Friday, July 17, 2026

TSMC posts a monster quarter — profit surges 77.4% on AI chip demand, and they’re doubling down with another $100bn US investment. The signal is clear: AI buildout isn’t slowing. But Kioxia’s market value halving from peak tells the other side — the AI selloff is real and it’s brutal for anyone not named TSMC. Google Gemini launch delayed — Bloomberg reports it fell short of internal goals. This is interesting. The AI race has no room for stumbles and this opens the door wider for competitors. Trump threatens new Iran escalation and accuses China of a massive US election data breach. Two geopolitical flashpoints hitting the tape at once. Oil and defense names will twitch on this. Citadel Securities puts $400 million into Crypto.com at a $20 billion valuation. Not sure people appreciate this — it’s Ken Griffin’s shop, the guy who once called crypto a jihad against the dollar. Good signal for institutional adoption. NDRC leadership meets with Indonesia’s coordinating ministers on mar

TSMC posts a monster quarter — profit surges 77.4% on AI chip demand, and they’re doubling down with another $100bn US investment. The signal is clear: AI buildout isn’t slowing. But Kioxia’s market value halving from peak tells the other side — the AI selloff is real and it’s brutal for anyone not named TSMC.