Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images By James Picerno The ongoing US-Israel military strike on Iran remains a highly fluid situation, with the potential for significant fallout for the global economy and financial markets. The conflict is still evolving and so it’s difficult at this stage to develop reasonable forecasts of the war’s effects, but US recession risk was still subdued ahead of the attack that began on Saturday. The TMC Recession Probability Indicator (RPI) continues to reflect a low probability that an NBER-defined downturn has started or is imminent. The current estimate indicates a roughly 3% probability of contraction, based on data through Feb. 26 – an estimate that’s fallen slightly since our previous update three months ago. (RPI aggregates and processes data from three business-cycle indicators published by regional Fed banks — see here for details.) Focusing on recent history shows that the trend (50-period average) has edged higher recently, but it’s fair to say that the current level suggests a high probability that the economy’s current bias remains strongly skewed toward growth. The caveat is that RPI, and similar metrics, are designed to capture “normal” business-cycle fluctuations rather than so-called exogenous events, such as the military strike on Iran. To the extent that war will create headwinds for economic activity the transmission would likely come via an oil price shock. Roughly one-fifth to one-third of the world’s seaborne oil exports flow through the narrow Strait of Hormuz , the world’s most important (and potentially vulnerable) energy chokepoint. Iran has the ability to disrupt or close the strait, which could raise oil prices sharply as markets reprice the geopolitical oil premium. The risk of a protracted war that materially lifts energy prices for an extended period could raise recession risk. That possibility still looks low at the moment, even after factoring in the Iran-related threat and Monday’s sharp increase in ...

Vertigo3d/E+ via Getty Images Key Takeaways Markets: International equity markets generated strong returns in the fourth quarter, capping a year marked by shifting leadership and unusually wide style dispersion. The core benchmark MSCI EAFE Index rose 4.9% in the quarter to finish up 31.2% for 2025, outperforming the S&P 500 Index's gains of 2.7% for the quarter and 17.9% for the year. International value had an even stronger year, with the MSCI EAFE Value Index returning 42.2%, handily outpacing its growth counterpart by over 2,100 bps, the widest dispersion among investment styles in the 50-year history of the index. Contributors: Holdings in Siemens Energy ( SMEGF ), Hitachi ( HTHIY ), Fujitsu ( FJTSF ). Stock selection in the IT, materials and consumer staples sectors. Detractors: Holdings in Daito Trust Construction ( DIFTY ), Sony ( SONY ) and Tencent ( TCEHY ). Stock selection in financials and real estate sectors and an underweight to the health care sector. Outlook: We enter 2026 with a more stable macro environment than this time last year. Inflation has moderated globally, giving central banks room to ease, while fiscal programs — from U.S. industrial and infrastructure spending to expanded European budgets and targeted Chinese stimulus — continue to support economic activity. With the effective U.S. tariff rate already having peaked, companies that absorbed tariff-related cost pressures in 2025 should lap those headwinds, creating modest tailwinds for growth. Top Equity Issuers (% of Total) Holding Portfolio Intesa Sanpaolo SpA ( ISNPY ) 3.24 Siemens Energy AG 3.20 Hitachi Ltd 3.19 Fujitsu Ltd 3.17 Siemens AG ( SIEGY ) 3.14 Lloyds Banking Group PLC ( LYG ) 2.86 Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc ( MUFG ) 2.61 AXA SA ( AXAHF ) 2.54 Airbus SE ( EADSF ) 2.48 KBC Group NV ( KBCSY ) 2.43 Click to enlarge Performance Review The Portfolios outperformed their benchmark in the fourth quarter, driven by stock selection in information technology (IT) and industrial...

