AnalytixInsight

Last week, Dow Jones fell 0.3%, S&P 500 lost 0.4%, and Nasdaq composite declined 0.7%. Chips and small cap stocks did well, while software seems to be out of favor. Risk-on narratives continue to cluster around defence and sovereign capability buildouts, AI infrastructure and specialized compute, and policy-backed industrial capacity in critical materials and semiconductors. Crypto custodian BitGo is eyeing up to US$1.96 billion valuation in its IPO. Chipmaker Cerebras is in talks to raise US$1 billion at a US$22 billion valuation, while also signing a large multi-year compute supply arrangement with OpenAI. OpenAI will acquire healthcare app, Torch in a US$100 million deal. TSMC guided to record 2026 capex as demand outstrips advanced-node capacity, which was positive for the AI Semi trade. AWS has secured a copper supply arrangement with Rio Tinto. Meta said the company has created a new “top-level” effort called Meta Compute to oversee the construction and long term planning for the company’s data center needs. The Pentagon outlined a US$1 billion investment structure to expand rocket motor capacity at L3Harris. Apple will reportedly partner with Google to overhaul Siri. Google will provide “personalized” Gemini integrations. Anthropic unveiled new healthcare features for Claude. OpenAI will start testing ads, and intro a US$8 per month ChatGPT subscription. In Canada, Sophic client Kraken Robotics reported $35 million of SeaPower™ battery sales to three customers, highlighting rising momentum in unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) power systems and Kraken’s ability to scale production. Boardwalktech expanded and extended a joint engagement (with a global IT services partner) supporting a top-five U.S. bank, adding over US$250k of 2026 value. Juno Industries launched with former defence minister Harjit Sajjan as executive chairman and disclosed a $3 million seed round aimed at dual-use autonomous systems. Canada Rocket Company emerged from stealth with a $6.2 million seed round to pursue sovereign launch capability.

Last week, Dow Jones rose 2.3%, S&P 500 was up 1.6%, and Nasdaq composite gained 1.9%. As markets showed broad advances last week, risk appetite in technology and innovation themes remained constructive led by AI infrastructure, quantum, defense-adjacent procurement, and ongoing IPO/funding momentum. News chatter pointed to potential landmark listings for SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic, while Discord filed confidentially for an IPO. Anthropic is reportedly discussing a US$10 billion raise at ~US$350 billion valuation, and xAI announced a US$20 billion raise at a stated US$230 billion valuation. CrowdStrike agreed to acquire identity-security startup SGNL for ~US$740 million. MSCI opted to keep crypto-holding equities in indexes for now (with broader consultation to follow). Samsung flagged rising memory costs amid AI-driven HBM demand. Nvidia unveiled more details on its “Rubin” chip and open-sourced a new autonomous driving model family. Boston Dynamics presented a production-ready Atlas. Microsoft added in-chat checkout to Copilot. JPMorgan is set to take over Apple’s credit card program from Goldman Sachs. Prediction markets expanded further into geopolitics and housing-price contracts. In Canada, Sophic client Cybeats closed a shares-for-debt settlement, $1.2 million of secured debenture obligations were settled via 10.0 million shares issued at a deemed $0.12, subject to a four-month-and-one-day hold. The transaction was treated as a related-party transaction. MDA Space announced an IDIQ contract with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency under the SHIELD program, shares reacted positively to the headline. Vancouver-based Photonic raised $180 million in a first close (now $375 million total raised) as it targets enterprise commercialization of networked quantum computing. D-Wave announced a US$550 million agreement to acquire Quantum Circuits (US$300 million stock, US$250 million cash), aiming to combine gate-model capabilities with D-Wave’s quantum annealing footprint.

