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Bloomberg News reported on March 5 that the U.S. government is weighing a rule that would require American companies, including Nvidia and AMD, to obtain federal permits before exporting artificial intelligence chips to virtually any country outside the United States. Under the proposed framework, foreign buyers seeking 200,000 or more chips would also need to demonstrate investments in U.S. AI infrastructure or provide security assurances as a condition of approval.

The news added another layer of uncertainty to already-stressed semiconductor stocks. A key gauge tracking semiconductor firms declined 1.2% on the day. The proposed rules, if finalized, would effectively make the U.S. Department of Commerce a gatekeeper for AI chip exports globally — a significant shift from current policy. Officials stressed the rules remain in a deliberative phase and have not been finalized.

The development comes amid ongoing geopolitical competition over AI computing capacity and follows a broader U.S. effort to restrict advanced semiconductor technology from reaching adversaries. Chip companies have navigated a series of export control tightening measures in recent years, and this latest proposal would represent among the most sweeping in scope.

Marvell Technology reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results after the close on March 5, delivering record quarterly net revenue of $2.219 billion — a 22% increase year-over-year — beating analyst expectations. On a non-GAAP basis, earnings per diluted share came in at $0.80, slightly ahead of the consensus estimate of $0.79. GAAP net income for the quarter reached $396.1 million, or $0.46 per diluted share.

For the full fiscal year 2026, Marvell reported record net revenue of $8.195 billion, with GAAP net income of $2.670 billion ($3.07 per diluted share). Management issued first-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue guidance of $2.400 billion, plus or minus 5%, signaling continued growth momentum driven by data center and AI interconnect demand.

Shares jumped roughly 15% in after-hours trading following the results, reversing losses from the regular session. The strong report provided a notable counterweight to the broader market sell-off, underscoring persistent investor appetite for companies with direct exposure to artificial intelligence infrastructure build-out.

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 results on March 5, posting net sales of $68.24 billion — up 9.1% from $62.53 billion in the prior-year quarter. GAAP earnings per diluted share came in at $4.58, edging past Wall Street consensus estimates, compared to $4.02 per diluted share in the same quarter a year ago. Net income for the period totaled $2.035 billion.

Comparable sales rose 7.4% overall, or 6.7% adjusted for gasoline price deflation and foreign exchange impacts. Digitally enabled comparable sales jumped 22.6% year-over-year (21.7% adjusted for FX), reflecting continued e-commerce momentum. Membership fee revenue grew 13.6% to $1.36 billion, with management attributing approximately one-third of that growth to the September 2024 U.S./Canada membership fee increase and the remainder to underlying subscriber expansion.

Costco also reported February net sales of $21.69 billion, a 9.5% increase from $19.81 billion in the prior-year period. The results reinforce Costco's standing as one of the most resilient large-cap retailers, demonstrating continued consumer spending strength even amid a volatile macro backdrop characterized by rising energy costs and geopolitical uncertainty.