Green Light for Starship 5?

Green Light for Starship 5?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may approve a license for SpaceX’s Starship 5 launch this month, according to a source cited by Reuters. SpaceX had indicated the fifth test flight could occur as soon as October 13, pending regulatory approval. While the FAA previously anticipated a decision by late November, it now says the review is ongoing. As and when the decision comes, it will help SpaceX maintain its edge in the increasingly competitive space sector.

TSMC Allays Slowdown Fears

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co [TSM] posted a 39% rise in quarterly revenue, surpassing expectations and easing concerns about a potential slowdown in artificial intelligence (AI) hardware spending. TSMC reported quarterly sales of NT$759.7bn, compared to forecasts of NT$748bn. The chipmaker, a major supplier to Nvidia [NVDA] and Apple [AAPL], has benefited from the surge in AI-related demand. Full earnings will be disclosed next Thursday.

DoJ Closes in on Google

US futures slipped and Alphabet [GOOGL] shares fell approximately 1% in premarket trading on Wednesday, as the tech giant faced pressure from a potential US Department of Justice antitrust crackdown. Measures to end Google’s search engine monopoly “could include contract requirements and prohibitions; non-discrimination product requirements; data and interoperability requirements; and structural requirements”, the department said in a filing.

Progress on “Superfast” EV Charging

Asian battery makers are accelerating efforts to develop “superfast charging” cells for electric vehicles (EVs) that aim to eliminate long charging times, a key concern for potential EV buyers, the Financial Times reported. This year, China’s CATL [300750:SZ] and Gotion High-tech [002074:SZ] are introducing batteries that can charge from 10% to 80% in under 10 minutes. The ultimate goal is to make the EV refueling experience comparable to filling up a vehicle using traditional fuels.

The Future According to Nvidia

At its AI Summit in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, the chipmaker unveiled its vision for the future of AI, with applications ranging from advanced AI agents and robotic factories to weather forecasting, cancer cures and even contacting extraterrestrial life. Vice President Bob Pette predicted a collective $20trn impact from the adoption of AI, while CEO Jensen Huang said the future of AI was robotics.

Seeking Alpha Names Top IT Quant Picks

The information technology sector has surged 17% this year. Seeking Alpha’s Quant rating system indicates an average health score of 3.33 for the sector, based on metrics like valuation and earnings growth. Nine stocks received a ‘buy’ rating or higher, 56 were rated ‘neutral’ and none were rated ‘sell’ or lower. Seagate Technology Holdings [STX] leads with a score of 4.77, followed by Microsoft [MSFT] at 4.60. Adobe [ADBE] and Micron [MU] also fared well, with scores of 4.35 and 4.07, respectively.

Cisco Sells Off Rubrik

Cisco Systems [CSCO] has divested its shares in Rubrik [RBRK], just months after the cybersecurity firm’s IPO, according to Barron’s. As of June 30, Cisco held 183,081 shares of Rubrik, valued at nearly $6m at the end of Q2. The sale of its Rubrik stock was completed by September 30, Seeking Alpha reported. Que Nguyen, Chief Investment Officer at Research Affiliates, recently discussed on OPTO Sessions how canny moves such as this have given Cisco staying power, where its contemporaries have fallen by the wayside.