$Apple(AAPL)$  Apple: Has the stock formed a durable bottom? After six consecutive weekly declines, Apple is showing early stabilisation signals, but not yet a confirmed durable bottom. Why a short-term bottom is plausible Positioning reset: Sentiment and positioning have materially de-risked. Many fast-money sellers are already out. Fundamental floor: Services margins, buybacks, and cash flow remain intact, limiting downside compared with prior hardware-led drawdowns. Smartphone leadership regained: Shipment leadership supports revenue stability, even if unit growth remains modest. Why patience may still be required Earnings revisions have not turned: A durable bottom typically coincides with stabilising or rising forward EPS. AI monetisatio

The current rally reflects a clear shift from cyclical supply narratives towards a sustained geopolitical risk premium. The key question is whether this premium is transient or structural. Does the geopolitical premium justify further upside in gold? Yes, with important caveats. Gold’s move above USD 4,600 is not driven by speculative excess alone. It is underpinned by four structural forces: Persistent geopolitical fragmentation Ongoing conflicts, sanctions risk, and great-power rivalry have increased demand for neutral reserve assets. This has lengthened the life of the geopolitical premium rather than creating a short-term spike. Central bank accumulation EM central banks continue to diversify away from USD assets. This demand is price-insensitive and provides a durable floor. Fiscal do

The current rally reflects a clear shift from cyclical supply narratives towards a sustained geopolitical risk premium. The key question is whether this premium is transient or structural. Does the geopolitical premium justify further upside in gold? Yes, with important caveats. Gold’s move above USD 4,600 is not driven by speculative excess alone. It is underpinned by four structural forces: Persistent geopolitical fragmentation Ongoing conflicts, sanctions risk, and great-power rivalry have increased demand for neutral reserve assets. This has lengthened the life of the geopolitical premium rather than creating a short-term spike. Central bank accumulation EM central banks continue to diversify away from USD assets. This demand is price-insensitive and provides a durable floor. Fiscal do

Will pressure on the Fed change rate-cut expectations? At the margin, yes, but not in the way markets initially fear. Policy reality: The Federal Reserve’s reaction function remains anchored to inflation, labour data, and financial conditions. A subpoena does not alter the data path, nor does it grant the executive branch control over rates. Chair Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve are institutionally insulated from direct interference. Market perception: The bigger impact is on risk premia, not the dot plot. Any perceived erosion of independence forces markets to price uncertainty around future policy consistency, which can delay or shallow the expected rate-cut path even if inflation cooperates. Net effect for 2026: Rate cuts are still likely if disinflation continues, but the bar for

The key question is whether this is a price spike or a cycle reset. NAND leaders vs DRAM players in the storage supercycle NAND-focused players (for example, SanDisk) NAND is currently the sharper, more visible expression of the AI storage theme. Enterprise SSD pricing power is real and near-term. Hyperscalers are prioritising capacity, endurance, and latency over cost discipline. Supply remains structurally constrained after years of underinvestment and capacity rationalisation. NAND is increasingly tied to AI inference, checkpointing, and fast-recovery workloads, not just bulk storage. However, NAND cycles historically overshoot. When pricing doubles, customer behaviour eventually adjusts, even in AI-heavy environments. This makes NAND the higher-beta, higher-risk leg of the trade. DRAM-

The current rally is no longer driven by classical supply–demand imbalances alone, but by a persistent geopolitical risk premium layered onto already fragile macro conditions. Does the geopolitical premium justify further upside in gold? To a degree, yes, but the nature of that upside matters. Gold above USD 4,600 reflects not a short-lived shock premium, but a structural repricing of risk. Several forces reinforce this: entrenched geopolitical fragmentation, sustained central bank accumulation, currency debasement concerns, and declining confidence in fiat stability during fiscal expansion. However, at these levels, upside is likely to be grind-like rather than explosive. Gold now behaves more as a strategic reserve asset than a momentum trade. Volatility spikes will increasingly invite p

The current rally is no longer driven by classical supply–demand imbalances alone, but by a persistent geopolitical risk premium layered onto already fragile macro conditions. Does the geopolitical premium justify further upside in gold? To a degree, yes, but the nature of that upside matters. Gold above USD 4,600 reflects not a short-lived shock premium, but a structural repricing of risk. Several forces reinforce this: entrenched geopolitical fragmentation, sustained central bank accumulation, currency debasement concerns, and declining confidence in fiat stability during fiscal expansion. However, at these levels, upside is likely to be grind-like rather than explosive. Gold now behaves more as a strategic reserve asset than a momentum trade. Volatility spikes will increasingly invite p

