0244 GMT - Earning season for 3Q will kick off soon and S&P 500 companies are expected to deliver earnings growth of 29.6% on year, according to FactSet, says James Ooi at Tiger Brokers. "With expectations already elevated, management guidance may matter more than the headline numbers, as investors look for evidence that current earnings momentum can be sustained into 2027," he says. Key will be major U.S. banks, which start the 3Q earnings season this week. Earnings of TSMC and ASML, key suppliers in the AI value chain, will also offer an early read on whether AI-related investment remains intact, he says in an email. TSMC's commentary on advanced-node demand and capacity utilization, and ASML's order outlook, will be closely watched as indicators of semiconductor capex plans, he adds.