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The Global Race for AI Adoption

The Global Race for AI Adoption

Bloomberg4 days ago
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The context here. Victoria is one of the action plan announced by the US Government really to take on China and the AI race that the US wants to win. From a regulatory perspective, how do you think the US is winning or not? So I think there's a lot of good that's in the action plan. But here is one part. You know, there's a lot of conversation about who's going to win the race. And a lot of that focus is on who's going to be at the cutting edge of innovation. And that is obviously important. But a conversation that is just starting to happen that I think is would potentially have an even bigger impact is who is going to win the race on adoption. By that I mean, which are the countries that are going to figure out how to use AI best? Because it is those countries that are going to see the biggest economic benefit from AI. That is the race. And that is that is largely up for grabs right now. I think the United States has an advantage there, and I think the AI action plan has a number of aspects that are focused on adoption, but that race is up for grabs. And I think that is going to be a big indicator of where we see the biggest economic benefit over the next decade. So enough focus, therefore, from your perspective on AI adoption, on training talent, to ensure that in enterprise we're actually getting bang for our buck, productivity actually goes up into the right. So there are a few aspects that I think are critical to adoption. And actually I'd say we release an agenda just before the action plan came out earlier last week. The focus is on three aspects. One is talent and workforce, and that is that is critical. I think there's no aspect more essential. The second is infrastructure and data, and the third is the governance framework and making sure that we get that right. And those three elements are things that the United States but governments around the world need to be figuring out right now if they are going to win the race on adoption. Victoria Last week on the program, Michael Kratsios, who leads the Office of Science and Tech at the White House, came on and he talked about packages that he sees America being a net exporter of everything in the stack from hardware through to the models themselves. You were talking about adoption a moment ago. How does America, as an exporter of AI fit into that? I think that's a critical piece. So a lot of the innovation is happening here in the United States for governments to be able to adopt they to have their private sector using AI in a way that they get the most economic benefit. A big piece of that is going to be AI exportation from the United States. And there was know conversation last week about the data centers and the chips. But obviously an important element of that is the software and the cloud services, because it is literally not possible to adopt AI unless you have cutting edge cloud services, unless you have cutting edge software. And a lot of that's going to be coming from right here in the United States. There was also a discussion about copyright and the president talked about this during his address. Given that you kind of represent more the software side of the stack. How did you think about that? Karan AI It increasingly comes up in the show as a point of priority, particularly for the frontier model or just model makers generally. It's a big issue. It's an issue here in the United States and in other markets as well. So as you know, in the White House and the action plan that was released last week, there's not a lot of discussion of the copyright issue specifically. But the president in his public remarks, spoke to it quite forcefully in terms of the importance of training data and for the air land builders to be able to get that training data and use it with relative ease. So he was very, very clear on that aspect. And that's something that we are anticipating seeing the White House say more about in the next year or so. But the president was very clear in terms of his opinion on the importance of training data and how important that is for the United States to stay ahead of the air race with respect to China. Briefly, Victoria, today's the day we focus on the EU. Its small thing today in terms of competitiveness. They're worried about 50% tariff. How much should they be worried about their own EU act on competitiveness? So again, I think that the EU has huge potential opportunity to benefit from if it starts focusing on adoption. And part of that is addressing some of the digital sovereignty barriers that the EU has put up. There are aspects of the trade deals. You know, the details of the trade deal are not yet fully public. But Ambassador Grier was talking just this morning about looking at things like mutual recognition of cyber security, of streamlining regulations, of steps that Europe can take. And those steps are important not just for us software providers, but for the EU if they are going to be able to adopt and use AI effectively.
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Earnings live: Amazon stock slides, with results from Palantir, McDonald's, Disney, and Uber up ahead
Earnings live: Amazon stock slides, with results from Palantir, McDonald's, Disney, and Uber up ahead

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Earnings live: Amazon stock slides, with results from Palantir, McDonald's, Disney, and Uber up ahead

