High Stakes for Jan 29: New 2X ETFs Launch Ahead of Sandisk (SNDK) & Western Digital (WDC) Earnings

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Beyond their record-breaking performance, two of the past year’s standout tech stocks are linked by a shared corporate DNA. 

Sandisk (SNDK) and Western Digital (WDC) were a single company until their strategic separation in February 2025. Since the split, SNDK has skyrocketed over 800% while WDC has soared more than 375%. 

This move created two distinct specialists positioned to capitalize on different pillars of AI infrastructure. While SNDK focuses on high-speed NAND flash memory, WDC provides the high-capacity HDD storage that powers the world’s largest data centers.

Both companies will report earnings on January 29, 2026, after market close, presenting traders with synchronized catalysts and amplified opportunities when combined with 2X leverage.

To capitalize on the volatility and momentum in these stocks, Tradr ETFs just launched 2X leveraged ETFs for both stocks:

Strategic Split Unlocked Massive Value

Western Digital acquired Sandisk for $19 billion in May 2016, combining HDD leadership with flash memory expertise to create a diversified storage powerhouse. For nearly nine years, the companies operated as one, but fundamentally different market dynamics, growth profiles, and capital needs eventually made separation inevitable.

The tax-free spinoff on February 24, 2025, gave WDC shareholders one share of SNDK for every three shares held. David Goeckeler transitioned from Western Digital CEO to lead Sandisk, while Irving Tan took the helm at Western Digital. The separation allowed each business to pursue specialized research, development, and capital allocation strategies without the volatility of one market dragging on the steady growth of the other.

The market validated the decision immediately as both SNDK and WDC have maintained a relentless surge since the spinoff. This momentum is driven by a critical combination of industry-wide NAND scarcity and explosive demand for AI infrastructure. Together, these factors are fueling record growth for both flash storage and high-capacity hard drives.

NAND Scarcity Has Driven Sandisk's Explosive Run

NAND flash memory is non-volatile storage that retains data without power. It's the foundation of SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, smartphones, and tablets. The technology uses floating-gate transistors to trap electrons representing data bits, optimized for high density, fast speeds, durability, and low power consumption.

The current AI boom requires enormous amounts of high-performance flash storage to feed data to GPUs and AI accelerators. Data center demand for NAND is growing at over 40% annually and will become the largest consumer of NAND in 2026, surpassing mobile devices for the first time in 15 years, according to Sandisk management.

SNDK transformed from speculative spinoff to commercial reality. For the quarter ending September 2025, the company reported earnings of $0.90 per share, crushing the estimate of $0.58 and representing a massive sequential improvement from $0.02 in the prior quarter.

The company is expected to report earnings on January 29, 2026, after market close, with analysts projecting fiscal 2026 earnings of $11.60 per share and fiscal 2027 earnings of $24.43 per share, representing 110% growth.

The Tradr 2X Long SNDK Daily ETF (SNXX) seeks double the daily exposure to SNDK's price action, turning the stock's extreme momentum into a precision tool for high-conviction trades on the NAND flash opportunity. For more information about SNXX, CLICK HERE.

Western Digital's HDD Dominance in the AI Era

While flash memory grabs headlines, AI infrastructure still requires massive amounts of high-capacity HDD storage for cost-effective data archiving and cold storage. Western Digital's exclusive focus on HDDs positions it to capitalize on severe supply shortages driving prices higher across the data storage sector.

WDC demonstrated that HDDs remain critical to AI data centers despite predictions of eventual flash dominance. The company generated strong earnings momentum throughout 2025, consistently beating analyst expectations. For the quarter ending September 2025, WDC reported earnings of $1.64 per share, exceeding the estimate of $1.47.

The separation from Sandisk removed complexity and allowed Western Digital to optimize its HDD manufacturing, supply chain, and customer relationships without balancing the different capital requirements of flash memory operations. The company now pursues long-term supply agreements with major customers who need guaranteed access to high-capacity storage for AI infrastructure.

The company is expected to report earnings on January 29, 2026, after market close, the same day as Sandisk, creating a synchronized catalyst event for traders positioning on both stocks.

The Tradr 2X Long WDC Daily ETF (WDCX) targets 200% of WDC's daily performance, making it especially valuable as the company demonstrates that HDDs remain essential to AI infrastructure despite the flash revolution. For more information about WDCX, CLICK HERE.

Trade the S&P 500's Top Performers With Leverage

The strategic split of Western Digital and Sandisk created two focused companies that dominated the S&P 500 in 2025. 

Both companies report earnings on January 29, 2026, after market close, presenting traders with synchronized catalysts. For active traders, Tradr's 2X leveraged ETFs provide tactical precision:

• SNXX – Tradr 2X Long SNDK Daily ETF
• WDCX – Tradr 2X Long WDC Daily ETF

These funds reset daily, giving fresh 2X exposure each trading day. When these stocks move 5% on earnings announcements or guidance updates, the leveraged ETFs target 10% moves, before fees.

If you plan on trading these leveraged ETFs, remember:

• Daily reset: Performance targets apply to single trading days only
• Volatility cuts both ways: Leverage amplifies both gains and losses
• Active management required: Designed for traders monitoring positions, not passive investors
• Concentration risk: Single-stock ETFs provide no diversification

The data storage revolution powering AI infrastructure created the S&P 500's top two performers in 2025. These companies offer traders 2X leverage for high-conviction plays on the sector's most dominant specialists heading into earnings.

Leveraged ETFs Involve Significant Risks

Tradr ETFs are for sophisticated investors and professional traders with high conviction views and are very different from most other exchange-traded funds. Know the risks before you invest. The significant risks of leveraged and/or inverse ETFs include the risks of leverage, derivatives, and/or other complex investment strategies that they employ. These investments are designed for short-term trading for investors seeking daily, monthly or quarterly leveraged investment results.

Investors in the fund should: (a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage; (b) understand the consequences of seeking daily, calendar month and calendar quarter inverse and leveraged investment results; (c) for short ETFs, understand the risk of shorting; (d) intend to actively monitor and manage their investment. Fund performance will likely be significantly different than the benchmark over periods longer than the specified reset period and the performance may trend in the opposite direction than its benchmark over periods other than that period.

The Funds seek leveraged investment results over a specific period and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. The Funds pursue leveraged investment objectives, which means they are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Funds magnify the performance of their underlying security. The volatility of the underlying security may affect a Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security.

The Fund will not attempt to position its portfolio to ensure it does not gain or lose more than a maximum percentage of its net asset value on a given trading day. As a consequence, investors in a Fund that seeks two times daily performance would lose all of their money if the Fund’s underlying security moves more than 50% in a direction adverse to the Fund on a given trading day.

ETFs involve risk including possible loss of principal. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Principal risks and other important risks may be found in the prospectus.

Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the fund before investing. To obtain a prospectus containing this and other important information, please visit www.tradretfs.com to view or download a prospectus online. Read the fund’s prospectus carefully before you invest.
Distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc, which is not affiliated with AXS Investments or its Tradr ETFs. AXI000842

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