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Bloom Energy Stock Surges On S&P 500 Debut And AI Power Push - StocksToTrade

Bloom Energy Corporation stocks have been trading up by 8.09 percent amid bullish sentiment on accelerating clean-energy technology adoption. Key Takeaways Trad

stockstotrade.com 09-25-26

Tower Semiconductor Jumps 6% as Mizuho Starts Coverage With Outperform Rating Tower Semiconductor (NASDAQ: TSEM) shares rose about 6.4% after

Tower Semiconductor (NASDAQ: TSEM) shares rose about 6.4% after Mizuho initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and a $300 price target. Analyst Vijay Rakesh...

09-25-26

Humana Jumps 6.3% as Barclays Upgrades Stock to Overweight Humana (NYSE: HUM) shares rose about 6.3% after Barclays upgraded the

Humana (NYSE: HUM) shares rose about 6.3% after Barclays upgraded the health insurer to Overweight from Equal Weight and raised its price target to...

09-25-26

Akamai Jumps 6% After $11.6 Billion Anthropic Deal, Analysts Raise Price Targets Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) shares rose about 6%

Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) shares rose about 6% after the company announced a seven-year, $11.6 billion cloud infrastructure agreement with Anthropic, while several Wall...

09-25-26

Honeywell Technologies (NASDAQ: HON) declared a quarterly dividend payment of $0.70 per share on common stock. The dividend is payable

on December 4, 2026...

09-25-26

Bristol Myers Squibb’s ZENBEXUS Doubles MRD-Negative Complete Response Rate in Phase 3 Myeloma Trial Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) reported

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) reported positive Phase 3 EXCALIBER-RRMM results for ZENBEXUS (iberdomide) in combination with daratumumab and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed...

09-25-26

Johnson & Johnson’s TREMFYA Meets Key Endpoints in Phase 4 Axial Psoriatic Arthritis Study Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) said

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) said TREMFYA (guselkumab) met the primary and major secondary endpoints in the Phase 4 STAR study evaluating biologic-naïve adults...

09-25-26

Costco Rises 2.7% After Strong Q4 Sales and Earnings Growth Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) shares rose about 2.7% after the

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) shares rose about 2.7% after the retailer reported strong fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 results, supported by double-digit sales growth,...

09-25-26

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Improves Slightly, Inflation Expectations Stay Elevated The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index rose to 48.1 in

The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index rose to 48.1 in September, slightly above the 47.8 consensus estimate but down from 51.7 previously. Consumer...

09-25-26

Asplundh Selects Samsara to Connect Tens of Thousands of Vehicles and Equipment Samsara (NYSE: IOT) announced that Asplundh, one of

Samsara (NYSE: IOT) announced that Asplundh, one of the largest private fleets in the U.S., selected its Connected Operations Platform to improve safety, fleet...

09-25-26

Veeva Launches AI Study Builder Agent to Configure Clinical Studies in as Little as One Day Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV)

Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV) announced Veeva Study Builder Agent, a new AI solution designed to configure clinical studies directly from a study protocol, potentially...

09-25-26

L3Harris Completes Design Review for SDA Tranche 3 Missile Tracking Satellites L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) completed the Preliminary Design Review

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) completed the Preliminary Design Review for the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer Tranche 3 program, advancing development of its next-generation...

09-25-26

NASDAQ:AMD

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AMD Rose 2.2% After Piper Sandler Initiated Coverage With $600 Target

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) shares rose 2.2% yesterday after Piper Sandler initiated coverage of the chipmaker with an Overweight rating and a $600 price target.

AMD has built a strong position in the rapidly expanding AI and data-center market through its Instinct accelerators, EPYC server processors and increasingly complete rack-scale AI infrastructure. Data Center revenue more than doubled year over year to $6.7 billion in the second quarter, driven by strong demand for EPYC processors and Instinct MI350-series GPUs.

The company is also expanding its position in large-scale AI infrastructure. Its latest portfolio includes the MI400-series accelerators, sixth-generation EPYC CPUs and Helios rack-scale systems, giving AMD exposure across AI training, inference and agentic workloads. Major AI and cloud customers working with AMD technology include OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft and Anthropic.

AMD’s combination of accelerating data-center growth, a broader AI product portfolio and expanding hyperscale deployments provides a strong fundamental backdrop as the company competes for a larger share of global AI infrastructure spending.
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AMD Stock Rises 3.5% as CLSA Reiterates Outperform Rating With $710 Price Target

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) shares rose 3.5% to $523.37 on Wednesday as CLSA reiterated its Outperform rating on the semiconductor company.

CLSA maintained a $710 price target on AMD, implying approximately 36% upside from the stock price shown.

The reiterated bullish rating comes as AMD remains a major beneficiary of growing investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, with investors closely watching the company’s ability to expand its position in the AI accelerator market.

AMD shares have attracted strong investor attention as the company competes for a larger share of AI computing demand while continuing to expand its data center processor business.
AMD, Cisco and HUMAIN Expand Saudi AI Infrastructure With Instinct GPUs

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD), Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN announced Monday that their first AMD-powered AI infrastructure is now operational in the Kingdom, marking a major step in their plans to build large-scale sovereign AI capacity.

The production system uses AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs and EPYC CPUs alongside Cisco Silicon One networking and 800G optics. HUMAIN is already using the infrastructure to provide GPU-as-a-service for AI workloads ranging from model training to inference.

The companies also announced the next major phase of the project. Beginning in 2027, they plan to deploy up to 250 megawatts of additional AI infrastructure based on AMD Instinct MI400 Series GPUs, EPYC processors and ROCm software, combined with Cisco networking technology. Capacity is expected to begin coming online in the second half of 2027.

The expansion forms part of the previously announced AMD-Cisco-HUMAIN joint venture, which remains on track to deploy up to 1 gigawatt of AI infrastructure by 2030. The companies said strong customer demand is supporting the buildout.

The project is particularly significant for AMD as it expands the footprint of its Instinct accelerators in large-scale AI data centers, competing for a greater share of a market currently dominated by NVIDIA. For Cisco, the project provides another major opportunity for its high-speed networking technology as AI clusters become larger and more demanding.

The partnership also supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a major global AI infrastructure hub, with locally operated computing capacity designed to give governments and enterprises greater control over their data, models and AI systems.
AMD Upgraded to Strong Buy at Raymond James as Price Target Jumps to $641

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) received a bullish analyst upgrade Tuesday, with Raymond James raising its rating to Strong Buy from Outperform and lifting its price target to $641 from $565.

Analyst Simon Leopold's new target represents substantial upside from AMD's recent price of about $477.14.

Why the Upgrade Matters

The upgrade reinforces optimism around AMD's position in the rapidly expanding AI and data-center semiconductor market.

AMD has become one of the most important challengers to Nvidia in AI accelerators, while also maintaining a strong presence in server CPUs through its EPYC product line. The company's growing exposure to hyperscale data centers, enterprise AI infrastructure and next-generation computing gives it significant leverage to continued AI capital spending.

The higher price target suggests Raymond James sees stronger long-term earnings potential as AMD expands its AI product portfolio and competes for a larger share of accelerator and data-center spending.

The shift from Outperform to Strong Buy is also notable because it signals increased conviction rather than simply maintaining an already-positive stance.

Investors will now focus on AMD's AI accelerator shipments, data-center revenue growth, margins and its ability to gain market share as the global AI infrastructure buildout continues.
MD Acquires Taalas to Strengthen AI Inference Chip Portfolio

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) has agreed to acquire Taalas, a Toronto-based developer of specialized AI inference silicon, as the chipmaker expands its technology portfolio for the rapidly growing AI inference market.

Founded in 2023, Taalas develops technology designed specifically to optimize AI inference dataflows, reducing compute and memory bottlenecks associated with more general-purpose architectures. AMD said the technology could provide significant improvements in inference performance and efficiency.

The acquisition is intended to complement AMD's broader full-stack AI platform, which includes Instinct GPUs, EPYC CPUs, ROCm software and Helios rack-scale systems.

## AMD Targets Growing AI Inference Demand

AMD plans to integrate Taalas' technology into its accelerator roadmap and combine it with Instinct GPUs to develop system-level AI solutions.

The strategy reflects the industry's increasing focus on inference — the process of running trained AI models — as artificial intelligence moves into high-volume, real-time applications. More specialized silicon can potentially lower the computing, memory and energy requirements associated with deploying increasingly large AI models.

AMD said Taalas' engineering team will also strengthen its AI capabilities while expanding the company's existing semiconductor and AI presence in Canada.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

The deal represents another step in AMD's effort to build a broader AI computing platform and compete across multiple layers of the AI infrastructure market, with Taalas adding specialized inference technology alongside AMD's existing GPU-based accelerator portfolio.
## AMD Stock Falls 10% After Hours Despite Record Revenue as Investors Focus on AI Expectations

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) shares fell 10% in after-hours trading Tuesday, despite reporting record second-quarter revenue and earnings, as investors appeared to take profits following high expectations for the company's AI business.

AMD delivered record second-quarter revenue of $11.5 billion, up 50% year over year, while non-GAAP earnings per share surged 246% to $1.66. Gross margin expanded to 56%, and operating income climbed to $3.1 billion, reflecting strong profitability as AI demand continued to accelerate.

The Data Center business remained AMD's primary growth engine. Segment revenue more than doubled, rising 107% year over year to $6.7 billion, driven by robust demand for EPYC server processors and Instinct AI accelerators. The segment accounted for approximately 58% of total company revenue during the quarter. Meanwhile, the Client business continued to perform well with Ryzen processor demand driving 23% growth, although Gaming revenue declined 31% due to weaker semi-custom sales.

Management highlighted a series of major AI announcements during the quarter, including the launch of the Helios AI rackscale platform, the new Instinct MI400 GPU family, sixth-generation EPYC processors, and expanded partnerships with leading AI companies including OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, Anthropic, Oracle, and others. AMD also announced new collaborations designed to accelerate AI infrastructure deployments and broaden adoption of its hardware and software ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the company forecast third-quarter revenue of approximately $13.0 billion, representing roughly 41% year-over-year growth and another sequential acceleration, while maintaining an expected non-GAAP gross margin of approximately 56%.

Despite the strong financial performance and optimistic outlook, the stock declined after hours as investors appeared to have anticipated another exceptional quarter following AMD's strong rally and elevated expectations surrounding AI infrastructure spending. While the earnings reinforced AMD's growing position in AI computing, the market reaction suggests investors are demanding increasingly larger upside surprises from leading semiconductor companies.
Semiconductor Stocks Fall as China's Chip Breakthrough Pressures Nvidia and the AI Sector

Semiconductor stocks came under pressure on Monday, dragging the Nasdaq lower as investors weighed China's rapidly advancing semiconductor industry against the latest developments in the global AI infrastructure race. Nvidia led the sector's decline, falling more than 4%, while weakness spread across AI and memory chipmakers.

The latest catalyst on the AI front came after reports that Nvidia is in talks to provide roughly $250 billion in financing guarantees for OpenAI's massive AI data center project in Ohio. The proposed 10-gigawatt facility would rank among the world's largest AI infrastructure projects, underscoring the enormous capital being committed to artificial intelligence. While the news reinforces long-term demand for AI hardware, it also highlights the rapidly evolving competitive landscape and the unprecedented scale of investment required across the industry.

Investor sentiment was also weighed down by developments in China. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China's largest memory chipmaker, surged more than 400% in its Shanghai trading debut following Asia's largest IPO of 2026. The emergence of another major Chinese chipmaker renewed concerns that global competition in memory and AI-related semiconductors will intensify. Those concerns were particularly significant for Nvidia, whose growth opportunities in China have already been constrained by U.S. export restrictions.

The weakness extended across the broader semiconductor sector. Memory-related companies including Sandisk, Micron Technology, Western Digital, and SK Hynix posted notable declines, while ASML, AMD, Intel, Marvell Technology, Super Micro Computer, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) also traded lower as investors reassessed the industry's competitive outlook.

