This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) are moving deeper into credit markets just as investors ramp up protection against the debt wave tied to artificial intelligence spending. The three hyperscalers have been added to S&P Dow Jones Indices' latest CDX Investment-Grade Index, a 125-company benchmark that investors...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) are moving deeper into credit markets just as investors ramp up protection against the debt wave tied to artificial intelligence spending. The three hyperscalers have been added to S&P Dow Jones Indices' latest CDX Investment-Grade Index, a 125-company benchmark that investors use to hedge credit risk or express views on corporate debt. The index is refreshed every six months, and their inclusion reflects how central these issuers have become to US credit markets. Barclays strategist Jigar Patel noted that the shift could make the index a more accurate representation of the broader corporate bond landscape, while also highlighting how much more active credit derivatives tied to technology companies have become. That backdrop is being driven by record debt issuance from hyperscalers funding AI infrastructure, which has helped fuel a surge in trading activity across credit default swaps. Contracts linked to individual high-grade technology firms were largely unavailable a year ago, but are now among the most actively traded US derivatives outside the financial sector, according to Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. The index reshuffle, now under S&P Dow Jones Indices following S&P Global's acquisition of IHS Markit, also removes issuers that fall to junk status and typically boosts trading as investors rotate into the new on-the-run series. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) stands out within this shift, with its credit default swaps ranking as the most liquid among investment-grade names and averaging more than $830 million in weekly trading, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices citing DTCC data. At the same time, the cost of insuring Oracle's debt has climbed since September, at one point reaching levels last seen in 2009 amid concerns around AI-related spending.
Epstein's former attorney testifies he had 'no knowledge whatsoever' of crimes toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP Jeffrey Epstein's longtime personal attorney testified Thursday before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door deposition that he had "no knowledge whatsoever" of Epstein's crimes against women and girls. Darren Indyke, one of several witnesses called before the committee includ...
Epstein's former attorney testifies he had 'no knowledge whatsoever' of crimes toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP Jeffrey Epstein's longtime personal attorney testified Thursday before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door deposition that he had "no knowledge whatsoever" of Epstein's crimes against women and girls. Darren Indyke, one of several witnesses called before the committee including former President Bill Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell, worked for Epstein for more than two decades until the sex offender's death in 2019. He is widely considered part of Epstein's inner circle, along with the disgraced financier's former accountant Richard Kahn. Kahn also testified before the committee last week that he was "not aware" of the sex offender's crimes. "My complete lack of involvement in that misconduct is a matter of record: not a single woman has ever accused me of committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse, nor claimed at any time that she or anyone else reported to me any allegation of Mr. Epstein's abuse," Indyke said, according to a copy of his prepared opening statement obtained by NPR. Indyke said if he had known of the abuse and trafficking of women, he would have quit and "severed all ties" to Epstein. Sponsor Message The Republican-led committee subpoenaed Indyke, who also testified about the existence of hard drives held by Epstein's private investigators, according to a statement by California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee. The House committee has not seen these hard drives, Garcia said. "Darren Indyke played a central role in facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of women and girls and managing legal strategies that helped Epstein avoid government scrutiny," Garcia said. Two days before his death, Epstein made Indyke and Kahn, Epstein's accountant, coexecutors of his estate. Both are named as beneficiaries of the estate. After the testimony, multiple Democrats on the committee posted to social media that Indyke w...
Employees will be notified by the end of the day if their job has been affected, they said. The cuts could impact about 6% of its workforce, or more than 60 people, US media report.
