Japan’s equity investors will closely watch a meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Washington on Thursday for possible agreements on economic and military cooperation. Any details on Japan’s $550 billion government-backed investment plan in the US has potential to impact energy and shipbuilding sectors. Defense stocks may react as Takaichi faces a diplomatic ...
Japan’s equity investors will closely watch a meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Washington on Thursday for possible agreements on economic and military cooperation. Any details on Japan’s $550 billion government-backed investment plan in the US has potential to impact energy and shipbuilding sectors. Defense stocks may react as Takaichi faces a diplomatic challenge after Trump called on Japan to deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz and then withdrew the demand. With the Iran war set to enter its fourth week, investors are waiting to see how the leaders will respond to a surge in oil prices that has pulled Japan’s benchmark indexes off record highs. Oil and European natural gas prices jumped on Wednesday as Iran carried out an attack on a major LNG site in Qatar. “Clearly this summit is important,” said Piergaetano Iaccarino , the head of equity solutions at Amundi Ireland Ltd. “It confirms the strategic alignment between Japan and the United States, especially at this time when the economic security and industrial policies are getting more and more important.” Other market-moving topics may touch on trade tariffs, currency policy and relations with China. Energy Firms Japan and the US are making final arrangements to announce a second round of potential projects as part of the $550 billion investment pledge, NHK reported on Wednesday. They are set to issue a joint statement outlining three projects including a next-generation nuclear reactor in Tennessee and natural gas power generation facilities in Pennsylvania and Texas, according to the report, which said the second round of investments may total as much as $73 billion. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. , Toshiba Corp. and IHI Corp. have shown interest in a Westinghouse Electric Co.-led project worth up to $100 billion, according to a government fact sheet released in October. Hitachi GE Vernova was also named for possible involvement in the construction of advanced nu...
Applied Optoelectronics NASDAQ: AAOI outlined its manufacturing expansion plans and product roadmap for high-speed optical transceivers, emphasizing accelerating demand tied to AI-driven data center buildouts and the company’s focus on automation and vertical integration. Get AAOI alerts: Sign Up AI-driven transceiver demand outlook The company pointed to third-party market data from Omdia, publis...
Applied Optoelectronics NASDAQ: AAOI outlined its manufacturing expansion plans and product roadmap for high-speed optical transceivers, emphasizing accelerating demand tied to AI-driven data center buildouts and the company’s focus on automation and vertical integration. Get AAOI alerts: Sign Up AI-driven transceiver demand outlook The company pointed to third-party market data from Omdia, published in January, forecasting a $55 billion market for transceivers of 100 Gb or greater in 2029. Management characterized the projected growth as unprecedented for the industry and said much of the expected expansion is driven by 800 Gb and 1.6 Tb products. Applied Optoelectronics also noted it has a smaller sensing business—covering areas like chemical sensing and LIDAR—though it said sensing is not currently significant to revenue. However, the company highlighted that an ultra-narrow bandwidth laser used for “active optics” was originally developed for sensing/LIDAR, and that R&D in sensing can transfer into its larger businesses. Manufacturing footprint and expansion Management detailed its global footprint and a major buildout in Texas. The company’s headquarters and wafer fabrication facility are in Sugar Land, Texas, outside Houston, with about 350,000 square feet currently. Applied Optoelectronics said it signed a lease for an additional 150,000 square feet, bringing total Sugar Land-area space to roughly 500,000 square feet. A 210,000-square-foot facility leased last fall is being built out and is expected to begin production in the third quarter of this year, with the company describing it as dedicated manufacturing space. In Asia, the company described multiple facilities, including 795,000 square feet in Taicang across three buildings, focused mainly on optical transceivers and some cable TV products. It also referenced a 1.2 million-square-foot facility in China primarily focused on transceiver and cable TV manufacturing. The company also maintains a small offic...
Micron Technology NASDAQ: MU highlighted record results for fiscal second-quarter 2026 and issued guidance it said would set additional single-quarter highs in fiscal Q3, as executives pointed to AI-driven demand, structural industry supply constraints, and improved pricing as key drivers. Get Micron Technology alerts: Sign Up Record quarter and raised outlook CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said Micron deliv...
