Trade sanctions proposed by Trump highlight the importance of semiconductors
In the world of technology, Thursday, August 28, 2025, saw a flurry of activity. The Nasdaq Composite posted its 17th record close of the year, with Invesco's QQQ Trust Series ETF being one of the most actively traded ETFs.
Apple's latest investment earmarked for the U.S. brings the tech giant's total commitment to $600 billion, an announcement made by President Trump following a statement from Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.
The semiconductor sector also experienced a surge, with the VanEck Semiconductor ETF, iShares Semiconductor ETF, and Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X shares all rising. Intel's shares, however, took a dip following news of President Trump demanding the resignation of Intel's CEO, Lip-Bu Tan.
The CEO, in a statement, addressed the allegations against him. Intel's success, he stated, is crucial for U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership, national security, and economic strength.
Meanwhile, AMD, Applied Materials, ON, and Taiwan Semiconductor also saw gains, along with some of the largest exchange-traded funds that track the sector. Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) touched a new all-time high on Thursday, capping its 33% gain this year.
President Trump also announced plans for 100% tariffs on semiconductor makers unless they commit to building in the U.S.A.
Elizabeth Evans, managing partner of Evans May Wealth, states that corporate earnings continue to be 'resilient.' On this day, the companies with the largest stock price increases among U.S. stocks were CrowdStrike Holdings (+11.69%), NetApp (+11.60%), and Pure Storage (+30%). In the German TecDAX index, Kontron (+4.20%) and CANCOM SE (+4.04%) had notable gains, although CEO names for Kontron and CANCOM SE were not provided in the search results.
The QQQ ETF's last price was 571.97, with a change of 8.69 and a change percentage of 1.54%. It's worth noting that one sector leads the market on 'Making Money,' but no specific sector is mentioned in the provided paragraph.
The Nasdaq has gained 10% this year, outpacing the S&P 500's 7.8% pop. This news serves as a testament to the ongoing strength and dynamism of the tech sector.