Employees will be notified by the end of the day if their job has been affected, they said. The cuts could impact about 6% of its workforce, or more than 60 people, US media report.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) shares fell about 3% on Friday as investors weighed financing concerns against recent quarterly results. Traders appeared to shift focus toward the company's plans to raise substantial capital this year to support AI infrastructure and data?center expansion, part of a broader 2026 financing strategy that includes equity and debt. The so?...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) shares fell about 3% on Friday as investors weighed financing concerns against recent quarterly results. Traders appeared to shift focus toward the company's plans to raise substantial capital this year to support AI infrastructure and data?center expansion, part of a broader 2026 financing strategy that includes equity and debt. The so?called at?the?market share program and elevated capital expenditure expectations have raised questions about potential dilution and funding costs. Oracle has reported strong Q3 earnings that showed solid 22% revenue growth. The company is sealing backlog with large cloud deals, although the market does not think that investors are feeling short-term pain from heavy spending, especially when that backlog would translate into profit. The debate revolves around analysts claiming there is margin pressure and risks associated with withdrawing the AI rollout. The stock movement is contributing additional volatility this year due to the reason that people are still worried whether the AI infrastructure move and all that caught capital game can be sustained in the technical sector, and the cloud industry.
(RTTNews) - NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) on Friday said that up to 10 gigawatts of natural gas-powered generation projects in Texas and Pennsylvania have been approved by Donald Trump as part of Japan's $550 billion U.S. investment commitment tied to the U.S.-Japan trade agreement. The projects include the company's previously disclosed Texas hub developed with Comstock Resources, Inc. and are inten...
(RTTNews) - NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) on Friday said that up to 10 gigawatts of natural gas-powered generation projects in Texas and Pennsylvania have been approved by Donald Trump as part of Japan's $550 billion U.S. investment commitment tied to the U.S.-Japan trade agreement. The projects include the company's previously disclosed Texas hub developed with Comstock Resources, Inc. and are intended to serve rising demand from data centers and advanced manufacturing without increasing household electricity costs. Chief Executive John Ketchum said the selected projects support the company's hub strategy, with nearly 30 energy hubs currently in development and a long-term target of about 40. NEE is currently trading at $91.01, down $1.40 or 1.51 percent on the New York Stock Exchange. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
This week, contemporary art’s worst-kept secret was exposed when street artist Banksy was revealed to be 52-year-old Robin Gunningham, thanks to an 8,000-word investigation by Reuters. This would have been big news had the Mail on Sunday not got there first nearly two decades ago. Still, it made headlines. The previous week, thousands of book lovers expressed their grief at the announcement on X o...
This week, contemporary art’s worst-kept secret was exposed when street artist Banksy was revealed to be 52-year-old Robin Gunningham, thanks to an 8,000-word investigation by Reuters. This would have been big news had the Mail on Sunday not got there first nearly two decades ago. Still, it made headlines. The previous week, thousands of book lovers expressed their grief at the announcement on X of the death of Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, supposedly by her translator Ann Goldstein. In fact, it was the work of infamous Italian hoaxer Tommaso Debenedetti, who had set up an account in Goldstein’s name, and who pulled the same trick in 2022. Banksy and Ferrante share the paradoxical distinction of being the most famous anonymous artists today. Ten years ago, Ferrante was subjected to a similar exposé when an Italian journalist went through her finances and concluded that she must be an Italian translator. Earlier theories have posited various writers and publishers, that she is a man or even a group of men. A real-life detective story is hard to resist. The gap left by the absence of a “true” Banksy or Ferrante is one that people have been all too keen to fill. But such investigations reveal more about our obsession with fame and authorship than about the artists. Banksy’s lawyer argues that they “violate the artist’s privacy, interfere with his art and put him in danger”. Ferrante has said that to relinquish her anonymity would be “very painful”. For Banksy, subterfuge was a practical necessity: street art is illegal. But this enigmatic cover has allowed him to mock the art establishment, talk truth to power and become a national treasure (in 2017 Girl With Balloon was voted Britain’s favourite artwork). He has also left his mark on the global stage from Palestine in 2005 to Ukraine in 2022. Whether as a protection from prosecution or a highly successful publicity stunt, his anonymity has become integral to the iconoclastic Banksy brand. For Ferrante, it is an art...
Key Points SMR technology like Oklo's could meet rising energy demand from the AI sector. Oklo's small market cap offers both upside potential and risk. 10 stocks we like better than Oklo › Experts from Bank of America believe nuclear energy will soon be a $10 trillion opportunity. "Nuclear energy has, in many ways, been recently 'rediscovered' amid surging electricity demand," a report from the b...
