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Welcome to today's episode of Quality Compounders. In this episode, we're unpacking the latest earnings reports from Walmart and Target, highlighting key takeaways from these retail giants as they navigate the evolving economic landscape.

**Walmart** delivered a strong Q3 performance with **5.4% sales growth** and a **9.8% increase in operating income**. Key drivers included robust e-commerce growth of 27%, gains in grocery and health categories, and strategic inventory management. Walmart's focus on affordability and convenience continues to resonate, especially with higher-income households, contributing to market share growth across income levels.

In contrast, **Target** faced challenges with a modest **0.3% increase in comparable sales** and a sharper decline in discretionary spending. Traffic grew by 2.4%, but average ticket size dropped. Strength in beauty and essentials helped offset weakness in categories like apparel and home goods. Target's cautious outlook reflects ongoing consumer budget pressures and promotional activity aimed at boosting holiday sales.

Stay tuned as we dive into what these results mean for the future of retail, consumer behavior, and holiday shopping trends!

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The **ASML Investor Day 2024** presented several significant insights and updates about the company's long-term strategy and market outlook, focusing heavily on its growth projections, technological advancements, and alignment with industry trends. Below are the key takeaways:

### 1. **2030 Guidance and Market Outlook:**

- ASML reiterated its unchanged 2030 revenue target of €44-60 billion, despite revising its 2025 outlook downward earlier this year.

- Semiconductor market revenue is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, with growth driven by advanced logic and DRAM, particularly fueled by AI-related applications.

- Lithography spending, especially for EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) technology, is projected to grow at a **CAGR of 10-20% for advanced logic** and **15-25% for DRAM** from 2025 to 2030.

### 2. **EUV and High-NA Technology Progress:**

- ASML emphasized the extendability and scalability of its EUV technology, including High-NA (Numerical Aperture) systems. These technologies enable greater transistor density and cost-efficient scaling.

- Productivity improvements are planned with advancements in optics and source power, targeting over **1,000 watts** of EUV source power and increasing throughput.

### 3. **Holistic Lithography and Installed Base Management:**

- Innovations in **holistic lithography** aim to enhance defect detection and correction, improving overall manufacturing efficiency.

- Growth is expected in the **Installed Base Management** segment, with a CAGR exceeding 15% through 2030, supported by value-based services and system upgrades.

### 4. **Market Shifts Driven by AI:**

- AI is driving a fundamental change in semiconductor demand, with significant growth anticipated in **advanced logic** and **DRAM** for data centers and servers.

- The impact of AI is leading to a shift away from consumer applications like smartphones and PCs toward industrial and data-intensive markets.

### 5. **Challenges and Strategic Considerations:**

- Risks include potential geopolitical constraints, such as export restrictions to China, which were not explicitly addressed during the event.

- ASML is positioning itself to manage these uncertainties while reinforcing its leadership in EUV and holistic lithography.

### Conclusion:

ASML remains optimistic about its long-term growth potential, fueled by innovations in EUV and holistic lithography. While acknowledging short-term challenges, the company sees AI as a major driver of lithography intensity and semiconductor demand through 2030. The investor day reinforced confidence in ASML's market position and its role in advancing semiconductor technology.

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