MicroStrategy: Trailblazer

MicroStrategy: Trailblazer

MicroStrategy has rebranded as Strategy, underlining its focus on digital capital and business intelligence. The firm reported a 50% year-on-year increase in current subscription billings, as well as a 48% year-on-year rise in subscription services revenues for Q4 2024, Seeking Alpha detailed. Elsewhere, the Financial Times has listed “copycat” stocks that have adopted MSTR’s crypto strategy, among them KULR Technology [KULR] and Japan’s Metaplanet [3350.T].

Japan Intensifies Quantum Drive

Intel [INTC] is teaming up with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to develop next-gen quantum computers using its chips, according to a report from Nikkei Asia seen by Seeking Alpha. Operations start this spring near Tokyo, with plans for a machine featuring tens of thousands of quantum bits — potentially benefiting pharma, finance and logistics. AIST is also collaborating with IBM [IBM] on quantum tech. 

Palantir is Looking Unstoppable

Palantir [PLTR] soared past a $200bn valuation earlier this week after reporting strong Q4 earnings, taking it beyond household names like American Express [AXP], McDonald’s [MCD] and Disney [DIS], Forbesreported. The stock is now part of the elite group of 47 US mega-cap firms; CEO Alex Karp credits its success to being “at the center of the AI revolution”. OPTO details how a varied and industry-leading product book could support PLTR to reach new heights over the coming months.

Record Quarter for Arm

Artificial intelligence-driven (AI) demand fueled record Q3 2025 revenue for Arm [ARM], with total revenue up 19% year-on-year to $983m, surpassing guidance. Royalty revenue rose 23% to $580m, driven by Armv9 and CSS tech adoption in smartphones, data centers and IoT. Key deployments include MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 and Amaz Graviton. Over 50% of Amazon’s [AMZN] AWS’s new CPU capacity now runs on Graviton chips, Seeking Alpha reported. 

What are BofA’s Top Growth Stocks?

Bank of America has updated its “Growth 10” list, highlighting top-ranked growth stocks based on its methodology, Seeking Alpha reported. Allstate [ALL] leads with a projected 172.7% EPS growth over five years, followed by CrowdStrike [CRWD] at 55% and Merck [MRK] at 54.9%. Eli Lilly [LLY] is set for 44.8%, while Netflix [NFLX] and Meta [META] may see 22.9% and 13.8%, respectively. The group is up 7.3% year-to-date, versus 2.7% for the S&P 500.

QCOM Drops on Smartphone Forecast

Qualcomm [QCOM] slipped in late trading on concerns about slowing smartphone demand. The chipmaker expects revenue of $10.3bn to $11.2bn for the quarter ending March, with its licensing unit generating $1.25bn to $1.45bn — below the $1.4bn analyst estimate. Some analysts questioned Qualcomm’s industry outlook, as its licensing revenue is tied to global phone sales projections, Bloomberg reported. Read OPTO’s deep dive into three chip stocks which look poised to thrive amid the broader sector’s uncertainty.

AstraZeneca Earnings Beat

AstraZeneca [AZN] posted a strong Q4, with non-GAAP EPS of $2.09 beating estimates by $1.02 and revenue surging 23.9% year-on-year to $14.89bn, exceeding forecasts by $660m. Looking ahead to FY 2025, the company expects high single-digit revenue growth and low double-digit core EPS growth at CER, with a projected core tax rate of 18-22%. Guidance is based on 2024 average FX rates.