Why ASML Stock Jumped 86% in the First Half of 2026
ASML finally caught a tailwind from the AI boom.
Overview
Like much of the semiconductor sector, ASML (NASDAQ: ASML) was a big winner in the first six months of 2026 as the company benefited from improving sentiment and increasing expectations from the AI boom. ASML is the world's only maker of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines, which enable the production of the most advanced semiconductors. As a maker of semiconductor equipment, it's been slow to benefit from the AI boom, but it showed signs of acceleration in the first half of the year and benefited from surging investor sentiment in the sector.
According to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, the stock gained 87% over the first six months of the year. As you can see from the chart below, the stock moved higher throughout most of that period, taking a pause in March as the Iran war weighed on the stock market.
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Originally published at www.fool.com.