Why Is TSM Stock Rising Overnight?

The Taiwanese contract chipmaker said October revenue rose 60%, outpacing last quarter's growth.

• Chip stocks were volatile early Tuesday as investors surveyed updates following Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s admission of an affair with a suspected Chinese spy.
• Nvidia is considering slowing chip orders, which would affect upstream supply chain players like TSMC and ASE Technology Holding, according to Commercial Times.
• TSM stock is down 20% from its October peak.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) shares rose 1% in overnight trading ahead of Tuesday after the Taiwanese contract chipmaker reported a sharp increase in monthly sales. Gains were tempered by controversy surrounding Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang’s affair with a suspected Chinese spy, as well as a report speculating that the AI chipmaker is slowing chip orders.

The go-to chipmaker for Nvidia and Apple (AAPL) said its October revenue rose 60% to NT$586.9 billion ($17.9 billion). That compares to the 51% growth pace in September quarter and 63% growth analysts polled by Bloomberg expect in the current quarter.

Although TSMC’s upbeat monthly update is a bullish signal for the chip trader, semiconductor stocks were mixed in early Tuesday hours. NVDA shares were 1% higher after a sharp slide on Monday, while Intel (INTC) was up 0.3% and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) was down 0.4%.

Nvidia Slowing Chip Orders To TSM?

Nvidia is said to be considering slowing chip orders, which would affect upstream supply chain players like TSMC and ASE Technology Holding, a Taiwanese chip assembly and packaging firm, according to a report in the Taiwanese outlet Commercial Times. AMD could be a potential beneficiary.

The developments come amid a volatile period of chip stocks. Last week, TSM fell sharply in tandem with other semiconductor stocks after Democrats, seen to be pro-regulation for AI and data centers, won both the Senate and House in the midterm elections.

TSM stock is now down about 20% from its peak in early October.

Huang, Nvidia Embroiled In Spy Controversy  

Nvidia CEO Huang on Sunday admitted to having an affair with a person U.S. authorities suspect to be a Chinese spy. The admission has created a financial shock, with investors panicking that Huang, a key force behind the AI boom, might lose his CEO title.

On Monday, a law firm filed a class action lawsuit against Nvidia and Huang for misleading investors and Delaware senator Chris Coons called for a congressional investigation on national security grounds.

Retail View On TSM

On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for TSM remained ‘neutral’ for a second day.

“$TSM Oct monthly rev drove past expectations. Set a new Oct record $SOXX $SOXL,” a trader wrote.

On the news report regarding slowing orders, a trader wrote: Nvidia may cut its H200 chip orders at $TSM due to the Jensen scandal. H200's primarily go to China. Spare capacity freed up dues to Nvidia cancellations to be gobbled up by AMD and AVGO.”

Year to date, TSM stock is up 29%.

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