Boy Wirat/iStock via Getty Images Chinese authorities have barred two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, heightening scrutiny over Meta Platforms's ( META ) 2025 acquisition of the fast-rising agentic AI startup for $2 billion, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao were summoned this month to a meeting in Beijing with the National Development and Reform Commis...
Boy Wirat/iStock via Getty Images Chinese authorities have barred two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, heightening scrutiny over Meta Platforms's ( META ) 2025 acquisition of the fast-rising agentic AI startup for $2 billion, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao were summoned this month to a meeting in Beijing with the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s powerful economic planner, the FT said. The pair, who’re based in Singapore, were questioned about potential violations of foreign direct investment rules and then told they couldn’t leave China, the FT reported. Meta announced in December that it would acquire Manus , which develops general-purpose AI agents capable of operating as digital employees, performing tasks such as research and automation with minimal prompting. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the deal reportedly valued Manus at $2 billion-$3 billion. Earlier this year, China's commerce ministry had said it would assess and investigate Meta's acquisition of Manus. More on Meta Meta Platforms: The AI Spending Spree Is Out Of Control Meta Platforms: 16x Adjusted FY2026 P/E Is A Solid Buy Delays, Compute Deals, And Sky-High CapEx: Why I'm Still Bullish On Meta Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses EU rollout slowed by battery, AI rules and supply constraints: report Meta Platforms raises top executive pay with stock options amid intensifying AI race
Boy Wirat/iStock via Getty Images Chinese authorities have barred two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, heightening scrutiny over Meta Platforms' ( META ) 2025 acquisition of the fast-rising agentic AI startup for $2 billion, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao were summoned this month to a meeting in Beijing with the National Development and Reform Commiss...
Boy Wirat/iStock via Getty Images Chinese authorities have barred two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, heightening scrutiny over Meta Platforms' ( META ) 2025 acquisition of the fast-rising agentic AI startup for $2 billion, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao were summoned this month to a meeting in Beijing with the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s powerful economic planner, the FT said. The pair, who are based in Singapore, were questioned about potential violations of foreign direct investment rules and then told they couldn’t leave China, the FT reported. Meta announced in December that it would acquire Manus , which develops general-purpose AI agents capable of operating as digital employees, performing tasks such as research and automation with minimal prompting. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the deal reportedly valued Manus at $2 billion-$3 billion. Earlier this year, China's commerce ministry had said it would assess and investigate Meta's acquisition of Manus. More on Meta Meta Platforms: The AI Spending Spree Is Out Of Control Meta Platforms: 16x Adjusted FY2026 P/E Is A Solid Buy Delays, Compute Deals, And Sky-High CapEx: Why I'm Still Bullish On Meta Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses EU rollout slowed by battery, AI rules and supply constraints: report Meta Platforms raises top executive pay with stock options amid intensifying AI race
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment thesis General Electric Company ( GE ) operates in two business worlds. The first is North America, where growth is essentially flat. The second is the rest of the world and specific regions, where growth in air traffic generates growth for GE. In brief, GE now counts on its international business to provide growth, while its North American...
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment thesis General Electric Company ( GE ) operates in two business worlds. The first is North America, where growth is essentially flat. The second is the rest of the world and specific regions, where growth in air traffic generates growth for GE. In brief, GE now counts on its international business to provide growth, while its North American operations provide stable but slow-growing revenue and earnings. This article provides an overview of GE's international business and the prospects for future growth. About GE Also known as GE Aerospace, the company calls itself, in its 10-K for 2025 , "the industry's largest and growing commercial propulsion fleet. The company's installed base of approximately 50,000 commercial and 30,000 military engines, including parked aircraft in addition to fleet in service, supports our aftermarket services business, which represents approximately 70% of revenue, reflecting the strength of customer demand across our business." Note that the firm sees engine sales as a pathway to selling more aftermarket services, with the latter delivering 70% of corporate revenue. The obvious corollary is that the more engines it sells, the greater the aftermarket opportunities. In the 10-K, management writes, "We serve customers in approximately 120 countries. Manufacturing and service operations are carried out at 70 facilities located in 23 states in the United States and Puerto Rico, of which 24 are owned, and at 62 facilities located in 23 other countries, of which 30 are owned." Engine sales represent not just current revenue but also multi-decade servicing opportunities. And as this article will show, regions such as the Middle East and India provide the most opportunities to make new sales of both engines and services. Notable, too, is GE's ability to provide power for both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft (more below). Industry overview The latest Global Market Forecast from Airbus is b...
Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have been leading the S&P 500 higher over the past few years amid excitement about this potentially game-changing technology. Importantly, AI has started to demonstrate its strengths as companies already are generating billion-dollar revenue through sales of AI tools -- and others are seeing results as they apply these products to their businesses. Though AI sto...
Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have been leading the S&P 500 higher over the past few years amid excitement about this potentially game-changing technology. Importantly, AI has started to demonstrate its strengths as companies already are generating billion-dollar revenue through sales of AI tools -- and others are seeing results as they apply these products to their businesses. Though AI stocks have encountered some rough patches in recent months, and the geopolitical backdrop has weighed on appetite for growth stocks, the long-term AI story remains intact. But I don't think the same AI companies will continue to lead gains year after year. My prediction is the AI stocks that win in 2026 won't be the same ones that won in 2025. Let's consider what might unfold in the months to come -- and which stocks may come out on top. Continue reading
Key PointsNvidia is down 15% from its record high due to concerns about the sustainability of AI spending, but CEO Jensen Huang expects the market to get much bigger.
Key PointsNvidia is down 15% from its record high due to concerns about the sustainability of AI spending, but CEO Jensen Huang expects the market to get much bigger.