Relying solely on stock prices to gauge the semiconductor cycle is insufficient; SK Hynix's earnings report serves as a better barometer.
In the previous article The end point of this semiconductor cycle is probably not in 2026, I presented my conclusion first, but deliberately did not dive too deep into the specific details of the financial reports.
What we are covering this time is the part that is most easily obscured by market sentiment: When semiconductors rise, everyone knows they are profitable; but what truly determines whether a cycle can be extended or which company can capitalize on high growth more thoroughly is often not the stock price, but rather the profit and loss statement, capital expenditure, and product investment direction during the trough.
If I must make a more specific judgment, as of May 13, 2026, I still do not pinpoint 2026 as the end of this upcycle. However, if I have to pick just one major player among the giants that is most worth watching, it would be SK hynix. Not because it hasn’t gone through a downturn—quite the opposite—but because it made the most representative strategic choices when things looked their worst in 2023.