Despite Monday's selloff, the semiconductor industry's long-term fundamentals remain supported by accelerating AI adoption and record investment in data center infrastructure. However, the combination of elevated valuations, China's rapid technological progress, and an increasingly competitive global landscape prompted investors to lock in profits following the sector's strong rally.
AMD Stock Rises 3.8% as China AI Chip Approval News and Analyst Price Target Increases Lift Sentiment

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) shares climbed 3.8% on Tuesday after receiving fresh support from Wall Street analysts and a Reuters report that another Chinese company has obtained U.S. approval to purchase AMD's advanced AI chips.

Bank of America raised its price target on AMD to $620 from $550 while maintaining a Buy rating. Meanwhile, KeyBanc increased its target price to $725 from $530 and reiterated its Overweight rating, reflecting growing confidence in AMD's long-term AI growth prospects.

According to Reuters, the U.S. government approved Zhuhai Hengqin Yunxiang Zhisheng Network Technology to purchase certain AMD AI accelerators that compete with Nvidia's H200 chips. The report added that ZTE Kangxun Telecom and server maker Maginfra also received approval to purchase Nvidia's H200 processors. These approvals follow similar authorizations granted in May to major Chinese technology companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and JD*com, suggesting Washington may be selectively easing restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China.

The Reuters report was viewed as a positive development for AMD, as China remains an important long-term market for AI infrastructure despite ongoing export controls. The latest approvals could allow AMD to capture additional demand from Chinese cloud providers and enterprise customers while expanding its presence in one of the world's largest AI markets.

The broader semiconductor sector also traded higher, supported by expectations of sustained AI infrastructure spending and easing inflation data that reinforced hopes for lower U.S. interest rates. The combination of improving policy developments, stronger access to the Chinese market, and renewed analyst optimism helped lift AMD shares alongside other AI chipmakers.

Investors will continue watching for further developments in U.S. export policy, enterprise AI spending trends, and AMD's execution in the increasingly competitive AI accelerator market, where it continues to challenge Nvidia for market share.
AMD Stock Jumps as Goldman Sachs Raises Price Target to $640

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) surged nearly 9% on Monday after Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its Buy rating and sharply increased its price target on the semiconductor giant to $640 from $450.

The sizable price target increase comes as optimism surrounding artificial intelligence infrastructure spending continues to strengthen. AMD has been gaining traction in the AI accelerator market with its Instinct GPU lineup, while growing demand for high-performance computing chips has fueled expectations for sustained revenue growth.

The bullish analyst update also reflects confidence that AMD is well positioned to benefit from expanding enterprise AI adoption and continued investment in data center infrastructure. Investors have increasingly viewed the company as one of the leading beneficiaries of the global AI spending cycle alongside other major semiconductor firms.

The rating action helped accelerate buying interest, pushing AMD shares to fresh highs during Monday's session and making the stock one of the strongest performers in the semiconductor sector.

The move highlights continued investor enthusiasm for AI-related chipmakers, with analysts remaining optimistic that strong demand for AI hardware and cloud infrastructure will support AMD's long-term growth trajectory.
AMD (AMD) Stock Rises After Cantor Fitzgerald Raises Price Target to $700

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) shares gained 3.4% on Monday after Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on the semiconductor giant, citing continued confidence in the company's position within the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence market.

The brokerage increased its price target to $700 from $500 while reiterating its Overweight rating, signaling meaningful upside potential as AMD continues to strengthen its AI portfolio.

# Cantor Fitzgerald Turns More Bullish on AMD

The higher price target reflects growing optimism about AMD's ability to capture a larger share of the AI accelerator market, where demand remains robust as hyperscale cloud providers continue investing heavily in AI infrastructure.

AMD has been expanding its presence in AI chips with its Instinct accelerator lineup while benefiting from strong demand for EPYC server processors, positioning the company to compete more aggressively in the data center market.

# AI Infrastructure Spending Continues to Support Semiconductor Stocks

The analyst action comes as investors remain focused on companies tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure. Expectations for sustained spending on AI data centers, high-performance computing, and cloud infrastructure have continued to support leading semiconductor names.

While AI remains the primary long-term growth driver, improving market sentiment also contributed to Monday's gains across the broader technology sector.

Why AMD Stock Rose

Investors responded positively to several catalysts:

* Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $700 from $500.
* The firm reiterated its Overweight rating.
* Continued optimism surrounding AI accelerator demand.
* Strong expectations for AI infrastructure and data center investment.

The combination of a bullish analyst update and ongoing confidence in AI-related semiconductor spending helped lift AMD shares 3.4% during Monday's trading session.
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NASDAQ:META

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Meta Stock Rises 2% as Analysts Raise Targets and Muse App Gains Momentum

Meta Platforms shares rose 2% to $751.36 after multiple analysts issued positive updates on the stock, while the company’s newly launched Muse AI app continued to strengthen investor enthusiasm around Meta’s broader AI strategy.

Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $860 from $680 while maintaining an Overweight rating. KeyCorp also kept an Overweight rating and lifted its target to $900 from $780. UBS reiterated its Overweight rating.

The analyst optimism comes as Meta’s Muse personal AI agent gains early traction. Muse can perform tasks such as sending emails, booking travel and working across connected apps, rather than functioning only as a conversational chatbot. Meta launched the service earlier this month, and the app quickly climbed U.S. download rankings.

Muse has become increasingly relevant to the investment case because it gives Meta a consumer-facing AI product beyond its traditional social-media platforms. Reuters reported that Muse has surpassed 2.5 million downloads, while Meta is continuing to test additional capabilities such as phone calls performed on users’ behalf. (Reuters)

Other reasons behind the stock’s strength include continued digital-advertising growth, AI-driven improvements in recommendations and ad targeting, and growing confidence that Meta can eventually monetize its large AI investments through products such as Muse.

The 2% gain suggests higher analyst targets and the strong early reception for Muse are reinforcing optimism around Meta’s AI strategy.

Meta Muse AI may throw gas on the labor displacement problem — but it's not all doom and gloom

Monthly jobs reports will take on greater weight as AI displaces workers.

(finance.yahoo.com)
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Meta Expands Threads Parental Supervision Across Asia-Pacific

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) is rolling out parental supervision tools for Threads across Asia-Pacific, expanding its efforts to give parents greater visibility and control over how teenagers use its social-media platforms.

Through Meta’s Family Center, parents will be able to monitor how much time their teens spend on Threads, establish daily usage limits and block access during selected hours. Parents can also adjust sleep mode, control who can tag their teen and manage certain privacy and sensitive-content settings.

The new controls build on Threads’ existing Teen Accounts, which automatically provide protections including private accounts and restrictions on the content shown to younger users. For teens under 16, parents can determine whether those default protections can be relaxed.

The expansion brings Threads more closely in line with Meta’s broader parental-control framework across its apps as the company continues investing in teen safety and family-management tools.
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Meta Launches Meta One Subscription Service With Expanded AI Features

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) has launched Meta One, a new subscription service spanning Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Meta AI, creating another potential revenue stream beyond the company’s core advertising business. Meta said more than 50 features are available at launch, while its subscription products have already accumulated 15 million subscriptions and trials.

Meta One combines premium social-media features with higher usage limits for the company’s increasingly compute-intensive AI tools. Subscribers can generate and edit more images and videos with Meta AI, access additional Instagram AI features and choose between individual app subscriptions and broader Core and Premium bundles. Meta said its basic apps and everyday Meta AI experience will remain free.

The company is also targeting creators and businesses with professional tools, including enhanced profiles, audience-growth features and greater access to Meta Business Agent for automated customer interactions. Meta plans to expand these capabilities with additional AI agents, content-creation tools and business automation features.

Pricing starts at $2.99 per month for individual products and $7.99 for consumer bundles, while creator and business packages begin at $14.99 and extend to as much as $499 per month for the highest-tier plan. The rollout gives Meta another way to monetize its enormous user base and growing AI ecosystem through recurring subscription revenue alongside advertising.
Meta and Applied Materials Declare Quarterly Cash Dividends

Meta Platforms and Applied Materials announced quarterly cash dividends on September 10, continuing shareholder capital returns at two of the largest U.S. technology companies.

Meta’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share for both Class A and Class B common stock. The dividend will be paid on September 28 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 21.

Applied Materials separately declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, payable December 10 to shareholders of record on November 19. The semiconductor equipment company increased its quarterly dividend by 15% earlier this year, from $0.46 to $0.53, marking its ninth consecutive annual dividend increase.
Meta Expands WhatsApp Payments in India With New Bill-Pay Feature

Meta is expanding WhatsApp’s role in India’s digital payments market with the launch of a new feature allowing users to pay household and utility bills directly within the messaging app.

The service, powered by India’s Bharat Connect (BBPS) network, provides access to 22,722 billers across 30 categories, including electricity, gas, water, insurance, credit cards, FASTag and loan repayments.

Users can access the service through the ₹ icon in WhatsApp, view upcoming and previous bills, manage multiple accounts and make payments using UPI, debit cards or credit cards. The feature is being rolled out gradually to Android and iOS users across India.

WhatsApp Pushes Deeper Into India’s Digital Economy

The launch expands WhatsApp beyond messaging and commerce into another high-frequency financial activity. The platform already supports services in India such as mobile recharges, metro-ticket purchases and access to government services.

For Meta, integrating recurring payments could increase engagement with WhatsApp’s payments ecosystem and strengthen the app’s position as an everyday digital platform in one of its most important global markets.
Meta Stock Falls 9% Premarket Despite Strong Revenue Growth as Profit Margins Shrink on AI Spending

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) shares dropped 9% in premarket trading on Thursday after the social media giant reported second-quarter results that highlighted the growing cost of its aggressive artificial intelligence investments, overshadowing another quarter of strong revenue growth.

Revenue increased 28% year-over-year to $60.8 billion, driven by continued strength in digital advertising. Ad impressions rose 14%, while the average price per ad increased 12%. Family Daily Active People (DAP) reached 3.60 billion, up 3% from a year earlier, demonstrating continued user engagement across Meta's platforms.

## AI Investment Weighs on Profitability

Despite the robust top-line growth, investors focused on a sharp deterioration in profitability. Total costs and expenses surged 55% to $42.0 billion, reflecting massive AI infrastructure investments, $2.4 billion in legal-related charges and $1.18 billion in severance costs following the company's May workforce reduction.

As a result, operating income declined 8% to $18.8 billion, while operating margin contracted to 31% from 43% a year ago. Net income fell 14% to $15.8 billion, and diluted earnings per share decreased 13% to $6.18.

Meta also spent $31.1 billion on capital expenditures during the quarter and narrowed its full-year capital expenditure guidance to $130-145 billion, reinforcing expectations that AI infrastructure spending will remain elevated.

## Guidance Offers Limited Relief

For the third quarter, Meta expects revenue between $61 billion and $64 billion, while raising the lower end of its full-year expense guidance to $165-169 billion. The company maintained its expectation that full-year operating income will exceed 2025 levels, but investors appeared more concerned about the pace of spending than the revenue outlook.

## What to Watch

The sharp premarket decline suggests investors are becoming increasingly sensitive to profitability as large technology companies continue investing heavily in AI. Going forward, the market will closely monitor whether Meta can translate its record AI spending into stronger earnings growth while preserving operating margins.
Meta Beats Q1 Estimates, But Surging AI Capex Spooks Investors

Meta Platforms delivered a strong Q1 2026, yet shares slid after hours as Wall Street fixated on a massive spending hike.

Revenue climbed 33% year-over-year to $56.31 billion — the fastest growth since 2021 — beating estimates of $55.45 billion. Adjusted EPS came in at $7.31, topping the $6.79 consensus. Ad impressions jumped 19% year-over-year, while average price per ad rose 12%.

The trouble? AI spending. Meta raised its full-year 2026 capex guidance to $125–$145 billion, up from $115–$135 billion, citing higher component pricing and additional data center costs — and that single line item drove a ~6% after-hours decline.

META shares were trading at $613.00 in pre-market, down 8.39%.

Zuckerberg's AI investments have yet to produce new revenue streams but have strengthened the core advertising business. For now, markets want proof the bet will pay off (CNBC).
Meta Posts 33% Revenue Growth in Q1 2026, Hits $56.3 Billion

Meta Platforms reported first-quarter revenues of $56.3 billion, up 33% year over year, with operating income rising 30% to $22.9 billion at a 41% margin. Net income surged 61% to $26.8 billion, though results were boosted by an $8 billion one-time tax benefit. Daily active users across Meta's family of apps averaged 3.56 billion in March, up 4% from a year ago. Ad impressions grew 19% and average ad prices rose 12%. Capital expenditures reached $19.8 billion for the quarter, with full-year capex guidance raised to $125-145 billion, reflecting higher component costs and expanded data center investment. For Q2, Meta guided revenues of $58-61 billion.

