01 Stock Market
As of Jul 15, U.S. stock index futures performed as follows: Dow Jones contracts edged up 0.03%, S&P 500 futures advanced 0.12%, and Nasdaq 100 futures outpaced with a 0.41% rise, hinting at a cautiously constructive tone ahead of the opening bell. Traders weighed upbeat corporate headlines against lingering macro uncertainty, with modest upside momentum pointing to selective risk appetite rather than a broad-based rally.
Notable Stock Movers: PYPL up 18.71% at $56.23 on a reported takeover approach from Stripe and Advent International; BABA up 3.77% at $116.55 after its Qwen model was cleared for integration into Apple Intelligence; INTC up 2.36% at $110.31 following a partner’s disclosure that new High-NA tools will be used for next-generation chips; UMC up 6.96% at $25.50 as enthusiasm for foundry capacity expansion builds; SKHY down 6.46% at $181.40 as its ADR premium narrows amid conversion talk.
Sector snapshot: Semiconductor names extended recent leadership, helped by capacity-expansion announcements from equipment supplier ASML and robust demand indicators for advanced memory and logic chips. Financials were mixed: BLK climbed after record asset-gathering, while large banks prepared to report earnings. Meanwhile, healthcare bellwether JNJ firmed on raised guidance, adding a defensive cushion to the broader market tone.
02 Other Markets
• 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose 0.54%, to 4.61%.
• U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.04% to 100.97.
• WTI crude oil futures rose 0.43% to 79.02 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures fell 0.58% to 4045.90 USD/ounce.
03 Key News
1. BlackRock beat profit expectations and set a new assets-under-management record above $15 trillion. The firm attracted $192 billion of net inflows, powered by iShares ETFs and resilient equity markets, and lifted its planned share-repurchase program to $2 billion, underscoring confidence in future cash generation.
2. ASML raised its full-year revenue outlook and vowed to boost production capacity by 30%. The sole maker of EUV lithography systems cited “extremely strong” order intake from chipmakers expanding for artificial-intelligence demand and reported quarterly revenue and profit ahead of consensus.
3. Johnson & Johnson topped second-quarter sales and earnings estimates and lifted full-year guidance. Oncology and neuroscience therapies drove growth, while med-tech sales accelerated, allowing the company to project higher revenue and adjusted EPS for the year.
4. Morgan Stanley’s revenue exceeded analysts’ forecasts, lifting shares in pre-market action. Quarterly turnover of $21.3 billion surpassed expectations, helped by stronger trading and investment-banking fees, signaling improving deal flow and client activity.
5. Alibaba’s Qwen AI model will power Apple’s on-device “Apple Intelligence” services in China. Regulators have registered the feature for local iPhones, and integration across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS is planned, boosting Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares in early trade.
6. Stripe and Advent International have jointly offered to acquire PayPal at $60.50 per share. The proposal, valuing the payments platform above $53 billion, fueled double-digit pre-market gains as investors assessed the likelihood of a formal deal and potential bidding interest.
7. Chinese AI developer DeepSeek is preparing a new fundraising round targeting a valuation near $74 billion ahead of a planned domestic IPO. Sources indicate the firm may seek up to 50 billion yuan to finance data-center expansion and proprietary chip design as competition for AI leadership intensifies.
8. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) filed for what could become the year’s largest Asian IPO, aiming to raise up to 66.6 billion yuan. The DRAM maker’s share sale underscores Beijing’s drive for semiconductor self-sufficiency and highlights surging demand for high-speed memory used in AI servers.
9. The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation to make daylight saving time permanent. The measure, backed by the White House, seeks to end biannual clock changes and awaits Senate consideration, with potential implications for business hours and consumer activity patterns.
10. Discussion of ADR conversion rules sent SK Hynix’s U.S. shares lower as investors anticipate reduced premium to Seoul-listed stock. Korea Securities Depository signaled forthcoming mutual-conversion eligibility, encouraging arbitrage trading and narrowing a prior 38% valuation gap.
Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.
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