Shares of Apple edged higher on Thursday ahead of its fiscal second-quarter earnings report, with investors closely watching leadership changes, artificial intelligence strategy, and margin pressures tied to rising component costs.The stock gained about 1.3% and was trading at $273.70. Apple stock has been muted in 2026 with less than…

The artificial intelligence supercycle has transitioned from a speculative phase led by chipmakers to an industrial execution phase governed by physical constraints.As the market digests the massive capital expenditures (capex) required to monetize large language models (LLMs), global demand for foundational infrastructure continues to outpace supply.Industry forecasts now project the…

US inflation accelerated sharply in March as rising oil prices linked to the Iran conflict pushed costs higher. Brent crude surged to near four-year highs before retreating amid escalating geopolitical tensions. Bitcoin hovered near key support around $75,000 as investor positioning tightened. Meanwhile, Meta Platforms shares fell despite strong earnings,…

US stocks rallied on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging nearly 800 points and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both reaching fresh all-time highs, as strong corporate earnings helped investors look past geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.The Dow rose 790 points, or 1.62%, while the S&P 500…

Shares of Apple Inc. edged lower in after-hours trading on Thursday, slipping 0.48% despite the company delivering better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter results, as investors weighed strong product demand against ongoing supply constraints.The company posted revenue of $111.18 billion and earnings of $2.01 per share for the quarter ended March 28, beating…

Asian markets opened Friday on a cautious note as a sharp swing in oil prices kept risk appetite fragile and reminded traders how quickly Middle East headlines can ripple through global markets.Brent crude briefly surged to a four-year high above $126 a barrel on Thursday after reports that the US…

Apple’s biggest overhang over the past two years just turned into one of its strongest earnings positives.In fiscal second-quarter results released on Thursday, the company said Greater China revenue rose to $20.497 billion, up 28% from a year earlier and comfortably ahead of Wall Street expectations of around $19–19.5 billion.That…

The software sell-off of early 2026 did not happen because earnings suddenly fell apart.It happened because investors started to wonder whether AI could make big chunks of traditional SaaS less valuable, or even obsolete.The rout wiped out $830 billion in market value across software and services stocks in just six…

Meta’s first-quarter numbers looked strong on paper: revenue rose 33% to $56.3 billion, and the company kept its operating margin at 41%.But the stock still fell roughly 7% in extended trading after Meta lifted its 2026 capex plan to $125 billion to $145 billion.The reason was simple: Wall Street likes…