01 Stock Market
As of Jan 27, U.S. stock index futures performed as follows: Dow futures were modestly softer, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures edged higher, reflecting rotation toward growth and AI-exposed names. Specifically, the Dow contract fell 0.25%, the S&P 500 contract rose 0.29%, and the Nasdaq 100 contract gained 0.69%. This setup points to a constructive tone for large-cap tech and semiconductors alongside cautious trading in more cyclical constituents.
Notable Stock Movers: Broad-based pre-market action concentrated in AI, semis, and precious-metals proxies. UNH fell 12.31% at $308.37; NET up 12.53% at $213.07; MU up 4.98% at $408.45; INTC up 3.79% at $44.10; SLV up 3.37% at $101.65; AGQ up 6.87% at $375.01; IONQ up 4.04% at $45.12; AAPL up 1.26% at $258.62; MSFT up 0.75% at $473.79; NVDA up 0.50% at $187.41. Action in leveraged and metals-linked ETFs indicates brisk positioning around the precious-metals complex amid heightened volume.
Pre-bell breadth leans toward AI infrastructure and high-performance compute, supported by company-specific catalysts and supply-chain updates. Semiconductor-linked ETFs such as SOXL up 5.21% at $63.86 and tech-leverage products like TQQQ up 2.16% at $56.27 highlight risk appetite in growth exposures. Elsewhere, selective strength in mega-caps (GOOG up 1.12% at $337.32; META up 0.35% at $674.69; AVGO up 1.08% at $328.35) underscores expectations for AI monetization and cloud workloads.
02 Other Markets
10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose 0.15%, to 4.22%.
U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.1278% to 96.94.
WTI crude oil futures fell 0.05% to 60.60 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures fell 0.06% to 5079.20 USD/ounce.
03 Key News
Microsoft unveiled the next-generation Maia 200 AI chip and added Triton-based developer tools to challenge Nvidia’s software advantage. The chip enters service at U.S. data centers and uses advanced TSMC 3nm fabrication with high-bandwidth memory, aiming to optimize AI workloads. The integrated software stack targets portability away from CUDA, potentially broadening AI-chip competition. MSFT is up 0.75% at $473.79 pre-market; NVDA is up 0.50% at $187.41.
Micron plans new memory manufacturing investment in Singapore to expand NAND capacity amid a global memory shortage. The move complements its advanced packaging buildout and follows talks to acquire a Taiwan fabrication site to boost DRAM wafer output. Expansion aims to alleviate AI-driven demand pressure on memory supply chains. MU is up 4.98% at $408.45 pre-market.
U.S. core capital-goods orders rose, signaling resilient business investment in robotics and AI despite tariff headwinds. The government’s durable-goods report showed solid momentum in “core” equipment, reinforcing capex strength tied to productivity-focused technologies. This backdrop supports ongoing growth in AI infrastructure and industrial automation spending across listed suppliers and customers.
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows, breaking a multi-day outflow streak and signaling renewed demand for crypto exposure. Recent flow data indicated modest net additions for Bitcoin products alongside stronger inflows for Ethereum ETFs, hinting at diversified retail and institutional interest. Crypto-linked equities and platforms may see incremental sentiment support as flows stabilize.
The U.S. government announced plans to take a stake in USA Rare Earth, reinforcing strategic investment in critical minerals supply chains. The pattern of targeted stakes and golden shares underscores public–private capital alignment in sensitive sectors such as AI hardware inputs. Related listings reacted as investors priced potential support and procurement visibility; USAR fell 0.79% at $26.51 pre-market.
Local media reported SK Hynix as the sole supplier of HBM3E for Microsoft’s Maia 200 accelerators, highlighting a key memory partnership. The supply footprint strengthens the AI-memory value chain and may calibrate competitors’ timelines. As Microsoft ramps Maia deployments, the memory backlog and long-lead contracting could sustain elevated pricing. MSFT is up 0.75% at $473.79 pre-market.
Zijin Gold agreed to acquire Allied Gold for about C$5.5 billion in cash, advancing consolidation amid record bullion prices. The deal underscores miners’ preference to secure long-life assets via acquisition rather than greenfield buildouts. U.S.-listed shares of Allied Gold were up nearly 4% in pre-market trading as investors weighed potential scale and portfolio diversification benefits.
Reports indicated the New York Fed contacted counterparties on dollar–yen pricing, signaling potential intervention coordination to support the yen. Engagement stirred currency volatility expectations and raised questions about carry-trade unwinds affecting U.S. equity positioning. A stronger yen can ripple into global risk assets if leveraged strategies reset.
Silver-linked ETFs saw record trading volumes as futures posted outsized gains, highlighting momentum-driven flows in precious metals. Activity in the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) surged, with simultaneous spikes in options volumes and inverse products, reflecting two-way speculation. SLV is up 3.37% at $101.65 pre-market, while traders brace for continued volatility.
Nvidia reportedly licensed technology from Groq in a major deal, bolstering AI inference capabilities alongside next-gen chip roadmaps. The arrangement adds architectural diversity to Nvidia’s AI stack and could support throughput for large-scale inference deployments. Competitive responses from hyperscalers and specialized chipmakers remain in focus. NVDA is up 0.50% at $187.41 pre-market.
Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.