Silver's breakout is opening a window. Here's where.
Silver is having its strongest year in over a decade - doubling in 2025, breaking long-standing highs, and entering a fourth straight year of supply deficits. Demand from AI & EVs is pushing the market into its tightest setup in years.
As the cycle strengthens, early-stage names with meaningful exposure are starting to appear on institutional radars. One small-cap company, backed by a major global producer, is now positioning ahead of a market that continues to tighten.
When silver moves like this, timing can matter more than headlines.
Mag 7 Outlook: What Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Tesla Just Told Us
By Jordan Chussler. First Published: 2/2/2026.
Key Points
- Four of the Magnificent Seven companies reported earnings this week as investors looked for signs that better earnings are ahead.
- Microsoft and Tesla sold off despite beating on top- and bottom-lines, over concerns about slower growth and ongoing spending.
- Meta and Apple climbed after both companies posted blowout earnings and strong guidance.
The flight to safety that defined the final quarter of 2025 and persisted into January eased somewhat last week as the market looked ahead to the Magnificent Seven reporting earnings.
Investors—hopeful for a rebound after a year in which just two of the Mag 7 outperformed the S&P 500—were looking for signs that last year's elevated AI spending would begin to translate into meaningful earnings growth.
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See the under-the-radar play fueling AI data centersThose two—Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA)—do not report until Feb. 4 and Feb. 25, respectively. The cohort kicked off on Wednesday, Jan. 28, with Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) reporting, and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) followed on Thursday. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) reports Feb. 5.
While results were mixed, the mega-cap giants in the tech and communication services sectors offered clues about what shareholders might expect in the year ahead.
Microsoft Careens After Tempered Azure Guidance
Shares of the Bill Gates- and Paul Allen-founded firm plunged on Wednesday—sliding nearly 9% in after-hours trading—after management issued tempered top-line expectations for its cloud business, Azure.
Microsoft, the first of the group to report, beat on earnings and revenue in its Q2 fiscal 2026 (FY2026) results. EPS of $4.14 topped estimates of $3.86, while revenue of $81.27 billion exceeded forecasts of $80.28 billion.
During the company's earnings call, CEO Satya Nadella said, "Microsoft Cloud surpassed $50 billion in revenue for the first time, up 26% year-over-year." Azure in particular saw quarterly growth of nearly 40%, but the company forecasts that figure to slow to between 37% and 38% in Q3.
Investors reacted negatively to that outlook, even though it represents only a 2% to 3% reduction from Q2. More broadly, concerns about ongoing spending also weighed on sentiment: Microsoft's AI ambitions led to $37.5 billion in capital expenditures (CapEx) in Q2, and the sell-off highlighted investor worries about return on those investments.
Still, analysts remain largely bullish. Thirty-nine of the 42 analysts who cover MSFT assign it a Buy rating, and the stock's average 12-month price target of $599.72 suggests potential upside of more than 38%.
Investors Approve of Meta Increasing CapEx
Shares of META jumped more than 10% after the company reported Q4 FY2025 EPS of $8.88 and revenue of $59.85 billion—both well ahead of analysts' expectations.
Like Microsoft, Meta said its AI-related CapEx will rise in 2026. For Meta, that spending is projected to range between $115 billion and $135 billion, up from the more than $72 billion it spent in 2025.
Unlike Microsoft, the market reacted positively to the news, underscoring how unpredictable short-term moves can be during earnings season.
Guidance helped: Meta expects Q1 FY2026 revenue in the range of $53.5 billion to $56.5 billion, which eased concerns about its elevated CapEx.
An average 12-month price target of $847.46 suggests roughly 15% potential upside, and 45 of 52 analysts covering META assign the stock a Buy rating.
Tesla Is Shifting Its Focus From EVs to Robots
Tesla fell more than 7% in after-hours trading on Wednesday, Jan. 28, after the company reported its first-ever annual revenue decline. Shares later rebounded after the EV maker announced it will stop production of its Model S and Model X to focus production capacity on robotics.
The company plans to convert its Fremont, California, factory lines to produce Optimus robots, prompting fresh questions about Tesla's strategy and prospects in the EV market.
Tesla reported Q4 FY2025 EPS of $0.50 versus $0.48 expected, and revenue of $24.90 billion versus $24.75 billion expected.
The bigger story was the annual revenue decline—down 3% year-over-year—driven by a 39% increase in Q4 operating costs and lost market share domestically and abroad, resulting in 1.636 million deliveries, nearly 9% fewer than in 2024.
The stock's forward P/E has improved but remains elevated at 163.65, which is a concern for some investors. Only 17 of 39 analysts covering TSLA assign it a Buy rating, and it was the only Magnificent Seven company that reported this week with an average 12-month price target implying potential downside.
Apple Reports Record EPS and Revenue
Apple, which announced Q1 FY2026 financials after the close on Thursday, Jan. 29, reported EPS of $2.84, beating estimates of $2.65, and quarterly revenue of $143.76 billion, topping estimates of $138.25 billion.
Shares traded unevenly in after-hours trading but remained higher on the news of record quarterly revenue—up 16% year-over-year—and record EPS—up 19% year-over-year.
CEO Tim Cook highlighted strong growth in Asia, saying the company "continued to gain momentum in emerging markets, which includes India, where we saw strong double-digit revenue growth. Greater China also grew 38% year-over-year, driven by iPhone, which had record upgraders and double-digit growth on switchers."
Analysts are somewhat less bullish on Apple than on Microsoft and Meta, but 21 of 33 analysts covering AAPL assign it a Buy rating. With an average 12-month price target of $282.80, the stock implies more than 9% potential upside.
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