Micron Technology NASDAQ: MU highlighted record results for fiscal second-quarter 2026 and issued guidance it said would set additional single-quarter highs in fiscal Q3, as executives pointed to AI-driven demand, structural industry supply constraints, and improved pricing as key drivers. Get Micron Technology alerts: Sign Up Record quarter and raised outlook CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said Micron delivered “exceptional” fiscal Q2 results with records in revenue, gross margin, earnings per share, and free cash flow. He added that quarterly revenue nearly tripled from a year earlier and that DRAM, NAND, HBM, and each business unit reached new highs. Mehrotra said Micron’s fiscal Q3 revenue guidance would exceed the company’s full-year revenue for every year through fiscal 2024 and that the company anticipates additional quarterly records in revenue, gross margin, EPS, and free cash flow in Q3. Fiscal Q2 financial details CFO Mark Murphy said revenue, gross margin, and EPS all exceeded the high end of Micron’s guidance. He also said the company generated record free cash flow, reduced debt, and ended the quarter with the highest net cash position in its history. Total revenue: $23.9 billion, up 75% sequentially and up 196% year-over-year; the fourth consecutive quarterly revenue record. $23.9 billion, up 75% sequentially and up 196% year-over-year; the fourth consecutive quarterly revenue record. DRAM revenue: $18.8 billion (79% of revenue), up 207% year-over-year and up 74% sequentially; bit shipments up mid-single digits, with prices up in the mid-60% range. $18.8 billion (79% of revenue), up 207% year-over-year and up 74% sequentially; bit shipments up mid-single digits, with prices up in the mid-60% range. NAND revenue: $5.0 billion (21% of revenue), up 169% year-over-year and up 82% sequentially; bit shipments up low single digits, with prices up in the high 70% range. $5.0 billion (21% of revenue), up 169% year-over-year and up 82% sequentially; bit shipments up low s...
Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana framed the decision around demand, saying Micron is seeing “very robust demand for NAND” driven by data center growth and AI servers requiring both high-capacity and high-performance SSDs. He highlighted Micron’s claim that it is the first company to have a PCIe Gen6 SSD in the market and said demand for those products has been strong, including in configuration...
Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana framed the decision around demand, saying Micron is seeing “very robust demand for NAND” driven by data center growth and AI servers requiring both high-capacity and high-performance SSDs. He highlighted Micron’s claim that it is the first company to have a PCIe Gen6 SSD in the market and said demand for those products has been strong, including in configurations used with NVIDIA systems. Sadana said Micron’s supply is “nowhere close” to meeting the demand it sees “for the foreseeable future,” though he also stressed “disciplined investing” around capital expenditures. In response to questions about Micron’s decision to add NAND cleanroom space, EVP of Global Operations Manish Bhatia said the move was not solely about adding wafer-start capacity. He said NAND bit growth can still be supported by technology transitions, but added that the company’s need for additional cleanroom space is being driven by “continued space consumption for those technology transitions,” upcoming transitions, and a decision to locate more NAND R&D in Singapore closer to manufacturing. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) executives used the company’s fiscal second quarter 2026 post-earnings analyst call to emphasize what they described as continued tight memory supply conditions, strong pricing, and accelerating demand tied to AI infrastructure. Management also outlined an expanded capital spending outlook, discussed long-lead-time cleanroom constraints, and explained why the company is moving forward with additional NAND cleanroom expansion at its existing Singapore site. Micron is accelerating capacity expansion with fiscal 2026 capex now expected above $25 billion , the Tongluo site acquisition, a new NAND fab in Singapore, and HBM4 volume shipments and packaging ramps planned to meaningfully add supply in 2027–2028. Management said AI is substantially boosting memory demand amid tight DRAM/NAND supply, leaving Micron able to meet only about 50–66% of custom...
