Comparing International ETFs: Schwab's SCHE vs. State Street's SPGM

The Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF (SCHE) offers a lower expense ratio (0.07%) and higher dividend yield (2.60%) compared to State Street's SPDR Portfolio MSCI Global Stock Market ETF (SPGM at 0.09% and 1.70%). However, SPGM has delivered superior 5-year returns ($1,775 vs $1,373 on $1,000 invested) with lower volatility. SCHE focuses exclusively on emerging markets with significant China exposure (31%), while SPGM provides broader global diversification including 62% U.S. exposure, making it better suited as a core portfolio holding.

05/17/2026, 10:02 AM • The Motley Fool

Consumer Tech News (May 11-15): Trump–Xi Talk Fails to Deliver Chip Deal, Elon Musk vs. OpenAI Trail & More

Global semiconductor stocks retreated after Trump and Xi's summit failed to announce major chip agreements or breakthroughs on NVIDIA's China business. Key developments include Taiwan Semiconductor's $31.28B capital spending approval for AI chip manufacturing, Meta offering free WhatsApp access to competing AI developers to resolve EU antitrust concerns, Trump Mobile delivering delayed $499 smartphones, and the Elon Musk vs. OpenAI trial concluding with closing arguments. Notable earnings included strong results from Applied Materials, Cisco, and Tower Semiconductor, while Alibaba reported mixed results and Birkenstock faced margin pressures.

05/17/2026, 9:20 AM • Benzinga

Chamath Palihapitiya Says Taiwan Loses Strategic Importance In 18 Months: 'We Are Probably One To Two Nanometers Away'

Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya predicts Taiwan will cease to be strategically important within 18 months as U.S. domestic semiconductor manufacturing expands. He argues the U.S. is only 1-2 nanometers away from achieving Taiwan's strategic capabilities domestically. Palihapitiya also advocates for selling advanced chips to China, suggesting Nvidia should win market share over Huawei.

05/17/2026, 5:00 AM • Benzinga

AI Demand Pushes Applied Materials To Highest Margins In 25 Years

Applied Materials reported strong Q2 results with revenue of $7.91B (beating estimates) and gross margins at 25-year highs driven by AI demand. The company issued bullish Q3 guidance of $8.95B revenue and raised full-year semiconductor equipment growth outlook to over 30%. However, shares fell 2.82% in premarket trading Friday as investors engaged in profit-taking despite the positive results.

05/15/2026, 6:01 AM • Benzinga

Prediction: Nvidia Will Deliver Another Blowout Earnings Report on May 20, but It Won't Move the Stock in a Big Way

Nvidia is expected to report strong fiscal Q1 2027 earnings on May 20 with revenue growth of ~44% YoY and EPS growth of ~115% YoY, driven by continued AI infrastructure spending from major hyperscalers. However, the article predicts the stock won't see significant near-term gains due to the company's massive market cap requiring exceptional beats to move the stock, and because institutional investors likely already price in strong results.

05/15/2026, 4:14 AM • The Motley Fool

Cerebras CEO Warns US Chip Manufacturing Catch-Up Could Take 15 Years

Cerebras Systems went public on Nasdaq at $185 per share, with shares surging 90.28% on strong AI investor enthusiasm. CEO Andrew Feldman stated the company's custom silicon chips can process AI models faster than competitors like Nvidia. However, Feldman warned that US efforts to expand advanced semiconductor manufacturing could take 10-15 years due to supply chain complexity and massive capital requirements. The company relies on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing for chip production.

05/14/2026, 1:31 PM • Benzinga

Amazon, Meta And Microsoft's AI Data Center Push Faces Strong Revolt— Seven In 10 Americans Don't Want Hubs Near Them

A Gallup survey reveals 71% of Americans oppose building AI data centers in their local areas, citing concerns about electricity use, water consumption, pollution, and noise. The opposition is stronger than resistance to nuclear power plants (53%). This backlash comes as Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft accelerate AI infrastructure spending, with data center construction surging 228% since ChatGPT's launch. Goldman Sachs projects global data center electricity demand could rise 220% by 2030, intensifying the tension between AI expansion and environmental concerns.

05/14/2026, 6:12 AM • Benzinga

Is Micron Stock a Buy After Its Jaw-Dropping Rally?

Micron Technology's stock has surged 116% in just over a month due to soaring data center demand for memory chips and a significant supply shortage. With projected revenue growth of 192% this year and the high-bandwidth memory market expected to grow from $35B to $100B by 2028, the stock appears attractive at 13.7x forward earnings. However, investors should be cautious as the memory chip market is highly cyclical—if the shortage eases, the stock could underperform.

