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%) |
| Dow 49,150 (-0.09%) |
| Bitcoin $97,552 (+3.32%) |
Source: Image created by Jester AI.
1. TSM Rises Over 5% After Posting Record Results
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM 1.24%) beat revenue and net income expectations for Q4 results, with year-over-year profit growing for the eighth consecutive quarter, as AI chip demand remained strong. The record quarter drove the stock up over 6% 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.
2. BTC Hits 2-Month High With Senate Bill
Bitcoin (BTC +1.99%) 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. 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 he's aiming for "a 5%-10% five-year return" but admits going forward "we could have that same extreme volatility". Bitcoin was ranked #10 in the Hidden Gems Rankings for December.
3. Next Up: Wall Street Titans Report
Morgan Stanley (MS 1.08%) 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 (GS 0.58%) should release quarterly earnings ahead of the opening bell, with results expected to benefit from higher trading activity, 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 (BLK +0.26%) 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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