Expand NASDAQ : PLUG Plug Power Today's Change ( -0.43 %) $ -0.01 Current Price $ 2.32 Key Data Points Market Cap $3.2B Day's Range $ 2.25 - $ 2.41 52wk Range $ 0.69 - $ 4.58 Volume 84M Avg Vol 97M Gross Margin -3409.40 % Plug Power (PLUG 0.43%) developer of hydrogen fuel cell systems for electric equipment and vehicles, closed Wednesday at $2.32, down 0.43%. The stock slipped alongside sector pee...
Expand NASDAQ : PLUG Plug Power Today's Change ( -0.43 %) $ -0.01 Current Price $ 2.32 Key Data Points Market Cap $3.2B Day's Range $ 2.25 - $ 2.41 52wk Range $ 0.69 - $ 4.58 Volume 84M Avg Vol 97M Gross Margin -3409.40 % Plug Power (PLUG 0.43%) developer of hydrogen fuel cell systems for electric equipment and vehicles, closed Wednesday at $2.32, down 0.43%. The stock slipped alongside sector peers. Trading volume reached 84.1 million shares, coming in 15% below its three-month average of 96.8 million shares. Plug Power IPO'd in 1999 and soared in the first few months of trading. It has fallen 99% since going public. How the markets moved today The S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.36%) fell 1.36% to 6,625, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 1.46%) lost 1.46% to finish at 22,152. Among other hydrogen stocks, Bloom Energy (BE 2.10%) closed down 2.17% at $156.58 and Ballard Power Systems (BLDP 2.98%) fell 2.61% to end at $2.61. What this means for investors Today’s slight decline may be just a blip on Plug Power’s 25-year outlook. The company seems to be starting to turn things around. It has a new CEO in Jose Luis Crespo, and the stock has gained 24.73% in the past month. Its Q4 earnings beat analyst estimates. However, in addition to potential liquidity challenges further down the road, Plug Power may face some legal issues. Several securities class action lawsuits have been filed against the firm, alleging it misrepresented activities related to a $1.66 billion Department of Energy loan. The lawsuits are not new, but a slew of legal press releases today and yesterday may have impacted the stock. Investors who see opportunities in the new leadership and strategic shifts will be watching to see how these cases impact Plug Power’s recovery narrative.
All too often, Wall Street gets sucked into what amounts to investment fads. One of the biggest in history was the so-called Nifty Fifty, a collection of large companies whose stocks investors believed would only go up. Eventually, they fell, to the chagrin of those who got caught up in the hysteria. Today, there's the Magnificent Seven, which exchange-traded fund (ETF) RoundHill Magnificent Seven...
All too often, Wall Street gets sucked into what amounts to investment fads. One of the biggest in history was the so-called Nifty Fifty, a collection of large companies whose stocks investors believed would only go up. Eventually, they fell, to the chagrin of those who got caught up in the hysteria. Today, there's the Magnificent Seven, which exchange-traded fund (ETF) RoundHill Magnificent Seven ETF (MAGS 1.52%) tracks. Before you get caught up in this modern investment fad, consider the risks. And maybe buy an ETF like Vanguard Information and Technology ETF (VGT 1.04%) instead. Here's what you need to know. The Magnificent Seven is a bad idea The magnificent seven is simply a list of strongly performing technology stocks. Essentially, investor sentiment is what's driving this list. When investor sentiment changes, as often happens on Wall Street, these magnificent stocks could quickly turn into market dogs. Buying an ETF based entirely on investor sentiment is not a great long-term investment plan. That's particularly true in the technology sector, where new innovation is constant. And the fact that there are only seven stocks in RoundHill Magnificent Seven ETF makes the risk that much higher. Sure, the concentration has helped on the way up, but it will hurt if, more likely when, these seven stocks are no longer market darlings. To add insult to injury, the expense ratio is a high 0.29%, which seems odd given how little work should be required to manage such a small portfolio. Diversify and sleep well at night Vanguard Information and Technology ETF is at the opposite extreme in almost every way. For example, it owns more than 300 stocks and has an expense ratio of just 0.09%. It may not have performed as well as RoundHill Magnificent Seven ETF, but focusing on low costs and diversification is a tried-and-true approach to investing. That said, Vanguard Information and Technology ETF is market-cap weighted, so the largest companies have the greatest impact on pe...
