Tech stocks kick off earnings season with a bang! Chip equipment manufacturer ASML reported Q3 revenue of €7.5 billion, with a gross margin of 51.6% and net profit of €2.125 billion, beating expectations. The company also forecasts a significant jump in Q4 revenue to between €9.2 billion and €9.8 billion, with a gross margin of 51% to 53%, and even predicts that 2026 performance will surpass 2025. Stronger-than-expected results and an optimistic outlook for the future. Just three months ago, during its Q2 earnings release, ASML had warned that rising macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties made it unclear whether growth could continue into 2026, causing its stock price to plummet. Fast forward three months, and this statement about the future is brimming with confidence. ASML’s guidance for the future can also be seen as one of the benchmarks for confidence in artificial intelligence.