President Donald Trump's Intel deal is earning him some measure of approval from an unexpected corner: progressives. After Trump announced a plan for the US government to take a roughly 9.9% stake in the iconic US tech company, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont offered cautious praise for the move. Other progressives say they have little problem with the investment itself, but would like to see other policies accompany it.It's the latest indication of how the deal, which marks a substantial break from longsta ...

Tesla has unveiled a new pay package for Elon Musk that could turn the world's richest man into the first trillionaire.The EV giant announced on Friday that it would submit the enormous new compensation plan, which requires the Tesla CEO to boost the company's valuation to $8.5 trillion, for shareholder approval in November. The proposed pay package is unprecedented in both its size and the scale at which Tesla will have to grow for Musk to achieve it.Here are five takeaways from what could end up being ...

When in doubt, go for the gold (investment). That's the sentiment among investors trying to navigate the ongoing fight between President Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve.Gold set a record this week, eclipsing the $3,600-an-ounce mark. It's up 36% this year, far outstripping the S&P 500's 10% return. And we're not even close to the ceiling, writes BI's Samuel O'Brient. Goldman Sachs could see the precious metal rallying to $5,000, which is about a 40% increase from where it currently sits.The bank's re ...

Tesla has just unveiled a massive new pay package for Elon Musk. The proposed compensation plan, which the EV giant outlined in an SEC filing on Friday, could net Musk as much as $1 trillion — if he can hit a series of ambitious milestones that includes taking Tesla to a $8.5 trillion market cap by 2035.This is a developing story. Check back for updates. ...

Core Insights - Lululemon has acknowledged a decline in customer engagement due to predictable product offerings and stale styles, particularly in lounge and social categories [1] - The company reported a 7% year-over-year increase in net revenue for Q2, reaching $2.5 billion, but profits fell by 5.6% to $370 million, slightly missing revenue expectations [1] - CEO Calvin McDonald highlighted that consumers are spending less on apparel and are more selective, impacting overall sales [2] Financial Performance - Net revenue for the second quarter grew to $2.5 billion, a 7% increase year-over-year [1] - Profit for the same period decreased by 5.6% to $370 million [1] - Full-year profit guidance was reduced due to expected tariff impacts amounting to $240 million [2] Market Reaction - Lululemon's shares dropped over 15% in after-hours trading and have declined more than 46% year-to-date [3] - Analysts have compared Lululemon to mass-market brands like Gap, suggesting this shift could negatively affect its business model [3] Consumer Trends - The company is facing challenges as consumers are spending less on performance activewear and are seeking truly new styles [2] - Analysts noted an excessive number of sales promotions, with over 1,000 items on sale in the brand's digital store, indicating struggles with inventory sell-through [7][8] Strategic Plans - Lululemon plans to increase the proportion of new styles in its offerings from 23% to approximately 35% by next spring [9] - The company aims to refresh iconic items and accelerate the launch of new products [9] - McDonald expressed confidence in the brand's loyal customer base and the path forward to meet customer expectations [10]

The US military is facing worsening delivery delays for its advanced F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, according to a new government watchdog assessment. A report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that most F-35s delivered in 2023 by contractor Lockheed Martin and engine maker Pratt & Whitney were late, arriving an average of 61 days behind schedule. In 2024, the problem grew notably worse: every F-35 delivered was late, with an average delay of 238 days.The repo ...

Joe Lonsdale, the cofounder of Palantir and founding partner of Austin-based venture capital firm 8VC, said Thursday he was "uncomfortable" with the government's $8.9 billion investment in Intel. "It's very weird, of course, for the government to be taking a stake in something," Lonsdale said on CNBC's Squawk Box. "It's also a little bit weird for the government to be giving $9 billion to a company, too.""It's cronyism in some form," he added. Cronyism, the milder cousin of nepotism, is the practice of giv ...

Core Viewpoint - Google has seemingly achieved a favorable outcome in the antitrust case, avoiding severe penalties like divestiture of Chrome or Android, but analysts warn that the remedies could pose hidden risks that may ultimately disadvantage the company [1][2]. Group 1: Impact of Remedies - The remedies shift power away from Google, potentially leading to a net-negative situation for the company despite initial investor optimism [2]. - Google retains control over its key distribution platforms, Chrome and Android, which appears beneficial on the surface [3]. - However, the elimination of exclusivity in contracts alters the competitive landscape, allowing companies like Apple to direct search traffic to various partners, enhancing their market power [4]. Group 2: Competitive Dynamics - The ruling prohibits Google from signing exclusive deals for generative AI products, enabling competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic to gain market share [5]. - Google is required to syndicate portions of its search results and ads to qualified competitors for up to 40% of queries over the next five years, providing challengers with a shortcut to credible search experiences [9][10]. - Data sharing rules will allow rivals to access valuable user interaction data, helping them close the quality gap in search queries [11][12]. Group 3: Long-term Implications - The remedies could empower Apple and OpenAI to develop viable alternatives to Google's services, marking a significant advantage for these competitors [14]. - By mandating syndication and data sharing, the court has equipped rivals with tools to challenge Google's dominance, particularly in the rapidly evolving AI-powered search space [15]. - Google has expressed concerns about the impact of these requirements on user privacy and is considering an appeal against the ruling [16].

Core Insights - Amazon is entering the AI agent market with a new software called Quick Suite, aiming to enhance its position in the enterprise software sector [1][5] - Quick Suite is designed to unify AI agents for business insights, research, and automation, enabling faster decision-making for business users [2][6] - The company is currently conducting private previews and beta tests with select companies to refine the software before its official launch [3][14] Group 1: Product Features and Capabilities - Quick Suite will integrate existing AWS products like QuickSight and Q Business, while introducing a new feature called Quick Flows for automating tasks through natural language prompts [12][13] - The software will include a "deep research agent" for generating reports and allow users to create custom agents tailored to specific business needs [13] - Over 40% of business users are expected to adopt AI-enhanced work environments soon, positioning AWS to lead this transition [6] Group 2: Market Position and Competition - Quick Suite positions AWS to compete more aggressively in the AI space, particularly in agent-driven automation, alongside competitors like Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce [4] - The enterprise software market, known as SaaS, represents a significant opportunity for Amazon, which has been less impactful in this area compared to its cloud computing services [5] Group 3: Beta Testing and Feedback - Amazon has invited a select group of beta testers and provided a private preview to at least 50 companies, receiving mixed feedback on the software [14][15] - Positive feedback highlights the simpler setup and intuitive design, as well as the deep research feature and integration with external tools [16] - Some testers reported challenges with networking limitations and permission requirements for data linking [17]

Warren Buffett's dealmaking made him a legend, but the breakup of Kraft Heinz marks one of his few missteps, the investor's close followers say. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate partnered with Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital to acquire Heinz for around $23 billion in 2013. Two years later, they teamed up again to merge Heinz with Kraft in a $40 billion deal.Buffett, a fast-food aficionado, called it "my kind of transaction," adding that the combined company could "supply you Heinz ketchup ...