Key Points RoundHill Magnificent Seven ETF is expensive, highly concentrated, and has a worrying investment approach. Vanguard Information and Technology ETF is cheap, diversified, and purposefully boring. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard Information Technology ETF › All too often, Wall Street gets sucked into what amounts to investment fads. One of the biggest in history was the so-called N...
Key Points RoundHill Magnificent Seven ETF is expensive, highly concentrated, and has a worrying investment approach. Vanguard Information and Technology ETF is cheap, diversified, and purposefully boring. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard Information Technology ETF › All too often, Wall Street gets sucked into what amounts to investment fads. One of the biggest in history was the so-called Nifty Fifty, a collection of large companies whose stocks investors believed would only go up. Eventually, they fell, to the chagrin of those who got caught up in the hysteria. Today, there's the Magnificent Seven, which exchange-traded fund (ETF) RoundHill Magnificent Seven ETF (NYSEMKT: MAGS) tracks. Before you get caught up in this modern investment fad, consider the risks. And maybe buy an ETF like Vanguard Information and Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: VGT) instead. Here's what you need to know. 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 » The Magnificent Seven is a bad idea The magnificent seven is simply a list of strongly performing technology stocks. Essentially, investor sentiment is what's driving this list. When investor sentiment changes, as often happens on Wall Street, these magnificent stocks could quickly turn into market dogs. Buying an ETF based entirely on investor sentiment is not a great long-term investment plan. That's particularly true in the technology sector, where new innovation is constant. And the fact that there are only seven stocks in RoundHill Magnificent Seven ETF makes the risk that much higher. Sure, the concentration has helped on the way up, but it will hurt if, more likely when, these seven stocks are no longer market darlings. To add insult to injury, the expense ratio is a high 0.29%, which seems odd given how little work should be required to manage such a small port...
Gold steadied, after tumbling nearly 4% in the previous session, with the Federal Reserve warning of inflation risks tied to the Middle East war and surging energy prices. Bullion was near $4,820 an ounce in early trading, following its sixth straight daily decline — the longest losing streak since late 2024. The Fed held rates steady at its latest meeting and projected one cut this year, but Chai...
Gold steadied, after tumbling nearly 4% in the previous session, with the Federal Reserve warning of inflation risks tied to the Middle East war and surging energy prices. Bullion was near $4,820 an ounce in early trading, following its sixth straight daily decline — the longest losing streak since late 2024. The Fed held rates steady at its latest meeting and projected one cut this year, but Chair Jerome Powell said a reduction would require progress in slowing inflation. The conflict makes developments for the US economy “uncertain,” Fed officials said in a statement. Read More: Fed Holds Rates Steady, Powell Vows to Stay Amid DOJ Probe Oil advanced after Iran and Israel traded strikes on key energy facilities in the Persian Gulf region. Nearly three weeks into the war, the spike in energy prices is raising inflationary risks, which make rate cuts by the Fed and other central banks less likely. This is a headwind for gold, which doesn’t pay interest. Bullion is still up around 12% so far this year, but upward momentum has stalled. Spot gold was little changed at $4,816.56 an ounce at 6:19 a.m. in Singapore. Silver was also flat at $75.38, while platinum and palladium were steady. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index ended the previous session up 0.5%.
Earnings Call Insights: HeartFlow, Inc. (HTFL) Q4 2025 Management View CEO John Farquhar opened the call highlighting "outstanding financial performance driven by the sustained adoption of our HeartFlow platform and strong execution across our commercial, innovation and clinical initiatives." He stated total fourth quarter revenue was $49.1 million, representing more than 40% year-over-year growth...
