I've been covering TVs for over a decade, and in that time, I've seen various brands rise and fall. In recent years, Hisense has jumped toward the top of the pack, cementing itself as a major player in the TV market. The best Hisense TVs hold their own against more expensive options from other brands, delivering an impressive balance between price and performance.My top Hisense recommendation is the U8QG QLED TV. This set offers one of the brightest pictures available, and it maintains excellent contrast th ...

Core Viewpoint - Amazon's investment in Anthropic has significantly increased in value, indicating a potentially lucrative strategic technology investment for the company [1][2]. Investment Details - Amazon holds $45.8 billion in convertible notes and $14.8 billion in nonvoting preferred stock in Anthropic, totaling a stake worth $60.6 billion [1][8]. - The company has invested $8 billion in Anthropic since late 2023, resulting in a seven-fold increase in value [2]. - Anthropic's recent funding rounds have raised its valuation from $61.5 billion in March to $183 billion in September, with discussions for a new round potentially pushing it to $350 billion [3]. Financial Impact - Amazon's convertible notes convert to preferred stock as Anthropic raises additional capital, allowing Amazon to gain valuable stock with each funding round [7]. - In 2025, conversions generated approximately $5.6 billion in recognized gains for Amazon, with an additional $7.2 billion upward adjustment to "other income" in Q3 due to Anthropic's valuation increase [7]. - The value of Amazon's Anthropic stake rose from $38.5 billion in Q3 to $60.6 billion in Q4, with expectations of a further $15 billion gain in Q1 as some notes convert to nonvoting preferred stock [8]. Valuation Methodology - Amazon's valuations of its Anthropic stake are based on "significant judgment" and classified as "Level 3" assets, relying on unobservable inputs rather than market prices [9]. - This classification is typical for startup investments, which lack regularly traded securities on liquid public markets [9].

After days of heavy selling, investors look like they're in buy-the-dip mode. US stocks rallied hard on Friday, with traders trying to cap off a week of heavy losses in the tech sector and in software stocks on a high note.The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF — which entered a bear market earlier this month as investors panicked over high valuations and AI's potential threat to software companies — surged 3%. The ETF is still down around 30% from its peak late last year. Major indexes soared. The ...

Another Detroit automaker is paying a steep price as it pulls back from electric vehicles. Stellantis — the global auto giant behind brands like Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Chrysler — said Friday that it would take a €22 billion ($26 billion) charge tied to a sweeping reset of its electric-vehicle strategy.It's the largest in a wave of recent EV-related write-downs by major global automakers, bringing the total in charges across the industry to $55 billion. In September, Volkswagen recorded a $3.5 billion charg ...

Core Insights - Ford is undergoing a significant overhaul of its manufacturing processes to better compete with Chinese automakers, particularly in the electric vehicle (EV) market [1][2] - The Universal Electric Vehicle project is described as one of the most important initiatives in Ford's history, focusing on innovation to maintain competitiveness against global rivals [1][6] Manufacturing Innovations - The new manufacturing system employs a three-pronged "assembly tree" approach, which allows for parallel construction of vehicle components, reducing the number of fasteners by 25% and halving the number of cooling hoses and connections [9] - A unicasting system is being implemented to decrease the number of vehicle parts, potentially leading to lower car prices [10] Product Development - The first vehicle on the new platform is a midsize electric pickup truck expected to launch in the US in 2027, with a starting price of $30,000 [6][7] - Engineers are dedicating extensive time to refining the truck's aerodynamics and design [7] Strategic Shift - Ford is shifting its focus towards smaller, more affordable electric vehicles and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) after incurring a $19.5 billion write-down due to canceled EV programs [11] - The company is responding to competitive pressures from the Chinese EV market, where BYD has become the world's largest EV seller, and is exploring potential manufacturing cooperation with China's Geely [12]

Amazon said Thursday it plans a staggering $200 billion in capital expenditures this year, sparking concern that the AI spending boom has entered an even more bubbly stage. The company's capex forecast was more than $50 billion above Wall Street expectations. That left some analysts uneasy about whether these huge investments will pay off."The strong long-term return on investing capital — I think that's the debate in the market today," Mark Mahaney, a tech analyst at Evercore ISI, said during a conference ...

Tech has been clobbered by a broad rotation taking place in 2026, and the latest sell-off in software stocks has only added to the pain. Yet, on the other end of that pain has been a $24 billion gain for short-sellers. The software rout took off this week, but some of the biggest names in tech have been struggling all year, battling both micro and macro forces that have hurt demand for high-flying AI plays.For short-sellers betting against these stocks, the last six weeks have been a windfall. A report fro ...

Workday is laying off about 400 employees, citing a need to realign its resources to meet its top priorities. In a securities filing Wednesday, the California-based software provider for payroll, talent management, and expense processing said the cuts represent about 2% of its overall workforce and will primarily affect non-revenue-generating roles within its global customer service team. It said it plans to continue to hire in strategic areas and locations.Workday didn't cite artificial intelligence in it ...

With names like Nvidia, Oracle, and CoreWeave down double digits in the last few months, the AI trade appears to be stuck in a rut. But far from a temporary blip, the diminished fortunes of the market's tech leaders might represent a much more dire reassessment of the technology among investors, a top AI researcher says. The latest volatility began with Anthropic's debut of its new plugins for its Claude AI agent, which sent legal tech stocks into a nosedive that quickly spurred volatility into the broade ...

Layoffs in the US hit a 17-year peak in January. According to new data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, US employers announced 108,435 job cuts in the first month of the year, an increase of 118% from the year before. Companies such as Amazon and Citi have said they're trimming staff this year."Generally, we see a high number of job cuts in the first quarter, but this is a high total for January. It means most of these plans were set at the end of 2025, signaling employers are less-than-optimistic about ...