Source: Meta Platforms, Inc. Press Release, April 29, 2026
Meta has signed a major agreement with Amazon Web Services to deploy AWS Graviton processors at scale, supporting its next-generation AI infrastructure. The rollout will begin with tens of millions of Graviton cores, with capacity expected to expand as demand grows.

The partnership reflects increasing demand for CPU-intensive workloads driven by “agentic AI,” including real-time reasoning, code generation, and multi-step task orchestration. While GPUs remain key for training models, Graviton chips are positioned to handle large-scale operational AI processes more efficiently.

The deal strengthens Meta’s long-standing relationship with AWS and supports its broader AI strategy, leveraging Amazon’s cloud infrastructure and services to manage billions of AI-driven interactions.
Business Wire
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NASDAQ:AKAM

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Akamai Jumps 6% After $11.6 Billion Anthropic Deal, Analysts Raise Price Targets

Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) shares rose about 6% after the company announced a seven-year, $11.6 billion cloud infrastructure agreement with Anthropic, while several Wall Street firms raised their price targets on the stock.

Under the agreement, Anthropic will use Akamai Cloud’s distributed infrastructure and software to support expanding CPU workloads. The relationship could grow by an additional $9 billion, bringing the total potential commitment to roughly $20 billion. Akamai said the initial contract is expected to require about $5.5 billion in related capital expenditures.

The announcement prompted a series of analyst actions. Guggenheim raised its price target to $225 from $190 and maintained a Buy rating, Piper Sandler lifted its target to $158 from $125 while reiterating Overweight, and UBS increased its target to $148 from $143 while keeping a Neutral rating. The more constructive targets likely reflect the size and long duration of the Anthropic commitment, stronger visibility into Akamai’s cloud revenue growth and evidence that its infrastructure is gaining traction for large-scale AI workloads. At the same time, the substantial capital spending required to support the contract remains an important consideration.

Akamai also issued Anthropic a warrant representing up to approximately 5% of the company’s common stock on an as-converted basis, with vesting linked to the expansion of the commercial relationship. The company said the agreement will not affect its 2026 revenue guidance, although 2026 capital expenditures are expected to increase by about $1.7 billion to secure critical infrastructure components.
Akamai Stock Jumps 7% Despite Mixed Analyst Updates From Susquehanna and HSBC

Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) shares rose about 7% Monday despite mixed analyst actions, as Susquehanna maintained a bullish view while HSBC became more cautious on the cloud computing and cybersecurity company.

Susquehanna analyst Aaron Samuels lowered the firm's price target on Akamai to $140 from $175 but maintained a Positive rating. The revised target still implies roughly 20% upside from the stock's recent price of $116.34.

At the same time, HSBC analyst Stephen Bersey cut the firm's price target to $123 from $171 and moved its rating to Hold from Buy.

Analyst Views Diverge on Akamai

The two reports present a mixed picture. Susquehanna's substantial target reduction indicates lower expectations for Akamai's valuation, but the Positive rating suggests the firm still sees meaningful upside.

HSBC's move was more cautious, with both a significant price-target reduction and a downgrade to Hold. Its new $123 target is only modestly above Akamai's current trading level.

Despite these revisions, AKAM shares gained approximately 7%, suggesting investors are focusing on factors beyond the analyst changes or had already priced in more cautious expectations.

The strong move also indicates that the target cuts have not materially undermined near-term sentiment toward the stock. Investors will now be watching whether Akamai can sustain the rally and whether other analysts adjust their forecasts following the company's recent developments.
Akamai Technologies and Visa announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen trust and security in emerging agentic commerce, integrating Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol with Akamai’s edge-based behavioral intelligence and fraud protection. The partnership aims to help merchants securely authenticate AI shopping agents, link them to underlying consumers, and prevent fraud as autonomous agents increasingly transact on behalf of users, enabling safe and scalable adoption of AI-driven commerce experiences.
Source: Visa, Business Wire
Akamai Expands Credit Facility, Plans $1.35 Billion Convertible Notes Offering

Akamai Technologies has amended its existing credit agreement, significantly expanding its revolving credit facility and adjusting key terms. The amendment, signed on May 12, 2025, doubles the revolving commitments from $500 million to $1 billion and extends the maturity date by one year to November 22, 2028. The amendment also eliminates any future increase options and reduces the number of permitted maturity extensions from two to one.

In a related announcement on May 13, Akamai revealed plans to offer $1.35 billion in Convertible Senior Notes due 2033 through a private placement to qualified institutional buyers. Proceeds from the offering are expected to support general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of existing debt, capital expenditures, and potential acquisitions.

These moves are part of Akamai’s strategy to strengthen liquidity and increase financial flexibility amid continued investment in edge computing and cybersecurity.
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US

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U.S. Consumer Sentiment Improves Slightly, Inflation Expectations Stay Elevated

The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index rose to 48.1 in September, slightly above the 47.8 consensus estimate but down from 51.7 previously. Consumer Expectations also came in stronger than forecast at 46.3 versus 45.8 expected, although the reading remained well below the previous 51.5.

One-year inflation expectations held at 4.6%, matching expectations but rising from 4.0% previously, indicating that near-term inflation concerns remain elevated among U.S. consumers.

Separately, the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model estimated third-quarter U.S. economic growth at an annualized 5.0%, slightly below both the 5.1% forecast and the previous estimate. Overall, the figures show modestly better-than-expected consumer sentiment alongside persistent inflation concerns and still-strong projected economic growth.
U.S. Durable Goods Orders Hold Flat in August, Core Orders Miss Expectations

U.S. durable goods orders were unchanged in August, beating expectations for a 0.3% decline but slowing sharply from the previous month’s 0.9% increase.

Core durable goods orders, which exclude transportation, rose 0.3% month over month, below the 0.6% consensus estimate and down from 0.7% previously.
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U.S. 7-Year Treasury Auction Yield Jumps to 5.085%

The U.S. Treasury’s latest 7-year note auction cleared at a yield of 5.085%, sharply above the previous auction’s 4.512%.

The roughly 57-basis-point increase signals a materially higher yield environment for intermediate-term U.S. government debt and may reflect investors demanding greater compensation amid persistent inflation, resilient economic data and uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s rate path.
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U.S. Stocks Edge Lower as Jobless Claims Stay Low and Home Sales Beat Expectations

U.S. stocks traded modestly lower on Thursday, with the S&P 500 down 0.18% at 7,692.30, the Dow Jones falling 0.25% to 51,381.27 and the Nasdaq declining 0.53% to 26,792.15.

Fresh economic data pointed to continued resilience in parts of the U.S. economy. Initial jobless claims came in at 197,000, below the 201,000 expected and slightly below the previous 198,000, suggesting layoffs remain relatively contained. Continuing claims were 1.719 million, also below the 1.750 million forecast.

Housing data were also stronger than expected. August building permits were revised to 1.403 million from an earlier 1.394 million estimate, while new home sales reached 684,000, well above the 615,000 consensus and up from 643,000 previously.

The relatively firm labor and housing figures may be limiting expectations for faster Federal Reserve easing, putting some pressure on equities and particularly rate-sensitive technology shares. The Nasdaq was the weakest of the three major indexes in early trading.

10-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2007 as market prices in another Fed rate hike

The 10-year Treasury yield rose to its highest level since 2007 on Wednesday.

(finance.yahoo.com)
U.S. Stocks Fall as Strong September PMI Data Revives Rate Concerns

U.S. stocks traded lower Tuesday as stronger-than-expected September business activity data raised concerns that resilient economic growth could keep interest rates elevated for longer.

The S&P 500 fell 0.37% to 7,736.24, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.34% to 51,687.57. The Nasdaq underperformed with a 0.54% drop to 27,095.84.

S&P Global’s U.S. Manufacturing PMI jumped to 57.0 in September from 53.9, well above the 53.6 forecast. Services PMI also strengthened to 58.7 from 56.5, beating expectations of 55.8, while the Composite PMI climbed to 58.4 from 56.0.

The readings point to strong momentum across both manufacturing and services. While that supports the economic outlook, investors may also see the data as reducing the urgency for additional monetary easing and potentially keeping Treasury yields under upward pressure.

Technology stocks were among the weaker areas of the market, contributing to the Nasdaq’s larger decline. Investors will now watch upcoming inflation, labor-market and Federal Reserve signals for further clues on the path of interest rates.
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U.S. Stocks Mixed as Tech Gains Offset Dow Weakness, ADP Data Shows Firmer Hiring

U.S. stocks traded mixed Tuesday, with technology shares outperforming while the Dow Jones remained under pressure.

The S&P 500 was nearly flat, up 0.08% at 7,770.63. The Nasdaq gained 0.55% to 27,270.74, supported by strength in technology and growth stocks, while the Dow Jones fell 0.41% to 51,837.62.

Fresh labor-market data added a somewhat firmer signal to the session. ADP’s weekly employment estimate showed private-sector employment increased by 20,000, up from 16,300 previously. The improvement suggests hiring momentum remained positive, even as other recent indicators have pointed to some moderation in broader economic activity.

Investors are still balancing the Federal Reserve’s recent 25-basis-point rate increase against signs of softer growth. Flat August industrial production and a decline in the U.S. Leading Index have raised concerns about economic momentum, while the stronger ADP reading points to continued resilience in the labor market.

Lower oil prices are also helping ease inflation concerns, with Brent crude trading below $100 as Middle East supply fears moderate. That backdrop is supporting rate-sensitive growth stocks, particularly technology, while more cyclical Dow components remain weaker.

For now, the market is showing a clear divergence: technology shares continue to lead, while investors weigh resilient employment against tighter monetary policy and softer industrial indicators.
U.S. Stocks Rally as AI Shares Surge and Falling Oil Prices Ease Inflation Fears

U.S. stocks traded sharply higher Monday, led by technology shares as falling oil prices and lower Treasury yields improved risk sentiment.

The S&P 500 rose 0.95% to 7,723.01, while the Dow Jones gained 0.43% to 51,903.85. The Nasdaq outperformed with a 1.53% advance to 26,927.20.

Technology and AI-related stocks were the main drivers of the rally. Chipmakers including AMD, Intel and Micron posted strong gains, while Meta also advanced as investors returned to AI-related names after last week’s concerns over the pace of artificial-intelligence development eased.

The broader market also benefited from a sharp decline in crude oil prices. Brent fell back toward $100 a barrel as concerns over Middle East supply disruptions eased, helping reduce inflation pressure and pushing the 10-year Treasury yield below 5%.

Improving U.S.-China sentiment added to the positive backdrop, with investors looking ahead to high-level discussions covering trade, technology and AI.

For now, the combination of lower energy prices, easing bond yields and renewed enthusiasm for AI is supporting a broad risk-on move, with the Nasdaq clearly leading the major U.S. indexes.
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U.S. Stocks Slip as Weak Industrial Data and Higher Yields Offset Fed-Driven Optimism

U.S. stocks traded modestly lower Friday as investors weighed softer economic data against lingering confidence in the Federal Reserve’s inflation-fighting stance.

The S&P 500 fell 0.20% to 7,622.67, while the Dow Jones declined 0.34% to 51,602.07. The Nasdaq was down 0.13% at 26,383.07, giving back part of its earlier gains.

The session followed Thursday’s rally, when falling oil prices and lower long-term Treasury yields helped investors respond positively to the Fed’s 25-basis-point rate increase. The central bank raised its benchmark range to 3.75%–4.00%, and Chair Kevin Warsh emphasized that inflation remains too high, reinforcing confidence that the Fed is prepared to act against persistent price pressures.

Friday’s economic data were less supportive. U.S. industrial production was unchanged in August, missing expectations for a 0.3% increase, while manufacturing output fell 0.3% after seven consecutive monthly gains. The U.S. Leading Index also declined 0.1%, pointing to some moderation in near-term economic momentum.