Second quarter earnings season is in full swing, and the results have been largely positive so far, with more positive surprises than negative ones. Companies had a lower bar to clear coming into the quarter, as analysts tempered their expectations amid President Trump's tariffs, stocks' lofty valuations, and uncertainty about the health of the US economy. This week, Big Tech companies, including Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), Meta (META), and Amazon (AMZN), highlighted earnings, while investors also heard from other corporations, including Ford (F) and Procter & Gamble (PG). Up next, companies including AMD (AMD), Snap (SNAP), McDonald's (MCD), Disney (DIS), Uber (UBER), Lyft (LYFT), and Palantir (PLTR) report results in the week ahead. Data from FactSet published Friday showed that with 66% of the index having reported results, analysts expect S&P 500 companies to report a 10.3% jump in earnings per share during the second quarter. Heading into the quarter, analysts expected S&P 500 earnings to rise 5% in Q2, which would mark the slowest pace of earnings growth since the fourth quarter of 2023. Here are the latest updates from corporate America. A look at earnings two-thirds of the way through Q2 reporting season The major stock indexes recorded weekly losses on Friday after a full schedule of earnings, new tariff policy for US trading partners, Federal Reserve interest rate decision, and a weaker-than-expected July jobs report. Data from FactSet published Friday showed that we are two-thirds of the way through the second quarter reporting period, with 66% of S&P 500 companies having reported results so far. As of Aug. 1, S&P 500 firms are tracking for 10.3% earnings growth for Q2. If that rate holds, it will mark the third straight quarter of double-digit earnings growth for the index. Investors are still waiting to hear from the remaining third of companies, however. On deck next week are results from AMD (AMD), Snap (SNAP), McDonald's (MCD), Disney (DIS), Uber (UBER), Lyft (LYFT), and more. Here's a look at the earnings calendar for the next five business days: Monday: BioNTech (BNTX), Hims & Hers (HIMS), Palantir (PLTR) Tuesday: AMD (AMD), Amgen (AMGN), BP (BP), Caterpillar (CAT), Duke Energy (DUK), DuPont (DD), Lemonade (LMND), Marathon Petroleum (MPC), Marriott (MAR), Opendoor (OPEN), Pfizer (PFE), Rivian (RIVN), Snap (SNAP), Super Micro Computer (SMCI), Toast (TOST) Wednesday: Airbnb (ABNB), Disney (DIS), DraftKings (DKNG), Dutch Bros (BROS), e.l.f. (ELF), Joby Aviation (JOBY), Lyft (LYFT), McDonald's (MCD), Novavax (NVAX), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), Shopify (SHOP), Sunrun (RUN), Uber (UBER), Zillow Group (Z) Thursday: Atlassian (TEAM), Block (XYZ), Celsius Holdings (CELH), Crocs (CROX), Eli Lilly (LLY), Hertz (HTZ), Instacart (CART), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), Papa John's (PZZA), Peloton (PTON), Pinterest (PINS), Rocket Lab (RKLB), Texas Roadhouse (TXRH), Sweetgreen (SG), Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Wynn (WYNN), Yeti (YETI) Friday: Under Armour (UAA), fuboTV (FUBO) Big Tech quarterly results show greater willingness to spend on AI Recent quarterly results from Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) showed Big Tech is still ready to spend hefty sums on artificial intelligence. As the chart below shows, the four tech firms plan to spend $364 billion cumulatively in their fiscal 2025 years. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton breaks down Big Tech's AI spending spree: Read more here. Colgate-Palmolive beats quarterly estimates on steady demand for essentials Colgate-Palmolive (CL) stock rose on Friday after the Softsoap maker beat first quarter sales and profit estimates. Despite rising prices and tariffs, consumers continued to purchase essential personal care products, the company said. Colgate reported adjusted profit of $0.92 per share, above analysts' estimates of 90 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. Quarterly net sales reached $5.11 billion, beating estimates of $5.03 billion. Reuters reports: Read more here. Regeneron beats second-quarter results estimates on Dupixent sales boost Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) stock rose more than 5% before the bell on Friday after beating Wall Street estimates for its second-quarter revenue and profit. The pharmaceuticals company was helped by robust demand for its blockbuster eczema product, Dupixent. Reuters reports: Read more here. Moderna beats Q2 estimates, announces cost cuts and layoffs Moderna (MRNA) stock fell 5% in premarket trading on Friday after the company lowered its 2025 sales forecast on the top end to $1.5 billion to $2.2 billion. The vaccine maker's quarterly results were better than feared, however. Moderna's adjusted loss of $2.13 per share was smaller than the $2.97 a share loss expected. Revenue of $142 million dropped 41% year over year but also came in ahead of estimates of $112.9 million, per LSEG data. Reuters reports: Read more here. Chevron beats Wall Street profit estimates with record production Chevron (CVX) beat analyst estimates on Friday for second-quarter profit as record oil and gas production and lower capital expenditure helped the US oil producer boost earnings despite weaker crude prices. Chevron shares were flat in premarket trading. Reuters reports: Read more here. Exxon beats profit estimates with higher production despite weak oil prices Shares in Exxon Mobil (XOM) rose more than 1% before the bell on Friday after the company beat Wall Street estimate for second-quarter profit as higher oil and gas production helped the top US oil producer overcome lower crude prices. Reuters reports: Read more here. Amazon tosses a bone to the Fed chair Fed Chair Jerome Powell should read the Amazon (AMZN) earnings call transcript. Interesting call out by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: I don't necessarily agree here, as many CEOs have told me they are hiking prices because of tariffs. But it's a good talking point from Jassy nonetheless. How to think about Apple's quarter... We knew the tariff hit was coming on Apple (AAPL). It came, and it was ugly. The earnings call wasn't that eventful, mostly Tim Cook trying to soothe concerns that Apple will be a player in AI. I did like Apple was another tech player calling out an acceleration in their cloud business (similar to Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOGL). Overall, I like how the Evercore ISI summed things up this evening: "Apple delivered a better than expected quarter and the services growth and commentary around limited impact from the Epic ruling will chip away at part of the services bear case. Stock likely remains relatively range bound as we await the more impactful ruling on the Google revenue sharing deal." Apple 'significantly growing' AI investments, sees $1.1 billion tariff hit in current quarter Apple (AAPL) executives offered some color on the iPhone maker's quarterly results Thursday and the outlook ahead amid tariffs and the impact of Google's antitrust lawsuit: Listen to the earnings call live here. First Solar raises annual sales outlook, expects higher prices due to tariffs Reuters reports: Read more here. Strategy results show company buoyed by bitcoin in Q2 Strategy (MSTR) stock rose less than 1% after the company soared past estimates, lifted by a Q2 rally in bitcoin (BTC-USD). For the second quarter, the Michael Saylor-led firm reported cash and cash equivalents of $50.1 million, below Bloomberg consensus estimates for $1.11 billion. Diluted earnings per share were $32.60, versus estimates for a $0.03 per share loss, per S&P Global Market Intelligence. Revenue came in at $114 million. For the full year, Strategy expects operating income of $34 billion, net income of $24 billion, and diluted earnings per share of $80. As the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, crypto investors looked to the software maker's results as a bellwether for the crypto market. As of June 30, the company held approximately 597,325 bitcoins and achieved a year-to-date bitcoin yield of 25%. "Strategy has achieved a year-to-date BTC Yield of 25%, meeting our full year target well ahead of our initial timeline," the company said. "As a result, our BTC $ Gain now exceeds $13 billion, and the increase in the price of bitcoin in the second quarter drove second quarter operating income of $14 billion and Q2 diluted EPS of $32.60." Apple reports earnings, revenue ahead of forecasts Apple reported results Thursday that beat forecasts on the top and bottom lines as the iPhone maker boasted about double-digit revenue growth across its iPhone, Mac, and Services businesses, as well as growth in all of its geographic segments. Earnings per share came in at $1.57, ahead of the $1.43 Wall Street had expected, while revenue tallied $94 billion, up 10% from last year and ahead of forecasts for $89.2 billion. Its Services revenue totaled $27.4 billion, a new record, and comprised nearly 30% of its total revenues in the quarter. Apple stock was up about 2% following the results. Roku reports surprise profit in Q2, revenue beats expectations Roku's (ROKU) second quarter results got a boost from an expanding user base and advertising sales, the company reported Thursday. The company reported profits of $0.07 per share, above the $0.17 per share loss analysts expected. Revenue came in at $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the analysts' average estimate of $1.07 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Reuters reports: Read more here. Coinbase stock falls 7% after results disappoint Crypto giant Coinbase (COIN), a recent addition to the S&P 500, saw shares fall more than 7% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company posted second quarter results that came in below Wall Street forecasts. Coinbase reported second quarter revenue of $1.5 billion, below the $1.59 billion analysts had forecast, while trading volume and transactions revenue both fell shy of expectations. Subscriptions and services revenue in the second quarter totaled $656 million. Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter totaled $514 million, down from $596 million a year ago. In the third quarter, the company expects subscriptions and services revenue to fall within a range of $665 million-$745 million. Since the April 9 bottom in the stock market, Coinbase shares have roughly doubled; ahead of Thursday's results, the stock was up more than 50% this year. Reddit stock soars as company posts fastest quarterly revenue growth in 3 years Reddit (RDDT) stock jumped as much as 13% after hours after the social media company reported its fastest revenue growth in three years. Profits reached $0.48 per share in the second quarter, above the $0.19 per share projected by Wall Street analysts. Revenue grew 78% to $500 million, higher than the $425 million expected. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton reports: Read more here. Amazon posts earnings beat but stock slips Amazon (AMZN) profits and sales beat estimates for the second quarter, the company reported: AWS revenue rose 17% to hit $30.8 billion versus an expected $30.7 billion. It topped $26.2 billion in Q2 last year. The company's report follows Google's (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft's (MSFT) own blowout announcements, highlighting growth across their respective cloud businesses on the back of increased customer spending on AI. Rival Microsoft reported that its Azure business generated $75 billion in fiscal 2025. Amazon widened its guidance for operating income on the lower end. For the third quarter, Amazon expects the operating income to come in between $15.5 billion and $20 billion, potentially indicating a headwind from tariffs. The initial reaction on the Street was downbeat, with Amazon stock slipping 2% after hours. Read more here. Apple Q3 earnings to give Wall Street better view of tariff impact Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley previews what to watch when Apple reports earnings after the bell: Read more here. Reddit set to report Q2 earnings as Wall Street scrutinizes daily active user growth Reddit (RDDT) will report second quarter results after the bell on Thursday. One key metric to watch will be daily active users, which disappointed Wall Street over the last two quarters. Changes to Google Search's algorithm could further disrupt the platform's users. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton breaks down what the Street is hoping to hear from Reddit: Read more here. Unilever's personal care business delivers solid results, but ice cream was the standout Unilever (UL) beat sales growth forecasts in the second quarter but reported a 50% drop in free cash flow year over year. The ice cream business outperformed in Q2, with sales rising 7.1%, led by double-digit growth in its Magnum brand. Unilever's ice cream business is on track to be spun off in November. The new company will be called The Magnum Ice Cream Company, and Unilever will retain a 20% stake in the company. Reuters reports: Read more here. A look at earnings two-thirds of the way through Q2 reporting season The major stock indexes recorded weekly losses on Friday after a full schedule of earnings, new tariff policy for US trading partners, Federal Reserve interest rate decision, and a weaker-than-expected July jobs report. Data from FactSet published Friday showed that we are two-thirds of the way through the second quarter reporting period, with 66% of S&P 500 companies having reported results so far. As of Aug. 1, S&P 500 firms are tracking for 10.3% earnings growth for Q2. If that rate holds, it will mark the third straight quarter of double-digit earnings growth for the index. Investors are still waiting to hear from the remaining third of companies, however. On deck next week are