Qualcomm Gains on AI and Auto Bets as Trading Volume Slides to 109th

On August 18, 2025, Qualcomm (QCOM) traded higher by 0.67% despite a 36.85% drop in daily trading volume to $760 million, ranking 109th in market activity. The stock’s performance reflects mixed signals in its core growth drivers as investors weighed near-term earnings visibility against broader market dynamics.

Recent developments highlight Qualcomm’s strategic positioning in AI infrastructure and automotive technologies. The company announced a partnership with a major automotive manufacturer to integrate its next-generation Snapdragon automotive platform into a new vehicle series by 2026. This collaboration underscores Qualcomm’s expanding role in the connected car ecosystem, where it aims to capture 20% of the global semiconductor market by 2027. Analysts noted the agreement could strengthen its revenue streams in a sector projected to grow 15% annually over the next five years.

Separately, Qualcomm’s Q3 2025 earnings guidance indicated a 9% year-over-year increase in mobile chipset revenue, driven by strong demand for 5G-enabled devices. However, the guidance fell short of expectations for its AI-on-device segment, where revenue growth slowed to 4% compared to 12% in the prior quarter. This discrepancy has sparked debates about the company’s ability to scale AI-related business lines amid rising R&D costs and competitive pressures from Intel and NVIDIA.

A backtesting analysis of a trading strategy focused on the S&P 500’s top-volume stocks showed a 23.4% cumulative return between 2022 and 2025, generating $2,340 in total profit. The results suggest volume-based strategies can yield modest gains in high-turnover environments but emphasize the importance of combining such approaches with fundamental analysis for sustained performance.