At the same time, Treasury yields remained an important headwind. The 10-year yield has recently traded near 5%, keeping pressure on equity valuations, particularly in growth-sensitive sectors. Brent crude’s retreat below $100 has helped ease some inflation concerns, but investors remain focused on whether the Fed will deliver another rate increase later this year.

For now, Wall Street appears caught between confidence in the Fed’s inflation response and concern that tighter monetary policy, high yields and slowing industrial momentum could weigh on growth.
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U.S. Pending Home Sales Rise 0.3% in August as GDPNow Holds at 5.1%

U.S. pending home sales rose 0.3% month over month in August, beating expectations for a 0.2% decline and rebounding from a 2.6% drop in the previous month.

The stronger reading suggests some stabilization in housing demand despite elevated mortgage rates and ongoing affordability pressures. Pending home sales track signed contracts and are often viewed as a leading indicator for future existing-home sales.

Separately, the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model kept its estimate for third-quarter U.S. economic growth unchanged at 5.1%.

Together, the data point to continued resilience in the U.S. economy. Housing demand showed a modest improvement, while the GDPNow estimate continued to signal strong overall growth momentum in the third quarter.
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NASDAQ:COST

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Costco Rises 2.7% After Strong Q4 Sales and Earnings Growth

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) shares rose about 2.7% after the retailer reported strong fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 results, supported by double-digit sales growth, higher earnings and continued strength in digitally enabled sales.

Fourth-quarter net sales increased 11.2% year over year to $93.9 billion, while total comparable sales rose 9.4%. On an adjusted basis, excluding gasoline-price and foreign-exchange effects, comparable sales increased 6.7%, with U.S. adjusted comparable sales up 7.2%. Digitally enabled sales were especially strong, rising 19.8% on an adjusted basis.

Net income for the quarter increased to $2.998 billion, or $6.75 per diluted share, from $2.610 billion, or $5.87 per share, a year earlier. Results included a $0.15-per-share benefit from IEEPA tariff refunds, partially offset by reinvestment into increased member value.

For the full fiscal year, Costco reported net sales of $297.2 billion, up 10.1%, while net income rose to $9.226 billion from $8.099 billion. The stock’s gain likely reflects the combination of resilient comparable-sales growth, strong digital momentum and solid earnings expansion.
DoorDash and Costco Expand Partnership With Nationwide U.S. Delivery Launch

DoorDash and Costco Wholesale expanded their global partnership Thursday with the nationwide U.S. launch of Costco on the DoorDash Marketplace, giving Costco members access to same-day delivery from all of the retailer’s U.S. warehouses.

Through the DoorDash app, Costco members can shop more than 4,000 products, including groceries, pantry staples, household essentials, electronics, seasonal merchandise and Kirkland Signature products. Customers can link their existing Costco membership directly to DoorDash, while non-members can purchase a membership through Costco before linking their accounts.

The U.S. rollout expands an existing international partnership between the companies that already covers Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Iceland and Puerto Rico. DoorDash said Costco had been among the most-searched retailers that was not previously available on its U.S. marketplace.

The addition also strengthens DoorDash’s position in grocery and retail delivery. With Costco joining the platform, DoorDash now says it works with eight of the 10 largest food retailers in North America, broadening its business beyond its traditional restaurant-delivery operations.
Costco August Sales Rise 9.9% as Digital Growth Remains Strong

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) reported another month of solid sales growth, with August net sales rising 9.9% year over year to $23.70 billion from $21.56 billion.

Comparable sales increased 8.4% companywide, including a 9.0% increase in the U.S., 4.0% in Canada and 9.5% across other international markets. Digitally enabled comparable sales were particularly strong, climbing 17.9%.

Excluding the effects of gasoline prices and foreign exchange movements, total comparable sales increased 5.4%, with U.S. comparable sales up 5.6%. The later timing of Labor Day negatively affected August total and comparable sales by just under 75 basis points.

Costco Ends Fiscal 2026 With Strong Growth

For the 16-week fiscal fourth quarter, Costco generated $93.9 billion in net sales, up 11.3% year over year, while comparable sales increased 9.4%. Full-year net sales reached $297.3 billion, representing growth of 10.2%.

Costco’s digital business remained a standout, with digitally enabled comparable sales rising 20.9% for the full fiscal year. The results point to continued strength in Costco’s membership-driven retail model and solid consumer demand heading into fiscal 2027.
Costco July Sales Rise 10.7% as Digital Growth Remains Strong

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) reported strong July sales growth, supported by higher comparable sales in the U.S. and continued strength in its digitally enabled business.

Net sales reached $23.12 billion for the four weeks ended August 2, up 10.7% from $20.89 billion a year earlier. For the first 48 weeks of the fiscal year, net sales increased 10.1% to $273.55 billion.

## Comparable Sales Rise 8.9%

Total comparable sales increased 8.9% in July, led by a 10.3% increase in the U.S. Canada comparable sales rose 4.2%, while other international markets increased 6.0%.

Excluding fluctuations in gasoline prices and foreign exchange rates, total comparable sales increased 6.6%. On the same adjusted basis, U.S. comparable sales rose 6.9%, Canada increased 4.9% and other international markets gained 6.6%.

Costco's digitally enabled business remained one of its fastest-growing channels, with comparable sales rising 17.7%, or 18.2% excluding gasoline and currency effects.

The July figures indicate that Costco continues to generate solid underlying sales growth across its warehouse and digital operations. With 48-week net sales now more than 10% above last year's level, the results reinforce the retailer's strong sales momentum heading toward the end of its fiscal year.
Costco Stock Falls 1.7% Premarket After JPMorgan Lowers Price Target

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) shares fell 1.7% in premarket trading on Thursday after JPMorgan lowered its price target on the warehouse retailer to $1,100 from $1,110 while maintaining its *Overweight* rating.

Why Is Costco Stock Falling Today?

The modest premarket decline followed a slight reduction in JPMorgan's price target, although the firm continued to recommend the stock with an *Overweight* rating, signaling that its long-term investment thesis remains intact.

The revised target reflects a more conservative valuation rather than a change in the company's underlying fundamentals, as the new target still implies upside from Costco's recent trading price.

Costco's Fundamentals Remain Strong

Costco continues to benefit from resilient consumer spending, industry-leading membership renewal rates, and steady traffic across its warehouse network. The retailer has also maintained strong comparable sales growth by offering competitive pricing and expanding its private-label Kirkland Signature products.

In recent quarters, Costco has continued to gain market share as consumers increasingly seek value amid a still uncertain economic environment.

What Investors Are Watching Next

Investors will continue to monitor monthly comparable sales, membership fee income, and consumer spending trends for signs that Costco can sustain its growth momentum. Market participants are also watching for any future updates regarding membership fee increases and the company's ongoing warehouse expansion plans.

While the slight reduction in JPMorgan's price target weighed on shares in premarket trading, the firm's continued *Overweight* rating suggests Wall Street remains constructive on Costco's long-term growth prospects.
Costco Shares Slip After Citi Starts Coverage With Neutral Rating

Costco (NASDAQ: COST) fell 1.3% after Citigroup initiated coverage of the warehouse retailer with a Neutral rating and a $1,020 price target.

The rating reflects a balanced view of Costco's strong business fundamentals and premium valuation. Citi acknowledged the company's industry-leading membership model, loyal customer base, and consistent execution, but suggested much of that strength is already reflected in the stock price.

Costco remains one of the retail sector's top performers, benefiting from high membership renewal rates, resilient consumer demand, and steady market-share gains. The company also generates a significant portion of its profits from recurring membership fees, providing a stable earnings base.

While Citi's price target implies some upside from current levels, investors appeared to focus on the Neutral rating, sending shares modestly lower. The reaction suggests valuation concerns may be outweighing the company's otherwise strong long-term growth outlook.
Costco Gains After Analyst Reiterates Rating Following Strong Earnings Report

Costco Wholesale (COST) shares rose about 1.4% as investors continued to digest the company's recent earnings report and a fresh analyst update from DA Davidson.

The firm reiterated its Neutral rating on Costco while maintaining a $1,000 price target, signaling confidence in the retailer's operational strength despite the stock's already premium valuation. With shares trading near $976, the target suggests analysts see limited but still positive upside from current levels.

Costco recently reported another solid quarter, supported by strong membership renewal rates, resilient consumer spending, and continued growth in e-commerce and international operations. The retailer has consistently outperformed many competitors by offering value-focused pricing, a strategy that remains attractive even as consumers navigate an uncertain economic environment.

While analysts continue to praise Costco's business model, loyal customer base, and steady cash generation, some remain cautious about valuation after the stock's strong performance over the past several years. This helps explain the Neutral rating despite the company's strong fundamentals.

Today's gain suggests investors remain confident in Costco's ability to deliver stable growth regardless of broader economic conditions. As consumers continue to prioritize value and essential spending, Costco remains one of the most defensive and reliable names in the retail sector.
Costco Slips 3% Despite Strong Earnings Beat as Investors Digest Valuation and Slowing Adjusted Comparable Sales

COSTCO fell 3% following its fiscal third-quarter 2026 earnings report, even though the warehouse retail giant delivered another quarter of double-digit sales growth, strong comparable sales and rising profitability. The pullback appears to reflect investor concerns over valuation and signs of moderating growth rather than any weakness in the underlying business.

Costco reported third-quarter net sales of $69.15 billion, an increase of 11.6% from a year earlier, while total revenue rose to $70.53 billion. Net income climbed to $2.19 billion, or $4.93 per diluted share, up from $1.90 billion, or $4.28 per share, in the prior-year period. The results continued Costco’s long track record of consistent growth and operational execution.

Comparable sales remained impressive across all major markets. Reported comparable sales increased 9.8% companywide, including gains of 9.4% in the United States, 10.7% in Canada and 11.2% in other international markets. Digital sales were particularly strong, rising 21.5% during the quarter.

However, investors appeared to focus on the adjusted comparable sales figures, which exclude gasoline price fluctuations and foreign exchange effects. On that basis, total company comparable sales growth was 6.6%, a solid result but somewhat lower than the headline figures and indicative of a more moderate pace of underlying growth.

Another factor likely weighing on the stock was valuation. Costco shares entered the earnings release near all-time highs after significantly outperforming the broader market over the past several years. With expectations elevated, even strong results may not have been enough to justify further multiple expansion.

Despite the market reaction, Costco's financial position remains exceptionally strong. Cash and cash equivalents rose to nearly $19 billion, operating cash flow increased to $11.1 billion during the first 36 weeks of fiscal 2026, and operating income climbed 12.3% year over year to $2.82 billion in the quarter. Membership fee revenue also increased to $1.37 billion, providing a stable and highly profitable recurring revenue stream.

The company continues to expand globally, ending the quarter with 931 warehouses worldwide, including seven locations in China and growing operations across Europe and Asia. Digital sales growth above 20% also highlights Costco’s increasing ability to blend its traditional warehouse model with e-commerce capabilities.

The stock's decline suggests investors were taking profits after another strong run rather than reacting to disappointing fundamentals. Costco delivered robust sales growth, expanding profits and continued market share gains, but with the shares already priced for near-perfection, the market appeared to demand an even larger upside surprise to sustain the rally.
Costco announced a quarterly cash dividend on common stock and approved a quarterly increase from $1.30 to $1.47 per share, $5.88 on an annualized basis. The quarterly dividend is payable May 15, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 1, 2026.
Costco Reports Strong March Sales Growth Despite Calendar Headwind

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $28.41 billion for March (five weeks ended April 5, 2026), marking an 11.3% increase year-over-year.

Comparable sales rose 9.4% globally, with solid performance across regions, including 8.7% growth in the U.S. and double-digit gains internationally. E-commerce continued to outperform, with digitally enabled sales surging over 23%.

For the first 31 weeks of the fiscal year, total sales reached $173.26 billion, up 9.1% from the prior year.

The company noted that having one fewer shopping day due to the Easter calendar shift negatively impacted results by approximately 1.5 percentage points, indicating underlying demand remained strong.

Costco’s performance highlights resilient consumer spending and continued momentum in both physical and digital retail channels.
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NASDAQ:AMZN

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Accenture Edge and AWS Launch Six AI and Cloud Offerings for Mid-Market Companies

Accenture and Amazon Web Services expanded their collaboration with six ready-to-deploy offerings aimed at helping mid-market companies adopt AI, modernize cloud infrastructure and strengthen cybersecurity.