1. With Q4 earnings ahead, will AI orders drive TSMC to new highs? Likely, but not unconditionally. TSMC’s share price has been propelled by AI-related demand for advanced logic and accelerator chips. Analysts and trading data suggest AI infrastructure spending is a central driver behind forward earnings expectations and capacity utilisation. Foundry revenue has expanded strongly on the back of AI chip orders and products built on TSMC’s leading nodes (3nm and 2nm) have high margins and stickier customer demand.  Key considerations: AI backlog and advanced nodes: TSMC’s 2nm and advanced CoWoS packaging are core to AI chips for Nvidia, AMD and others, sustaining both revenue and margin leadership.  Guidance matters: The next leg higher will depend on guidance around capacity utili

The rally in bank stocks ahead of earnings season reflects a combination of macro-economic, sector-specific and technical factors rather than a single driver. Shares of major US banks including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley are trading near record highs, and the broader financial sector has lifted the S&P 500 financials index on expectations of stronger profits. Investors are looking through stretched valuations because of optimism about earnings drivers and economic resilience.  Key drivers behind the rally Resilient economic backdrop A relatively robust US economy supports banks’ core businesses. Continued growth in consumer spending and nominal GDP tends to underpin credit demand and reduce downside risk to earnings.  Improving capital markets

SNDK’s K-line pattern in 2026 SanDisk’s rally fits a bullish flag evolving into a rising channel. A strong impulsive advance was followed by shallow consolidation, with higher lows and controlled volatility. This structure signals continuation rather than distribution. Do stocks ever perfectly match K-line patterns? Rarely. K-line patterns are probabilistic frameworks, not exact templates. Real charts are influenced by algorithms, derivatives flows, and macro noise. Continuation patterns tend to be more reliable than clean reversal patterns. Does memory still have upside in 2026? Yes, structurally. Micron Technology and SK Hynix benefit from tight HBM supply, improved capex discipline, and sustained AI-driven demand. In 2026, returns shift from valuation expansion to earnings delivery, w

What Is Driving the Rally in Bank Stocks Earnings Expectations and Strong Financial Results Momentum Analysts expect overall S&P 500 financial earnings to rise around 6.7 per cent year-on-year for the December quarter, supported by solid profitability and credit quality. This has helped underpin bullish sentiment in the sector.  Net Interest Margin Expansion and Broad Loan Growth Banks have benefited from a period of higher interest rates throughout 2024–25, which lifted net interest margins (NIM) — the difference between interest earned on loans and interest paid on deposits. Firms are projected to sustain, or even modestly expand, NIM into the current quarter.  Resilient Credit Quality and Economic Backdrop Delinquency trends have generally remained benign across consumer a

Overview of Seeking Alpha’s 2026 Picks Seeking Alpha’s Top 10 Stocks for 2026 represent a diversified set of ideas selected through its Quantitative system with a focus on growth, profitability and earnings momentum. They are featured as high-conviction candidates for the year based on forward metrics that significantly exceed the broader market’s growth expectations.  The list typically emphasises secular growth drivers (for example AI, data infrastructure, semiconductors) and companies that exhibit strong fundamental factor grades across growth, earnings revisions and relative valuation.  The Ten Picks (Approximate List) Based on Seeking Alpha’s published Quant pick list and market discussions, the top selections include:  Micron Technology (MU) – Dynamic memory/DRAM leade

$Apple(AAPL)$   1. What is driving the recent pullback Apple has now traded lower for seven consecutive sessions, with the stock down roughly 4–5 per cent from recent highs. This streak is the longest in many months and reflects broader sentiment turning cautious.  Key near-term drivers include: • Profit-taking and seasonal weakness after strong gains late last year and into early January.  • Investor caution over growth sustainability, especially in smartphone markets where demand is moderating in China and elsewhere.  • Concerns about margin pressure from rising component costs, notably memory prices, which could weigh on gross margins.  • Sector rotation from mega-cap growth stocks into value or cyclicals in the cu

