U.S. stocks rise on U.S.-Iran weekend negotiations expectations and good news for individual firms

04/22 U.S. stocks rise on U.S.-Iran weekend negotiations expectations and good news for individual firms

The U.S. stock market started higher after Trump extended the ceasefire despite the continued uncertainty between the U.S. and Iran and raised the possibility of negotiations on Friday. On top of that, memory companies rose on the basis of individual favorable factors, and large technology stocks also showed solid performance, leading the rise. In the second half of the market, expectations for communication were highlighted when Iran canceled the execution at Trump’s request, and the possibility of Iran participating in negotiations also increased. On top of that, the ceasefire could be extended for a long time and the rise was expanded due to the impact of options supply and demand (Dow +0.69′, Nasdaq +1.64%, S&P 500 +1.05%, Russell 2000 +0.74%, Philadelphia Semiconductor Index +2.72%)

*Factors to Change: U.S.-Iran Negotiations Expect, Semiconductor Firms Rise

The U.S. and Iran are believed to have entered into a phase of simultaneous dialogue, in which they seek an exit for resumption of negotiations while maintaining military pressure. President Trump has repeatedly mentioned his hope of reaching an agreement by the end of the week along with the extension of the ceasefire, stressing his willingness to resolve the issue diplomatically. In particular, he disclosed the suspension of execution of eight Iranian female protesters, suggesting the possibility of behind-the-scenes communication channels between the two sides. On top of that, expectations for negotiations are strengthened, saying Pakistan has received a positive signal from Iran for the resumption of face-to-face talks.

Iran, on the other hand, left room for negotiations but kept pressure on Pakistan. Iran’s foreign ministry thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts but said the military was ready to respond, while congressional leaders argued that it would be difficult to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the U.S. blockade and Israeli provocations continue. In other words, it does not reject the dialogue itself, but maintains its position that it will not make concessions without substantial conditions such as easing sanctions, lifting the blockade and ensuring security. The market interprets this as easing the possibility of an all-out war and increasing the possibility of negotiations, responding with an increase in the index

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose 2.72%, continuing its upward trend for 16 consecutive trading days. This is the longest upward rally in history since the index’s calculation, indicating that the semiconductor industry is still at the center of the AI investment cycle. In particular, the prospect that a paradigm shift to AI Agentic presented at the Google Cloud Conference will cause an explosive increase in memory demand stimulates investor sentiment. The news that Nvidia (+1.31%) has decided to work with Google Cloud to supply the Vera Rubin platform to the next-generation A5X infrastructure shows that it has entered the expansion phase of the entire market beyond replacing certain chips.

In addition, the surge in Micron (+8.48%) and GE Vernova (+13.75%) are also affected. Micron surged on news that China’s largest DRAM company, Changsin Memory (CXMT), was disrupted from entering HBM, and that it is supporting the U.S. Congress to pass the MATCH Act, which includes strengthening regulations on equipment exports and maintenance to Chinese competitors. GE Vernova (+13.75%) also said in its earnings report that the surge in power grid also suggested an increase in data centers, with orders exceeding last quarter last year’s volume, indicating that demand for semiconductors could continue to surge. In terms of supply and demand, Micron surpassed the $450 resistance level during the stock price rise, resulting in a gamma squeeze worth about $230 million, and the inflow of about $16 billion per day from the CTA fund to the consecutive rise of the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, which supports the strength of semiconductor companies and drives the overall market

*Featured Stocks: Philadelphia Semiconductor Index Up 16th straight day, Tesla and other after-hours gains

Semiconductors: Nvidia, Broadcom, Others Rise On Google-Linked News
Nvidia (+1.31%) is on the rise after Google decided to introduce Nvidia’s Vera Rubin chip to its next-generation cloud infrastructure (A5X), even though it has its own AI chip, TPU. This is a positive impact in that it shows that Big Tech’s own chip development is moving toward parallel TPU and GPU rather than replacing Nvidia’s demand.

AMD (+6.67%) continues to rise following the release of new dual 3D V-Cash Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 and news of an upward target stock price. In particular, it is favorable that CPU demand is increasing significantly. Intel (-1.49%) will go on profit-taking ahead of the earnings announcement. Broadcom (+5.09%) rose on news that it will expand cooperation with Google Cloud through a new cloud network Insight observation service using AppNeta. Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose 2.72%.

Semiconductor Storage: Micron, Changsin Memory, Match Bill Issues And More
Micron (+8.48 percent) rose on news that Changsin Memory failed HBM and is putting pressure on Congress to tighten regulations on export of semiconductor equipment to Chinese competitors through MATCH legislation. On top of that, the possibility of increased demand for memory will also be affected by the expansion of Google AI Agentic. SanDisk (+8.37 percent) also rose sharply, while Seagate (+3.57 percent) also strengthened on news of HSBC’s upward revision of its investment opinion. Western Digital (+1.38 percent) was on sale after Barclays upgraded its target stock price ahead of its earnings announcement.

Power chipmakers such as On Semi (+2.39 percent) and Microchip (+1.92 percent) have continued to rise. Monolosic Power (-0.39 percent) has been on the decline, however. Texas Instruments (+1.36 percent) is up around 8 percent after-hours on better-than-expected earnings. IBM (-1.49 percent) said after-hours earnings and good outlook but is down around 6 percent. Sales of Shelf Young and Consulting fell below expectations, fueling anxiety over growth. Most companies also fell.

Semiconductor Equipment: Drops After Falling On ASML, TSMC’s Pending Introduction
TSMC (+5.26%) also rose after the supply and demand factors, paradigm shift to AI agents, and unveiling of A13 and N2U chip technologies using existing ASML EUV equipment at the North American Technology Symposium in 2026. Meanwhile, ASML declined sharply after announcing that it would suspend the introduction of ASML (-1.05%) exposure equipment due to high prices. Ram Research (+2.78%), AMAT (+2)