The initiative is being delivered through Accenture Edge, a business focused on companies with annual revenue between $300 million and $3 billion. AWS is serving as a foundational partner, providing cloud, security and AI capabilities alongside Accenture’s industry and implementation expertise.

The six offerings include Agentic Data Discovery, AI-Powered Instance Migration, Connected Customer Experience Innovation Services, Optimization Health Check, RAI Red Teaming and Secure Cloud Foundation. They are available through the Accenture AWS Marketplace Storefront and are designed to address data migration, cloud modernization, contact-center AI, cost optimization and AI security.

Accenture and AWS also pointed to work with 407 ETR, where a cloud-based contact-center platform built on Amazon Connect helped support more than 250 employees while achieving 99.9% platform reliability and keeping call and chat abandonment rates at 5% or less.

The collaboration broadens Accenture’s AI and cloud push into the mid-market, where companies often need more standardized and lower-complexity solutions than large enterprises.
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Amazon to Invest $1.9 Billion in Delivery Service Partner Program in 2027

Amazon said it will invest another $1.9 billion in its Delivery Service Partner program in 2027, supporting higher driver pay, new safety initiatives and expanded use of AI-powered delivery technology.

The company said the investment will help DSP owners raise average Delivery Associate earnings by roughly another $1 to nearly $24 per hour nationwide. Over the past three years, Amazon estimates its investments have supported an average 16% increase in driver pay.

Amazon is also expanding safety technology across its last-mile network. New surround-view cameras are being rolled out to Rivian electric delivery vehicles, while the Amazon Delivery App is adding real-time hazard alerts and automatic route adjustments for weather, accidents and road closures. The company said serious vehicle crashes across the network fell more than 23% last year.

AI is becoming a larger part of delivery operations as well. Amazon’s Wellspring mapping system has identified 202 million parking locations, 2.8 million building entrances and 85,000 mailrooms and lockers since 2024, while AI-based routing is being used to account for real-world conditions such as darkness and parking congestion.

Amazon also plans to expand deployment of its Smart Delivery Glasses to more than 20,000 devices by the end of 2027 and will commit $70 million over five years to community initiatives led by DSP owners.
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AWS Launches AI Workflows for Energy and Utilities With Amazon Quick

Amazon Web Services announced new ready-to-use AI workflows for Amazon Quick, targeting energy and utilities companies with industry-specific tools for areas including grid planning, asset management, drilling exploration, compliance and energy trading.

The workflows are designed to connect data from multiple operational systems into a single interface, allowing users to generate recommendations and take actions without building custom applications. AWS said Quick can help with tasks such as scheduling maintenance orders, routing outage workflows and updating compliance records, potentially reducing work that can take weeks to hours.

The offering uses MCP-connected integrations from more than a dozen energy-sector partners. Participants include Accenture, IBM, Hitachi Digital Services, EPAM, Infosys, S&P Global, Seeq, Slalom and other specialized energy and technology providers.

AWS said the integrations are intended to combine generative AI with domain-specific expertise across production monitoring, grid operations, asset maintenance and other energy workflows.

The new capabilities are available to Amazon Quick users in the energy sector, extending AWS’s push to bring industry-specific AI tools into enterprise operations.
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AWS and Salesforce Expand AI Partnership With Agents, Data and Voice Integrations

Amazon Web Services and Salesforce announced an expanded partnership aimed at bringing enterprise AI agents, CRM data and broader model choice directly into the tools employees already use.

The integrations will make Salesforce business data available inside Amazon Quick, while AWS AI agents will operate directly within Slack. Salesforce Agentforce customers will also gain access to Amazon Bedrock’s selection of foundation models, including models from Anthropic and NVIDIA, with OpenAI models expected to follow.

The companies are also expanding zero-copy connectivity, allowing AI agents to access enterprise data across AWS and Salesforce without requiring companies to migrate or duplicate that information.

Another key development is voice AI: Agentforce Voice and Amazon Connect Customer will support real-time, bidirectional communication between AI agents, while Salesforce is using AWS Trainium chips to power low-latency voice dictation in Slack.

The expansion highlights how Amazon and Salesforce are positioning their cloud, CRM and AI platforms around the growing enterprise shift toward agentic AI.

Regulators target transparency in digital ad auctions amid Google and Amazon cases | Noah Intelligence

Recent legal actions against Google and Amazon spotlight growing concerns over auction fairness and transparency in digital advertising, raising questions about platform control and trust.The latest legal scrutiny of...

(noah-news.com)
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Amazon AWS Brings Agentic AI to Wealth Management With Hoxton Wealth

Amazon Web Services is working with international financial advisory firm Hoxton Wealth to deploy agentic AI across wealth-management operations, targeting faster reporting, compliance processes and access to internal expertise.

The collaboration is part of AWS’s $1 billion investment in Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE), an initiative that embeds AWS engineers directly with customers to develop and deploy agentic AI systems. AWS says the approach is designed to move AI applications from concept to production in days rather than months.

AI Cuts Work From Hours to Minutes

Hoxton Wealth is already using AI to generate client reports and personalized presentations, reducing processes that previously took hours to minutes. The company is also developing an AI-powered internal knowledge base that allows advisors to access expertise without relying on a small group of senior employees.

The technology is being applied to compliance as well, with Hoxton saying checks that previously took days can now be completed in a fraction of the time.

For Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), the project demonstrates how AWS is pushing beyond providing cloud infrastructure and foundation-model access toward directly helping enterprises deploy production-ready AI agents. Financial services could represent a particularly important market as firms seek to automate labor-intensive workflows while maintaining industry-specific compliance requirements.

Federal Trade Commission and 22 states sue Amazon over inflated advertising prices

The Federal Trade Commission and 22 states filed a lawsuit against online retailer Amazon on Monday claiming that it defrauded advertising customers. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington, claims that Amazon overcharged 1.2 million advertising customers by misleading them on prices for online auctions for ads. The complaint says Amazon said it was offering competitive prices on several ad products when it was actually inflating auction prices.

(finance.yahoo.com)
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Amazon Rises 4.2% as Evercore ISI Raises Price Target to $355

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) shares rose 4.2% after Evercore ISI maintained its Outperform rating and raised its price target on the stock.

The firm increased its Amazon price target to $355 from $315. With Amazon trading around $267, the new target implies roughly 33% upside from that level.

The bullish rating provides additional support for Amazon shares, with Evercore ISI signaling greater confidence in the company’s earnings and growth potential through the higher valuation target. The 4.2% gain suggests investors are responding positively to the analyst’s more optimistic outlook.

Amazon remains one of the largest beneficiaries of continued growth in cloud computing and artificial intelligence through AWS, while its dominant e-commerce and advertising businesses provide additional earnings drivers. The combination of these businesses strengthens Amazon’s position across several of the technology sector’s major growth areas.
AWS and NVIDIA Expand AI Partnership With 2 Million Additional GPUs

Amazon Web Services and NVIDIA announced a major expansion of their AI infrastructure partnership, with AWS planning to deploy 2 million additional NVIDIA GPUs across its global infrastructure in 2027 and 2028.

The expansion comes as demand for AI computing continues to accelerate. AWS said the new capacity will include NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra, Rubin and Rubin Ultra GPUs, supporting workloads ranging from agentic AI and scientific computing to enterprise automation and robotics.

The partnership extends well beyond GPUs. AWS plans to introduce infrastructure based on NVIDIA’s Vera CPUs, expand NVLink Fusion integration with Amazon’s Trainium chips, and use NVIDIA’s new high-bandwidth memory technology. The companies also plan to build secure AI factories for the U.S. government, including infrastructure incorporating 100,000 GPUs for federal and national-security workloads.

The agreement further expands NVIDIA’s presence across AWS software and services. Nemotron open models will remain available through Amazon Bedrock and SageMaker, while NVIDIA technology will accelerate data processing, vector indexing and Amazon’s robotics development.

The scale of the commitment is another strong signal that hyperscaler AI infrastructure spending remains robust. For NVIDIA, the planned deployment strengthens visibility for demand extending into the Rubin generation through 2028. For Amazon, it significantly expands AWS’s ability to compete for increasingly compute-intensive AI workloads.
Amazon Stock Surges 12% After Blowout Q2 Results Fueled by AWS and AI Growth

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) shares jumped 12% in premarket trading on Friday after the e-commerce and cloud giant delivered a strong second-quarter earnings report, with accelerating AWS growth, record profitability and robust AI momentum driving investor optimism.

Second-quarter net sales rose 20% year over year to $200.6 billion, while operating income climbed 43% to $27.5 billion. AWS revenue surged 37% to $42.2 billion—its fastest growth in 18 quarters—lifting AWS operating income to $16.6 billion. Net income more than tripled to $62.6 billion, or $5.75 per diluted share, although results included a significant gain from the company's investment in Anthropic.

AWS and AI Businesses Power Another Strong Quarter

Amazon's cloud business continued to benefit from booming AI demand. CEO Andy Jassy said AWS's AI business and custom chips business each surpassed a $25 billion annual revenue run rate, while Trainium adoption accelerated through multi-year commitments from Anthropic and OpenAI. Amazon also expanded Bedrock with new frontier AI models, including OpenAI's GPT-5.6, and announced a series of new AI infrastructure and enterprise software products.

Outside the cloud segment, the company reported another strong quarter across its retail and advertising businesses. North America sales increased 16%, international sales rose 15%, advertising continued to post robust growth, and Prime delivery speeds reached new records. Amazon also highlighted expanding adoption of Alexa+, Amazon Business, Amazon Pharmacy and its satellite internet initiative.

Guidance Remains Solid

For the third quarter, Amazon expects net sales between $197.0 billion and $202.0 billion, representing 9% to 12% year-over-year growth, while operating income is projected between $22.5 billion and $26.5 billion, well above the prior year's $17.4 billion. Management noted that AI infrastructure investments remain elevated, with capital spending continuing to support long-term growth.

What to Watch

The strong premarket rally reflects investor confidence that Amazon's AI investments are translating into accelerating cloud growth and expanding profitability. Going forward, markets will closely monitor AWS growth, AI monetization, capital spending, retail margins and the company's ability to sustain double-digit revenue growth while maintaining strong earnings momentum.
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NASDAQ:HON

Honeywell Technologies (NASDAQ: HON) declared a quarterly dividend payment of $0.70 per share on common stock. The dividend is payable on December 4, 2026 to holders of record at the close of business on November 13, 2026.
Honeywell reported first-quarter 2026 sales of $9.1 billion, up 2% year-over-year, with orders rising 7% and backlog reaching approximately $38 billion. Adjusted earnings per share increased 11% to $2.45, despite reported EPS declining due to restructuring and impairment charges tied to planned divestitures.

The company announced the sale of its Warehouse and Workflow Solutions business to American Industrial Partners and confirmed plans to spin off its aerospace division by June 29, 2026. While operating margins were impacted by separation-related costs, underlying segment performance remained strong across all business units.

Honeywell reaffirmed its full-year 2026 outlook, supported by continued demand in automation and industrial segments.

Source: PR Newswire
Honeywell International Inc. announced it will sell its Productivity Solutions and Services (PSS) business to Brady Corporation for $1.4 billion in an all-cash transaction.

The divestiture is part of Honeywell’s broader portfolio simplification strategy, as the company prepares for the planned spin-off of its aerospace division in the third quarter of 2026. The move follows a strategic review initiated in 2025 and marks a key step in Honeywell’s multi-year transformation to focus on core operations.

PSS, which generated approximately $1.1 billion in revenue in 2025, provides mobile computers, barcode scanners, and printing solutions for warehouse and logistics customers. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Brady’s capabilities in data capture, mobile computing, and workflow automation, creating a more integrated platform for industrial and supply chain applications.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
PRNewswire
Honeywell ( NASDAQ: HON) announced its upcoming investor days , expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2026.
Honeywell to Release First Quarter Financial Results and Hold its Investor Conference Call on Thursday, April 23
Honeywell signs $500 million defense deal to boost production capacity

March 25, 2026 — Honeywell Aerospace has signed a multi-year framework agreement with the U.S. Department of War to accelerate production of critical defense technologies, backed by a $500 million investment in manufacturing capacity.

