Asian software stocks dropped as fears grow over disruption of their businesses as the use of artificial intelligence gains traction. Cloud-based accounting software maker Xero Ltd. slid as much as 15% in Sydney trading, the most since March 2020. Japanese systems integrators Nomura Research Institute Ltd. and Obic Co. dropped more than 6% each. Regional shares tracked drops in US peers overnight ...
Asian software stocks dropped as fears grow over disruption of their businesses as the use of artificial intelligence gains traction. Cloud-based accounting software maker Xero Ltd. slid as much as 15% in Sydney trading, the most since March 2020. Japanese systems integrators Nomura Research Institute Ltd. and Obic Co. dropped more than 6% each. Regional shares tracked drops in US peers overnight after Anthropic PBC launched a new AI tool to help automate some functions of legal work. American depositary receipts of Indian IT firms Infosys Ltd. and Wipro Ltd. fell more than 4% each. “This is especially worrying for software companies as it has the potential to decimate their models with AI likely able to fully replace traditional workflow lock-in software-as-a-service products,” Ortus Advisors analyst Andrew Jackson wrote in a note. Read more: ‘Get Me Out’: Traders Dump Software Stocks as AI Fears Erupt Concerns over redundancy from AI have been weighing on the US tech sector, which features many large consumer-facing application companies. Meanwhile, Asia’s stock market has continued to power on in thanks to its dominance by major chipmakers. “Asia’s technology sector appears better positioned during this period of uncertainty supported by its heavier weighting toward hardware, where earnings momentum remains strong,” said Gary Tan , a portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments.
地盤吸煙擬改罰款3,000元 有議員關注未調整僱主、分判商最高罰款 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】政府推行地盤實施全面禁煙,吸煙工人最高罰款由原定15萬元,擬修訂為定額罰款3,000元。立法會會議...
地盤吸煙擬改罰款3,000元 有議員關注未調整僱主、分判商最高罰款 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】政府推行地盤實施全面禁煙,吸煙工人最高罰款由原定15萬元,擬修訂為定額罰款3,000元。立法會會議上有議員關注當局未有調整僱主及分判商的最高罰款,勞福局局長孫玉菡強調,如果發現承辦商沒有採取禁煙措施才會檢控。 邵家輝:「對於承辦商老闆,未必能監管全部員工,要罰40萬元的話,現在都是很憂慮。」孫玉菡:「一般而言,要張貼足夠告示,如果工人有吸煙,地盤門口應該要有儲物地方,讓他放好煙、打火機。如果採取合理措施,我們不會貿然控告他,倒過來說,如果應該是一個禁煙地盤,但我們巡視時,整地都是煙頭,又沒有告示,任何合理裝置都沒有,我們控告他都是合理。」
Earnings Call Insights: Key Tronic Corporation (KTCC) Q2 2026 Management View President and CEO Brett Larsen reported that during the second quarter, Key Tronic "continued to provide our customers with options to better manage macroeconomic uncertainties and enhance our potential for profitable long-term growth" and highlighted new investments in U.S. and Vietnam locations. Larsen detailed the ini...
Earnings Call Insights: Key Tronic Corporation (KTCC) Q2 2026 Management View President and CEO Brett Larsen reported that during the second quarter, Key Tronic "continued to provide our customers with options to better manage macroeconomic uncertainties and enhance our potential for profitable long-term growth" and highlighted new investments in U.S. and Vietnam locations. Larsen detailed the initiation of the wind down of manufacturing operations at the China-based facility, with the expectation to complete the process by Q4 2026 and realize approximately $1.2 million per quarter in savings. He also noted ongoing workforce reductions in Mexico, aiming for about $1.5 million per quarter in future savings once fully implemented. "For the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, we reported total revenue of $96.3 million compared to $113.9 million in the same period of fiscal 2025...this impact was partially offset by new program wins and an increase in demand from other long-standing customers" (Executive VP of Administration, CFO & Treasurer Anthony Voorhees). Voorhees added, "During the second quarter of fiscal 2026, we initiated a wind down of our manufacturing operations at our China-based facility...We expect to complete this wind down in our fourth quarter, at which point we anticipate saving approximately $1.2 million per quarter." Larsen cited new program wins in automotive technology, pest control, and industrial equipment, with ramping of a consigned materials manufacturing services contract in Mississippi that "has the potential to grow to over $25 million in annual revenue." Outlook Management did not provide forward-looking financial guidance for Q3 2026, citing "the uncertainty of timing of new product ramps in light of the continued macroeconomic uncertainty." Larsen stated, "We are expecting revenue growth in the coming quarters from new programs launching in the U.S., Mexico and Vietnam." The company expects double-digit growth in its Arkansas facility i...
