Walmart, the top stock by trading volume on Friday, closed up 0.42%, with a turnover of $49.444 billion. The company appointed new leaders for its three core business divisions, completing a significant reshuffle of the executive team at the world's largest retailer. On Friday, January 16 (local time), Walmart announced on its official website that David Guggina, Executive Vice President and Chief E-commerce Officer of its U.S. operations, will become President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart U.S.—the company's largest and most critical business segment. This move means Guggina will succeed John Furner, who is set to become the CEO of the entire group, replacing Doug McMillon, who is scheduled to retire at the end of this month. NVIDIA, the second stock by volume, closed down 0.44%, with a turnover of $35.01 billion. Analysts at Wedbush stated that investors have not yet fully appreciated the massive growth wave that will result from an estimated $3 trillion in corporate and government spending on artificial intelligence technology and applications over the next three years. The analyst team noted, "We are only just beginning to understand the fourth industrial revolution currently unfolding globally, a revolution being led by tech giants such as NVIDIA, Microsoft, AI leader Palantir, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon." Tesla, the third stock by volume, closed down 0.24%, with a turnover of $26.218 billion. U.S. regulators granted Tesla a five-week extension to begin an investigation into potential defects related to traffic law violations by its vehicles when the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is engaged. Tesla applied to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this week for an extension of the investigation deadline. The NHTSA is investigating a range of functions within Tesla's FSD system. The agency initiated the probe last October, citing dozens of instances involving Tesla vehicles running red lights, driving the wrong way, or experiencing other malfunctions. Last month, the NHTSA sent an information request to Tesla, demanding the company provide the number of consumer complaints, field reports, property damage claims, arbitration proceedings, or lawsuits related to the alleged defects. Tesla informed regulators on January 12 that it needed more time to identify traffic violation reports potentially relevant to the investigation. Micron Technology, the fifth stock by volume, closed up 7.76%, with its market capitalization surpassing the $400 billion mark, and a turnover of $16.873 billion. On Friday, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony in Onondaga County, New York, for a memory manufacturing complex with an investment of up to $100 billion. The company confirmed in its announcement that the project will involve the construction of up to four wafer fabs, making it the largest semiconductor facility in the United States and the world's most advanced memory manufacturing base. The facility is scheduled to commence operations in 2030, with production capacity gradually ramping up over the subsequent decade. Additionally, it was disclosed that Micron Technology director Teyin Liu purchased 23,200 shares of common stock, with a total transaction value of approximately $7.8 million. Broadcom, the eighth stock by volume, closed up 2.53%, with a turnover of $10.866 billion. Palantir, the tenth stock by volume, closed down 3.45%, with a turnover of $10.245 billion. Recently, Citigroup upgraded its rating on Palantir from "Neutral" to "Buy/High Risk," raising its price target to $235, stating that the company is poised for a "super cycle" in both its commercial and government businesses this year. Citigroup analyst Tyler Radke pointed out that over the past few years, Palantir's stock price has seen a remarkable surge, driven by its rapid growth acceleration and equally impressive margin expansion, effectively "breaking" traditional valuation frameworks like the "Rule of 40." Although the bank raised its revenue forecasts for Palantir for 2025/2026 by over 10% compared to mid-last year, the stock price has remained largely flat. SanDisk, the fourteenth stock by volume, closed up 1.07%, again reaching a new all-time closing high, with a turnover of $6.374 billion. Barclays raised its price target for SanDisk from $220 to $385. Intel, the sixteenth stock by volume, closed down 2.81%, with a turnover of $6.004 billion. Despite being up over 27% year-to-date, the stock's strong start to the year indicates growing investor optimism that the chipmaker is gaining new foundry customers and re-entering the artificial intelligence (AI) race, a field where it nearly fell behind in 2024. AppLovin, the eighteenth stock by volume, closed down 6.30%, with a turnover of $4.926 billion. The stock declined over 12% for the week.
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