Stock index futures rose as investors looked ahead to a batch of economic reports, including labor data. Now, here are 5 news stories that broke overnight to watch out for: Apple explores U.S. chip production alternatives : Apple ( AAPL ) has reportedly held exploratory discussions about using Intel ( INTC ) and Samsung Electronics Co. ( SSNLF ) to produce the main processors for its devices in th...
Stock index futures rose as investors looked ahead to a batch of economic reports, including labor data. Now, here are 5 news stories that broke overnight to watch out for: Apple explores U.S. chip production alternatives : Apple ( AAPL ) has reportedly held exploratory discussions about using Intel ( INTC ) and Samsung Electronics Co. ( SSNLF ) to produce the main processors for its devices in the U.S., a move that would offer a secondary option beyond longtime partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. ( TSM ). The iPhone and iPad maker has had early-stage talks with Intel about enlisting the company’s chipmaking services, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the deliberations. White House considers AI model vetting: The White House has discussed vetting artificial intelligence models before they are released to the public, the New York Times reported, citing U.S. officials and people briefed on the matter. The Trump Administration could issue an executive order that would create an AI working group to oversee such topics, the news outlet added. United-American merger draws union support: United Airlines ( UAL ) CEO Scott Kirby’s proposed merger with American Airlines ( AAL ) showed a “bold vision for the future of air travel,” a union boss told pilots in an email viewed by Reuters . This vision “could be transformative for our passengers, the communities we serve, and, foremost, the very people at American that our C-suite has chosen to disrespect: you,” Nick Silva, president of the Allied Pilots Association, wrote. The APA represents AAL pilots. OpenAI discussed spinning out robotics, and hardware units: OpenAI ( OPENAI ) Chief Executive Sam Altman discussed spinning out the company’s robotics and consumer-hardware divisions late last year, a move intended to give them more room to grow without weighing down the core business, WSJ reported. As part of the plan, the two companies would have been able to raise external funding and operate more ...
Brandon Bell/Getty Images News GameStop's ( GME ) ambitious $56B takeover bid for eBay ( EBAY ) is a bad idea, according to a poll of Seeking Alpha's investing community, many of whom believe a deal could be a massive debt trap or accelerate legacy irrelevance . The offer has drawn widespread skepticism, given that eBay's ( EBAY ) market value is more than four times higher than GameStop's ( GME )...
Brandon Bell/Getty Images News GameStop's ( GME ) ambitious $56B takeover bid for eBay ( EBAY ) is a bad idea, according to a poll of Seeking Alpha's investing community, many of whom believe a deal could be a massive debt trap or accelerate legacy irrelevance . The offer has drawn widespread skepticism, given that eBay's ( EBAY ) market value is more than four times higher than GameStop's ( GME ). "EBAY operates at a far bigger scale with a more diversified business," Bernstein analysts wrote in a note. "We're not clear on what GME would bring to the table strategically that would further enhance EBAY's offerings." GameStop ( GME ) plans to fund the cash portion of its offer with its cash and liquid investments, which totaled ~$9.4B as of Jan. 31, and $20B in potential debt financing from TD Securities. The gaming retailer also built a 5% stake in eBay ( EBAY ). "We have the ability to issue stock to get the deal done," GameStop ( GME ) CEO Ryan Cohen told CNBC . But GameStop's ( GME ) debt load was about $4.2B as of Jan. 31. "We have incurred substantial indebtedness that may decrease our business flexibility, access to capital, and/or increase our borrowing costs, and we may still incur substantially more debt, which may adversely affect our operations and financial results," it stated in its most recent 10-K filing . GameStop ( GME ) would have to issue over 1B new shares for the proposed deal, which would result in significant dilution for its shareholders, Baird analysts said. Meanwhile, eBay ( EBAY ) has a total debt of $6.7B as of March 31. Debt from a potential takeover could reduce its standalone free cash flow, Bernstein analysts warned. Michael Burry, the famed "Big Short" investor, also criticized GameStop's ( GME ) bid, saying he would sell "all or some" of his stake in the company as the deal risks "a level of debt that borders on distressed and tends to strip competitiveness and innovation from such-stricken companies." In case you missed it, you can...
mechanick/iStock via Getty Images Investment thesis Frequency Electronics ( FEIM ) has experienced a weak fiscal year in 2026 so far, with declining sales and worse margins. However, this year was affected by a combination of temporary factors, such as delays in government projects due to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown and other issues related more to timing than demand. Management r...
mechanick/iStock via Getty Images Investment thesis Frequency Electronics ( FEIM ) has experienced a weak fiscal year in 2026 so far, with declining sales and worse margins. However, this year was affected by a combination of temporary factors, such as delays in government projects due to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown and other issues related more to timing than demand. Management recently expressed enough confidence to set a revenue target of at least $150 million in 2029, suggesting that the weakness is indeed temporary and that with the government now reopened, performance should soon be reflected in the numbers. What Frequency Electronics Actually Does Frequency Electronics manufactures atomic clocks and synchronization systems, which are key components for the operation of satellites and aircraft. If an "atomic clock" sounds unfamiliar to you, let me tell you that you're not alone. FEIM's products are highly specialized and therefore very difficult to replicate, giving them a competitive advantage over new entrants seeking to gain market share. These systems are used to keep satellites, missile systems, communications networks, and other products that rely on extremely precise timing signals to function correctly. If that synchronization deviates even slightly, the system begins to malfunction, something highly undesirable in these industries (as you can imagine). Frequency Electronics Currently, there are companies like SpaceX or AST that have captured the attention of investors since they build the final and visible system (satellites, rockets, or spacecraft), so companies like Frequency Electronics remain a little more hidden, despite being equally important. This would explain why Rocket Lab is trading at 50x forward sales, while Frequency Electronics is trading at only 7x. I'm not saying they're similar businesses that deserve the same multiple, but I think this illustrates the hype surrounding each one of them. Data by YCharts Growth and Ba...