Under the agreement, Honeywell will scale up production of key systems including navigation technologies, missile actuators, and electronic warfare solutions used across military platforms.

The company said the deal strengthens its role as a major supplier to defense programs and supports efforts to increase production speed and scale in response to evolving security demands.

Honeywell added that the investment will enhance its ability to deliver advanced technologies to U.S. and allied forces while supporting long-term growth in its aerospace and defense business.
PRNewswire
Honeywell announces cash tender Offers to purchase up to $3,750,000,000 aggregate purchase price of dollar-ddenominated securities and up to €1,250,000,000 aggregate purchase price of Euro-denominated securities
PRNewswire
Honeywell announced an amended agreement to acquire Johnson Matthey’s Catalyst Technologies business for £1.325 billion, reduced from the previously agreed £1.8 billion. The long stop date has been extended to July 21, 2026, with a possible further extension to August 21, 2026, subject to conditions.

The acquisition is expected to strengthen Honeywell’s Process Technologies segment, expand its refining and renewable fuels catalyst portfolio, and create synergies across process automation and aftermarket services. The deal is anticipated to close by the end of August 2026, pending regulatory approvals, and is expected to be accretive to adjusted EPS in the first full year of ownership.

Source: PR Newswire
Honeywell reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results that exceeded the high end of its guidance on an adjusted basis, while also issuing a positive outlook for 2026 and updating plans for its aerospace spin-off.

In the fourth quarter, sales rose 6% to $9.8 billion, while adjusted sales increased 10% to $10.1 billion, reflecting 11% organic growth. Growth was driven mainly by strong demand in Aerospace and Building Automation. GAAP EPS came in at $0.49, sharply lower year over year due to one-time charges, while adjusted EPS reached $2.59. Orders surged 23% organically, lifting backlog to a record level above $37 billion.

Reported operating income declined and margins contracted due to impairment charges linked to assets held for sale and a one-time litigation-related charge in the aerospace segment. Excluding these items, adjusted segment profit rose strongly, supported by aerospace and building automation performance. Free cash flow increased despite weaker operating cash flow in the quarter.

For the full year, reported sales increased 8% and adjusted sales rose 9%, with organic growth of 7%, exceeding original guidance. Full-year adjusted EPS climbed 12% to $9.78, while operating and free cash flow both showed solid growth. Management highlighted strong order momentum and portfolio actions as key drivers of performance.

Looking ahead, Honeywell forecast 2026 adjusted EPS in the range of $10.35 to $10.65, representing growth of 6% to 9%. The company also announced that the spin-off of Honeywell Aerospace into a standalone public company is now expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2026, earlier than previously anticipated, as part of its broader portfolio simplification strategy.
Honeywell and Flexjet have finalized a comprehensive settlement resolving all pending litigation between the parties, including related cases involving StandardAero and Duncan Aviation.

As part of the agreement, the companies extended their aircraft engine maintenance contract through 2035, renewing their long-term commercial partnership.

Source: Honeywell press release, PRNewswire, January 21, 2026.

NYSE:VEEV

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Veeva Launches AI Study Builder Agent to Configure Clinical Studies in as Little as One Day

Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV) announced Veeva Study Builder Agent, a new AI solution designed to configure clinical studies directly from a study protocol, potentially reducing study-build timelines to as little as one day.

The agent configures Veeva EDC forms, visits and edit-check rules, as well as CQL-based listings in Veeva DQS. It also automates testing and test-data generation. By reusing an organization’s existing standards and leveraging the CDISC Unified Study Definitions Model, Veeva said the system can produce faster, more consistent and audit-ready study builds.

Study Builder Agent is intended to reduce manual configuration work while limiting deviations from established clinical-data standards. Veeva said the product is part of its broader strategy to simplify, standardize and connect clinical trial operations through AI-driven automation.

The solution is planned for early adopter availability in December 2026, will be included with Veeva EDC at no additional license cost, and will be delivered as a Claude Cowork plugin through a Veeva-managed GitHub repository.
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Amgen Selects Veeva Vault CRM for Global Deployment

Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV) announced that Amgen plans to deploy Veeva Vault CRM globally, expanding a technology partnership between the two companies that has lasted for more than a decade.

Amgen will use Vault CRM as part of its commercial infrastructure to support the global launch and delivery of new therapies. The company said the platform should help it operate with greater speed and agility as it brings medicines to patients worldwide.

Vault CRM is part of Veeva’s broader Vault CRM Suite, which is designed specifically for life sciences companies and increasingly incorporates agentic AI into commercial workflows. Features include Agentic Call Report, which can generate commercial evidence and help identify potential barriers affecting treatment adoption.

The Amgen win represents a significant enterprise deployment for Veeva and reinforces its position in life-sciences CRM as pharmaceutical companies increasingly integrate AI agents, industry-specific data and automation into their commercial operations.
Veeva Introduces Falcon Safety AI Platform to Automate Drug Safety Operations

Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV) announced Tuesday Veeva Falcon Safety, a new agentic AI product designed to automate and streamline pharmacovigilance operations for biopharmaceutical companies.

Falcon Safety will support adverse-event intake, case processing and follow-up, with the goal of reducing operating costs and processing times while maintaining regulatory compliance. The product is part of Veeva AI, the company’s portfolio of industry-specific artificial intelligence solutions for life sciences.

Importantly, Falcon Safety will not be limited to customers using Veeva’s own Safety platform. The product is designed to work with any E2B-compliant safety system, including competing platforms such as Oracle Argus and ArisGlobal LifeSphere MultiVigilance, and across different adverse-event intake channels.

That interoperability could significantly expand Falcon Safety’s addressable market by allowing pharmaceutical companies to adopt Veeva’s AI capabilities without replacing their existing pharmacovigilance infrastructure.

The launch also demonstrates how Veeva is extending AI deeper into specialized, highly regulated life-sciences workflows, where automation can potentially generate meaningful productivity improvements. Falcon Safety is scheduled to become available to early adopters in November 2026.
Veeva Systems Jumps 8% Premarket as AI Momentum and Strong Q2 Results Lift Outlook

Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV) shares are up about 8% in premarket trading after the life sciences software company reported fiscal second-quarter results above its guidance across all key metrics and raised its full-year outlook.

Revenue increased 18% year over year to $928 million, while subscription revenue rose 16% to $766.8 million. Profitability grew even faster, with GAAP operating income jumping 40% to $275 million. Non-GAAP EPS increased to $2.35 from $1.99 a year earlier.

AI and Vault CRM strengthen growth story

Investor enthusiasm also appears tied to Veeva's accelerating AI strategy. Vault CRM recorded its best quarter ever, while the company said development of its Veeva Falcon agentic AI platform is progressing rapidly. Falcon currently has five early adopters and remains on track for initial deployments this year.

Vault CRM adoption continues to expand, with more than 180 customers live and commitments from 12 of the world's top 20 biopharma companies.

Management said its full-year outlook improved across the board. Veeva now expects FY2027 revenue of $3.682 billion-$3.687 billion, non-GAAP operating income of approximately $1.64 billion and non-GAAP EPS of about $9.21.

The 8% premarket rally appears driven by the combination of better-than-guided results, strong subscription growth, expanding margins and growing evidence that Veeva's AI products could become an important new growth engine within its already strong life sciences software franchise.
Veeva Systems Stock Rises 3.1% as Barclays Raises Price Target to $275

Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV) shares are up 3.1% after Barclays raised its price target on the cloud software company, providing a positive catalyst as the firm maintained its Overweight rating.

Barclays analyst Saket Kalia increased the price target for Veeva Systems from $235 to $275. With Veeva trading around $245.65, the new target implies approximately 12% upside.

Why the Barclays Target Increase Is Positive for Veeva

The size of the revision is notable. Barclays lifted its target by $40, or roughly 17%, while retaining its bullish Overweight recommendation. The new $275 target is also comfortably above the stock's price in the report, indicating that Barclays continues to see additional upside even after today's 3.1% gain.

Veeva occupies a distinctive position within the enterprise software sector because of its specialization in cloud applications for the life sciences industry. Its products support pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies across areas including clinical development, regulatory processes, quality management, safety, medical affairs and commercial operations.

This vertical specialization creates a relatively strong competitive position. Life sciences customers operate in highly regulated environments, making industry-specific software, data management and regulatory capabilities particularly important. Once these systems become embedded in customers' workflows, switching providers can also become operationally complex.

## AI and Life Sciences Software Provide Longer-Term Growth Opportunities

Veeva is also positioned at the intersection of enterprise software, healthcare technology and the broader digital transformation of pharmaceutical development. Increasing use of data analytics and AI across drug development and commercial operations could expand demand for integrated cloud platforms capable of managing increasingly complex life-sciences workflows and data.

Unlike more general enterprise software companies, Veeva's concentration on life sciences gives investors relatively direct exposure to technology spending within pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Barclays' decision to raise its target from $235 to $275 while maintaining an Overweight rating reinforces that growth thesis. With the new target implying about 12% upside from $245.65, the analyst action appears to be a key factor supporting Veeva Systems shares today.
Veeva Systems Expands Lilly Partnership With Global Vault CRM Rollout

Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV) announced that Eli Lilly and Company has selected Veeva Vault CRM for deployment across its global operations, expanding the companies’ existing strategic relationship.

Vault CRM is part of Veeva’s CRM Suite and is designed to support an AI-enabled commercial model for life sciences companies. The platform combines CRM applications, data and agentic AI capabilities aimed at improving interactions between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals.

Lilly said the transition to Vault CRM will support its efforts to bring new medicines to more patients worldwide.

The selection represents a significant customer win for Veeva given Lilly’s scale as a global pharmaceutical company. It also reinforces Veeva’s position in life-sciences cloud software as the company expands AI capabilities across its commercial platform.
Veeva Falls 5% Despite Strong Earnings Beat, Raised Guidance and Accelerating AI Strategy

Veeva Systems (VEEV) fell 5% in premarket trading despite reporting another strong quarter that exceeded expectations across revenue, earnings, and profitability metrics while raising full-year guidance. The decline suggests investors may have entered earnings with exceptionally high expectations given Veeva's strong positioning in healthcare software and artificial intelligence.

The life sciences cloud software leader reported first-quarter revenue of $882.9 million, up 16% year-over-year, while subscription revenue grew 15% to $730.2 million. Profitability remained outstanding, with operating income rising 17% to $273.1 million and diluted earnings per share increasing 15% to $1.57. Non-GAAP earnings per share reached $2.24, comfortably ahead of the prior year's $1.97.

Management highlighted broad-based growth across its business and continued momentum in both its commercial and development cloud offerings. One of the most notable achievements was the addition of 27 new Vault CRM customers during the quarter, bringing the total number of live customers to more than 150 as Veeva continues replacing legacy CRM systems throughout the pharmaceutical industry.

Investors were also encouraged by rapid progress in the company's AI initiatives. Following the acquisition of Ostro, Veeva now provides conversational AI solutions to more than 50 pharmaceutical brands. Management also announced that Vault AI is scheduled to expand across all Vault applications later this year, while Veeva Falcon, its new agentic AI platform for clinical, regulatory, and safety workflows, is expected to begin early adopter deployment in November.

Reflecting the strong quarter, Veeva raised its full-year fiscal 2027 outlook. The company now expects revenue of $3.64 billion, non-GAAP operating income of approximately $1.61 billion, and non-GAAP earnings per share of about $9.05. Management emphasized that customer interest in AI-powered productivity solutions continues to grow rapidly across the life sciences industry.

Despite these positives, investors may have been looking for an even larger increase to guidance given the company's strong execution and growing AI opportunity. Veeva's shares have historically traded at premium valuations due to its dominant market position, high margins, recurring revenue model, and consistent growth. In such cases, even excellent results can trigger selling if they fail to substantially exceed already elevated expectations.

Importantly, there was little in the report to indicate any operational weakness. Revenue growth remained healthy, margins stayed exceptionally strong, guidance was raised, and AI adoption appears to be accelerating. The stock's decline appears driven more by valuation and investor expectations than by any deterioration in the company's business fundamentals.

