U.S. stock news before the market.

"01" TSMC Law Says Hope for 2024 Global Science and Technology Recovery

TSMC (TSM) forecasts solid growth for the quarter and sets capital spending for 2024 at $28-32 billion, compared to $304 in 2023..The $500 million increase reflects optimistic expectations of a pick-up in demand for mobile phones and high-performance computing.。The company expects revenue growth of at least 20% per year in 2024 and is actively investing in chip manufacturing plants in Japan, Arizona and Germany, with Japanese plants expected to begin mass production by the end of 2024, helping to further expand its global market share.。

"02" retaliation air strikes! Tensions in the Middle East escalate

Pakistan's military carried out air strikes on militant strongholds in Iran on Thursday (18) in retaliatory strikes in response to Iranian attacks on Pakistani territory。The attack was a rare and serious escalation of conflict between the two countries, and Pakistan's Foreign Ministry stressed that the operation was in defence of national security.。While both sides have stated that they do not want the situation to escalate further, the incident follows the conflict between Israel and Hamas, adding to the destabilizing factors in the Middle East.。

"03" Bank of America raises Apple's rating

Bank of America Securities raised Apple's (AAPL) rating to "buy" from "neutral" and raised its price target to $225 per share from $208 per share.。Analysts pointed out that AI and Vision Pro are the driving forces for Apple's hardware and service growth, especially the new iPhone is expected to support generative AI features in 2024 / 2025, which is expected to further drive the need for replacement upgrades.。Analysts are also optimistic that Apple's silicon wafer program from PCs to servers to automation will drive higher profit performance.。

"04" Jamie Dimon Warns Investors to Avoid Bitcoin

In an interview with CNBC, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon criticized Bitcoin for being useless, warning investors to avoid Bitcoin and a number of recently approved Bitcoin ETFs。Dimon satirizes cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin as "pet stones" sought after by popular trends and speculation, and argues that their main uses include fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and sex trafficking.。Dimon even predicted that when Bitcoin reaches 20 million, it may be completely erased (the current supply is 19.6 million)。

"05" Demeili Transfer Schwab Financial Progress.

Since the acquisition of TD Ameritrade by Schwab Wealth Management Group (SCHW), it has successfully converted approximately 90% of the accounts and assets of its clients, totaling 1.6 trillion dollars and 15 million accounts。CEO Walt Bettinger announced that the remaining 10% is expected to be completed by May 2024.。Peter Crawford, the Treasurer, mentioned that while the company is currently under pressure to make profits due to high interest rate deposit interest payments, it expects a net interest margin of 2 at the end of 2024..2 to 2.5 per cent and aim to achieve a net interest margin of 3 per cent by the end of 2025..0%。

06 Plug Power announces new funding, shares fall

Plug Power (PLUG) plans to raise funds through an IPO, and issuing more shares means that existing investors have slightly less ownership of the company, resulting in a pre-market decline in share prices。Plug and Brokerage B.Riley signed an agreement to issue up to $1 billion in new shares at market prices, selling shares in tranches when the market is in good shape, and last November, the company said it needed more capital, leading Wall Street analysts to downgrade it several times.。

Other news:

* U.S. unemployment data is lower than expected, with initial U.S. jobless claims for the week ending January 13 at 187K, less than the expected 207K; continuing claims at 1.806M, lower than expected 1.845M

* Former Meta (META) Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg has announced she is abandoning her re-election bid and will step down from the company's board in May, but will continue to guide the company as an informal advisor.

* Goldman Sachs announces plans to hire new talent in the Asset and Wealth Management division to support expansion in this business area。In addition, Goldman Sachs is optimistic about Japan as a key growth market in the future, while also speaking highly of the Indian market.

* Tesla (TSLA) plans to tour China to showcase the new Cybertruck electric pickup truck, but the timing and method of this model's disclosure in China are unclear