Palantir Technologies Stock (PLTR) Opinions on Government AI Vendor Shifts Quiver Quantitative

格隆汇3月4日｜伊朗教育部长：约有170名学生和教师遇难，近20所学校和教育机构也被摧毁。

Image source: The Motley Fool. Monday, March 2, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Hao-Yuan Chuang Chief Financial Officer — Tom Lin Chief Scientific Officer — Nathan Mata Chief Medical Officer — Hendrik Scholl Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Phase III DRAGON trial outcome -- Top-line results announced in December showed Tadaraben reduced the growth rate of atrophy in Stargardt disease by 36% versus placebo, meeting the study's primary efficacy endpoint. -- Top-line results announced in December showed Tadaraben reduced the growth rate of atrophy in Stargardt disease by 36% versus placebo, meeting the study's primary efficacy endpoint. DRAGON-2 enrollment -- DRAGON-2 study reached 72 enrolled subjects as of February 27, with final enrollment expected between 72 and 75. -- DRAGON-2 study reached 72 enrolled subjects as of February 27, with final enrollment expected between 72 and 75. PHOENIX trial completion -- Phase III PHOENIX trial for geographic atrophy completed enrollment with under 30 subjects. -- Phase III PHOENIX trial for geographic atrophy completed enrollment with under 30 subjects. Public offering proceeds -- Completed a $402 million public offering with over-allotment exercised in the fourth quarter, contributing to year-end liquidity. -- Completed a $402 million public offering with over-allotment exercised in the fourth quarter, contributing to year-end liquidity. Cash and equivalents -- Ended the year with $772.6 million in cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Treasury bills, and notes, up from $145.2 million at prior year end. -- Ended the year with $772.6 million in cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Treasury bills, and notes, up from $145.2 million at prior year end. Quarterly R&D expenses -- Research and development expenses totaled $14.6 million, compared to $7.3 million in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2024 (period ended Dec. 31, 2024); on a non-GAAP basis, $12.2 million versus $5.7 mill...

Earlier this week, Cathie Wood highlighted the intensifying competition for Nvidia Corp as ARK Investment Management forecasts that custom AI chips could command more than one-third of the compute market by the end of the decade. ARK Sees Custom Silicon Reshaping AI Compute Market Frank Downing, ARK's director of research for next-generation internet, said in a post on X that the firm expects "over a third of the compute market will be custom silicon by 2030." He defined custom as non-GPU chips — effectively alternatives to products from Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. — though he noted that industry lines are "blurring." non-GPU in this case I would say non-Nvidia/AMD but now that Nvidia effectively bought Groq lines are bluring Don't Miss: "Everyone knows Google's TPU, but Amazon is the sleeping giant that is waking up," Downing wrote. A chart shared by Downing shows traditional servers rapidly losing share to accelerated computing, with application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, gaining ground alongside GPUs through 2030. We predict that over a third of the compute market will be custom silicon by 2030. This announcement is another step in that direction. Everyone knows Google's TPU, but Amazon is the sleeping giant that is waking up. Have a blog coming soon that dives deeper into this. https://t.co/aR7QgFFcf7 pic.twitter.com/wuv6DwwJFP Trending: Disney Was Built on Character IP — This Pre-IPO Company Is Using the Same Playbook Wood amplified the message, sharing the post and adding: "Competition for Nvidia." Competition for Nvidia. https://t.co/siQ7FHsFta Amazon-OpenAI Deal Signals Shift Beyond Nvidia GPUs The comments follow a multi-year partnership between Amazon.com Inc. and OpenAI. Amazon committed up to $50 billion to the ChatGPT maker and expanded an existing compute agreement by $100 billion over eight years. A key element of the deal centers on OpenAI's use of Amazon's custom Trainium chips, including next-generation versions expected in...

