Beyond Momentum: What’s Driving Alphabet, iFAST, and UMS to Record Highs?

My portfolio built on last week’s good start and six of my holdings — DBS (D05), OCBC (O39), iFAST (AIY), UMS (558), Alphabet (GOOGL), and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) — have surged to new all-time highs.

Besides riding on the positive market momentum, the share prices of iFAST, UMS, and Alphabet were propelled by these business developments over the past fortnight.

iFAST: Expanding the Ecosystem

iFAST has been one of the standout performers in the Singapore market this week.

While the broader financial sector is buoyed by anticipation of increasing or special dividends from DBS and OCBC, iFAST’s rally is driven by aggressive growth initiatives.

The company recently finalised a 30% stake acquisition in Financial Alliance, strengthening its grip on the B2B financial advisory space and positioning for a potential IPO of the unit in 2–3 years.

Empowering the Independents

Perhaps more impactful is the official launch of new discretionary portfolio solutions in direct collaboration with BlackRock and J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

By offering these institutional-grade “model portfolios”, iFAST is essentially giving independent advisors a competitive “superpower”.

Think of it like the Open Internet vs a Walled Garden. It’s like the rest of the Internet challenging Google, Apple (AAPL), and Meta (META).

Traditionally, only advisors within the “Walled Gardens” of major banks or insurance companies had access to such high-level institutional management.

iFAST is breaking those walls down.

This allows the 14,200+ advisors on their platform, including those with independent firms like Financial Alliance, to offer world-class, professionally managed solutions that were once the exclusive domain of the elite banks.

You would not see the impact in the short-term, but these strategic moves would allow iFAST to scale its digital banking and wealth management arms, bringing it closer to its S$100 billion AUA target by 2030.

Alphabet (Google): The Siri Integration

In the US, Alphabet hit a historic $4 trillion market cap this week.

The primary catalyst was the finalised news regarding Apple. After months of speculation, it was confirmed that Gemini AI will be the core engine powering the next generation of Siri.

This partnership effectively secures Google’s AI dominance by placing its “brain” inside the pocket of billions active iPhone users worldwide.

Not only does this provide a massive recurring revenue stream (estimated at up to $5 billion annually) but it indicates a critical inflection point.

While OpenAI had the first-mover advantage, Google is closing the gap fast as it leverages its massive distribution and superior infrastructure.

With Gemini-powered Siri launching later this year, Google might be taking the lead in the race sooner than anyone expected.

UMS & AEM: Riding the Semiconductor Upcycle

This week, TSMC (TSM) announced a blockbuster 2026 Capex guidance of US$52–$56 billion.

This level of spending implies a massive surge in orders for equipment giants Applied Materials (AMAT) and Lam Research (LAM), which are key customers of UMS.

This has significantly increased the market’s confidence in a stronger performance by UMS for the next financial year.

After considering the 4-for-1 bonus issue, UMS is already providing me an 18% gain just two weeks into 2026!

Remember the semiconductor dark horse, AEM (AWX)?

While it is nowhere near its all-time high of above S$5, AEM has made a good gain of nearly 10% this year.

This is likely due to reports from KeyBanc suggesting that Intel (INTC) has already nearly sold out its 2026 server capacity. Combined with the successful launch of its 18A-based Panther Lake chips at CES last week, the Intel recovery story is providing the exact tailwinds AEM needed.

It’s Still Very Early in the Race

Alphabet, iFAST, UMS, and AEM are among the stocks I anticipated to do well for 2026.

While I’m pleased with this start, it’s still very early. If this is a marathon, we haven’t even reached the 2 km mark. Let’s continue to observe if they will stay the course or take a breather along the way.

Check out my earlier video here if you missed the prediction of my Top 6 Stocks in 2026.

Related Post

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iFAST 3Q 2025 Results Briefing: More Colour on HK ePension and iGB
GOOGL 3Q 2025 vs MSFT 1Q 2026 Earnings: Is Vertical AI the Better Buy?

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