Earnings Call Insights: Cirrus Logic (CRUS) Q3 2026 Management View John Forsyth, CEO, stated that Cirrus Logic reported "outstanding results for the December quarter, delivering revenue of $580.6 million, above the top end of our guidance range." Forsyth attributed this to "stronger-than-anticipated demand for components shipping into smartphones and a favorable mix of end devices." He highlighte...
Earnings Call Insights: Cirrus Logic (CRUS) Q3 2026 Management View John Forsyth, CEO, stated that Cirrus Logic reported "outstanding results for the December quarter, delivering revenue of $580.6 million, above the top end of our guidance range." Forsyth attributed this to "stronger-than-anticipated demand for components shipping into smartphones and a favorable mix of end devices." He highlighted record GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per share and provided updates across strategic pillars, emphasizing strong demand for the latest custom-boosted amplifier and 22-nanometer smart codec in smartphones. Forsyth noted ongoing customer engagement in the high-performance mixed-signal (HPMS) business, especially with next-generation camera controller development. He also underscored continued R&D investment in advanced battery and power applications, describing opportunities to expand value in smartphones with HPMS solutions. Forsyth detailed significant progress in PCs, including ramping the first shipments of the latest amplifier and codec in mainstream platforms, with strong interest from OEMs in a new voice interface product for AI-enabled PCs. He cited "multiple new customer products introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January" utilizing Cirrus Logic solutions, including a "first win with a new customer in their high-end laptop platform that features up to 6 Cirrus Logic amplifiers and our latest generation codec." Forsyth reported momentum in general market business, noting the sampling of a new prosumer audio family and the announcement of automotive haptic components aimed at in-cabin tactile responses. He called automotive haptics an emerging growth opportunity. Jeffrey Woolard, CFO, stated: "In Q3 fiscal 2026, we delivered revenue of $580.6 million, which was above the top end of our guidance range, driven by demand for components shipping into smartphones and a favorable mix of end devices." Woolard highlighted non-GAAP gross profit of $308.2 million, non...
In recent days, Amazon has moved to cut about 16,000 corporate roles, confirmed plans for a further 2,200 job reductions in Washington state starting April 28, and continued to highlight artificial intelligence as a core focus across AWS, logistics, and broader operations ahead of its February 5 earnings release. What stands out is how Amazon is pairing aggressive cost-cutting with deeper AI ties,...
In recent days, Amazon has moved to cut about 16,000 corporate roles, confirmed plans for a further 2,200 job reductions in Washington state starting April 28, and continued to highlight artificial intelligence as a core focus across AWS, logistics, and broader operations ahead of its February 5 earnings release. What stands out is how Amazon is pairing aggressive cost-cutting with deeper AI ties, including preliminary talks to invest up to US$50.00 billion in OpenAI and a US$38.00 billion multiyear cloud capacity deal, to reposition AWS at the center of the next phase of enterprise computing. With AI-driven AWS growth emerging as the key talking point, we’ll now examine how these developments reshape Amazon’s broader investment narrative. We've found . See the full list for free. Advertisement What Is Amazon.com's Investment Narrative? To own Amazon today, you have to believe it can turn its scale in cloud, retail, and logistics into steadily growing cash flows while using AI to make each of those engines more efficient. The recent confirmation of roughly 18,000 further corporate job cuts and the potential US$50.00 billion OpenAI investment, tied to a US$38.00 billion AWS capacity deal, push AI even more firmly into the center of the short term story. Near term catalysts now skew toward how convincingly management can show AI-driven demand flowing into AWS, advertising, and automation, without letting AI-related capex overwhelm margins. On the risk side, the layoffs and large AI commitments heighten execution, reputational, and regulatory questions, but based on recent share price moves, the market does not yet appear to be treating them as thesis-breaking. Yet there is one AI-related risk here that many shareholders may be underestimating. Exploring Other Perspectives AMZN 1-Year Stock Price Chart Despite retreating, Amazon.com's shares might still be trading 42% above their fair value. . Across 121 fair value views from the Simply Wall St Community, estimates spa...
