Wall Street Watch: AMD’s AI Runway, Lyft’s Tier 2 Surge, and Bitcoin’s Risk Rally

AMD: Middle East Partnerships Fuel GPU Momentum

Upgrade Alert: Melius Research upgraded AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) to Buy with a $175 price target.
Why It Matters:
Strategic partnerships in the Middle East—specifically with Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN and UAE’s G42—signal aggressive AI infrastructure investments. HUMAIN’s $10B initiative and G42’s early adoption of AMD’s MI355 GPU (boasting 35x faster inference) open multi-billion-dollar avenues for growth.

Projections:

• $6.6B in GPU sales expected for 2025

• $13.1B forecast by 2027

• EPS could exceed $9 by 2028 if AMD captures 5% of the accelerator market

Lyft: Riding High in Tier 2 Cities

Upgrade Alert: TD Cowen upgraded Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) to Buy with a $21 target.
Why It Matters:
While the rideshare market remains Uber-dominant, Lyft is expanding smartly—driven by 30% YoY growth in Tier 2 U.S. cities and the FREENOW acquisition, opening a €1B European opportunity.

Growth Drivers:

• Price Lock feature enhances rider stickiness

• Canada revenue surged triple digits in 2024

• Collaborations with players like DoorDash broaden reach

Bitcoin: Support Builds on Trade and Regulatory Optimism

Market Movement: Bitcoin edged 1% higher to $108,358, marking its third straight monthly gain.
Tailwinds:

• Canada scrapped digital service tax, reviving U.S. trade talks

• U.S.-China and U.S.-UK deals improved macro sentiment

• Stablecoin legislation progress and crypto-friendly signals from Washington boosted investor appetite

Institutional Moves:
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae considering crypto collateral for mortgages signals mainstream validation.