Direxion Daily Semiconductors Bull 3x Shares (SOXL) surged 5.23% in pre-market trading, driven by a wave of strong earnings reports from key semiconductor companies and renewed bullish sentiment on the memory chip cycle.
Several semiconductor firms delivered impressive quarterly results that beat expectations. Applied Optoelectronics reported a swing to profit and guided for strong revenue, with management noting demand is outstripping production capacity through mid-2027. Microchip Technology posted a significant earnings beat and issued above-consensus guidance, bolstered by its planned acquisition to enhance embedded-AI capabilities. First Solar also extended its rally following a substantial earnings beat and multiple analyst upgrades. These positive results collectively lifted the semiconductor sector, benefiting the leveraged ETF.
Additionally, a senior fund manager at Lazard Asset Management highlighted the ongoing memory chip upcycle as a key investment theme, adding Samsung Electronics to the portfolio for the first time in over a year. The manager cited attractive valuations, a high return on equity, and sustained demand from hyperscale data centers, reinforcing the positive outlook for chip stocks. The combination of strong earnings and sector-wide optimism fueled the pre-market surge in SOXL.