Earnings Call Insights: HeartFlow, Inc. (HTFL) Q4 2025 Management View CEO John Farquhar opened the call highlighting "outstanding financial performance driven by the sustained adoption of our HeartFlow platform and strong execution across our commercial, innovation and clinical initiatives." He stated total fourth quarter revenue was $49.1 million, representing more than 40% year-over-year growth, with global cases up nearly 53% and non-GAAP gross margin reaching nearly 80%. Farquhar announced full year 2026 revenue guidance in the range of $218 million to $222 million, expecting approximately 24% to 26% year-over-year growth. The company anticipates full year 2026 plaque revenue of $15 million to $17 million, supported by reimbursement progress and installed base expansion. The company is targeting full year 2026 non-GAAP gross margin of 80% to 81%, with an increased midterm target of 85%, citing "continued volume leverage, AI-driven efficiencies and the increased contribution of higher-margin plaque revenue." Farquhar described record installed base expansion, with 340 new U.S. accounts added in 2025, closing at 1,465 accounts. Plaque account additions reached 489 accounts by year-end, and the technology is now covered by Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and Humana, representing approximately 75% of U.S. covered lives. HeartFlow is advancing its innovation pipeline by launching PCI Navigator, an AI-driven planning tool for interventional cardiologists, ahead of schedule in April 2026. The company also unveiled HeartFlow autonomous processing—a major AI-driven efficiency initiative to transition case processing into a highly automated model. The company is expanding into the high-risk asymptomatic population, estimating this U.S. market at $6 billion. HeartFlow plans to initiate three randomized controlled trials in targeted subpopulations over the next 12 months. CFO Vikram Verghese stated, "Total revenue for the fourth quarter was $49.1 million, up 40%. U.S. reve...
Earnings Call Insights: H World Group Limited (HTHT) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Hui Jin reported that "demand for travel is gradually shifting from discretionary demand to necessity for Chinese consumers," with travel and tourism spending steadily growing in China. He highlighted the expansion into lower-tier cities as a new growth engine and cited supply-side reform as a major industry driver. J...
Earnings Call Insights: H World Group Limited (HTHT) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Hui Jin reported that "demand for travel is gradually shifting from discretionary demand to necessity for Chinese consumers," with travel and tourism spending steadily growing in China. He highlighted the expansion into lower-tier cities as a new growth engine and cited supply-side reform as a major industry driver. Jin stated that H World delivered "solid business results across network expansion, profitability, brand building and membership ecosystem development." For the fourth quarter, the company achieved "positive year-over-year RevPAR growth for the first time since the second quarter 2024." The CEO described the launch of the HanTing brand as a key initiative, saying it "strikes a perfect balance between cost effectiveness and quality," with new room types and smart services designed to improve both guest experience and operational efficiency. Jin reported that the number of upper-midscale hotels in operation and pipeline "exceeded 1,639, up 17.6% year-over-year," and Intercity surpassed 100 operating hotels, becoming a core growth driver. Chief Strategy Officer Jihong He stated, "we achieved a successful business turnaround for our Legacy-DH business" in 2025, delivering "a record level of adjusted EBITDA of around RMB 500 million" and confirming the impact of portfolio restructuring and cost optimization. CFO Hui Chen reported, "our group revenue grew 5.9% year-over-year to RMB 25.3 billion, at the high end of our guidance." Group Adjusted EBITDA increased 24.2% year-over-year to RMB 8.5 billion, with margin up 4.9 percentage points to 33.5%. Adjusted Net income increased by 32.9% year-over-year to RMB 4.9 billion. Chen announced, "we are glad to declare a USD 400 million cash dividend for the second half of 2025," and total shareholder return for the year of "around USD 760 million." She also stated, "Today, I will step down as CFO and Mr. Arthur Yu will take the CFO role of ...
Earnings Call Insights: Usio, Inc. (USIO) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Louis Hoch highlighted that "revenues were up both sequentially and on a year-over-year basis, with record growth accelerating to 8% in the fourth quarter," and noted a full-year revenue increase of 3%. Hoch emphasized that "ACH was once again our fastest-growing segment, revenue increased more than 30% for both the quarter and ...