results from AMD (AMD), Snap (SNAP), McDonald's (MCD), Disney (DIS), Uber (UBER), Lyft (LYFT), and more. Here's a look at the earnings calendar for the next five business days: Monday: BioNTech (BNTX), Hims & Hers (HIMS), Palantir (PLTR) Tuesday: AMD (AMD), Amgen (AMGN), BP (BP), Caterpillar (CAT), Duke Energy (DUK), DuPont (DD), Lemonade (LMND), Marathon Petroleum (MPC), Marriott (MAR), Opendoor (OPEN), Pfizer (PFE), Rivian (RIVN), Snap (SNAP), Super Micro Computer (SMCI), Toast (TOST) Wednesday: Airbnb (ABNB), Disney (DIS), DraftKings (DKNG), Dutch Bros (BROS), e.l.f. (ELF), Joby Aviation (JOBY), Lyft (LYFT), McDonald's (MCD), Novavax (NVAX), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), Shopify (SHOP), Sunrun (RUN), Uber (UBER), Zillow Group (Z) Thursday: Atlassian (TEAM), Block (XYZ), Celsius Holdings (CELH), Crocs (CROX), Eli Lilly (LLY), Hertz (HTZ), Instacart (CART), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), Papa John's (PZZA), Peloton (PTON), Pinterest (PINS), Rocket Lab (RKLB), Texas Roadhouse (TXRH), Sweetgreen (SG), Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Wynn (WYNN), Yeti (YETI) Friday: Under Armour (UAA), fuboTV (FUBO) The major stock indexes recorded weekly losses on Friday after a full schedule of earnings, new tariff policy for US trading partners, Federal Reserve interest rate decision, and a weaker-than-expected July jobs report. Data from FactSet published Friday showed that we are two-thirds of the way through the second quarter reporting period, with 66% of S&P 500 companies having reported results so far. As of Aug. 1, S&P 500 firms are tracking for 10.3% earnings growth for Q2. If that rate holds, it will mark the third straight quarter of double-digit earnings growth for the index. Investors are still waiting to hear from the remaining third of companies, however. On deck next week are results from AMD (AMD), Snap (SNAP), McDonald's (MCD), Disney (DIS), Uber (UBER), Lyft (LYFT), and more. Here's a look at the earnings calendar for the next five business days: Monday: BioNTech (BNTX), Hims & Hers (HIMS), Palantir (PLTR) Tuesday: AMD (AMD), Amgen (AMGN), BP (BP), Caterpillar (CAT), Duke Energy (DUK), DuPont (DD), Lemonade (LMND), Marathon Petroleum (MPC), Marriott (MAR), Opendoor (OPEN), Pfizer (PFE), Rivian (RIVN), Snap (SNAP), Super Micro Computer (SMCI), Toast (TOST) Wednesday: Airbnb (ABNB), Disney (DIS), DraftKings (DKNG), Dutch Bros (BROS), e.l.f. (ELF), Joby Aviation (JOBY), Lyft (LYFT), McDonald's (MCD), Novavax (NVAX), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), Shopify (SHOP), Sunrun (RUN), Uber (UBER), Zillow Group (Z) Thursday: Atlassian (TEAM), Block (XYZ), Celsius Holdings (CELH), Crocs (CROX), Eli Lilly (LLY), Hertz (HTZ), Instacart (CART), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), Papa John's (PZZA), Peloton (PTON), Pinterest (PINS), Rocket Lab (RKLB), Texas Roadhouse (TXRH), Sweetgreen (SG), Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Wynn (WYNN), Yeti (YETI) Friday: Under Armour (UAA), fuboTV (FUBO) Big Tech quarterly results show greater willingness to spend on AI Recent quarterly results from Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) showed Big Tech is still ready to spend hefty sums on artificial intelligence. As the chart below shows, the four tech firms plan to spend $364 billion cumulatively in their fiscal 2025 years. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton breaks down Big Tech's AI spending spree: Read more here. Recent quarterly results from Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) showed Big Tech is still ready to spend hefty sums on artificial intelligence. As the chart below shows, the four tech firms plan to spend $364 billion cumulatively in their fiscal 2025 years. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton breaks down Big Tech's AI spending spree: Read more here. Colgate-Palmolive beats quarterly estimates on steady demand for essentials Colgate-Palmolive (CL) stock rose on Friday after the Softsoap maker beat first quarter sales and profit estimates. Despite rising prices and tariffs, consumers continued to purchase essential personal care products, the company said. Colgate reported adjusted profit of $0.92 per share, above analysts' estimates of 90 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. Quarterly net sales reached $5.11 billion, beating estimates of $5.03 billion. Reuters reports: Read more here. Colgate-Palmolive (CL) stock rose on Friday after the Softsoap maker beat first quarter sales and profit estimates. Despite rising prices and tariffs, consumers continued to purchase essential personal care products, the company said. Colgate reported adjusted profit of $0.92 per share, above analysts' estimates of 90 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. Quarterly net sales reached $5.11 billion, beating estimates of $5.03 billion. Reuters reports: Read more here. Regeneron beats second-quarter results estimates on Dupixent sales boost Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) stock rose more than 5% before the bell on Friday after beating Wall Street estimates for its second-quarter revenue and profit. The pharmaceuticals company was helped by robust demand for its blockbuster eczema product, Dupixent. Reuters reports: Read more here. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) stock rose more than 5% before the bell on Friday after beating Wall Street estimates for its second-quarter revenue and profit. The pharmaceuticals company was helped by robust demand for its blockbuster eczema product, Dupixent. Reuters reports: Read more here. Moderna beats Q2 estimates, announces cost cuts and layoffs Moderna (MRNA) stock fell 5% in premarket trading on Friday after the company lowered its 2025 sales forecast on the top end to $1.5 billion to $2.2 billion. The vaccine maker's quarterly results were better than feared, however. Moderna's adjusted loss of $2.13 per share was smaller than the $2.97 a share loss expected. Revenue of $142 million dropped 41% year over year but also came in ahead of estimates of $112.9 million, per LSEG data. Reuters reports: Read more here. Moderna (MRNA) stock fell 5% in premarket trading on Friday after the company lowered its 2025 sales forecast on the top end to $1.5 billion to $2.2 billion. The vaccine maker's quarterly results were better than feared, however. Moderna's adjusted loss of $2.13 per share was smaller than the $2.97 a share loss expected. Revenue of $142 