Image source: The Motley Fool. March 2, 2026 Call participants President and Chief Executive Officer — Everett Cunningham Chief Financial Officer — Vandana Sriram Head of Investor Relations — Joshua Young Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Total Revenue -- $43.9 million, representing a 25% increase year over year and a 7% sequential rise. -- $43.9 million, representing a 25% increase year over year and a 7% sequential rise. Organic Revenue -- Declined 22%. -- Declined 22%. Diagnostics Partner Revenue -- $3.1 million recognized; 25 active partnerships generated $9.6 million for the full year, up from $6 million prior year. -- $3.1 million recognized; 25 active partnerships generated $9.6 million for the full year, up from $6 million prior year. Simoa Revenue -- $27 million, reflecting a 22% organic decline compared to the previous year. -- $27 million, reflecting a 22% organic decline compared to the previous year. Spatial Revenue -- $17 million, down 23% year over year, including $2.5 million from a now-terminated diagnostic agreement; excluding that, Spatial declined 16%. -- $17 million, down 23% year over year, including $2.5 million from a now-terminated diagnostic agreement; excluding that, Spatial declined 16%. Instrument Revenue -- $6.1 million, made up of $3.2 million from Simoa and $2.9 million from Spatial platforms. -- $6.1 million, made up of $3.2 million from Simoa and $2.9 million from Spatial platforms. Instrument Placements -- 21 Simoa and 17 Spatial instruments placed; Simoa placements compared to 18 in the year-ago period. -- 21 Simoa and 17 Spatial instruments placed; Simoa placements compared to 18 in the year-ago period. Consumables Revenue -- $23 million, up $3.8 million sequentially, including $15.4 million from Simoa and $7.6 million from Spatial products. -- $23 million, up $3.8 million sequentially, including $15.4 million from Simoa and $7.6 million from Spatial products. Accelerator Lab Revenue -- $8...

The year hasn't started on a good note for Broadcom (AVGO 1.87%) investors. Shares of the chip designer have dropped 10% in 2026 as of this writing, well below the 10% jump in the PHLX Semiconductor Sector index this year. Broadcom's poor performance this year can be attributed to the negative sentiment surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) stocks, as concerns about the viability of the massive spending on AI data centers have once again taken center stage. Additionally, the company's comments that the accelerating sales of its AI-related products will compress margins have been another headwind for the stock price of late. However, investors seem to be forgetting that Broadcom delivered record revenue in fiscal 2025 (which ended in November last year). Even better, the company is on track to deliver stronger growth this year. That's why it won't be surprising to see Broadcom stock getting a shot in the arm when it releases its first-quarter fiscal 2026 results on March 4. Broadcom's huge order book should help it beat expectations Broadcom's guidance calls for fiscal Q1 revenue of $19.1 billion, a potential increase of 28% from the year-ago period. However, the company finished fiscal 2025 with an impressive backlog of $162 billion, and $73 billion of that backlog was for its AI chips. Broadcom management added that it expects to clear the AI-related backlog over the next six quarters. That translates into a quarterly revenue run rate of just over $12 billion. So, don't be surprised if Broadcom exceeds its fiscal Q1 AI revenue guidance of $8.2 billion, which could pave the way for the company to deliver a larger increase in overall revenue. What's more, Wall Street is confident that Broadcom's growth will accelerate as the year progresses. This is evidenced by the company's fiscal 2026 revenue estimate of $97.6 billion, which would be an improvement of 53% over last year. For comparison, Broadcom's revenue in fiscal 2025 increased by 24%, suggesting its growth r...

Key Points Shares of Broadcom have been under pressure so far in 2026, but investors shouldn't ignore the impressive growth that the company has been clocking. Broadcom's growth is set to accelerate this year, followed by healthy improvements in its bottom line in the coming years. 10 stocks we like better than Broadcom › The year hasn't started on a good note for Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) investors. Shares of the chip designer have dropped 10% in 2026 as of this writing, well below the 10% jump in the PHLX Semiconductor Sector index this year. Broadcom's poor performance this year can be attributed to the negative sentiment surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) stocks, as concerns about the viability of the massive spending on AI data centers have once again taken center stage. Additionally, the company's comments that the accelerating sales of its AI-related products will compress margins have been another headwind for the stock price of late. 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 » However, investors seem to be forgetting that Broadcom delivered record revenue in fiscal 2025 (which ended in November last year). Even better, the company is on track to deliver stronger growth this year. That's why it won't be surprising to see Broadcom stock getting a shot in the arm when it releases its first-quarter fiscal 2026 results on March 4. Broadcom's huge order book should help it beat expectations Broadcom's guidance calls for fiscal Q1 revenue of $19.1 billion, a potential increase of 28% from the year-ago period. However, the company finished fiscal 2025 with an impressive backlog of $162 billion, and $73 billion of that backlog was for its AI chips. Broadcom management added that it expects to clear the AI-related backlog over the next six quarters. That translates into a quarterly revenue ...