Key Points SMR technology like Oklo's could meet rising energy demand from the AI sector. Oklo's small market cap offers both upside potential and risk. 10 stocks we like better than Oklo › Experts from Bank of America believe nuclear energy will soon be a $10 trillion opportunity. "Nuclear energy has, in many ways, been recently 'rediscovered' amid surging electricity demand," a report from the bank recently concluded. "Compared with other energy sources, it offers reliable baseload power, a smaller carbon footprint, and a higher energy return on investment." Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Want to profit from the rediscovery of nuclear energy? There are two reasons why Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) could be your best bet. In fact, buying shares at today's valuation could set you up for life. 1. Expect AI companies to invest heavily in nuclear energy Electricity demand in the U.S. is on the rise. Through 2030, electricity demand is expected to rise by around 4% annually. But much of that growth stems from a single source: AI companies. Through 2030, the artificial intelligence (AI) sector is expected to triple its demand for electricity, going from a 4.3% share of U.S. electricity demand to 11.7%. AI applications rely on data centers for storage and compute. These data centers require a huge amount of electricity to operate, particularly for cooling red hot graphics processing units (GPUs) that power most of AI's capabilities. So when you hear people say that AI requires a huge amount of electricity to function, they're really talking about the data centers that these technologies rely on. There's just one problem: The electricity industry isn't entirely ready to deliver on these new power demands. For over a decade, electricity demand in the U.S. was largely flat due to continued effici...
Will Chinese Robot Maker Unitree's Shanghai IPO Spark A Humanoid-Investing Bubble Unitree Robotics, one of China's top robot makers - spanning robo-dogs to humanoid robots - has filed for a Shanghai STAR Board IPO, according to Bloomberg . The planned listing suggests that the humanoid robotics industry is entering a more accelerated commercialization phase in 2026, with a broader pipeline of publ...
Will Chinese Robot Maker Unitree's Shanghai IPO Spark A Humanoid-Investing Bubble Unitree Robotics, one of China's top robot makers - spanning robo-dogs to humanoid robots - has filed for a Shanghai STAR Board IPO, according to Bloomberg . The planned listing suggests that the humanoid robotics industry is entering a more accelerated commercialization phase in 2026, with a broader pipeline of public offerings likely to emerge alongside rising private capital flows across Asia and the US. The report states that Unitree plans to raise $610 million on the STAR Board, part of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, with proceeds expected to fund AI models and develop new robots. 🤯Absolutely insane. Unitree's humanoid robot team's performance at the 2026 Spring Festival Gala The significance of the humanoid robot's performance lies in letting 1.4 billion Chinese people know where the future lies. pic.twitter.com/6vXIX2MfWM — CyberRobo (@CyberRobooo) February 16, 2026 Unitree reported revenue of 1.71 billion yuan last year and net profit of 287.6 million yuan, more than double the prior year. Humanoid robots accounted for over 51% of revenue in the first nine months of 2025. We have outlined a number of institutional notes this year that provide a framework suggesting that AI's next frontier is physical, as humanoid robots begin moving onto factory floors and beyond. The Shanghai Morning Post recently pointed out that " robot brains " for humanoid robotics have arrived. As we noted, this suggests that dual-use fears are mounting. UBS analysts led by Phyllis Wang noted last month that Unitree was the leader in global humanoid robot shipments in 2025. 2025 Shipments by company Wang marked 2026 as the year humanoid robot shipments begin to ramp up. The real surge comes in the 2027-28 timeframe. Foundation Robotics cofounder Mike LeBlanc told us, "We didn't get to the moon by being cautious. When the U.S. sees a strategic race, it funds its way to the front. Robotics is the new race." H...
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: $COIN ) has launched perpetual stock futures contracts for non-U.S. retail and institutional traders. The contracts enable traders outside the U.S. to take leveraged positions in the Magnificent 7 technology stocks that include Apple (NASDAQ: $AAPL ), Nvidia (NASDAQ: $NVDA ), and Tesla (NASDAQ: $TSLA ), among others. Perpetual futures tied to the S&...
