Popular tech fund Allianz Technology Trust (LON:ATT) delivered an impressive H1 2026, outperforming its benchmark by a distance as stock selection across semiconductors and mid-cap technology names more than offset continued volatility among the AI mega caps. The performance clearly underlines the point that Allianz Technology Trust remains one of the strongest actively managed technology investment trusts available. The shares initially traded modestly higher following the results as investors welcomed another period of benchmark outperformance, although gains were limited by broader weakness across the technology sector. Allianz Technology Trust investor relations Allianz Technology Trust (LON:ATT)Price: 673.5p (+0.5%)Market cap: ~£2.22bn For…

In CEO Tim Cook’s last earnings call, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) delivered another set of headline-beating results, but investors were looking beyond the June quarter. Instead, the market focused on slowing revenue guidance, supply constraints and rising component costs. That saw the shares plunge more than 7% after-hours despite record revenue and profit. Apple investor relations Q3 results vs expectations MetricReportedConsensusVerdictRevenue$109.4bn~$109.0bnBeatEPS$2.02~$1.89BeatiPhone revenue$54.3bnAbove expectationsStrong beatServices revenue$30.7bnSlightly below expectationsMissGross margin50.1% (48.1% ex tariff refunds)AheadBeat Source: Apple, Reuters. Why did the shares fall? This was a classic case of good results but an underwhelming outlook. The market had already priced in an exceptionally strong quarter…

Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares surged close on 10% in after-hours trading after delivering one of the strongest ‘Magnificent Seven’ earnings reports of the season. Investors had feared soaring AI spending would overshadow otherwise solid results. Instead, Amazon demonstrated that AI investment is already translating into accelerating cloud growth and improving profitability. Amazon investor relations Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)Price: $258 (+9.553% after-hours)Market cap: $2.77tn Q2 2026 at a glance MetricReportedConsensusVerdictRevenue$200.6bn$197.0bnBeatEPS$5.75$1.82Huge beatOperating income$27.5bnAbove expectationsStrong beatAWS revenue growth+37% YoY~31% expectedMajor beatAdvertising revenue$19.8bn (+26%)AheadStrong2026 CapexRaised to $220bnPreviously $200bnIncreased investment Why did the shares jump? The market was prepared for another quarter of enormous AI spending without sufficient…

Aero-engines maker Rolls-Royce (LON:RR.) delivered another outstanding set of results, comfortably beating market expectations and, crucially, raising full-year guidance for both profit and free cash flow. The announcement reinforces what has become one of the FTSE 100’s most remarkable corporate turnarounds under CEO Tufan Erginbilgic. The key question for investors has shifted. Three years ago, it was ‘Can Rolls-Royce recover?’ Today it is ‘How much more upside remains?’ More plainly, can Roll-Royce emerge as a long-term value creation compounder, as it once was? Rolls-Royce investor relations Rolls-Royce (LON:RR.)Price: £14.40 (~+5%)Market cap: £125.33bn Despite the dramatic recovery, management believes there is…

Chips kit manufacturer Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) delivered another quarter comfortably ahead of Wall Street expectations, reinforcing the view that wafer fabrication equipment remains one of the strongest ways to gain exposure to AI infrastructure spending and Lam Research remains one of the highest quality ‘picks and shovels’ businesses in global technology. While semiconductor stocks have experienced heightened volatility in recent weeks, Lam’s results suggest that demand from memory and advanced logic manufacturers continues to accelerate rather than slow. Lam Research investor relations Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX)Price: $271 (+7.4% after-hours)Market cap: ~$339bn Q4 FY2026 headline numbers MetricReportedConsensusVerdictRevenueUS$6.72bnUS$6.65bnBeatAdjusted EPSUS$1.82US$1.68-1.69Strong beatRevenue growth+30% YoY—ExcellentGross margin52%Slightly…

Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) delivered another quarter of exceptional revenue growth, but investors focused instead on the enormous cost of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI ambitions. Although advertising demand remained extremely strong, soaring capital expenditure, sharply lower free cash flow and increased legal costs overshadowed the operating performance, sending the shares sharply lower in after-hours trading. Meta investor relations Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)Price: $534.39 (-9% after-hours)Market cap: ~$1.36tn Q2 2026 at a glance MetricQ2 2026Market expectationVerdictRevenueUS$60.8bnUS$60.2bn✅ BeatEPSUS$6.18~US$7.13❌ MissRevenue growth+28% YoY+27%StrongFree cash flowUS$784mn/aSharp decline2026 Capex guidanceUS$130-145bnRaisedNegative surprise Revenue remains world class Meta’s advertising engine continues to outperform almost every other internet…

Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) fiscal Q4 results were exactly what AI investors had been waiting for. After months of concern that huge spending on AI infrastructure was destroying free cash flow, the company delivered a decisive combination of: Microsoft investor relations Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)Price: $424.10 (+8.6% after-hours)Market cap: ~$3.15tn The immediate reaction was emphatic. Microsoft shares jumped more than 8% in after-hours trading, helping lift sentiment across AI infrastructure stocks after several difficult months. Q4 FY2026: Reported vs expectations MetricReportedConsensusResultRevenue$90.0bn~$87.6bn✅ BeatEPS$4.74~$4.24✅ BeatRevenue growth18%~15%StrongAzure growth43%~40%ExcellentMicrosoft Cloud growth27%—StrongMicrosoft 365 Copilot seats30m+20m previouslyRapid adoption Source: Microsoft, analyst consensus. Azure remains the engine The most important number…

The AI investment theme has gone from market darling to market concern in just a few weeks. Semiconductor shares have led the decline as investors question whether the enormous spending on AI infrastructure can continue indefinitely. South Korea’s KOSPI index, dominated by chip giants Samsung (LON:SMSN) and SK Hynix (NASDAQ:SKHY), has slumped nearly 40% in barely a month, while Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Micron (NASDAQ:MU), Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) and many others have struggled for weeks. The latest trigger has been growing concern over ‘circular funding’ alongside rising credit default swap (CDS) prices for several AI-linked companies. Neither necessarily signals a financial…

FTSE 100 software group Sage (LON:SGE) continues to execute exceptionally well as it delivered another high-quality set of H1 results, continuing its transformation from a traditional accounting software provider into a cloud-based, AI-enabled subscription business for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Revenue, profits and cash generation all exceeded or met expectations, prompting management to raise full-year revenue guidance. While operational execution remains impressive, the shares have already rerated significantly over the past two years, meaning investors increasingly need earnings growth to justify the premium valuation. Sage investor relations Sage (LON:SGE)Price: 977p (~+4%)Market cap: £8.80bn What does Sage do? Sage develops…

Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ:CDNS) delivered another strong quarter, reinforcing its position as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI semiconductor investment cycle that combines strong recurring revenue, industry-leading technology and exposure to multiple long-term growth themes. Better-than-expected earnings, higher full-year guidance and continued demand from leading chip designers such as Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), AMD (NASDAQ:AND), Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) and TSMC NYSE:TSM) were enough to send the shares nearly 4% higher in after-hours trading. For UK investors looking beyond the familiar AI names, Cadence offers a less obvious way to invest in artificial intelligence. Rather than manufacturing chips, it supplies the software…