New York, January 15, 2026, 17:01 EST
U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, snapping a two-day losing streak, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s upbeat outlook lifted chip shares and Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley climbed after quarterly results. The S&P 500 gained 0.26%, while the Dow rose 0.60% and the Nasdaq added 0.25%. Jake Dollarhide of Longbow Asset Management said the market had been “growth, tech or bust,” while Alan Lancz of Alan B. Lancz & Associates said TSMC’s forecast helped tamp down valuation worries. (Reuters)
The bounce lands as investors look for signs the rally can widen beyond a handful of expensive technology names, with fourth-quarter earnings now rolling in. “With some questions being raised on tech, investors are looking at, what are other areas that I could invest in,” Keith Lerner, chief investment officer at Truist Advisory Services, said. (Reuters)
TSMC, the world’s main producer of advanced chips used in artificial intelligence, said fourth-quarter profit jumped 35% to a record and forecast 2026 revenue growth of close to 30% in U.S. dollar terms. The company also guided 2026 capital spending, or capex, at $52 billion to $56 billion and pointed to more U.S. manufacturing expansion, with CEO C.C. Wei saying added Arizona land “gives you a hint as to what we plan to do.” (Reuters)
The chip move carried into U.S. trading, with TSMC’s U.S.-listed shares up 4.4% and chip-equipment makers leading gains; KLA rose 7.7% and Applied Materials gained 5.7%, while Nvidia climbed 2.1%, according to the Associated Press. Oil also fell sharply, with U.S. crude down 4.6% to $59.19 a barrel after President Donald Trump’s remarks eased fears of supply disruption tied to Iran, the AP reported. (AP News)
Morgan Stanley reported fourth-quarter profit of $2.68 per share, beating estimates of $2.44, helped by a 47% jump in investment banking revenue to $2.41 billion. CFO Sharon Yeshaya told Reuters the bank was “seeing an accelerating pipeline in M&A and IPOs,” referring to mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings, and said it expected more deals in healthcare and industrials. (Reuters)
Goldman Sachs also topped expectations, leaning on trading and a pick-up in dealmaking as the bank talked up the 2026 pipeline. CEO David Solomon said on an analyst call that the setup looked “incredibly constructive in 2026 for M&A and capital markets,” while Goldman posted record equity trading revenue of $4.31 billion and investment banking fees of $2.58 billion. (Reuters)
Bankers are betting the activity lasts. Global investment banking revenues crossed $100 billion in 2025, Dealogic data showed, and JPMorgan CFO Jeremy Barnum said the firm expected “strong client engagement and deal activity in 2026,” even as results across big lenders varied. (Reuters)
BlackRock added to the financial-sector tailwind, reporting assets under management — the money it manages for clients — at a record $14 trillion as markets rallied and inflows returned to low-cost index products and ETFs, or exchange-traded funds. The asset manager hiked its quarterly dividend by 10% and raised its share buyback authorization, with shares jumping more than 4% on the day. (Reuters)
Economic data was broadly supportive, with weekly initial jobless claims falling 9,000 to 198,000 for the week ended Jan. 10, below forecasts for 215,000. “The picture of the labor market from the claims data, as noisy as it has been in recent weeks, is one of at least stable labor market conditions,” Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said. (Reuters)
Wednesday’s selloff had left investors jumpy. Tech and bank stocks led Wall Street into a second straight decline then, with the Nasdaq ending down 1% and bank shares sliding as markets weighed Trump’s proposal to cap credit-card interest rates at 10%; “after a nice run,” investors were taking profits, said Michael O’Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading. (Reuters)
But the day still carried familiar risks: the rally remains sensitive to swings in AI spending expectations, deal flow and Washington-driven headlines that can move everything from bank shares to oil. Even before the bell, futures were up as traders positioned for earnings and TSMC’s news, while chip-tool stocks such as Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA were already higher in premarket trade — a setup that can unwind fast if results or guidance disappoint. (Investing)