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: $COIN ) has launched perpetual stock futures contracts for non-U.S. retail and institutional traders. The contracts enable traders outside the U.S. to take leveraged positions in the Magnificent 7 technology stocks that include Apple (NASDAQ: $AAPL ), Nvidia (NASDAQ: $NVDA ), and Tesla (NASDAQ: $TSLA ), among others. Perpetual futures tied to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices are also available in some jurisdictions, according to Coinbase. Perpetual futures contracts, sometimes called “perps,” are cryptocurrency derivative contracts that allow traders to speculate on an asset's price without actually owning the underlying asset, in this case stocks. Unlike traditional futures contracts, perpetual futures have no expiry date. All of Coinbase Global's futures contracts are cash-settled in USDC (CRYPTO: $USDC ), a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Circle Internet Group (NYSE: $CRCL ). Coinbase said traders can use up to 10-times leverage on a single-stock contract and up to 20-times on exchange-traded fund (ETF) products. With the perpetual futures contracts, Coinbase says that it is responding to demand for round-the-clock stock trading. Earlier this week, decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Hyperliquid introduced S&P 500 perpetual futures contracts for trading. Coinbase Global has a stated goal to expand its platform beyond cryptocurrency trading to become an “everything exchange” for investors and traders. COIN stock has declined 17% this year to trade at $197.28 U.S. per share.
GCShutter/iStock via Getty Images The bottom 60% of American households are financially worse off than they were two years ago, a situation that could spell disaster for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, according to Meredith Whitney, CEO of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group. “It is clear for the bottom 60% of households that they’re worse off than they were two years ago,” Whitney said...
GCShutter/iStock via Getty Images The bottom 60% of American households are financially worse off than they were two years ago, a situation that could spell disaster for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, according to Meredith Whitney, CEO of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group. “It is clear for the bottom 60% of households that they’re worse off than they were two years ago,” Whitney said in an interview with CNBC, adding that these voters originally supported Trump as a referendum on their economic conditions four years prior. Whitney pointed to alarming signs that lower-income Americans are “barely living paycheck to paycheck.” She highlighted the explosive growth in earned wage access programs, where employees pay fees to receive their wages early rather than waiting for their regular paychecks. “If you work at Walmart and you can’t wait two weeks to get your paycheck, you’ll pay a fee to access the pay that you’ve gotten for three days,” Whitney explained, calling it “not a good sign” for consumer health. The financial strain on these households is compounded by a significant pullback in subprime lending, which has cut off traditional credit access for many Americans. Whitney noted that this leaves consumers with “zero wiggle room” when facing financial emergencies. As a result, they are forced to seek out more expensive forms of liquidity, creating a cycle that puts even greater strain on already stretched budgets. This economic reality could translate into significant political consequences, Whitney warned. “Unless the Republicans can pull a rabbit out of the hat, this is going to be a very big referendum against them in the midterms,” she said, predicting a potential “major, major landslide” defeat for the party. Whitney also raised concerns about the stability of the current administration, suggesting that officials may begin leaving before the midterms if they sense a significant electoral defeat is coming. She expressed worry about the “unpredicta...
A small community in the Arizona desert has broken a record for the highest March temperature ever recorded in the US, as the south-west bakes in a blistering late-winter heatwave. The astonishing temperature was recorded just outside Martinez Lake, Arizona, which reached 110F (43.3C) on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. The community is about 145 miles (233km) west of Phoenix a...