Key PointsThe Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) targets companies with a 10+ year dividend growth record, but its weighting methodology makes it more growth tilted.
Key PointsThe Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) targets companies with a 10+ year dividend growth record, but its weighting methodology makes it more growth tilted.
Veiled pro-government supporters stand in a line under a banner depicting portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as they wait to receive donated meals during a state-run religious rally in downtown Tehran, Iran, on April 29, 2026. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Up until the weekend, global markets had been betting on a fragile ceasefire b...
Veiled pro-government supporters stand in a line under a banner depicting portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as they wait to receive donated meals during a state-run religious rally in downtown Tehran, Iran, on April 29, 2026. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Up until the weekend, global markets had been betting on a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran turning into a longer-term peace deal. But escalatory rhetoric, action over the Strait of Hormuz, and fresh Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates over the past 48 hours, have led experts to warn war could be back. Market analysts said the latest developments could mark an inflection point in the war and a critical moment for financial markets and global energy supplies, which are dwindling as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed. "It's an incredibly delicate moment," Ben Powell, chief investment strategist for APAC at BlackRock, told CNBC Tuesday. "It's very unsettling to have our first missile warnings here in Abu Dhabi for several weeks. We were all hoping that was behind us," the UAE-based strategist said. "Looking forward, I think there is a genuine complexity as to whether this escalation yesterday was just part of the negotiation — Iran showing that they've still got cards to play, perhaps signaling to the UAE that the UAE can leave the OPEC, but energy leaving the region is still dependent on the favor from Iran — or it could be a beginning of a more difficult moment," he told CNBC's "Access Middle East." watch now VIDEO 4:06 04:06 BlackRock: GCC faces structural reset, not short-term shock from Iran war Access Middle East Energy and other key parts of the global economy aren't flowing, he said, adding that it now feels like we're approaching a "critical moment" where inventories have been run down, and the delayed impact of the energy shock is starting to come into sharper focus. War and peace Global markets were edgy Tuesday mo...
Saklakova/iStock via Getty Images AI is shifting from apps to agents. The platforms built for execution, payments, delivery, and digital commerce may be where AI goes to work next, and where investors should look. For most of the internet era, the app was the destination. Consumers opened an app to pay a friend, order dinner, book a ride, make a trade, or place a bet. The companies that won built ...
Saklakova/iStock via Getty Images AI is shifting from apps to agents. The platforms built for execution, payments, delivery, and digital commerce may be where AI goes to work next, and where investors should look. For most of the internet era, the app was the destination. Consumers opened an app to pay a friend, order dinner, book a ride, make a trade, or place a bet. The companies that won built the best digital storefronts, captured user attention, and became the default interface for everyday economic activity. That model may be starting to shift. As artificial intelligence evolves from answering questions to completing tasks, the next phase of the digital economy may be less about which app a user opens and more about which platforms an AI agent can actually transact through. In that world, the interface matters less than the infrastructure beneath it. The winners may not simply be the companies with the best front-end experience but the companies with the payments, logistics, merchant relationships, data, and digital workflows that agents can access and act on. This is the transition from the app economy to the agent economy . And it may represent another way to think about the next phase of the AI trade. How Is Agentic AI Changing Digital Commerce? For years, digital commerce has been built around clicks, taps, and screens. The consumer browses. The platform presents choices. The transaction happens inside the app. Agentic AI introduces a different model. Instead of navigating every step manually, a consumer may increasingly delegate tasks to an AI assistant: reorder groceries, book a ride to the airport, compare prices on a product, pay a bill, split a purchase, or find the fastest way to complete a task. The consumer still makes the decision, but the path from intent to transaction becomes more automated. That has important implications for investing. If AI agents begin to mediate more consumer activity, then value may shift toward the platforms that sit clo...
The incendiary Japanese group who emerged out of late-60s unrest were suspicious of studios so their legacy was long left to bootleg obsessives. But unheard recordings are revealing their lesser-known gifts for melody By 1969 student protests were raging across Japan, as anti-university, anti-war and anti-government movements mingled in strikes and classroom blockades. “Students were getting reall...
The incendiary Japanese group who emerged out of late-60s unrest were suspicious of studios so their legacy was long left to bootleg obsessives. But unheard recordings are revealing their lesser-known gifts for melody By 1969 student protests were raging across Japan, as anti-university, anti-war and anti-government movements mingled in strikes and classroom blockades. “Students were getting really violent,” Makoto Kubota recalls of Kyoto’s Doshisha University, leaving his studies in shambles. But when his quiet, magnetic fellow student Takashi Mizutani invited Kubota to the first gig by his band les Rallizes Dénudés, their deafening psych-rock became his calling. “I’d never experienced that amount of volume. My body ached.” Les Rallizes Dénudés, which Kubota soon joined, have become the stuff of rock mythology: a mysterious, ever-shifting group whose early use of extreme distortion has won fans ranging from Osees’ John Dwyer to Lady Gaga. As its sole constant member since founding it in 1967, vocalist-guitarist Mizutani’s secretive nature and aversion to studio recordings have meant their story is still being pieced together, and their music chiefly circulated as live bootlegs. Discovering these had generated a cult international fanbase long after the band’s final gig in 1996, and Mizutani and Kubota reconnected in 2019 with plans to reunite – cut short by Mizutani’s death later that year. In his memory, Kubota is restoring and releasing their music, including an extraordinary lost album. Continue reading...