Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) shares jumped more than 5% on Wednesday following a string of developments that reposition the chipmaker at the forefront of the global artificial intelligence (AI) race.  Chief among them: a newly approved $6 billion share buyback authorization—on top of an existing $4 billion plan—and a landmark deal with Saudi Arabian AI firm Humain to co-develop data center infrastructure. The partnership between AMD and Humain, a subsidiary of the Kingdom’s $925 billion Public Investment Fund, aims to roll out 500 megawatts of AI computing capacity spanning Saudi Arabia and the U.S. over the next five years. The total investment could reach $10 billion, making it one of AMD’s most ambitious ventures to date. In a statement, AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su called the expanded buyback plan a vote of confidence in the company’s “strategic direction, growth prospects, and ability to consistently generate strong free cash flow.” Analysts took note. Bank of America boosted ...

Tesla Inc. ( TSLA ) surged again Thursday morning, extending its recent rally as Wall Street digested new developments around CEO Elon Musk's compensation and the resumption of key component shipments from China. Shares rose nearly 3% to $344, outperforming the broader S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average. Central to the uptick is news that Tesla’s board is actively revisiting Musk’s pay, a topic that has long stirred both investor enthusiasm and legal scrutiny. The Financial Times reported that a two-member special committee—Chairwoman Robyn Denholm and board member Kathleen Wilson-Thompson—is exploring alternative compensation for Musk following the Delaware court’s nullification of his 2018 record-setting $56 billion pay package. That package, made up of 304 million performance-based options, was deemed excessive by Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, citing governance issues and conflicts of interest. Yet, with Musk hinting at stepping back from Tesla unless his influence i...

Coinbase Global ( COIN ), the largest publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., will officially join the S&P 500 index on May 19. This marks the first time a crypto-native company secures a place in America’s most influential stock benchmark. The move not only catapults Coinbase into elite corporate territory but also represents a watershed moment for the broader digital asset industry. Shares of Coinbase surged as much as 24% following Monday evening’s announcement, touching $254.84 on Tuesday and adding more than $8 billion to its market cap, which now stands at approximately $52.7 billion. The company will replace Discover Financial Services (DFS), which is being acquired by Capital One in a $35.3 billion all-stock deal. Analysts hailed the decision as a milestone for crypto. “It is a watershed moment for Coinbase and the industry,” wrote Oppenheimer’s Owen Lau, who raised his price target for COIN to $293. “Lack of deep institutional ownership was a bear thesis for C...

UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ), the largest healthcare company in the U.S. by revenue, plunged into deeper turmoil Tuesday. The sell-off was triggered by the announcement of the abrupt resignation of CEO Andrew Witty and the withdrawal of its 2025 earnings forecast. Witty, who had led the company since 2021, is stepping down for unspecified “personal reasons,” according to a company statement. The move comes less than a month after UnitedHealth slashed its profit outlook amid soaring medical costs. Stephen Hemsley, who previously served as CEO from 2006 to 2017 and has remained chairman, will return to lead the company during the crisis. UnitedHealth shares tumbled 16.4% on the news, compounding a historic selloff that began in April when the company reported underwhelming quarterly results. In pre-market trading, shares had already dropped over 10%, signaling investors’ growing unease. The reversal in leadership at the $400 billion behemoth underscores broader investor concerns about its ...

Swiss sneaker maker On Holding ( ONON ) raises 2025 outlook as direct sales, product hype drive growth Record-Breaking Quarter Puts On in the Spotlight Shares of On Holding jumped nearly 12% Tuesday after the Swiss athletic footwear company reported a blowout fiscal first quarter, marked by a 43% year-over-year increase in revenue to CHF726.6 million ($863.5 million). The results easily beat Wall Street expectations and prompted the company to lift its full-year sales outlook despite rising concerns over global trade uncertainty. Investors cheered the momentum, pushing ONON stock to its best day in months. The company matched earnings estimates at CHF0.21 per share while surpassing revenue forecasts by nearly CHF43 million. Gross profit margin edged up to 59.9% from 59.7%, and On maintained its position as one of the few high-growth names in the athletic apparel sector during a time when competitors like Nike and Adidas face slower consumer demand. “The strong momentum of our brand acr...

U.S. equity markets surged Monday after Washington and Beijing announced a sweeping 90-day pause on their escalating trade war, dramatically reducing tariffs on hundreds of billions in goods. The agreement, unveiled after two days of talks in Geneva, triggered a sharp rally across all three major indexes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 1,000 points, up 2.5%. The S&P 500 soared 2.66%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite led the charge with a 3.62% gain. The market response reflects broad investor relief at what many feared was becoming a prolonged economic cold war between the world’s two largest economies. The deal, which slashes U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports from 145% to 30%, and lowers China’s retaliatory duties on American goods from 125% to 10%, was described by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as “substantial progress.” It marks the first face-to-face meeting since the tariff standoff intensified in early spring.   Tech Stocks Lead the Rally Big Tech...

The long-standing, multi-billion-dollar relationship between Apple Inc. ( AAPL ) and Alphabet Inc. ( GOOG ) is under fresh scrutiny.  In 2022, Alphabet paid Apple roughly $20 billion to maintain Google’s place as the default search engine on Safari. That agreement is now a centerpiece of the U.S. Department of Justice's landmark antitrust case against Google—and it's becoming increasingly clear that Apple is not afraid to distance itself from its lucrative partner if needed. Judge Amit Mehta's ruling in August that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in the search market has opened the door to remedies that could upend the status quo. As the court deliberates next steps, Apple filed an amicus brief signaling its growing willingness to explore alternatives, including artificial intelligence-powered search tools from OpenAI, Perplexity, and Anthropic. Apple Services chief Eddy Cue added fuel to the fire during his testimony, revealing that searches on Safari had declined fo...