Market

August 14, U.S. stocks opened on a cautious note as investors weighed mixed economic data and fresh corporate earnings. The Dow Jones slipped 0.19% while the S&P 500 edged up 0.07%; the tech-heavy Nasdaq outperformed with a 0.20% advance, helped by strength in semiconductor names. Traders cited profit-taking in industrials and rotation into growth shares ahead of next week’s Federal Reserve minutes.

MindForge Inc. soared 41.90% after unveiling a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to co-develop AI accelerators. Reddit rallied 11.20% as the social platform reported record user engagement. Tradr 2X Long SNDK Daily ETF spiked 11.99% alongside underlying gains in SanDisk Corp., which climbed 5.94% on a robust data-center demand outlook. Aurora Mobile Ltd gained 7.81% on a new AI marketing product launch, while Western Digital added 3.26% amid renewed merger speculation with Kioxia. On the downside, Applied Materials fell 4.29% after trimming full-year revenue guidance, and RLX Technology slid 8.75% following tighter vaping ad rules in China.

Elsewhere, biotech names lagged as Beyondspring Inc tumbled 15.96%, Jianzhi Education Technology Group Company Ltd. plunged 15.06%, and Freight Technologies Inc. dropped 11.06%. TDH Holdings, Inc. declined 9.33%, Planet Green holdings Corp slipped 7.96%, and Antelope Enterprise Holdings Limited lost 7.61%, underscoring continued volatility among micro-cap Chinese ADRs.

News

SanDisk Corp. tops earnings and lifts guidance. The memory giant reported stronger-than-expected Q2 results and raised its fiscal-year revenue outlook, driving renewed confidence in data-center demand.

MindForge Inc. unveils NVIDIA-backed AI chip partnership. The early-stage designer said the collaboration will accelerate development of next-gen accelerators for edge computing, sparking heavy retail interest.

Reddit surpasses 100 million daily active users. Management highlighted surging engagement from its new short-form video features, igniting an 11% share rally at the open.

Applied Materials cuts FY26 sales forecast. Management cited a slower recovery in smartphone and PC demand, sending the stock down more than 4% and weighing on semiconductor equipment peers.

Western Digital in fresh merger talks with Kioxia. Bloomberg reported negotiations have resumed under new terms aimed at creating a NAND memory powerhouse, boosting Western Digital shares.

Silicon Motion Technology gains on deal-approval speculation. Investors bet U.S. regulators will soon clear MaxLinear’s delayed acquisition, lifting the ADR more than 2%.

Micron Technology gets price-target hike from Deutsche Bank. Analysts pointed to tightening DRAM supply and improving pricing, pushing the chipmaker’s stock higher in early trade.

RLX Technology hit by China’s stricter e-cigarette advertising rules. The regulatory move adds uncertainty to the company’s growth outlook, triggering a sharp sell-off in the ADR.

Tesla Motors affirms Cybertruck production timeline. The EV leader reiterated plans to reach mass production by year-end, helping shares edge higher despite broader market volatility.

U.S. producer prices rise faster than expected. July PPI increased at a 0.4% monthly pace, stoking concerns about sticky inflation and lifting Treasury yields ahead of next week’s Fed policy minutes.