Investors in Japan have rarely been this nervous before an election. The Nikkei 225 ’s implied volatility, a measure of expected market swings, which tends to rise when uncertainty is high, has surged in the run-up to the February 8 vote, according to an analysis by Yoshitaka Suda , senior cross asset strategist at Nomura Singapore. “Investors are filled with doubt and suspicion,” despite the ruli...
Investors in Japan have rarely been this nervous before an election. The Nikkei 225 ’s implied volatility, a measure of expected market swings, which tends to rise when uncertainty is high, has surged in the run-up to the February 8 vote, according to an analysis by Yoshitaka Suda , senior cross asset strategist at Nomura Singapore. “Investors are filled with doubt and suspicion,” despite the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s lead in pre-election polls, said Suda whose studies show the indicator stood at 30.6% as of Friday, exceeding the level of 28.4% seen ahead of the previous lower house election in 2024. It’s the highest for elections over the last decade. Higher implied volatility generally reflects investor belief that conditions are riskier and that the outlook has turned bearish. “Even if the ruling party’s big win triggers an immediate positive reaction, there is a risk that stocks could suddenly turn downward if yen depreciation and rising interest rates accelerate rapidly due to fiscal concerns,” said Hideyuki Ishiguro , chief strategist at Nomura Asset Management. In the past decade, the only time when the indicator came close to that level was in 2024 when the then ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito lost their majority for the first time in 15 years. And although there is little risk this time of the ruling party losing its majority, there is a “strong focus on whether the LDP can secure a majority on its own,” said Suda of Nomura Singapore. Compared with past lead-ups to elections, what sets the environment apart this time around are the lofty levels of volatility in the yen and JGBs. “Even if the LDP wins, a weakening yen would heighten concerns about currency intervention,” Suda said. For Japanese stocks, not only the election outcome, but also subsequent reactions in the yen and rates will be influencing factors, making it “highly volatile in two distinct ways,” he added. The current elections take place in the thick of the earnings season, ano...
In this article KKR Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A KKR logo displayed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 23, 2018. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Private equity firm KKR and Singapore Telecommunications will acquire the remaining 82% stake in data center operator ST Telemedia Global Data Centres for 6.6 billion Singapore dollars ($5.1 billion), KKR said in a stateme...
In this article KKR Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A KKR logo displayed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 23, 2018. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Private equity firm KKR and Singapore Telecommunications will acquire the remaining 82% stake in data center operator ST Telemedia Global Data Centres for 6.6 billion Singapore dollars ($5.1 billion), KKR said in a statement on Wednesday. The deal pegs STT GDC's enterprise value at S$13.8 billion and comes at a time when there has been a rush in data center demand led by the boom in artificial intelligence. Following completion, KKR will hold a 75% stake in STT GDC, while Singtel will own the remaining 25%, taking into account the conversion of existing preference shares held by both investors. KKR said the deal represents its largest infrastructure investment in Asia Pacific to date, as global investment in data centers accelerates on rising need for cloud computing and artificial intelligence workloads. Global data centers dealmaking hit a fresh record high last year, driven by a rush to build out the infrastructure required for energy-intensive AI workloads, with S&P Global reporting that over $61 billion had flowed into the data center market, up from $60.8 billion last year. "Digital infrastructure remains one of the most compelling long-term investment themes globally," said David Luboff, co-head of KKR Asia Pacific and head of Asia Pacific infrastructure, citing STT GDC's diversified footprint and development pipeline. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Singapore, STT GDC operates data centers across 12 markets in Asia Pacific, the United Kingdom and Europe, with 2.3 gigawatts of design capacity. The company provides colocation, connectivity and support services to hyperscalers and enterprise customers. "STT GDC's diverse geographical footprint increases our exposure to new markets and makes the Singtel Group a stronger data centre player with global reach," said Arthur Lang, group ...