Semiconductors and AI names lead S&P 500 gains
The top-performing stocks in the S&P 500 this year are largely dominated by chip and AI names, with nine of the top ten being semiconductors or hardware companies.
The leaders in this group include SanDisk, Micron, Western Digital, and Seagate, which are benefiting from a NAND/HBM/DRAM shortage and AI data-center demand.
The broader AI-infrastructure stack is also represented, with companies like AMD, Applied Materials, and Corning providing exposure to wafer-fab equipment, optical, and networking technologies.
The dominance of these stocks has resulted in significant gains for investors who bet on AI this year, while those who did not have found it challenging to outperform.