Last week, Dow Jones fell 0.7%, S&P 500 was flattish moving up 0.1%, Nasdaq composite gained 0.5%. The end of the week was markedly more bullish for tech stocks. SpaceX discussed potential IPO planning. Cerebras is reportedly preparing to re-file its IPO targeting Q2 2026. OpenAI is in early talks around a ~US$750 billion valuation, and potentially massive funding round. Databricks raised US$4 billion+ at a ~US$134 billion valuation. ByteDance outlined a U.S. TikTok JV framework. ServiceNow is reportedly exploring buying Armis for ~US$7 billion. Coursera agreed to buy Udemy for ~US$950 million in stock. Salesforce is set to acquire Qualified. Oracle’s data-center financing optics mixed with disclosures of substantial forward lease commitments led to some tech volatility in the first half of the week. However, Micron’s latest earnings report provided upside for AI-memory demand. Tesla stock jumped after Elon Musk says it’s testing driverless robotaxis. iRobot, the maker of Roomba filed for bankruptcy filing. Nasdaq seeks to extend trading hours, as Wall Street gears up for a 24/7 move. A major U.S. defense authorization bill will emphasize faster procurement and commercialization pathways. In Canada, BDC unveiled a $4 billion defence technology platform (including $500 million across VC streams). Scale AI has revealed nearly $129 million in fresh financing across 44 new Canadian applied AI projects in what it claims is its largest group of commitments to date. In news pertaining to Sophic Clients, Legend Power launched a LIFE-exempt, non-brokered financing for gross proceeds of ~ $1.3 to $1.7 million. Intermap won a Malaysia DEM/data-services award tied to national flood forecasting, while Indonesia’s World Bank-funded ILASPP Phase 2 decision was pushed two weeks. Intermap withdrew 2025 guidance and introduced initial 2026 guidance of $30–$35 million revenue and 28% EBITDA margin, reflecting milestone timing shifts typical of government procurement. Plurilock signed a two-year ~$2.45 million licensing deal (via a partner) with a Nasdaq-listed semiconductor manufacturer.

Last week, Dow Jones rose 1.05%, S&P 500 fell 0.6%, Nasdaq Composite lost 1.6%. The AI trade slumped following Broadcom and Oracle earnings reports. Oracle’s unprecedented ~US$10 billion quarterly cash burn and higher FY2026 capex outlook (US$50 billion) highlights the financing and execution risk in hyperscale buildouts, with reports of some OpenAI-linked site timelines slipping. Sentiment is also twitchy, an AI data-center REIT (Fermi) plunged after a tenant walked away. Broadcom sold off on guidance/backlog optics. IPO and mega-deal momentum is rebuilding, and bankers are positioning for a busier 2026 calendar. SpaceX is reported to be advancing toward a 2026 IPO, with scenarios ranging up to a ~US$1.5 trillion valuation and revenue scaling driven primarily by Starlink. Wealthfront priced its IPO at US$14. IBM agreed to acquire Confluent for ~US$11 billion. Disney committed US$1 billion to OpenAI alongside a character-licensing partnership for Sora. U.S.-China chip policy whipsawed yet again, the White House signaled Nvidia could sell H200-class chips into China. Additional signals of the “next interface” race include, Meta’s confirmed stake in EssilorLuxottica, even as Meta’s mixed-reality glasses were delayed to 2027, and Google guided to AI glasses in 2026. Microsoft committed $7.5 billion over two years to expand Azure regions in Canada, while the market continues to debate what “data sovereignty” really means. In Canada, the public-market backdrop remains structurally challenged, TSX issuer count has fallen materially over time (down 45% since 2008 to 678 by Q3). Take-privates and delistings have continued to outpace IPOs even as the TSX Composite has been strong. Private capital’s depth (continuation funds, private credit) is increasingly a feature, not a bug, illustrated by General Fusion’s reported $51.5 million raise (mostly SAFEs) alongside pressure from at least one backer to pursue a public listing path (potentially SPAC). In news pertaining to Sophic clients, Kraken Robotics demonstrated its KATFISH USV launch-and-recovery system on TKMS ATLAS UK’s ARCIMS unmanned surface vessel. Boardwalktech presented at the Q4 Investor Summit, reiterating its growth strategy and near-term catalysts.