Overall, Veeva delivered another high-quality quarter with strong growth, expanding AI capabilities, increasing customer adoption, and higher guidance. The premarket weakness appears to reflect a market that expected perfection from one of the software sector's most highly regarded companies.

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Veeva Systems announced the acquisition of Ostro, an AI-driven brand engagement platform for the life sciences industry, in a deal valued at approximately $100 million in cash and equity retention grants.

Ostro’s technology enables pharmaceutical brands to provide patients and healthcare professionals with real-time answers through AI-powered chat interfaces on brand websites. The platform uses conversational AI, semantic search and industry-specific compliance controls to deliver responses drawn from approved medical, legal and regulatory (MLR) materials.

Following the acquisition, Ostro will operate as an independent unit led by its CEO Chase Feiger. Veeva plans to integrate Ostro over time with its Commercial Cloud applications to connect digital engagement with field sales and medical interactions, helping life sciences companies improve customer engagement and access to trusted health information.
PRNewswire
Veeva Systems announced that AOP Health will standardize its global operations on the Veeva Industry Cloud for Life Sciences to connect research, development, quality, commercial and data functions on a single platform.

By adopting applications across the Veeva Vault Platform—including Development Cloud, Quality Cloud, Commercial Cloud and Data Cloud—AOP Health aims to streamline operations, eliminate data silos and accelerate the development and delivery of treatments for rare diseases and critical care conditions.

The unified platform will support collaboration across clinical, regulatory, safety and quality teams while improving coordination between commercial and medical functions. Veeva said the integrated cloud strategy will help AOP Health scale globally and speed the delivery of therapies to patients.
PRNewswire
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NASDAQ

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U.S. Stocks Edge Lower as Jobless Claims Stay Low and Home Sales Beat Expectations

U.S. stocks traded modestly lower on Thursday, with the S&P 500 down 0.18% at 7,692.30, the Dow Jones falling 0.25% to 51,381.27 and the Nasdaq declining 0.53% to 26,792.15.

Fresh economic data pointed to continued resilience in parts of the U.S. economy. Initial jobless claims came in at 197,000, below the 201,000 expected and slightly below the previous 198,000, suggesting layoffs remain relatively contained. Continuing claims were 1.719 million, also below the 1.750 million forecast.

Housing data were also stronger than expected. August building permits were revised to 1.403 million from an earlier 1.394 million estimate, while new home sales reached 684,000, well above the 615,000 consensus and up from 643,000 previously.

The relatively firm labor and housing figures may be limiting expectations for faster Federal Reserve easing, putting some pressure on equities and particularly rate-sensitive technology shares. The Nasdaq was the weakest of the three major indexes in early trading.
U.S. Stocks Fall as Strong September PMI Data Revives Rate Concerns

U.S. stocks traded lower Tuesday as stronger-than-expected September business activity data raised concerns that resilient economic growth could keep interest rates elevated for longer.

The S&P 500 fell 0.37% to 7,736.24, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.34% to 51,687.57. The Nasdaq underperformed with a 0.54% drop to 27,095.84.

S&P Global’s U.S. Manufacturing PMI jumped to 57.0 in September from 53.9, well above the 53.6 forecast. Services PMI also strengthened to 58.7 from 56.5, beating expectations of 55.8, while the Composite PMI climbed to 58.4 from 56.0.

The readings point to strong momentum across both manufacturing and services. While that supports the economic outlook, investors may also see the data as reducing the urgency for additional monetary easing and potentially keeping Treasury yields under upward pressure.

Technology stocks were among the weaker areas of the market, contributing to the Nasdaq’s larger decline. Investors will now watch upcoming inflation, labor-market and Federal Reserve signals for further clues on the path of interest rates.
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U.S. Stocks Mixed as Tech Gains Offset Dow Weakness, ADP Data Shows Firmer Hiring

U.S. stocks traded mixed Tuesday, with technology shares outperforming while the Dow Jones remained under pressure.

The S&P 500 was nearly flat, up 0.08% at 7,770.63. The Nasdaq gained 0.55% to 27,270.74, supported by strength in technology and growth stocks, while the Dow Jones fell 0.41% to 51,837.62.

Fresh labor-market data added a somewhat firmer signal to the session. ADP’s weekly employment estimate showed private-sector employment increased by 20,000, up from 16,300 previously. The improvement suggests hiring momentum remained positive, even as other recent indicators have pointed to some moderation in broader economic activity.

Investors are still balancing the Federal Reserve’s recent 25-basis-point rate increase against signs of softer growth. Flat August industrial production and a decline in the U.S. Leading Index have raised concerns about economic momentum, while the stronger ADP reading points to continued resilience in the labor market.

Lower oil prices are also helping ease inflation concerns, with Brent crude trading below $100 as Middle East supply fears moderate. That backdrop is supporting rate-sensitive growth stocks, particularly technology, while more cyclical Dow components remain weaker.

For now, the market is showing a clear divergence: technology shares continue to lead, while investors weigh resilient employment against tighter monetary policy and softer industrial indicators.
U.S. Stocks Rally as AI Shares Surge and Falling Oil Prices Ease Inflation Fears

U.S. stocks traded sharply higher Monday, led by technology shares as falling oil prices and lower Treasury yields improved risk sentiment.

The S&P 500 rose 0.95% to 7,723.01, while the Dow Jones gained 0.43% to 51,903.85. The Nasdaq outperformed with a 1.53% advance to 26,927.20.

Technology and AI-related stocks were the main drivers of the rally. Chipmakers including AMD, Intel and Micron posted strong gains, while Meta also advanced as investors returned to AI-related names after last week’s concerns over the pace of artificial-intelligence development eased.

The broader market also benefited from a sharp decline in crude oil prices. Brent fell back toward $100 a barrel as concerns over Middle East supply disruptions eased, helping reduce inflation pressure and pushing the 10-year Treasury yield below 5%.

Improving U.S.-China sentiment added to the positive backdrop, with investors looking ahead to high-level discussions covering trade, technology and AI.

For now, the combination of lower energy prices, easing bond yields and renewed enthusiasm for AI is supporting a broad risk-on move, with the Nasdaq clearly leading the major U.S. indexes.
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U.S. Stocks Slip as Weak Industrial Data and Higher Yields Offset Fed-Driven Optimism

U.S. stocks traded modestly lower Friday as investors weighed softer economic data against lingering confidence in the Federal Reserve’s inflation-fighting stance.

The S&P 500 fell 0.20% to 7,622.67, while the Dow Jones declined 0.34% to 51,602.07. The Nasdaq was down 0.13% at 26,383.07, giving back part of its earlier gains.

The session followed Thursday’s rally, when falling oil prices and lower long-term Treasury yields helped investors respond positively to the Fed’s 25-basis-point rate increase. The central bank raised its benchmark range to 3.75%–4.00%, and Chair Kevin Warsh emphasized that inflation remains too high, reinforcing confidence that the Fed is prepared to act against persistent price pressures.

Friday’s economic data were less supportive. U.S. industrial production was unchanged in August, missing expectations for a 0.3% increase, while manufacturing output fell 0.3% after seven consecutive monthly gains. The U.S. Leading Index also declined 0.1%, pointing to some moderation in near-term economic momentum.

At the same time, Treasury yields remained an important headwind. The 10-year yield has recently traded near 5%, keeping pressure on equity valuations, particularly in growth-sensitive sectors. Brent crude’s retreat below $100 has helped ease some inflation concerns, but investors remain focused on whether the Fed will deliver another rate increase later this year.

For now, Wall Street appears caught between confidence in the Fed’s inflation response and concern that tighter monetary policy, high yields and slowing industrial momentum could weigh on growth.
U.S. Stocks Rally as Fed Rate Hike Boosts Confidence in Inflation Fight

U.S. stocks opened sharply higher Thursday, with investors responding positively to the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision and signs that policymakers remain committed to bringing inflation under control.

The S&P 500 rose 0.93% to 7,621.95, while the Dow Jones gained 0.52% to 51,730.65. The Nasdaq led the advance, climbing 1.28% to 26,312.06 as technology shares attracted renewed buying.

The gains followed Wednesday’s Federal Reserve decision to raise its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to a 3.75%–4.00% range. Although the move was widely expected, the unanimous decision under Fed Chair Kevin Warsh appeared to strengthen investor confidence that the central bank is prepared to address persistent inflation pressures.

Sentiment was also supported by a pullback in oil prices, easing some concerns that high energy costs could add further inflation pressure. Reuters reported that U.S. stock futures had already moved higher before the opening bell as lower crude prices reinforced the positive reaction to the Fed decision.

Still, the Fed maintained a hawkish stance, with most policymakers indicating that another rate increase could be appropriate before the end of the year. For now, however, markets appear to be focusing on the credibility of the Fed’s inflation response.
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U.S. Stocks Rise as Tech Gains Offset Fed Rate Concerns After Strong Retail Sales

U.S. stocks traded mostly higher Wednesday, with the S&P 500 up 0.37% to 7,613.62 and the Nasdaq gaining 0.69% to 26,160.05. The Dow Jones was nearly flat, slipping 0.08% to 52,048.87, as technology stocks led the market higher ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy decision.

Fresh economic data showed that U.S. consumers remain surprisingly resilient. Retail sales jumped 1.2% month over month in August, beating the 0.8% forecast and reversing July’s 0.5% decline. Core retail sales were even stronger, rising 1.4% versus the 0.6% expected. The data adds to evidence that the U.S. economy continues to carry solid momentum.

The strength of consumer spending also complicates the interest-rate outlook. Markets are pricing a roughly 90% probability that the Fed will raise rates by 25 basis points later Wednesday, as policymakers confront persistent inflation and the inflationary impact of higher energy prices. The 10-year Treasury yield, which recently crossed 5% and reached its highest level since 2007, eased to around 4.97%, providing some relief for growth and technology stocks.

Oil prices also pulled back after their recent surge, with Brent falling around 1.5% today.

Investors are now focused on the Fed decision and Chair Kevin Warsh’s comments for clues on whether an expected rate increase represents a one-time response to renewed inflation pressures or the beginning of a broader tightening cycle.
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U.S. Stocks Fall as 10-Year Yield Hits 5% and Oil Fuels Fed Hike Fears

U.S. stocks traded lower Tuesday as surging Treasury yields, elevated oil prices and renewed geopolitical tensions outweighed signs of continued job creation.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.96%, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.58% and the S&P 500 lost 0.44%. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield climbed above 5%, reaching its highest level since 2007 as investors prepared for Wednesday’s Federal Reserve decision. Markets are pricing a roughly 90% probability of a 25-basis-point rate hike.

Economic data offered a mixed picture. Weekly ADP employment growth accelerated to 16,300 from 12,000, suggesting the labor market continues to add jobs. However, the New York Empire State Manufacturing Index dropped to 7.6 in September from 20.6, well below the 14.8 forecast.

Geopolitical risks remain another major headwind. Oil prices have stayed above $100 as renewed attacks involving Iran-aligned Houthis and Saudi Arabia increased concerns over Middle East supply disruptions. Higher energy prices are reinforcing inflation fears.

With bond yields around 5% increasing the relative attractiveness of fixed-income assets and putting pressure on equity valuations, investors are likely to remain cautious ahead of the Fed decision and its guidance on whether additional rate hikes could follow.
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U.S. Stocks Fall as Oil Surge, Inflation Fears and AI Selloff Pressure Wall Street

U.S. stocks opened lower on Monday as a renewed surge in oil prices intensified inflation concerns while a selloff in artificial intelligence stocks weighed heavily on the technology sector.

The S&P 500 fell 0.49% to 7,619.13, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.23% to 52,454.22. The tech-heavy Nasdaq underperformed, dropping 0.73% to 26,140.28.

Brent crude jumped more than 4% to around $109 a barrel, adding to concerns that elevated energy costs could keep inflation higher for longer. Those worries are particularly important ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve decision, with markets pricing a high probability of another rate increase after recent inflation data.

Technology shares faced an additional headwind from a reassessment of the AI boom. AI-linked stocks came under pressure after leading industry executives called for slowing the development of increasingly powerful AI models over safety concerns. Nvidia and several semiconductor stocks fell, helping explain the Nasdaq’s sharper decline.