格隆汇3月4日｜联合国特别协调员办公室：联合国特别协调员普拉斯哈特会见了黎巴嫩总统奥恩。双方一致认为，必须紧急避免黎巴嫩遭受进一步破坏，各方应停止好战言论，重返对话。

Oracle Financial Services Named a Top Vendor in 2026 Chartis RiskTech 100 Report Oracle

The cost of booking the world’s biggest oil tankers on the industry’s benchmark route hit a fresh record as shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains all-but halted. Earnings for hauling crude from the Middle East to China exceeded $481,000 a day on Tuesday, according to the Baltic Exchange in London. As the US-Israeli war on Iran reverberates across the region, there remains significant uncertainty about tanker costs, given relatively few ships are transiting Hormuz each day and few new deals are being reported. Shipping costs were already soaring before the war due to rising global oil supplies and a South Korean shipowner snapping up vessels. The giant ships — called very-large crude carriers — can carry 2 million barrels at a time. The elevated costs are a boon to owners with ships on the water, but are a potential headache for oil traders trying to move barrels around the globe. Rates on the Middle East-to-China route have now quadrupled since mid-February. In the US, the price to hire a ship for an entire voyage from the Gulf Coast to Asia hit $26.9 million — the equivalent of more than $13 a barrel. The figure is the biggest share of West Texas Intermediate crude prices since 2020. ‘Everything Lit Up’: Trump’s War on Iran Rattles Energy Traders Shortage of Tankers in Persian Gulf Could Hit Oil Production Asian Oil Refiners Could Cut Run Rates on Hormuz Logjam A Huge Bet on Supertankers Reverberates Through the Oil Market

外交部駐港公署舉辦「一國兩制」下香港維護國家安全的實踐專題宣介會。 約50個國家、100多位外國駐港領團 、商會及媒體代表出席宣介會。 外交部駐港公署特派員崔建春介紹，國務院上月發表的白皮書五個主要部分，闡明中央政府在維護國家安全的根本責任，並肯定香港特區完成《基本法》第23條立法的成就，一系列措施實現了本港由亂到治的轉變，牢固樹立維護國家安全的屏障。社會已恢復秩序，同時鞏固法治，優化營商環境，能推動高質量發展，邁向長治久安的新階段。 外交部駐港公署特派員崔建春稱︰「一個安全香港自由、已發展、開放且充滿活力，完全符合『一國兩制』方針。既服務於國家的根本利益，也惠及本港居民，同時契合外部投資者利益。我們深信在高水準安全保障下，香港必定能克服一切風險與挑戰，實現長治久安與長期繁榮。」

