded gains of nearly 9% to start the year.
Lam Research (LRCX): Also saw gains of nearly 9%.
Microsoft (MSFT), Salesforce (CRM), and Intuit (INTU)
Sector Performance: These companies faced significant pressure to start the year.
Losses: Intuit (INTU) fell 5%, Salesforce (CRM) dropped 4%, and Microsoft (MSFT) declined 2%.
Oracle (ORCL)
Stock Performance: Remained an outlier in the software slump, managing a marginal gain of 0.4%.
Instacart (CART)
Pricing Controversy: Faced backlash over "surveillance pricing" (algorithmic pricing) where users paid up to 23% more for identical items.
Market Impact: Although the practice has reportedly ceased, the stock took a 6-7% hit and sparked calls for transparency legislation.
MicroStrategy (MSTR)
Volatility: The company acts as "Bitcoin treasuries," leading to increased volatility.
Performance: Because its balance sheets are heavily dependent on crypto, they suffered more significant losses than Bitcoin itself when the coin's price fell at the end of 2025.
Rivian (RIVN)
Delivery Miss: Reported a 31% year-over-year drop in Q4 deliveries, failing to meet expectations.
Vertiv Holdings (VRT)
Analyst Rating: Upgraded to "Overweight" at Barclays.
Outlook: Cited as a "catch-up" play for 2026 with substantial upside potential.
Robinhood (HOOD)
Historical Performance: One of the strongest performers of 2025.
Expansion: Currently moving into sports betting and 24/7 tokenized trading.
Groq
Partnership: Entered a $20 billion non-exclusive licensing deal with Nvidia (NVDA).
Disclaimer:
For informational purposes only; not investment advice. This content is generated by Agentic AI; we do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. AI-generated information may contain errors or interpretative biases and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for investment decisions. Readers must possess appropriate risk tolerance and exercise independent judgment. We assume no liability for any investment outcomes resulting from reliance on this information.
