Earnings and Jobs: A Huge Week for Markets
The financial calendar is packed. Two Magnificent Seven giants report earnings, while Friday’s jobs data could shift the Fed’s rate-cut timeline. It’s a pivotal moment for market direction.
Category: Business
Tesla Stock Jumps on Musk Merger Buzz
Shares of Tesla jumped nearly 5% Friday following reports of merger discussions between SpaceX, Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI, and potentially Tesla itself. Investors are betting that further consolidation of Musk’s tech empire could sharpen his focus on Tesla’s ambitious AI and robotics goals.
US Pushes Allies on Rare Earth Price Fix to Counter China
The US is making a “full-court press” to get allies to agree on a coordinated pricing mechanism for rare earth minerals. This move aims to insulate Western miners and refiners from China’s historic price undercutting and secure supply chains.
Apple Ditches Its iPhone Upgrade Program in the UK
Apple has discontinued its popular iPhone Upgrade Program for UK customers. The change follows the end of Apple’s partnership with Barclays bank, which previously supported the program.
SpaceX Might Merge With Tesla or xAI Before Its IPO
SpaceX is reportedly in talks to merge with AI firm xAI, and is also considering a merger with Tesla, as it prepares for a massive public offering later this year. The moves could combine rockets, satellites, social media, AI, and electric vehicles under one corporate roof, fundamentally reshaping M
Forget the CAIO, You Need an AI “Magician”
Companies are drowning in AI tools but struggling to use them. According to ZDNet, the answer isn’t another chief officer, but a “director of AI productivity” who acts as a collaborative magician. This role ensures the tech you’re paying for actually gets used effectively across the business.
Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 Shortage Cost Them Big Last Quarter
According to Apple’s CFO, supply issues with the new AirPods Pro 3 prevented the entire Wearables category from growing last quarter. This marks ten straight quarters of no growth for that segment, highlighting the outsize importance of AirPods to Apple’s bottom line.
Big Tech’s $680bn Depreciation Time Bomb
A new analysis reveals a massive, looming accounting problem for tech giants. As they spend hundreds of billions on AI data centers, outdated depreciation models could soon crush reported earnings, challenging Wall Street’s rosy margin forecasts.
Cigarette Butts Could Power Your Future Gadgets
A new study shows a novel way to tackle a massive waste problem. By converting cigarette filters into advanced carbon materials, scientists have created supercapacitors that rival commercial options.
Microsoft’s Azure Miss: Wall Street Says Investors Are Missing the Point
Microsoft posted solid Q2 earnings but shares tanked 12% after Azure cloud growth came in at 39%, slightly below some lofty expectations. Wall Street analysts, however, are overwhelmingly bullish, calling the sell-off an overreaction and pointing to the company’s strategic AI investments.