💰 $20M for AI That Talks Like You — Plus, a Unicorn Joins the Party

Good morning, Nutters! 🌞
If your coffee isn’t strong enough to wake you up today, don’t worry — we’ve got semiconductor megaspending, presidential trade-game stalling, and an EV pickup trying to conquer America all in one cup. Grab your mug — let’s get into it.

💡 Cash Nut Quick Crunch

• TSMC is spending over $30 billion in one go — a massive bet that AI and advanced chips will define the next decade.

• Ford’s EV pickup isn’t just a truck — it’s a political and global supply chain chess move.

• The AOL dial-up shutdown is the end of a 1990s internet era. (Pour one out for the modem noise. 📟)

🏭 Chip Giant TSMC Goes All In on the Future

$10 Billion Boost, $20 Billion More on Deck

When TSMC spends, it spends. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. ($TSM) just approved a $10 billion capital injection for its global arm to cut foreign exchange costs and fuel capacity growth — and that’s just the appetizer.

They’re also issuing up to NT$60 billion (~$1.8B) in corporate bonds in Taiwan to bankroll:

• Advanced chip production capacity 🖥️

• Specialty tech manufacturing ⚙️

• Green initiatives like fab construction & upgrades 🌱

Oh, and the board signed off on another $20.7B for advanced packaging, mature process capacity, and fab system installations.

📈 Why it matters: With AI, autonomous cars, and data centers demanding more chips than ever, TSMC is fortifying its moat. Shares are already up 20% YTD, and while the market is catching its breath, any earnings hints of a swelling order backlog could send it soaring again.

💵 Dividend fans, rejoice: NT$5/share is coming your way for Q2 2025.

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📰 Other News You Need to Know

🚗 The $30K Pickup That Could

Ford is pushing ahead with its Kentucky-built EV truck — U.S. batteries and all — despite fading tax credits and some buyer hesitation. It’s a quiet but clear move to challenge China’s EV dominance (and, apparently, Trump’s EV skepticism).

🏛️ Trump Extends the Trade Truce

Another 90-day extension on the U.S.–China tariff talks — the second delay this term. Stockholm negotiations were meh, and investors are wondering if a permanent deal is even realistic.

📞 Goodbye, AOL Dial-Up

America Online’s dial-up service — the one that introduced millions to “You’ve got mail!” — will shut down next month. Yes, it somehow still existed.

🏅 Gold Gets a Pass

Trump says no tariffs on gold — a relief for bullion traders and anyone holding the shiny stuff as a safe haven.

🚜 Deere Digs In

Deere & Co. ($DE) is upgrading factories to improve efficiency and capacity, doubling down on its American manufacturing roots.

🌱 Soybean Surge

Soybean futures jumped 2.8% after Trump urged China to quadruple U.S. purchases ahead of the trade truce deadline. Analysts aren’t convinced China will go big without a deal — but cheaper U.S. beans and biofuel policies are adding tailwinds.

💡What else are we reading and seeing?

• The vacation paradox

• Gold tariffs leave bullish investors gleaming

• The psychology of money in a BNPL world

• Move fast and don't break (safety critical) things

• How I use Claude Code for work, fun, and as a text editor

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Thanks for cracking open today’s Cash Nut! 🥜
See you tomorrow for more bites of business goodness.