A small community in the Arizona desert has broken a record for the highest March temperature ever recorded in the US, as the south-west bakes in a blistering late-winter heatwave. The astonishing temperature was recorded just outside Martinez Lake, Arizona, which reached 110F (43.3C) on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. The community is about 145 miles (233km) west of Phoenix and sits on the Arizona-California border, in the Yuma desert. The previous record of 108F (42.2 C) had been set in Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954 and was tied on Wednesday by the tiny desert community of North Shore, California. By Thursday, several more California locations had hit 108F (42.2 C). Among them were Cathedral City, near the desert destination of Palm Springs, and the town of Thermal, north-east of San Diego. The triple-digit temperatures came on the last day of winter. Thermal was forecast to hit 110F (43.3 C) on Friday and could tie the record. “For some perspective, the average first 105F day of the year normally occurs on May 22nd,” the NWS said in a statement. The blistering wave of heat this week has established record highs in dozens of locations, including Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. Ruben Pantaleon, as he used a squeegee to clean car windshields at an intersection in Thermal on Thursday afternoon, said the heat did not bother him. He wore shorts and had a supply of electrolyte drinks on hand. “I drank three of those so far,” he said under the blaring sun. “It’s the desert. It gets real hot. I’m not worried about it.” Several cities on Thursday experienced their hottest March day on record, according to the NWS. Phoenix reached 105F (40.6 C), surpassing the previous record of 102F (38.9 C) set on Wednesday. Wednesday also marked the earliest day of triple-digit temperatures in Phoenix. The last time Phoenix temperatures climbed above 100F during March was almost 40 years ago. Hiking trails around the city were closed o...
Kalshi Inc. was temporarily barred by a judge from offering its prediction market contracts in Nevada, after state regulators said the company didn’t have a gaming license. State court Judge Julie Harkleroad in Carson City signed a temporary restraining order Friday blocking Kalshi event contracts for sports, election and entertainment, according to a copy of the order provided by the Nevada Gamin...
Kalshi Inc. was temporarily barred by a judge from offering its prediction market contracts in Nevada, after state regulators said the company didn’t have a gaming license. State court Judge Julie Harkleroad in Carson City signed a temporary restraining order Friday blocking Kalshi event contracts for sports, election and entertainment, according to a copy of the order provided by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The judge set a hearing in the case for April 3.
The Trade Desk (TTD +1.32%) was once a hot growth stock, but it's declined nearly 70% over the past five years and is now trading near a multi-year low. Let's see why this adtech leader lost its luster -- and why it might be a good buying opportunity for contrarian investors. What does The Trade Desk do? The Trade Desk operates the world's largest independent demand-side platform (DSP) for digital...
The Trade Desk (TTD +1.32%) was once a hot growth stock, but it's declined nearly 70% over the past five years and is now trading near a multi-year low. Let's see why this adtech leader lost its luster -- and why it might be a good buying opportunity for contrarian investors. What does The Trade Desk do? The Trade Desk operates the world's largest independent demand-side platform (DSP) for digital ads. DSPs sell advertising space for automated ads on desktop, mobile, and connected TV (CTV) platforms. They usually work with sell-side platforms (SSPs), which help publishers sell their ad inventory. Big tech companies like Meta Platforms (META 2.39%) and Alphabet's (GOOG 2.34%) (GOOGL 2.20%) Google often bundle together DSPs, SSPs, and other adtech tools in their digital advertising platforms. However, they usually lock those advertisers and publishers into their own walled gardens of websites and apps. To break out of those ecosystems and reach the "open internet", advertisers often turn to independent DSPs. Expand NASDAQ : TTD The Trade Desk Today's Change ( 1.32 %) $ 0.31 Current Price $ 23.82 Key Data Points Market Cap $11B Day's Range $ 23.20 - $ 24.47 52wk Range $ 21.08 - $ 91.45 Volume 400K Avg Vol 17M Gross Margin 78.63 % To serve those customers, The Trade Desk offers Solimar, its unified platform for analyzing data, and Kokai, its AI-powered platform for planning, bidding, campaign optimization, and ad measurement tools. It's also been rolling out its Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) solution, which replaces traditional cookies on websites, and its new Ventura smart TV OS, which hosts its own ads. It's even bypassing SSPs with OpenPath, a platform that directly connects advertisers to publishers. Why did The Trade Desk's stock decline? From 2020 to 2025, its revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) grew at CAGRs of 28% and 33%, respectively. Most of that growth was driven by its CTV business, which profited from the g...