Earnings Call Insights: Usio, Inc. (USIO) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Louis Hoch highlighted that "revenues were up both sequentially and on a year-over-year basis, with record growth accelerating to 8% in the fourth quarter," and noted a full-year revenue increase of 3%. Hoch emphasized that "ACH was once again our fastest-growing segment, revenue increased more than 30% for both the quarter and the full year, driven by new client implementations and strong growth in PINless debit." He pointed to a record for total dollars processed, up 19% for the year, and transactions processed up 30%. Hoch outlined ongoing strategic initiatives, including the Usio ONE cross-selling mandate and the PostCredit acquisition, stating, "With Usio's business banking solution, we can effectively become our clients' depository institution... this reflects our ongoing commitment to developing innovative payment solutions." Executive VP Greg Carter explained, "revenue growth net of our legacy portfolio was 13% for the quarter and 7% for the year," with strong PayFac momentum. Carter described Usio's market presence as "steadily increasing" and detailed the integration of the sales structure and product portfolio, including leveraging channels like the G2 platform for lead generation. Carter shared, "For instance, we completed the implementation of a national online specialty sports goods retailer... we completed the rollout with a multistate building supply company... and our new filtered spend program... successfully boarded well over 2,000 of those merchants during 2025." He added, "There are over 8,000 more target merchants that are involved in this program." Hoch confirmed continued positive adjusted EBITDA for the year and stated, "Our guidance contemplates positive adjusted EBITDA in fiscal 2026 as well." Outlook Hoch stated, "The company continues to expect 10% to 12% growth in revenue in 2026, while also anticipating continued positive adjusted EBITDA." Management reported that la...
Amid a US economic picture filled with uncertainty, Jerome Powell appears sure of one thing: he isn’t going anywhere . At least not yet, anyway. As the central bank announced Wednesday that interest rates would remain unchanged, the Fed Chair made some definitive statements about his near-term future. He has “no intention” of resigning as a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors until an investiga...
Amid a US economic picture filled with uncertainty, Jerome Powell appears sure of one thing: he isn’t going anywhere . At least not yet, anyway. As the central bank announced Wednesday that interest rates would remain unchanged, the Fed Chair made some definitive statements about his near-term future. He has “no intention” of resigning as a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors until an investigation by the Department of Justice into a building renovation project is “well and truly over.” The criminal probe has been condemned by critics of the administration and others as an example of the weaponization of the Justice Department against Trump’s perceived enemies. In this case, the president’s very public desire for the Fed to cut rates in the hopes it will boost the economy is seen as the reason behind the investigation. A federal judge recently alluded to the contention, excoriating prosecutors as he refused to let them issue subpoenas. The Federal Open Market Committee meanwhile voted 11-1 to hold the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. Stephen Miran, a recent Trump appointee, dissented, calling for a quarter-point reduction. What You Need to Know Today Oil and European natural gas prices surged as Iran carried out an attack on a major LNG site in Qatar, after earlier warnings from Tehran on threats to energy facilities across the Gulf. Brent oil climbed 3.8% to settle at $107.38 a barrel on Wednesday, while Europe’s gas benchmark jumped 6%. Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, the complex that houses the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant, has suffered “ extensive damage ” after the strike, authorities said. Tehran had warned of imminent retaliation against refining, petrochemical and natural gas assets in the region after its own giant South Pars gas field and associated assets were struck by the US and Israel. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said energy sites in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar “ ha...
Tottenham beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 in the second leg of their last 16 tie in the Champions League, securing a first win for manager Igor Tudor but it's not enough to win the tie, as Atletico win 7-5 on aggregate to progress to the quarter finals. MATCH REPORT: Tottenham 3-2 Atletico Madrid Available to UK users only.
Tottenham beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 in the second leg of their last 16 tie in the Champions League, securing a first win for manager Igor Tudor but it's not enough to win the tie, as Atletico win 7-5 on aggregate to progress to the quarter finals. MATCH REPORT: Tottenham 3-2 Atletico Madrid Available to UK users only.