million dropped 41% year over year but also came in ahead of estimates of $112.9 million, per LSEG data. Reuters reports: Read more here. Chevron beats Wall Street profit estimates with record production Chevron (CVX) beat analyst estimates on Friday for second-quarter profit as record oil and gas production and lower capital expenditure helped the US oil producer boost earnings despite weaker crude prices. Chevron shares were flat in premarket trading. Reuters reports: Read more here. Chevron (CVX) beat analyst estimates on Friday for second-quarter profit as record oil and gas production and lower capital expenditure helped the US oil producer boost earnings despite weaker crude prices. Chevron shares were flat in premarket trading. Reuters reports: Read more here. Exxon beats profit estimates with higher production despite weak oil prices Shares in Exxon Mobil (XOM) rose more than 1% before the bell on Friday after the company beat Wall Street estimate for second-quarter profit as higher oil and gas production helped the top US oil producer overcome lower crude prices. Reuters reports: Read more here. Shares in Exxon Mobil (XOM) rose more than 1% before the bell on Friday after the company beat Wall Street estimate for second-quarter profit as higher oil and gas production helped the top US oil producer overcome lower crude prices. Reuters reports: Read more here. Amazon tosses a bone to the Fed chair Fed Chair Jerome Powell should read the Amazon (AMZN) earnings call transcript. Interesting call out by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: I don't necessarily agree here, as many CEOs have told me they are hiking prices because of tariffs. But it's a good talking point from Jassy nonetheless. Fed Chair Jerome Powell should read the Amazon (AMZN) earnings call transcript. Interesting call out by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: I don't necessarily agree here, as many CEOs have told me they are hiking prices because of tariffs. But it's a good talking point from Jassy nonetheless. How to think about Apple's quarter... We knew the tariff hit was coming on Apple (AAPL). It came, and it was ugly. The earnings call wasn't that eventful, mostly Tim Cook trying to soothe concerns that Apple will be a player in AI. I did like Apple was another tech player calling out an acceleration in their cloud business (similar to Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOGL). Overall, I like how the Evercore ISI summed things up this evening: "Apple delivered a better than expected quarter and the services growth and commentary around limited impact from the Epic ruling will chip away at part of the services bear case. Stock likely remains relatively range bound as we await the more impactful ruling on the Google revenue sharing deal." We knew the tariff hit was coming on Apple (AAPL). It came, and it was ugly. The earnings call wasn't that eventful, mostly Tim Cook trying to soothe concerns that Apple will be a player in AI. I did like Apple was another tech player calling out an acceleration in their cloud business (similar to Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOGL). Overall, I like how the Evercore ISI summed things up this evening: "Apple delivered a better than expected quarter and the services growth and commentary around limited impact from the Epic ruling will chip away at part of the services bear case. Stock likely remains relatively range bound as we await the more impactful ruling on the Google revenue sharing deal." Apple 'significantly growing' AI investments, sees $1.1 billion tariff hit in current quarter Apple (AAPL) executives offered some color on the iPhone maker's quarterly results Thursday and the outlook ahead amid tariffs and the impact of Google's antitrust lawsuit: Listen to the earnings call live here. Apple (AAPL) executives offered some color on the iPhone maker's quarterly results Thursday and the outlook ahead amid tariffs and the impact of Google's antitrust lawsuit: Listen to the earnings call live here. First Solar raises annual sales outlook, expects higher prices due to tariffs Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Strategy results show company buoyed by bitcoin in Q2 Strategy (MSTR) stock rose less than 1% after the company soared past estimates, lifted by a Q2 rally in bitcoin (BTC-USD). For the second quarter, the Michael Saylor-led firm reported cash and cash equivalents of $50.1 million, below Bloomberg consensus estimates for $1.11 billion. Diluted earnings per share were $32.60, versus estimates for a $0.03 per share loss, per S&P Global Market Intelligence. Revenue came in at $114 million. For the full year, Strategy expects operating income of $34 billion, net income of $24 billion, and diluted earnings per share of $80. As the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, crypto investors looked to the software maker's results as a bellwether for the crypto market. As of June 30, the company held approximately 597,325 bitcoins and achieved a year-to-date bitcoin yield of 25%. "Strategy has achieved a year-to-date BTC Yield of 25%, meeting our full year target well ahead of our initial timeline," the company said. "As a result, our BTC $ Gain now exceeds $13 billion, and the increase in the price of bitcoin in the second quarter drove second quarter operating income of $14 billion and Q2 diluted EPS of $32.60." Strategy (MSTR) stock rose less than 1% after the company soared past estimates, lifted by a Q2 rally in bitcoin (BTC-USD). For the second quarter, the Michael Saylor-led firm reported cash and cash equivalents of $50.1 million, below Bloomberg consensus estimates for $1.11 billion. Diluted earnings per share were $32.60, versus estimates for a $0.03 per share loss, per S&P Global Market Intelligence. Revenue came in at $114 million. For the full year, Strategy expects operating income of $34 billion, net income of $24 billion, and diluted earnings per share of $80. As the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, crypto investors looked to the software maker's results as a bellwether for the crypto market. As of June 30, the company held approximately 597,325 bitcoins and achieved a year-to-date bitcoin yield of 25%. "Strategy has achieved a year-to-date BTC Yield of 25%, meeting our full year target well ahead of our initial timeline," the company said. "As a result, our BTC $ Gain now exceeds $13 billion, and the increase in the price of bitcoin in the second quarter drove second quarter