The pullback across storage names appears to be predominantly profit-taking, not a deterioration in the AI memory thesis. Profit-taking or sentiment shift? This move has the hallmarks of positioning and valuation reset, rather than a change in fundamentals. After a sharp rally, storage stocks had become crowded trades, vulnerable to short-term de-risking once momentum slowed. The absence of negative guidance, order cancellations, or pricing deterioration argues against a true sentiment reversal. The reaffirmation from BofA Securities on SanDisk, despite the drawdown, reinforces this view. Analysts are clearly distinguishing between near-term volatility and structural AI-driven demand. AI memory demand remains intact The core drivers have not changed: AI workloads are increasingly memory-in

The current silver weakness should be viewed primarily through the lens of flow mechanics, not a deterioration in fundamentals. Is the sell-off mechanical or structural? It is largely mechanical. The Bloomberg Commodity Index annual rebalancing forces passive funds to reduce silver exposure after its strong prior-year performance. The estimated USD 7.7 billion of selling flagged by TD Securities represents mandated portfolio adjustment, not discretionary bearish positioning. Such flows are price-insensitive and time-bound, typically concentrated within the rebalance window. There is little evidence of a structural demand breakdown. Industrial demand tied to electrification, solar, and AI-related power infrastructure remains intact, while mine supply growth is constrained. Role of inventori

Alphabet overtaking Apple is less about a single trading session and more about how the market is re-pricing AI execution paths. Can AI momentum still drive multiple expansion for Alphabet? In the near term, yes, but selectively. Alphabet’s rerating is grounded in credible monetisation, not speculative AI optionality. Search, YouTube, and Cloud now show tangible AI-driven uplift through ad efficiency, enterprise workloads, and productivity tools. That supports earnings upgrades, which can justify some further multiple expansion. However, at record highs, valuation expansion will likely slow. From here, upside depends more on earnings compounding than multiple re-rating. In other words, Alphabet is transitioning from “AI promise” to “AI operator”. That is bullish, but also more disciplined.

1) DBS and OCBC at highs: add or trim? For long-term holders, this is a hold or selective trim, not an aggressive add. DBS Group and OCBC are pricing in peak ROE and stable credit conditions. Adding on strength only makes sense if dividends are the priority. Trimming into rallies to rebalance risk is rational. 2) Will UOB catch up? UOB is the more plausible laggard-to-catch-up play. Its ASEAN exposure offers medium-term upside if regional growth improves, but near-term catalysts are weaker. Expect slower re-rating rather than a sharp catch-up. 3) Rate cuts in 2026: can banks still rise? Yes, but returns will be dividend-led, not multiple-driven. NIMs will compress, yet loan growth, fee income, and asset quality should cushion earnings. Bank stocks can grind higher, but expect mid-sing

$Intel(INTC)$  Intel’s CES update is a credible operational milestone, but not yet a full investment inflection. Bullish on the comeback? The successful ramp of 18A via the Core Ultra Series 3 materially improves Intel’s execution credibility. It reduces the narrative risk around delays and supports its ambition to be both a product and foundry player. That said, this is a proof-of-capability phase, not yet proof-of-dominance. Consistency across yields, power efficiency, and OEM adoption over the next 12 to 18 months will matter more than a single launch. Buy at USD 40? At this level, Intel looks fairly valued for a turnaround, not cheap. Upside exists if 18A ramps smoothly and PC share stabilises, but downside remains if margins lag or capex

This flip is more than a fleeting sentiment move, but it should not be read as a permanent coronation either. What the market is signalling Investors are clearly rewarding Alphabet for translating AI from narrative into visible monetisation. Search integration, cloud growth, and productivity tools show near-term revenue leverage, which supports both earnings confidence and multiple durability. In contrast, Apple remains perceived as AI-defensive rather than AI-offensive, with value still anchored to hardware cycles and ecosystem lock-in. Short-term versus structural In the short term, this reflects relative momentum. Alphabet’s earnings sensitivity to AI adoption is clearer today. However, market leadership shifts only become structural when cash flows, not just product roadmaps, diverge p

$S&P 500(.SPX)$  A strong January does tilt probabilities in favour of a constructive 2026, but the path is unlikely to be linear. U.S. equities: Double-digit gains remain plausible, though harder than in prior years. Valuations are elevated, so returns will depend more on earnings delivery than multiple expansion. Expect higher volatility and sharper rotations rather than a broad, smooth rally. Relative performance: The U.S. may outperform on absolute earnings quality, but could lag selectively versus parts of Asia and Europe where valuations are lower and policy cycles are more accommodative. Leadership may narrow rather than broaden. AI leadership rotation: Near term, memory and infrastructure stocks benefit from capacity tightness and