ASM International NV forecast revenue for the first quarter that beat analysts’ estimates, boosted by artificial intelligence-linked investments and expectations of strong China demand. The Dutch chip equipment maker anticipates revenue of €830 million ($962 million) in the January to March quarter, with a range of 4% above or below that level, according to a statement after market hours Tuesday. That compares with the average €767 million analyst estimate, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It also expects second quarter revenue higher than the current period, and sales in the second half to be higher than in the first. “We stand ready to support our customers as they expand capacity and drive innovation to meet the multi-year surge in AI datacenter demand,” Chief Executive Officer Hichem M’Saad said in the statement. The Almere, Netherlands-headquartered ASM, like the much larger Dutch lithography-gear maker ASML Holding NV , is a beneficiary of the investment boom in AI infrastructure. The rapid development of data centers has led to semiconductor manufacturers boosting capacity, in turn stoking demand for chip-equipment makers’ products. ASM makes tools that deposit thin film layers on wafers, a step that’s essential to the process of making chips. It is capitalizing on the industry’s shift to so-called ‘gate-all-around’ device architecture, where atomic layer deposition and epitaxy tool steps are needed to make more energy-efficient and capable chips. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. , one of ASM’s largest customers, in January outlined plans for as much as $56 billion in capital spending this year. ASM then announced a stronger-than-anticipated preliminary order intake for the fourth quarter, driven by “solid” bookings from logic customers and a rebound in demand from China. ASM said it now expects sales in China to increase in 2026, calling it “a notable improvement” from its prior forecast of a double‑digit decline. The company will stop disclosi...

Key Points PMC FIG Opportunities sold 143,724 shares of ConnectOne Bancorp; the estimated transaction value was $3.64 million based on average prices during the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the quarter-end position value fell by $3.44 million, reflecting both trading activity and changes in ConnectOne Bancorp’s stock price. PMC FIG Opportunities now holds 92,093 shares valued at $2.41 million, or 3.8% of AUM. 10 stocks we like better than ConnectOne Bancorp › PMC FIG Opportunities disclosed in a February 17, 2026, SEC filing that it sold 143,724 shares of ConnectOne Bancorp (NASDAQ:CNOB), an estimated $3.64 million trade based on quarterly average pricing. What happened According to a recent SEC filing dated February 17, 2026, PMC FIG Opportunities reduced its holdings in ConnectOne Bancorp (NASDAQ:CNOB) by 143,724 shares during the fourth quarter of 2025. The estimated transaction value was $3.64 million, calculated using the average closing price for the quarter. The fund’s remaining position was valued at $2.41 million at quarter’s end, down from the prior period, with the valuation shift reflecting both selling activity and stock price movement. What else to know The fund’s sale reduced its ConnectOne Bancorp stake from 8.8% to 3.8% of reportable AUM Top holdings after the quarter: NASDAQ:CCB: $4.95 million (7.8% of AUM) NASDAQ:TBBK: $4.78 million (7.5% of AUM) NYSE:SF: $3.94 million (6.2% of AUM) NASDAQ:NBN: $3.40 million (5.3% of AUM) NYSE:BAC: $3.24 million (5.1% of AUM) As of Tuesday, shares of ConnectOne were priced at $26.32, up about 4% year over year and well underperforming the S&P 500, which is instead up about 16%. Company overview Metric Value Revenue (TTM) $378.21 million Net Income (TTM) $80.44 million Dividend Yield 3% Price (as of Tuesday) $26.32 Company snapshot ConnectOne Bancorp offers commercial and consumer banking products, including loans, deposit accounts, and digital banking services. The firm serves small and mid-sized businesses, local p...

Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) newly announced strategic partnership with OpenAI is a “positive proof point” for the competitive positioning in AI for its Amazon Web Services arm, Goldman Sachs said. The agreement includes an investment by Amazon of up to $50 billion and an expanded eight-year, $138...

Source: Bloomberg, 5:38

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) Stock: Analyst Targets, Institutional Moves, and Today’s Drop MEXC

