A view of the TSMC Global R&D Center in Hsinchu, Taiwan on April 15, 2025.
Anne Wang | Reuters
Thursday gave markets a rare respite from the constant geopolitical upheaval. Still, the week’s headlines still reflected larger global trends.
Case in point: Taiwan’s $250 billion investment in chip production in the United States. This is both commercial and strategic. Under the agreement, the U.S. will reduce tariffs on Taiwanese imports from 20% to 15%, and completely eliminate tariffs on other products such as generic drugs and aircraft parts.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC’s Brian Sullivan in an interview Thursday that the company has already purchased land and could expand into Arizona as part of the deal. TSMC Chief Financial Officer Wendell Huang told CNBC’s Emily Tan on Thursday that the company is also considering additional investments in the U.S. beyond its current plans.
The world’s leading contract chipmaker also announced explosive profits on Thursday. TSMC also announced an increase in expected capital spending for 2026, showing that demand for artificial intelligence remains strong this year.
This wave of optimism contributed to the stock market’s rise. Semiconductor and AI related stocks, etc. Nvidia, advanced micro device and applied materials It is advanced in the United States, but in Europe, ASML and ASM Internationalalso climbed.
Stock prices in Europe are expected to end this week at record highs. Rising tech stocks lifted the sector to levels not seen since 2000, while new data showing Germany’s economy will expand for the first time in two years in 2025 also boosted sentiment.
Meanwhile, oil prices fell after US President Donald Trump said he might refrain from attacking Iran, reducing a key source of short-term risk.
But tensions persist elsewhere. Several NATO countries announced they have sent troops to Greenland as part of joint exercises to strengthen Arctic security. These moves follow tense transatlantic debates over a US proposal to acquire the semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, which has upset European partners and raised fundamental questions about the alliance.
—CNBC’s Kif Leswing and Leonie Kidd contributed to this report.
What you need to know today
The US is raising the price of Venezuelan oil by 30%. The U.S. government has completed its first sale of about $500 million worth of Venezuelan crude oil, which represents “about a 30% higher realized price for the same barrel of oil we sold than if (Venezuela) sold the same barrel of oil three weeks ago,” U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday.
India’s exports to China surged in December. Shipments amounted to $2 billion, an increase of 67% from the previous year. In contrast, exports to the US fell by 1.8% to $6.8 billion due to the impact of the 50% tariff on New Delhi, although the US remains India’s largest export market.
Mitsubishi to acquire US shale gas assets The Japanese conglomerate will acquire shale gas assets in Texas and Louisiana from Aison Energy Management for $7.53 billion. shares of Mitsubishi CorporationAs of 2:20pm Singapore time (1:20am ET), n was trading 1.3% lower.
US indexes rebound from decline. Major U.S. indexes rose on Thursday, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley beating expectations and gains in semiconductor and banking stocks. Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Friday, but semiconductor stocks generally rose.
(PRO) Income investors should diversify: UBS. The market is likely to be even more volatile this year than in 2025, the Swiss bank said. UBS analysts recommend diversifying your allocation across these assets.
And finally…
The oil market is being pulled in all directions. How market watchers are navigating this situation
Energy markets have been rocked by volatility in recent days as investors weigh the U.S. government’s response to a violent crackdown on the civil war in oil-rich Iran.
But Ed Bell, acting chief economist and head of research group at Emirates NBD, one of the UAE’s largest financial institutions, told CNBC’s “Access Middle East” on Thursday that while markets were monitoring the situation, little had actually changed.
— Chloe Taylor and Sam Meredith
