Robinhood Markets ( HOOD ) is rewriting the rules of retail investing. On Monday, the trading platform surged more than 12% to hit a new record high, propelled by its latest unveiling: a suite of digital asset products aimed at transforming how European customers trade stocks, ETFs, and crypto. The announcement, delivered at a glitzy launch event in Cannes, France, marks Robinhood’s most ambitious step yet in its pivot toward a crypto-native, 24/7 financial ecosystem. From Stocks to Tokens: Robinhood Reshapes Investing in the EU Robinhood is turning heads in Europe by offering tokenized versions of more than 200 U.S. stocks and ETFs. Issued on the Arbitrum blockchain, these stock and ETF tokens represent a new chapter in fractionalized, round-the-clock investing—outside of traditional U.S. trading hours. European users can now gain exposure to iconic names like Apple and Nvidia without being limited by Wall Street’s clock. Dividend payouts are included, with earnings routed directly th...

In a bold move to deepen its footprint in the professional contractor segment, Home Depot ( HD ) has announced its acquisition of specialty building products distributor GMS Inc. ( GMS ) for $5.5 billion.  The deal, made through Home Depot’s wholly owned subsidiary SRS Distribution, marks a significant step in the retailer’s strategy to consolidate the fragmented construction supply space. With GMS shareholders set to receive $110 per share in cash — a 36% premium over its pre-rumor valuation — the transaction signals Home Depot’s intent to dominate the high-margin, pro-facing side of the home improvement market. A Strategic Expansion into Interior Building Products The acquisition of GMS broadens Home Depot’s construction product portfolio, particularly on the interior side. GMS, known for distributing wallboard, ceilings, steel framing, and related construction materials, operates more than 320 distribution centers and nearly 100 tool rental and service locations across North Ame...

Oracle Corporation ( ORCL ) surged to new heights on Monday, reaching an all-time stock high after CEO Safra Catz delivered an unexpectedly bullish update on the company’s fiscal year 2026 outlook.  The software giant’s leap reflects its growing dominance in cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure — areas where it was once seen as a laggard. With Catz projecting multi-billion-dollar contracts and renewed investor confidence, Oracle is proving it's no longer chasing the AI wave — it’s riding it. Bullish Signals from the Top Oracle’s latest surge stems from a regulatory filing in which CEO Safra Catz outlined an exceptional start to fiscal year 2026. She revealed that Oracle’s MultiCloud database revenue is growing at over 100% and that the company has signed several large cloud services agreements. The standout among them: a single agreement projected to generate more than $30 billion annually beginning in fiscal 2028. These figures come just weeks after Oracle’s...

Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( HPE ) and Juniper Networks ( JNPR ) have reached a long-awaited settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice.  The agreement resolves antitrust concerns and allows their $14 billion merger to move forward. The resolution, which includes divestitures and licensing provisions, clears a major regulatory hurdle and sets the stage for a new chapter in AI-native networking. DOJ Approves HPE-Juniper Merger With Conditions After months of regulatory scrutiny, HPE and Juniper announced they had finalized a settlement with the DOJ that addresses competitive concerns raised earlier this year. Central to the DOJ's original complaint was the fear that combining two key players in wireless local area network (WLAN) technology could reduce competition, inflate prices, and slow innovation. To alleviate those concerns, HPE agreed to sell its "Instant On" WLAN business within 180 days. This includes not just products and intellectual property, but also staff ...

Nike’s ( NKE ) fiscal fourth-quarter results were undeniably rough. Total revenue dropped nearly 12% year-over-year to $11.1 billion, with North America sales plunging about 11%, and Greater China down roughly 20% on a currency-neutral basis. Yet, the silver lining was that the company managed to outperform expectations: analysts had forecast closer to $10.7 billion in revenues, and shares actually jumped nearly 10% in pre-market trading after the report. The bottom line showed adjusted earnings per share of just $0.14, compared to $1.01 a year ago — a stunning 86% decline. But the low bar set by investors meant that even modest outperformance was rewarded. CEO Elliott Hill emphasized that this quarter absorbed the brunt of the impact from the “Win Now” strategy, suggesting improving momentum for upcoming periods. As Hill commented on the earnings call, “The progress we made reinforces my confidence that we’re on the right path.” That cautious optimism helped shift sentiment — signalin...

