Paying to Play: What Nvidia and AMD’s China Access Means for Investors
The Trump administration has struck a highly unusual deal with Nvidia (NASD: NVDA) and AMD (NASD: AMD) to sell certain artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China – Nvidia’s H20 and AMD’s MI308 – the companies must hand over 15% of those sales to the US government. In return, they get the export licenses needed to ship the chips to China. This effectively reopens a market that had been closed off under earlier restrictions..
While it might sound like a simple trade-off – a cut for the US, access for the companies – it sets a dangerous precedent.
Author Archives: 1investor
Weekly Update for the week ending August 8, 2025
An Ominous Start to a Historically Volatile Month
Well, August didn’t waste any time making waves. Both the Canadian and US markets opened the month with sharp declines on August 1, but the storm clouds actually started forming the day before. President Trump signed an executive order imposing new import duties, ranging from 10% to 41%, on about 90 countries. Canada was hit with a hefty 35% rate, alongside India, Taiwan, and others. The tariffs didn’t take effect until August 7, but the announcement alone rattled markets, fuelling worries about renewed trade tensions and rising inflation risks.
Then came Friday’s US jobs report, which landed with a thud. Payroll growth in July came in roughly 25% below expectations, and to make matters worse, May and June were revised down by a combined 258,000 jobs. That raised fresh concerns about a slowing economy.
Monthly Portfolio Update July 2025
July was another milestone month for markets, powered by strong corporate earnings, growing artificial intelligence (AI) excitement, cautious central banks, and signs that both economies might be cooling. The Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index (TSX), S&P 500 Index (S&P), Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq) all surged to record highs mid-month, fueled by optimism on multiple fronts. But those gains didn’t fully stick – markets pulled back in the final stretch as fresh trade tensions and persistent inflation concerns crept back into the picture.
Weekly Update for the week ending August 1, 2025
Liberation Day, part 2
President Trump kicked off a new wave of tariffs this week, reigniting global trade tensions. The move came just days after progress with the European Union (EU) and Japan had boosted market optimism – but that optimism is now giving way to concern.
The latest action includes a sweeping 35% tariff on Canadian goods not covered by CUSMA, which caught many by surprise. It also targets exports from Brazil, India, and other trading partners, with tariffs ranging from 10% to 25%. These new duties hit a wide range of products, from industrial parts and electronics to everyday consumer goods, raising fears of a broader trade war.
Weekly Update for the week ending July 25, 2025
Dominoes start to fall
Since President Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement – imposing sweeping tariffs on nearly all imports, starting with a universal 10% base and rising to “reciprocal” rates as high as 54% – the US has been scrambling to strike new trade deals. With a 90-day pause in effect for negotiations and court challenges mounting, several countries have already hammered out agreements aimed at easing tariff threats and stabilizing trade ties.
Each deal is tailored to the partner: some offer tariff relief, others open access to key sectors, but all share one goal – softening the blow of a trade war no one wants. Let’s take a look at the deals that have been signed and why getting deals signed is important to us investors.
Weekly Update for the week ending July 18, 2025
Tariff Scorecard: Keeping Score in the Latest Wave of Tariffs
Tariffs are once again front and centre in investors’ minds. Since returning to office, President Trump has hit several major trading partners with new levies and rolled out a wave of new threats. The list is growing fast, with entire countries and key sectors in the crosshairs, making it tough to keep track of what’s actually in effect and what’s still just a warning shot.
So, here’s a quick recap.