On February 17, 2026, PMC FIG Opportunities disclosed a new position in Northeast Bank (NBN 1.31%), acquiring 32,745 shares worth $3.40 million at quarter-end. What happened According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated February 17, 2026, PMC FIG Opportunities initiated a new position in Northeast Bank, acquiring 32,745 shares. The quarter-end value of the position stood at $3.40 million. What else to know This was a new position for the fund, accounting for 5.35% of 13F reportable assets under management as of December 31, 2025. Top five holdings following the filing: NASDAQ:CCB: $4.95 million (7.8% of AUM) NASDAQ:TBBK: $4.78 million (7.5% of AUM) NYSE:SF: $3.94 million (6.2% of AUM) NASDAQ:NBN: $3.40 million (5.3% of AUM) NYSE:BAC: $3.24 million (5.1% of AUM) As of February 17, 2026, shares of Northeast Bank were priced at $120.52, up 15% over the past year. Company overview Metric Value Price (as of market close 2/17/26) $120.52 Market capitalization $961.47 million Revenue (TTM) $208.71 million Net income (TTM) $87.18 million Company snapshot Northeast Bank offers a range of deposit products, residential and commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, consumer loans, and small business administration loans, as well as digital and in-person banking services. The firm serves individual and corporate customers, with a focus on communities in Western, Central, and Southern Maine through a network of nine branches. Northeast Bank is a regional financial institution that differentiates itself through a diversified loan portfolio and a blend of traditional branch banking and digital services. Its strategy centers on serving local businesses and individuals, leveraging longstanding community relationships and a focused regional footprint. What this transaction means for investors Northeast Bank isn’t a traditional sleepy community lender. It’s a scaled national loan buyer with local deposits, and that makes this move particularl...

格隆汇3月4日｜英国首相斯塔默在与塞浦路斯总统的通话中，表明了他对塞浦路斯及其安全的坚定支持。

格隆汇3月4日｜阿曼外交部长：重申呼吁立即停火、重返负责任的地区外交。

Hello and welcome to the newsletter, a grab bag of daily content from the Odd Lots universe. Sometimes it’s us, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, bringing you our thoughts on the most recent developments in markets, finance and the economy. And sometimes it’s contributions from our network of expert guests and sources. Whatever it is, we promise it will always be interesting. If you like chatting with us, check out the Odd Lots Discord , where you can hang out and talk with us and with other listeners 24/7. What Joe is thinking about today Stocks are red. Treasuries are red. Even gold is red. Basically the only places to hide out are in US dollars and companies in a position to take advantage of the spike in energy prices. In an email to clients, Deutsche Bank’s Ozan Tarman, the firm’s vice chair of global macro (and past Odd Lots guest ), says the theme right now is “warflation” and that “War is Anti Risk Parity’s best friend.” War is obviously bad for (most) businesses. And it’s also inflationary, so it’s not good for holders of bonds. A quick look at AOR (an ETF that tracks a balanced 60/40 portfolio) shows the sharp leg downward after months of grinding steadily higher. In fact, the performance of the fund since Sunday represents its worst two day stretch since last April, around Liberation Day. The thing to bear in mind is that the US has entered this war at a time when inflation is already significantly higher than what people are comfortable with (even if it’s come down a lot). There is a widespread view that American industrial capacity is already weak and stretched. Supply chains are already fragile, and there’s already been commodity hoarding happening all around the world. Markets had been attuned to the possibility of war, though they clearly weren’t attuned enough, hence the huge surge in oil prices since the start of combat. Meanwhile there seems to be a widespread view among traders that the energy situation specifically will rapidly deteriorate rapid...

Apple is kicking off March with a flurry of product announcements ahead of a “special Apple experience” on March 4th in New York City, London, and Shanghai. Apple started on March 2nd by announcing the iPhone 17E . The new $599 phone has a lot of welcome additions over the iPhone 16E like support for MagSafe charging, doubled base storage of 256GB, and a Ceramic Shield 2 display, all for the same starting price. The same day, Apple also revealed a new iPad Air powered by an M4 chip , a bump up from the previous version’s M3 chip. March 3rd brought announcements of MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips , the MacBook Air with an M5 chip , and a Studio Display refresh , including a new Mini LED-equipped XDR model. But the company may be saving the most interesting news for last; Apple is rumored to be launching a lower-cost MacBook that’s powered by an iPhone chip instead of an M-series processor. Apple itself may have leaked the name of this new machine: it might be called the MacBook Neo . Read on for all of our coverage of Apple’s March 2026 announcements. Apple’s website leaks MacBook ‘Neo,’ which could be its new cheaper laptop Apple’s new Studio Display XDR adds a Mini LED upgrade Apple launches M5 Pro and M5 Max chips Apple announces M5 MacBook Air and updated MacBook Pro How the new iPhone 17E stacks up against Apple’s pricier phones Apple announces the iPhone 17E Apple launches a new iPad Air with an upgraded M4 processor Apple’s doing something on March 4th