Micron Technology ( MU ) delivered standout third-quarter results and a bullish fourth-quarter forecast, bolstered by red-hot demand for AI-driven memory chips.  While the performance impressed analysts and prompted a flurry of price target hikes, investor reaction was mixed as caution crept in over sustainability and geopolitical headwinds. Record Results on Surging AI Demand Micron posted revenue of $9.3 billion for the third quarter, a 37% jump from a year earlier and well ahead of analyst expectations. Earnings also came in strong at $1.91 per share, beating consensus estimates by over 30 cents. The results mark a significant turnaround for the company, which had faced margin pressure and sluggish demand in its consumer segments just quarters ago. The Boise-based chipmaker attributes the growth to AI infrastructure spending, which is reshaping data centers and enterprise hardware needs. This pivot helped Micron outperform peers in the memory space and cement its position as a c...

Nvidia ( NVDA ) stock surged to an all-time high Wednesday, reigniting investor excitement around artificial intelligence.  A bold note from Loop Capital predicting a $6 trillion valuation pushed the chipmaker past Microsoft ( MSFT ) to become the world’s most valuable company. With soaring demand for AI infrastructure, next-gen chips, and a series of global deals, Wall Street is doubling down on Nvidia’s dominance in the AI arms race. Loop Capital Sparks Rally With $6 Trillion Valuation Forecast Shares of Nvidia jumped more than 4% to close at $154.31, pushing the company’s market capitalization to $3.76 trillion—reclaiming the title of the most valuable publicly traded company from Microsoft. The move followed Loop Capital’s eye-popping price target increase to $250, implying a market cap near $6 trillion. Loop analyst Ananda Baruah cited what he described as the start of a “Golden Wave” of generative AI demand. According to his forecast, spending on AI compute infrastructure co...

Carnival Corporation ( CCL ) delivered a blowout performance in its fiscal second quarter of 2025, reaffirming its turnaround story with a series of record-breaking milestones.  The cruise giant reported revenue of $6.33 billion, marking its eighth straight quarter of record sales and a 9.5% year-over-year jump. This performance was driven by a 6.4% increase in net yields, a key metric reflecting revenue per available berth, which beat company forecasts by 200 basis points. Operational execution was equally impressive. EBITDA surged 26% year-over-year with margins now 200 basis points higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Operating income climbed 67% compared to the same quarter last year, while net income more than tripled, exceeding internal guidance by $185 million. These gains propelled Carnival's return on invested capital (ROIC) past 12.5%, more than doubling over the last two years. Cruise Demand Stays Afloat Despite Economic Crosscurrents  Carnival’s ability to sust...

FedEx ( FDX ) wrapped up its fiscal 2025 (May) with better-than-expected earnings, yet the market's response was far from celebratory. The shipping giant reported fourth-quarter revenue of $22.2 billion, a modest increase of about 1% from the same period last year. Despite the lackluster top-line growth, adjusted earnings per share surged over 12% to $6.07, beating Wall Street’s forecast of $5.93. The company credited the performance to disciplined cost controls and strategic pricing improvements. However, investors were spooked by FedEx’s guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2026. The company expects adjusted EPS to land between $3.40 and $4.00—well below the consensus estimate of $4.03. Management also chose not to issue full-year earnings or revenue guidance, a departure from past practice. That lack of visibility, combined with muted expectations, sent shares tumbling over 5% in Wednesday’s session and contributed to a year-to-date loss of more than 20%. The message to inve...

After years of lagging behind in artificial intelligence, Apple ( AAPL ) may be preparing to leap forward.  The company is reportedly exploring a high-stakes partnership—or even a full acquisition—of Perplexity AI, an emerging player in the AI-powered search and chatbot market. According to a recent research note from Bank of America Securities, Apple is reportedly weighing its options with Perplexity, and a deal could help turn the tide for a company that has, until now, been seen as slow to embrace next-generation AI capabilities. Siri, once a trailblazer in voice technology, has fallen behind more conversational, context-aware assistants like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s ( GOOG ) Gemini. A partnership with Perplexity could address those gaps. Perplexity’s platform offers nuanced Q&A interactions, memory of user prompts across follow-up questions, and the ability to carry out multi-step tasks—precisely where Siri still struggles. The move comes amid growing investor frustrat...

Despite fears that artificial intelligence could eat into their dominance, major internet platforms like Meta ( META ), Alphabet ( GOOG ), and Reddit ( RDDT ) are proving their staying power.  According to a fresh research note from Citi following meetings at the Cannes Lions Festival, advertisers are holding steady on budgets, and demand for targeted ad platforms remains strong. As a result, the bank reiterated Buy ratings for all three companies and raised financial forecasts. Meta led the charge with shares climbing nearly 2% to over $711, as the company’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI signaled a bold bet on the future of data. Alphabet also saw gains after Citi analysts praised momentum in YouTube advertising and raised revenue projections for both 2025 and 2026. Meanwhile, Reddit’s unique data trove and surging ad growth drew increased attention from Wall Street, helping push the stock more than 5% higher. The broader Nasdaq followed suit, buoyed by optimism that online...