operating income of $14 billion and Q2 diluted EPS of $32.60." Apple reports earnings, revenue ahead of forecasts Apple reported results Thursday that beat forecasts on the top and bottom lines as the iPhone maker boasted about double-digit revenue growth across its iPhone, Mac, and Services businesses, as well as growth in all of its geographic segments. Earnings per share came in at $1.57, ahead of the $1.43 Wall Street had expected, while revenue tallied $94 billion, up 10% from last year and ahead of forecasts for $89.2 billion. Its Services revenue totaled $27.4 billion, a new record, and comprised nearly 30% of its total revenues in the quarter. Apple stock was up about 2% following the results. Apple reported results Thursday that beat forecasts on the top and bottom lines as the iPhone maker boasted about double-digit revenue growth across its iPhone, Mac, and Services businesses, as well as growth in all of its geographic segments. Earnings per share came in at $1.57, ahead of the $1.43 Wall Street had expected, while revenue tallied $94 billion, up 10% from last year and ahead of forecasts for $89.2 billion. Its Services revenue totaled $27.4 billion, a new record, and comprised nearly 30% of its total revenues in the quarter. Apple stock was up about 2% following the results. Roku reports surprise profit in Q2, revenue beats expectations Roku's (ROKU) second quarter results got a boost from an expanding user base and advertising sales, the company reported Thursday. The company reported profits of $0.07 per share, above the $0.17 per share loss analysts expected. Revenue came in at $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the analysts' average estimate of $1.07 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Reuters reports: Read more here. Roku's (ROKU) second quarter results got a boost from an expanding user base and advertising sales, the company reported Thursday. The company reported profits of $0.07 per share, above the $0.17 per share loss analysts expected. Revenue came in at $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the analysts' average estimate of $1.07 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Reuters reports: Read more here. Coinbase stock falls 7% after results disappoint Crypto giant Coinbase (COIN), a recent addition to the S&P 500, saw shares fall more than 7% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company posted second quarter results that came in below Wall Street forecasts. Coinbase reported second quarter revenue of $1.5 billion, below the $1.59 billion analysts had forecast, while trading volume and transactions revenue both fell shy of expectations. Subscriptions and services revenue in the second quarter totaled $656 million. Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter totaled $514 million, down from $596 million a year ago. In the third quarter, the company expects subscriptions and services revenue to fall within a range of $665 million-$745 million. Since the April 9 bottom in the stock market, Coinbase shares have roughly doubled; ahead of Thursday's results, the stock was up more than 50% this year. Crypto giant Coinbase (COIN), a recent addition to the S&P 500, saw shares fall more than 7% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company posted second quarter results that came in below Wall Street forecasts. Coinbase reported second quarter revenue of $1.5 billion, below the $1.59 billion analysts had forecast, while trading volume and transactions revenue both fell shy of expectations. Subscriptions and services revenue in the second quarter totaled $656 million. Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter totaled $514 million, down from $596 million a year ago. In the third quarter, the company expects subscriptions and services revenue to fall within a range of $665 million-$745 million. Since the April 9 bottom in the stock market, Coinbase shares have roughly doubled; ahead of Thursday's results, the stock was up more than 50% this year. Reddit stock soars as company posts fastest quarterly revenue growth in 3 years Reddit (RDDT) stock jumped as much as 13% after hours after the social media company reported its fastest revenue growth in three years. Profits reached $0.48 per share in the second quarter, above the $0.19 per share projected by Wall Street analysts. Revenue grew 78% to $500 million, higher than the $425 million expected. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton reports: Read more here. Reddit (RDDT) stock jumped as much as 13% after hours after the social media company reported its fastest revenue growth in three years. Profits reached $0.48 per share in the second quarter, above the $0.19 per share projected by Wall Street analysts. Revenue grew 78% to $500 million, higher than the $425 million expected. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton reports: Read more here. Amazon posts earnings beat but stock slips Amazon (AMZN) profits and sales beat estimates for the second quarter, the company reported: AWS revenue rose 17% to hit $30.8 billion versus an expected $30.7 billion. It topped $26.2 billion in Q2 last year. The company's report follows Google's (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft's (MSFT) own blowout announcements, highlighting growth across their respective cloud businesses on the back of increased customer spending on AI. Rival Microsoft reported that its Azure business generated $75 billion in fiscal 2025. Amazon widened its guidance for operating income on the lower end. For the third quarter, Amazon expects the operating income to come in between $15.5 billion and $20 billion, potentially indicating a headwind from tariffs. The initial reaction on the Street was downbeat, with Amazon stock slipping 2% after hours. Read more here. Amazon (AMZN) profits and sales beat estimates for the second quarter, the company reported: AWS revenue rose 17% to hit $30.8 billion versus an expected $30.7 billion. It topped $26.2 billion in Q2 last year. The company's report follows Google's (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft's (MSFT) own blowout announcements, highlighting growth across their respective cloud businesses on the back of increased customer spending on AI. Rival Microsoft reported that its Azure business generated $75 billion in fiscal 2025. Amazon widened its guidance for operating income on the lower end. For the third quarter, Amazon expects the operating income to come in between $15.5 billion and $20 billion, potentially indicating a headwind from tariffs. The initial reaction on the Street was downbeat, with Amazon stock slipping 2% after hours. Read more here. Apple Q3 earnings to give Wall Street better view of tariff impact Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley previews what to watch when Apple reports earnings after the bell: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley previews what to watch when Apple reports earnings after the bell: Read more here. Reddit set to report Q2 earnings as Wall Street scrutinizes daily active user growth Reddit (RDDT) will report second quarter results after the bell on Thursday. One key metric to watch will be daily active users, which disappointed Wall Street over the last two quarters. Changes to Google Search's algorithm could further disrupt the platform's users. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton breaks down what the Street is hoping to hear from Reddit: Read more here. Reddit (RDDT) will report second quarter results after the bell on Thursday. One key metric to watch will be daily active users, which disappointed Wall Street over the last two quarters. Changes to Google Search's algorithm could further disrupt the platform's users. Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton breaks down what the Street is hoping to hear from Reddit: Read more here. Unilever's personal care business delivers solid results, but ice cream was the standout Unilever (UL) beat sales growth forecasts in the second quarter but reported a 50% drop in free cash flow year over year. The ice cream business outperformed in Q2, with sales rising 7.1%, led by double-digit growth in its Magnum brand. Unilever's ice cream business is on track to be spun off in November. The new company will be called The Magnum Ice Cream Company, and Unilever will retain a 20% stake in the company. Reuters reports: Read more here. Unilever (UL) beat sales growth forecasts in the second quarter but reported a 50% drop in free cash flow year over year. The ice cream business outperformed in Q2, with sales rising 7.1%, led by double-digit growth in its Magnum brand. Unilever's ice cream business is on track to be spun off in November. The new company will be called The Magnum Ice Cream Company, and Unilever will retain a 20% stake in the company. Reuters reports: Read more here.

Buffered ETFs gain steam in valuation-wary markets
Buffered ETFs gain steam in valuation-wary markets

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Buffered ETFs gain steam in valuation-wary markets

As a new round of U.S. tariffs send markets tumbling, could a once-overlooked ETF hedge offer investors the safety net they're seeking? Buffered ETFs, also known as defined outcome products, have gained traction in recent years by offering partial downside protection in exchange for capped gains. Each fund is structured to shield investors from a set percentage of losses, typically 10% to 20%, over a fixed period. In return, gains are limited, and the terms reset at the end of each outcome window. Buffered ETFs struggled to gain traction after their late 2018 debut — and for good reason. From 2019 through 2021, the S&P 500 returned an average of 24% annually, leaving little appeal for products that cap upside. But a sharp downturn in 2022 changed the equation. With the index falling nearly 20% that year, investors poured nearly $10 billion into buffered ETFs, breathing new life into the once-overlooked product. READ MORE:Top 10 dividend stocks of the past yearThe case for investing in emerging markets, despite underperformanceThe 'granular' investing strategy with big tax savings for HNW clientsWall Street builds S&P 500 'no dividend' fund in new tax dodge During times of declining equities, investors often rely more heavily on bonds. But in recent years that strategy hasn't always worked out, according to Charles Champagne, head of ETF strategy at Allianz Investment Management. "When you have an equity and fixed income portfolio, if equities are in a tougher market, you expect your fixed income to offset those losses, and that just really hasn't happened in the past [couple of years]," Champagne said. "So these products really help in that capacity." To build buffered ETFs, issuers like Allianz use options to shape both downside protection and upside limits. They start by buying a deep-in-the-money call to mirror market exposure. Then, to create the buffer, they buy an at-the-money put and sell an out-of-the-money put, defining how much loss the fund will absorb. To offset the cost of this protection, they sell a call option, which in turn sets the cap on gains. This options mix allows issuers to offer defined outcomes over a set time frame, typically one year. While buffered ETFs offer downside protection, their complex structure and active management often result in higher fees. First Trust and Innovator dominate the market, with flagship products like BUFD and PJAN charging expense ratios of 0.95% and 0.79%, respectively. Smaller issuers such as Allianz offer slightly lower costs — its most popular fund, JANW, carries a 0.74% fee — but costs remain high compared to the rest of the ETF market. Champagne said he expects those ratios to decline as the funds grow, but that will take time. "There is a cost to us managing these portfolios that we have to apply to the expense ratio. And then, like anything, economies of scale will eventually start to kick in," Champagne said. "And as assets continue to drive towards defined outcome ETFs, that will inevitably draw down that total cost to the investor through the expense ratio. But anytime you're dealing in options or exotic investments, there are additional costs that are factored into the total cost of the ETF." High costs aren't the only deterrent for some advisors when considering buffered ETFs. Carson McLean, the founder of Altruist Wealth Management in Charlotte, North Carolina, said that buffered ETFs often "overpromise and underdeliver" when it comes to real-world investing behavior. "They introduce complexity, hidden trade-offs (like forgone dividends and capped returns), and a timing dependency that most investors don't fully grasp," McLean said. "In my view, it's risk repackaging more than risk reduction." Advisors like Kyle Ray, the founder of Ridgeback Wealth Management in Peachtree City, Georgia, share a similar view of buffered ETFs. "I am not a fan of buffered ETFs for several reasons," Ray said. "They