AI Trade Cools: SOX Drops 4.3%, TSMC Net Profit Surges 77% Yet Closes Lower — Hardware Oversold?
US AI trades broadly sold off Thursday: Nasdaq −1.47%, SOX −4.3%, TSMC closing lower despite Q2 net profit +77% YoY; memory, storage, and chips hit hard as VIX jumped 6.76%. But ASML's raised guidance shows AI-compute demand stays firm. The fear isn't collapsing demand — it's when hyperscaler capex becomes revenue and cash flow. As earnings beats fail to move stocks, the AI trade may be shifting from "chasing hardware" to "validating returns." Profit-taking, or a real capex inflection?