Asian equities faced early declines Thursday as signs of escalating tensions in the Middle East drove oil higher and weighed on US stocks and bonds. Equity index futures for Japan traded almost 3% lower, while those for Hong Kong and Australia dropped more than 1%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both declined 1.4% Wednesday as investors trimmed risk. Brent crude climbed over $110 before paring its gai...
Asian equities faced early declines Thursday as signs of escalating tensions in the Middle East drove oil higher and weighed on US stocks and bonds. Equity index futures for Japan traded almost 3% lower, while those for Hong Kong and Australia dropped more than 1%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both declined 1.4% Wednesday as investors trimmed risk. Brent crude climbed over $110 before paring its gains, while gold fell. Treasuries sold off across the curve on Wednesday, pushing yields higher and lifting the dollar after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Iran conflict has added fresh uncertainty to the inflation outlook, making the path for interest rates harder to gauge. Strikes between Iran and Israel on critical Middle East energy infrastructure, including damage to the region’s largest LNG export complex, are adding fresh upside risk to already surging prices. Powell’s comments prompted traders to scale back expectations for rate cuts this year, reinforcing a higher-for-longer rate outlook that could sustain volatility in energy markets. “The implications of developments in the Middle East for the US economy are uncertain,” Fed officials said after holding rates steady. “The committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate.” Beyond the focus of the war, concerns over the health of the private credit market continued to play out. S&P Global Ratings lowered its outlook on Cliffwater LLC ’s flagship private credit fund to negative, citing elevated redemption requests. Pacific Investment Management Co. is staying away from private credit loans being put up for sale over quality concerns, its president Christian Stracke said. In Asia, data set for release include core machine orders for Japan, Swift global payments for China and inflation for Malaysia. In Taiwan, an interest rate decision is expected to leave borrowing costs unchanged. The Bank of Japan is similarly expected to hold interest rates in a Thursday decision. Markets are closed...
Nvidia Corp. has revealed that Chinese automakers like BYD Co. Ltd. and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. are among the companies incorporating its technology into their self-driving pursuits. Companies To Adopt Drive Hyperion In an official statement released on Monday following the GPU Technology Conference 2026, the chipmaker announced that, in addition to BYD and Geely, Japanese automakers Isuzu ...
Nvidia Corp. has revealed that Chinese automakers like BYD Co. Ltd. and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. are among the companies incorporating its technology into their self-driving pursuits. Companies To Adopt Drive Hyperion In an official statement released on Monday following the GPU Technology Conference 2026, the chipmaker announced that, in addition to BYD and Geely, Japanese automakers Isuzu and Nissan will also incorporate Nvidia’s technology. Nvidia said in the statement that the automakers were “developing next-generation level 4 AV programs” based on the company’s “DRIVE Hyperion production-ready compute and sensor architecture.” Don't Miss: Nvidia Alpamayo 1.5 Besides the Drive Hyperion, Nvidia also unveiled an updated iteration of the Alpamayo technology, which has been touted as a “ChatGPT moment” for physical AI and AVs by Nvidia. Alpamayo 1.5 enables vehicles to “more effectively learn from rare or unpredictable events — such as unusual road hazards and complex human behavior,” adding that it has also enabled support for a multi-camera setup. Speaking on self-driving, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang predicted that “everything that moves will eventually be autonomous,” adding that the company’s technology provided vehicles with the ability to “perceive their surroundings, reason through complex situations and act safely — making scalable, level 4 autonomy possible." Trending: Before the IPO: How One Company Quietly Locked Up 500+ Iconic Character Rights Uber, Lyft Partner With Nvidia The news comes as ride-hailing platforms Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. announced partnerships with Nvidia, with Uber sharing that it plans to launch a global fleet of AVs powered by Nvidia in the first half of 2027, with plans to first operate the fleet in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Lyft, on the other hand, also shared that it will incorporate Nvidia technology into its machine learning systems, including mapping infrastructure to develop future L4 AV fleet architectures...