The combination of higher oil prices, renewed inflation risks and uncertainty over the pace of AI investment is putting pressure on equity valuations, particularly high-growth technology stocks.
U.S. Stock Futures Jump After CPI Data as Oracle Rally and Oil Pullback Lift Sentiment

U.S. stock futures moved sharply higher Friday after August inflation data came broadly in line with expectations, while a pullback in oil prices and strong Oracle earnings helped improve sentiment. S&P 500 futures rose 0.92%, Dow futures gained 0.94%, and Nasdaq futures advanced 1.06%.

Headline CPI increased 0.4% month-over-month in August, matching expectations but accelerating from 0.1% in July. Annual inflation held at 3.4%. Core CPI rose 0.3% on the month, slightly above the 0.2% forecast, while the annual core rate eased to 2.4% from 2.5%. The mixed report leaves inflation concerns alive ahead of next week’s Federal Reserve meeting, particularly after Thursday’s hotter producer-price data.

Energy markets provided some relief. Brent crude fell about 3% to around $104 a barrel after briefly approaching $110, although it remains up strongly for the week. Reports of diplomatic efforts to establish temporary shipping arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz helped cool prices. However, geopolitical risks remain elevated as the U.S.-Iran conflict and attacks on regional shipping continue to restrict oil flows.

Technology stocks were also supported by Oracle, which jumped about 6% in premarket trading after reporting a 30% increase in Q1 revenue to $19.3 billion. Cloud infrastructure revenue surged 121% to $7.4 billion, while remaining performance obligations reached $664 billion amid strong AI demand.

Despite the equity rebound, bond yields remain a key risk. The 10-year Treasury yield is hovering near 4.94%, leaving markets sensitive to inflation, oil prices and changing expectations for the Fed’s September decision.
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NASDAQ:NVDA

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NVIDIA Launches Isaac ROS 5.0 With Agentic AI Tools for Robotics Development

NVIDIA released Isaac ROS 5.0, expanding its open-source robotics platform with new agentic AI capabilities designed to help developers build, customize and deploy robotics applications faster.

The release adds support for ROS Lyrical and Ubuntu 24.04 while introducing reusable AI-agent skills for setup, manipulation and perception tasks. NVIDIA said new agent-ready documentation and workflows can help AI agents translate developer intent into working robotics applications more efficiently.

One of the key upgrades is FoundationPose, which now includes an agent-ready inference library that can track object position and orientation up to 5.5 times faster. NVIDIA also added a standalone pick-and-place skill combining detection, depth estimation and pose output for robotics developers.

The broader ecosystem is also expanding. RealSense, Intrinsic, Magna, Flexiv, Universal Robots, Mentee Robotics and others are using Isaac ROS across applications ranging from industrial automation and machine tending to humanoid robotics and autonomous manipulation.

Isaac ROS 5.0 supports hardware ranging from Jetson Orin Nano to Jetson Thor, allowing developers to move from development to on-device deployment as robotics workloads grow more complex. The software is available now as a free and open-source release.
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NVIDIA Launches DSX Ready Program for AI Factory Power and Cooling Systems

NVIDIA introduced DSX Ready, a new qualification program designed to help AI factory builders identify power, cooling and infrastructure products that meet applicable NVIDIA DSX reference-design requirements.

The program launches with two initial categories: battery energy storage systems and cooling distribution units. Qualified BESS products include solutions from Hitachi Energy, LG Energy Solution and Tesla, while qualified CDU providers include LG Electronics, LiquidStack and Vertiv.

DSX Ready is intended to reduce integration risk as AI data centers face increasingly tight power, cooling, water and grid constraints. NVIDIA said the broader DSX platform is designed to treat compute, networking, power, cooling, facilities and software as a single coordinated system rather than separate infrastructure layers.

For battery systems, suppliers complete qualification testing and submit supporting data for NVIDIA review. Cooling providers use a self-qualification suite to determine whether specific CDU products meet NVIDIA’s functional requirements. The company emphasized that qualification does not replace site-level engineering.

NVIDIA plans to add more infrastructure and software categories over time. The initiative reflects the growing importance of power delivery and liquid cooling as AI factories scale to support increasingly dense computing systems.
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NVIDIA, Google and Emerald AI Launch Alliance to Tackle AI Data Center Power Constraints

NVIDIA, Google and Emerald AI have launched the AI Energy Management Alliance, a new coalition aimed at making large AI data centers more flexible in how they consume electricity and accelerating their connection to power grids.

Power availability has become a major constraint on the expansion of U.S. AI infrastructure. The alliance is developing a framework that would allow AI data centers to adjust electricity consumption according to grid conditions by shifting computing workloads, using energy storage or paired generation, and reducing demand during periods of system stress.

The approach could allow utilities to connect large AI facilities more quickly while reducing the need for costly grid upgrades. AEMA plans to establish standardized performance requirements covering response times, power curtailment, emergency operations and data sharing between data centers and grid operators.

The initiative brings together AI companies, data center operators, power producers, utilities and grid operators. For NVIDIA and the broader AI industry, addressing electricity constraints is becoming increasingly important as rapidly expanding AI computing capacity requires substantially more power infrastructure.
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NVIDIA Brings Perplexity’s Local AI Agent to Windows RTX PCs

NVIDIA said Perplexity Portable Computer is now available on compatible Windows PCs powered by GeForce RTX and RTX PRO GPUs, expanding access to AI agents that can perform complex tasks locally rather than relying entirely on cloud computing.

Portable Computer is a local version of Perplexity Computer designed to plan and execute multistep tasks. NVIDIA GPUs accelerate local models that can analyze data, work across files and handle recurring tasks while keeping sensitive information on the device. Tasks completed locally also do not consume Perplexity Computer cloud credits.

The platform combines local and cloud AI. For more demanding reasoning tasks, the agent can determine that cloud processing is needed and ask for permission before sending information off-device. It can also connect with services including Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Google Drive, Gmail, Slack and GitHub.

The development highlights NVIDIA’s push to expand AI computing beyond data centers and into personal computers. Running increasingly capable AI agents directly on RTX hardware could create another source of demand for high-memory GPUs as agentic AI becomes more integrated into everyday professional workflows.

Portable Computer requires a GeForce RTX or RTX PRO GPU with at least 24GB of VRAM, while support for NVIDIA DGX Station is expected later.
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NVIDIA Says Its AI Platform Is Powering the Global Robotaxi Expansion

NVIDIA is expanding its role in autonomous transportation as robotaxi developers, mobility platforms and automakers increasingly adopt the company’s computing technologies to train, simulate and operate driverless vehicles. NVIDIA says every major robotaxi program currently operating at commercial scale uses at least part of its modular technology stack.

The platform combines three major computing layers: NVIDIA DGX systems for AI model training, Omniverse and Cosmos running on RTX PRO servers for simulation and validation, and DRIVE Hyperion with DRIVE AGX Thor for in-vehicle computing. DRIVE Hyperion 10 uses dual Blackwell-based DRIVE AGX Thor chips alongside cameras, radar, lidar and ultrasonic sensors to provide 360-degree perception and redundant computing.

NVIDIA’s ecosystem now spans many of the biggest names in autonomous mobility. Uber plans to scale NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion-based robotaxis to 28 cities by 2028 and is working with companies including Lucid, Mercedes-Benz, Nuro, Pony*ai, Wayve and WeRide. Lyft, Bolt, May Mobility and Waymo are also using or working with NVIDIA technologies.

Automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Hyundai, Kia, Geely and Zeekr are also integrating NVIDIA technology into autonomous-driving programs, while Tesla uses NVIDIA supercomputers to train its autonomous-driving neural networks.

The expansion positions NVIDIA to capture computing demand beyond data centers as physical AI moves toward commercial deployment in transportation.

US Justice Department probes Nvidia's licensing deal with Groq amid antitrust concerns | Noah Intelligence

The US Department of Justice is examining whether Nvidia's licensing agreement with AI startup Groq was structured to evade antitrust scrutiny, signalling intensified regulation of AI industry mergers.The US Department...

(noah-news.com)
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NVIDIA and Palantir Partner to Bring Sovereign AI to Critical Supply Chains

NVIDIA and Palantir Technologies announced a new collaboration Thursday to develop a sovereign AI stack designed to optimize complex supply chains, with the technology initially being deployed across NVIDIA’s own operations.

The platform combines NVIDIA’s Nemotron open AI models with Palantir Foundry and its Artificial Intelligence Platform, or AIP. Grounded in Palantir’s Ontology, the system is designed to identify supply constraints, improve visibility and help organizations make operational decisions while maintaining control of proprietary data.

NVIDIA is using the technology to manage one of the semiconductor industry’s most complicated supply chains. The company said each Vera Rubin rack requires about 1.3 million parts, with production dependent on coordinated supplies of compute, memory, networking, power, cooling and mechanical components.

The companies plan to extend the technology beyond NVIDIA to industries including manufacturing, energy, healthcare, automotive and aerospace. Customers will be able to deploy the AI stack on-premises, in colocation facilities or in the cloud while retaining ownership and control of their models and operational data.
Nvidia Gains 2.5% as Rosenblatt and Needham Reiterate Buy Ratings

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares rose about 2.5% as two Wall Street firms reiterated bullish ratings on the AI chip leader.

Rosenblatt Securities analyst Kevin Cassidy maintained a Buy rating on Nvidia with a $390 price target, implying substantial upside from the stock’s current price of $234.07.

Needham & Company analyst N. Quinn Bolton also reiterated a Buy rating, setting a $300 price target.

AI Leadership Supports Bullish Sentiment

The positive analyst calls reinforce Wall Street confidence in Nvidia’s position at the center of the artificial intelligence infrastructure market. The company remains the dominant supplier of GPUs used to train and run advanced AI models, while its broader ecosystem spanning networking, software and accelerated computing strengthens its competitive position.

The two price targets indicate different expectations for Nvidia’s upside, but both firms remain bullish on the stock. Rosenblatt’s $390 target is particularly aggressive, representing roughly 67% upside from the indicated price, while Needham’s $300 target implies about 28% upside.

Nvidia’s 2.5% gain suggests the reiterated Buy ratings are adding to positive sentiment around the AI semiconductor leader.
NVIDIA to Acquire Hugging Face for $12.93 Billion, Expanding Its Reach Across the AI Ecosystem

NVIDIA has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for approximately $12.93 billion, bringing one of the world’s largest open artificial intelligence developer platforms under the AI chip leader as it expands its influence beyond computing hardware and deeper into the software and model ecosystem.

Hugging Face has become a central hub for open-source and open-weight AI development. According to NVIDIA, more than 18 million developers, researchers and creators use the platform, which hosts over 3 million models, 500,000 datasets and 1 million applications. More than 200,000 companies use Hugging Face to discover, evaluate, customize and deploy AI models.

Importantly, NVIDIA said Hugging Face will remain an open platform rather than becoming tied exclusively to NVIDIA hardware. Developers will continue to be able to choose their preferred models, frameworks, cloud providers, inference services and computing platforms, and NVIDIA compute will not be required to use Hugging Face. The platform will also continue supporting models from competing developers and multi-cloud and multi-accelerator deployments.

The acquisition could significantly expand NVIDIA’s position across the AI technology stack. NVIDIA already dominates the market for accelerators used to train and run advanced AI models, while Hugging Face provides a major distribution and collaboration layer connecting model developers with enterprises and researchers. NVIDIA said it has already published more than 500 models and over 250 open datasets on Hugging Face and describes itself as the platform’s largest contributor of open models and data.

NVIDIA plans to use its infrastructure, engineering capabilities and global reach to improve Hugging Face’s reliability, model evaluation, safety, inference and deployment capabilities while preserving its open ecosystem.

The $12.93 billion deal represents another major strategic expansion for NVIDIA as competition increasingly moves beyond GPUs toward complete AI platforms encompassing chips, networking, software, models and deployment. Owning Hugging Face could give NVIDIA a much broader role in how millions of developers build and deploy AI while maintaining the platform as a hardware-neutral gateway to the wider AI ecosystem.

Nvidia's next act is bigger than selling AI chips: Chart of the Day

CEO Jensen Huang wants Nvidia to become the architecture of AI, not merely its dominant chipmaker.

(finance.yahoo.com)
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