Elliott Investment Management, an activist investor known for its assertive involvement in company decisions, has taken a $1 billion stake in Pinterest. The firm first invested in the social platform in 2022. Pinterest announced the financial boost on Tuesday, and CEO Bill Ready said he considers this a major vote of confidence that underscores the company’s ambitious AI efforts. “We delivered record revenue in 2025, with users reaching all-time highs for ten consecutive quarters and more than 80 billion monthly searches on our platform, as we continue to deliver strong innovation in visual search using AI. We are excited to continue our partnership with Elliott for the next phase of Pinterest’s growth. Elliott’s investment is a strong vote of confidence in the work we have done to build our business and the significant opportunities ahead for Pinterest,” Ready said in a statement. As part of this investment, Pinterest will buy back shares of its Class A common stock through a $1 billion accelerated repurchase agreement. The new capital will also help fund a broader, newly authorized $3.5 billion share buyback program. Pinterest stock jumped 6% in premarket trading following the $1 billion investment announcement. The news comes as Pinterest has faced serious headwinds. Shares tumbled over the past year, with disappointing earnings, layoffs affecting 15% of its workforce, a declining ad business, and increased rivalry from AI chatbots. Yet, Elliott’s increased investment signals a belief in Pinterest’s turnaround strategy. Specifically, its aggressive bet on AI. Recent initiatives include AI-powered visual search that allows users to snap a photo or select an image and instantly receive recommendations for similar items, home decor ideas, and fashion inspiration. The company also leverages AI for personalized recommendations, to improve content moderation, as well as creative tools for advertisers. However, on another note, Elliot’s track record suggests that its co...

Qualcomm Inc. Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon , speaking this week at the MWC Barcelona conference, said the incoming tide of artificial intelligence agents will transform the wider digital ecosystem. While delivering a keynote address Tuesday at the mobile industry’s biggest annual gathering, Amon said 2026 will be the year of agents. These services — capable of performing complex, multistep tasks or proactively doing things for the user — require vast amounts of data and real-time context, which will elevate the importance of all manner of devices as data sources, Amon argued. “We are going to move from a smartphone-centric, app-centric digital ecosystem to an agent center,” Amon said. “The agent becomes the center. They don’t only respond to you. They observe, they interpret, they act.” In place of the current approach, where the user initiates everything via a specific application, future technology will be more geared toward enabling agents and tasks. That could potentially make a smartwatch, smart glasses or a wearable camera device as important as the smartphone in providing continuous awareness of the user’s environment. A day earlier at MWC, San Diego-based Qualcomm introduced its new Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, designed specifically to power smaller and wearable gadgets with on-device AI processing. The company envisions its customers building everything from pendants and pins to smart headphones and watches with integrated AI and sensors to feed personalized agents. Samsung Electronics Co. , Alphabet Inc. ’s Google and Lenovo Group Ltd. ’s Motorola have already committed to building products with the Wear Elite. Qualcomm expects the first of those to be out sometime in the summer. Lenovo came to the show with the slogan of “one AI, many devices,” which similarly decentralizes the smartphone in the future envisioned for consumer technology. “We want to be the orchestrator of all this data coming in with our AI super agent Qira ,” Lenovo Executive...

格隆汇3月4日｜美国总统特朗普：如果伊朗继续拥有导弹，中东就永远不可能实现真正的和平。