can be complex, costly and tax-inefficient due to short-term capital gains resulting from frequent options trading. Additionally, they carry liquidity risks and other drawbacks." More than one way to hedge For clients looking for downside protection, well-worn strategies are often still the best option, according to some advisors. McLean says a traditional bond-equity mix can still work well, especially when combined with thoughtful planning, disciplined rebalancing and guidance that keeps clients steady during market swings. With this approach, it's crucial to match the portfolio structure to the actual spending needs and time horizon of the client, he said. "That may not sound exciting, but it tends to work better than most engineered products," McLean said. Another approach involves using TIPS (Treasury inflation-protected securities) to build a laddered bond portfolio. With TIPS ladders, advisors purchase bonds that mature at regular intervals (often annually), helping to create a predictable stream of inflation-adjusted income over time. "While I do not advocate for timing market entries, now is a good time to assess whether you need high equity risk to achieve your financial goals," Ray said. "Currently, real yields on a 30-year ladder of TIPS are 2.4% above inflation. Purchasing a 30-year TIPS would be expected to more than double in real purchasing power if held to maturity. With real yields this high, investors should seriously consider whether they would get a fine result with fewer equities and less stomach acid." Investing with the right mentality Beyond the specific strategy, advisors say it's crucial to have the right mentality when it comes to long-term investing and the challenges it presents. "The bottom line answer is that no matter how you feel about market valuations, the market can either stay irrational a lot longer than you expect, or alternatively, corporate earnings can catch up with lofty valuations, bringing them back down to reality. Case in point are the earnings of companies like Meta and Microsoft," said Alex Caswell, a financial planner at Wealth Script Advisors in San Francisco. "I would encourage investors to think primarily about the risk/reward balance in their entire portfolio and commit to a long-term holding mentality," he added." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Big Tech's huge AI spending spree: A closer look post-earnings
Big Tech's huge AI spending spree: A closer look post-earnings

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Big Tech's huge AI spending spree: A closer look post-earnings

Big Tech is ramping up artificial intelligence (AI) spending, with Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) now expected to pour $364 billion into AI this fiscal year. Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Allie Canal joins Market Domination to break down what that surge in investment means for the broader market and upcoming Nvidia (NVDA) results. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination. Hi, Josh. That's right. Big Tech AI spending spree is on a roll here and only getting bigger. We heard from Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, all now expecting to spend a combined $364 billion in their 2025 fiscal year. That's a sharp increase from earlier estimates of around $325 billion. Wall Street certainly cheering this news. We saw Meta and Microsoft shares soar after earnings. Microsoft actually briefly topped that $4 trillion market cap. Alphabet also rallied. Amazon was the lone exception here. Its stock slumped after a weak AWS guidance, spooking some investors there when it comes to where Amazon actually stands in this AI race. Now these companies have said that spending is essential in order to meet a lot of that surging AI demand, and that includes building data centers, expanding cloud infrastructure. Microsoft alone plans to spend nearly $30 billion in the first quarter of its new fiscal year. Analysts are certainly buying in as well. RBC Capital Markets calling Microsoft's AI footprint underappreciated, Needham saying that Google is leading GenAI innovation. Wedbush hiking its price target on Meta to a whopping $920 a share. So, there's just a lot of optimism on the street. There is some speculation on whether or not these are bubble-like numbers, whether or not the valuation can really be justified, especially as AI returns are still a bit murky and monetization remains unclear. But for now, investors are paying, are betting, I should say, that the payoff is just a matter of time here. So, just across the board, very solid results, and this all sets us up for Nvidia earnings at the end of the month. But, Josh, judging from what we saw from a lot of these hyperscalers, I think we're poised for a really strong Nvidia report. So, a lot of important crosscurrents there, Allie. Generally, how do strategists, market strategists, feel about Big Tech? Very positive and very bullish. You can just look at the sector action that we've seen throughout the course of the year to really tell that story. Tech is one of the top leading sectors, and conversely, if you look at the biggest laggards this year, that's Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples. So, a lot of these companies that are exposed to the consumer, particularly lower income consumers, they've seen a lot of pain on the tariff front. We know that inflation is edging up a little bit. We got that jobs data earlier this morning that points to a potential weaker labor market than we saw heading into this month. So, all of that is really insulated from Big Tech, or I should say Big Tech is insulated from a lot of those concerns. Of course, Apple did say they expect to take a $1.1 billion hit when it comes to tariffs in the current quarter, but investors weren't really concerned about that. They shrugged a lot of that off. They're looking at iPhone demand, they're looking at China, there's just different guidelines and different set of rules for a lot of these Big Tech companies. So, that's why it's really been leading a lot of the gains and leading the rally that we've seen this year. All right. Thank you, Allie. Appreciate it. Related Videos Berkshire Hathaway earnings: 'Perfect' stock to own when 'worried' Fed Governor Adriana Kugler to resign Dow falls more than 500 points on jobs report, tariffs Colgate-Palmolive, Rocket, Regeneron: Trending Tickers Sign in to access your portfolio

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