Meta Platforms (META) shares are in the spotlight on July 17th following reports that the tech giant is in preliminary discussions to lease out its computing infrastructure to AI research lab Anthropic. The blockbuster deal rumoured to be worth up to $10 billion arrives at a time when Meta sits firmly above its major moving
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) shares fell 1.19% on Friday even as investors looked ahead to the chipmaker’s Advancing AI 2026 event next week in San Francisco. Analysts expect the company to unveil new artificial intelligence products, customer wins, and long-term growth plans in the event. The event marks AMD’s first dedicated AI showcase since
On Friday, Chinese AI startup Moonshot sparked a fresh selloff in global semiconductor stocks after unveiling its latest Kimi K3 model. Apple reclaimed its position as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company briefly before Nvidia went back to the top place. Meanwhile, oil prices surged as the US and Iran intensified military attacks
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) shares fell 1.5% on Friday, extending a difficult year for the software giant as investors continued to weigh heavy artificial intelligence spending against the company’s long-term growth prospects. The stock has declined more than 20% in 2026 and nearly 23% over the past year, even as Microsoft has continued investing aggressively in
US stocks closed lower on Friday, capping a weak week for Wall Street as a deepening selloff in semiconductor stocks and renewed concerns over artificial intelligence spending weighed on investor sentiment. The decline came despite a strong start to the second-quarter earnings season, with rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East adding to market uncertainty.
Some of Wall Street’s fastest-growing companies are turning expansion into something more tangible: cash. Nvidia, Micron Technology, CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks have each reported sharp increases in operating or free cash flow while management or analysts lifted profit forecasts. That combination provides stronger confirmation than an earnings beat alone because cash is available for
Wall Street’s biggest banks are proving that even geopolitical uncertainty and volatile markets can be highly profitable when trading desks stay busy and artificial intelligence fuels an unprecedented wave of capital raising. The six largest US banks generated a combined $55 billion in second-quarter profits, comfortably exceeding analysts’ expectations as market volatility, record AI-related fundraising
Andy Burnham will enter Downing Street on Monday with a promise that has eluded successive British prime ministers for more than a decade: reviving economic growth. But unlike his predecessors, Burnham is betting that the answer does not lie in Whitehall. Instead, the incoming Labour leader is proposing a sweeping transfer of power to Britain’s
As the second-quarter earnings season of 2026 approaches its most critical stretch, the global equity market finds itself at a pivotal crossroads. For over two years, a relentless, AI-driven bull run has propelled mega-cap technology valuations to historically elevated levels. However, the narrative on trading desks has undergone a fundamental shift. The era of rewarding
London’s FTSE 100 was little changed on Friday as gains in energy stocks, supported by higher oil prices following escalating tensions in the Middle East, offset weakness in financial shares. Investors also monitored political developments after Andy Burnham was confirmed as the UK’s next prime minister, with his term set to begin on July 20.