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Market Data Table

Breakfast News: TSM's Q4 Revives Market's AI Hopes

January 15, 2026

Wednesday's Markets
S&P 500 6,927 (-0.53%)
Nasdaq 23,472 (-1.00%)
Dow 49,150 (-0.09%)
Bitcoin $97,552 (+3.32%)

Chart comparing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's market performance to that of the S&P 500's over the past five years, with Taiwan Semi ending at up 161% and the S&P ending at up 84%.

1) TSM Rises Over 5% After Posting Record Results

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) beat revenue and net income expectations for Q4 results, with year-over-year profit growing for the eighth consecutive quarter, as artificial intelligence (AI) chip demand remained strong. The record quarter drove the stock up over 5% ahead of the market opening, helping to lift tech-heavy Nasdaq futures as much as 0.8%.

"You're trying to ask us whether AI demand is real or not. I'm also very nervous about it": CEO C.C. Wei provided her outlook on the sector during the earnings call and spoke about how the business was earmarking as much as $56 billion for capital spending in 2026, showing commitment.
2026 total sales expected to grow by close to 30%: Advanced chips made up 77% of total wafer revenue during the quarter, with demand from smartphones contributing 32% to sales. Both areas are expected to expand this year.

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2) BTC Hits Two-Month High With Senate Bill

Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) jumped close to $98,000 before falling back below $97,000, as regulatory optimism surrounding the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act sparked a fresh rally, hitting a two-month high in the process.

Ensuring "everyday Americans have the tools, information, and protections they need to safely participate in digital asset markets": The Senate Banking Committee is due to meet today to discuss the bill, with a draft published earlier this week. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins said, "This is a big week for crypto."
"A lot depends on specifically five years from now, in 2030, where are we in Bitcoin's cycle?": Fool contributing analyst Dan Caplinger said last November that he's aiming for "a 5%-10% five-year return" but admits going forward that "we could have that same extreme volatility." Bitcoin was ranked No. 10 in the Hidden Gems Rankings for December.

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3) Next Up: Wall Street Titans Report

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reports before the market opens, aiming to back up a standout previous quarter, with investors expecting the strong investment banking division to help lift profits.

Exiting Apple Card partnership should add $0.46 to earnings per share: Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) should release quarterly earnings ahead of the opening bell, with results expected to benefit from higher trading activity, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, and asset management inflows. Last quarter, earnings jumped by 46% versus the prior year.
Beaten earnings estimates each time for the past year: BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) rose over 1.5% before the market opened due to quarterly results showing $342 billion of inflows, pushing the company to a record $14 trillion in assets, with CEO Larry Fink saying, "Clients are looking to do more across BlackRock."

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4) Your Take

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