05/13/2026, 6:12 PM • The Motley Fool

Better Buy: Taiwan Semiconductor vs. Micron Stock

Taiwan Semiconductor and Micron represent two different chip manufacturing investment profiles. Taiwan Semiconductor manufactures logic chips with leading technology and offers stability, trading at 26x forward earnings. Micron produces memory chips in a commodity market currently experiencing a supply shortage with insatiable demand, trading at a cheaper 14x forward earnings. Micron shows explosive growth (Q2 revenue of $23.9B vs $8.05B prior year) but faces cyclical risks, while Taiwan Semiconductor offers more predictable returns at a premium valuation.

05/13/2026, 4:23 PM • The Motley Fool

SanDisk And Micron Had Their Run – This New 'Photonics' ETF Has 15 Triple-Digit Gainers Inside

A new photonics ETF (EUV) launched on May 6, 2026, focusing on optical interconnect technology for AI data centers. The fund holds 15 stocks already up over 100% year-to-date, driven by structural demand from hyperscaler capex and supply constraints in indium phosphide lasers. However, critics note the ETF's top holdings lean toward general semiconductor names rather than pure photonics plays, duplicating exposure available in broader semiconductor funds.

05/13/2026, 11:05 AM • Benzinga

Stock Market Today: Dow Jones Futures Fall, Nasdaq Gains As Trump Takes Big Tech Leaders To China— Nvidia, Nextpower, Red Cat In Focus (UPDATED)

U.S. stock futures showed mixed performance on Wednesday with Dow Jones futures falling while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 rose. President Trump visited China with major tech leaders including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Tesla's Elon Musk, and Apple's Tim Cook. Key movers included Nextpower surging on strong earnings, MaxCyte jumping on better-than-expected results, and Red Cat Holdings plunging after a public offering announcement. The 10-year Treasury yield stood at 4.46%, with markets pricing a 97.6% likelihood of unchanged Fed rates in June.

05/13/2026, 8:52 AM • Benzinga

Stock Market Today: Dow Jones Futures Fall, S&P 500 Gains As Trump Takes Big Tech Leaders To China—Nvidia, Nextpower, Red Cat In Focus

U.S. stock futures showed mixed performance on Wednesday with Dow Jones futures falling while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 rose. President Trump visited China with major tech leaders including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Tesla's Elon Musk, and Apple's Tim Cook. Key movers included Nextpower surging on strong earnings, MaxCyte jumping on better-than-expected results, and Red Cat Holdings plunging after a public offering announcement. The 10-year Treasury yield stood at 4.46%, with markets pricing a 97.6% likelihood of unchanged Fed rates in June.

05/13/2026, 5:42 AM • Benzinga

Taiwan Semiconductor Pumps Billions Into Next-Gen Chips, Arizona Growth And Bigger Payouts

Taiwan Semiconductor approved $31.28 billion in capital spending for advanced chip manufacturing and $20 billion for Arizona expansion to meet AI and 5G demand. The company reported strong Q1 2026 results with 1.13 trillion New Taiwan dollars in revenue and raised its quarterly dividend to 7 New Taiwan dollars per share. TSM shares are up 0.94% in premarket trading, with analysts maintaining a Buy rating and $420 price target.

05/13/2026, 5:34 AM • Benzinga

1 Unstoppable Stock to Buy Before It Joins Nvidia, Alphabet, Apple, and Microsoft in the $3 Trillion Club

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) is positioned to become the fifth company to reach a $3 trillion market cap, with current valuation at $2 trillion. The company dominates the advanced semiconductor market with 72% global share and 90% of cutting-edge chip production, benefiting from surging AI demand. Strong Q1 results showed 41% revenue growth and expanding margins, with management forecasting continued acceleration. Analysts project TSMC could reach $3 trillion valuation by 2028 based on revenue growth projections.

05/13/2026, 3:02 AM • The Motley Fool

What to Know About This Fund’s $6 Million Exit From a Next-Generation Connectivity Fund

Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors exited its entire $5.65 million position in the Neuberger Next Generation Connectivity Fund (NBXG) in Q1 2026, selling 412,390 shares. The exit reflects investor discomfort with the fund's volatility amid geopolitical tensions, rate uncertainty, and AI sentiment swings. Despite a 21% year-over-year gain, NBXG's NAV fell 8.5% in Q1, significantly underperforming broader markets, though the fund maintains aggressive positioning in AI infrastructure and semiconductor holdings.

05/12/2026, 2:06 PM • The Motley Fool