CNBC

Search documents
Crypto startup Zerohash raises $104 million from Morgan Stanley, SoFi, Apollo and others
CNBC· 2025-09-23 11:00
Crypto infrastructure startup Zerohash has raised $104 million in funding with backing from financial firms including Morgan Stanley and SoFi, CNBC has learned.The Series D round was led by Interactive Brokers, the global automated trading firm, and includes strategic investors who are also clients of Zerohash, founder and CEO Edward Woodford told CNBC in an interview. The company is valued at $1 billion, he said."We wanted to raise from the largest, most trusted brands in the world and have that be the bri ...
Nvidia and OpenAI's $100-billion deal sparks global chip stock rally
CNBC· 2025-09-23 09:09
Group 1 - Major global semiconductor stocks experienced a rise following Nvidia's announcement of a $100 billion investment in OpenAI, which involves building systems requiring 10 gigawatts of power, equivalent to 4 million to 5 million GPUs [1] - The positive sentiment from Nvidia's deal led to a rally on Wall Street, particularly benefiting companies linked to Nvidia, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which saw a 3.5% increase in shares [2] - In South Korea, SK Hynix's shares rose over 2.5%, while Samsung's shares increased by 1.4%, with market expectations that Samsung will soon supply Nvidia with high-bandwidth memory chips [3] Group 2 - The rally in semiconductor stocks in Asia extended to Europe, where companies like STMicro, Infineon, and BE Semiconductor saw gains in early trading [4] - However, ASM International projected its fourth-quarter revenue to fall below expectations, negatively impacting its shares and dragging down other chip equipment firms like ASML [5] - The strengthening AI ecosystem in Europe is expected to benefit equipment manufacturers, including ASML and ASMI, due to solid demand from TSMC, the manufacturer of Nvidia's advanced chips [6]
U.S. and global growth forecast lifted by OECD as economies surprise to the upside
CNBC· 2025-09-23 09:04
Container backlog occurs at Longtan Port Container Terminal in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, on September 21, 2025. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development upgraded its global economic growth forecast on Tuesday, with many economies appearing more resilient than expected so far this year.The OECD now expects global growth of 3.2% this year, compared to the 2.9% expansion it had forecast in June. Expectations for 2026 were unchanged at 2.9%. ...
Altman, Huang and the last-minute negotiations that sealed the $100 billion OpenAI-Nvidia deal
CNBC· 2025-09-23 08:03
Core Insights - OpenAI and Nvidia have formed a monumental $100 billion partnership aimed at advancing AI infrastructure, marking a significant moment in the tech industry as both companies are central to the AI boom [2][3][4] - Nvidia's investment will involve a structured financing approach, with an initial $10 billion tranche locked in at a $500 billion valuation, followed by nine additional $10 billion rounds [13][19] - OpenAI's infrastructure projects will be integrated under the Stargate initiative, which encompasses all major compute capacity deals, including the recent partnership with Nvidia [8][17] Company Relationships - OpenAI's relationship with Nvidia has deepened, as Nvidia will supply advanced processors for new data centers, while OpenAI navigates partnerships with other key players like Microsoft and Oracle [6][11] - Microsoft was informed of the Nvidia deal only a day before its announcement, highlighting the evolving dynamics in OpenAI's partnerships [7] - OpenAI's agreement with Oracle involves a commitment to spend $300 billion on computing power over five years, starting in 2027 [8] Infrastructure Development - The partnership aims to build AI supercomputing facilities, with the first of the planned 10 gigawatt sites expected to go online in the latter half of next year [9][10] - OpenAI has reviewed 700 to 800 potential locations for its infrastructure, narrowing down options based on energy availability and financing terms [10] - The overall financing strategy indicates that OpenAI may take on debt to fund the broader expansion, as equity is viewed as an expensive option [19] Market Position and Future Plans - OpenAI is positioned to potentially operate as a first-party cloud provider, competing with major players like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, as its compute needs grow [20][21] - There is speculation about OpenAI launching a commercial cloud offering within one to two years, contingent on securing sufficient compute resources [21] - The partnership with Nvidia and the Stargate initiative reflect the ambitious plans of OpenAI and its leadership in the AI sector [22]
Orsted shares jump 7% after U.S. court overturns Trump project block
CNBC· 2025-09-23 07:33
Burbo Bank, Liverpool Bay, England, viewed from the sea turbines on Burbo wind farm off the U.K. coast.Shares of Danish renewables giant Orsted jumped on Tuesday, after a U.S. judge ruled the embattled firm can resume construction of an offshore wind farm that was halted by the Trump administration.The decision means Orsted can resume work on the nearly completed Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut.Shares of the Copenhagen-listed company were among the top performers on the ...
European stocks set to rise after Wall Street sets fresh records
CNBC· 2025-09-23 06:31
Group 1 - European stocks are expected to open higher following a rally in U.S. markets, with all three major indexes reaching record highs [1] - Euro Stoxx 50 futures are trading 0.1% higher, while French CAC 40 and German DAX futures are up approximately 0.2%, and FTSE 100 futures are also 0.1% higher [1] Group 2 - Nvidia announced plans to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI to develop data centers, with CEO Jensen Huang describing the partnership as "a giant project" [2]
Singapore core inflation rate comes in softer than expected, hits fresh four-year lows
CNBC· 2025-09-23 05:36
The view from the rooftop pool of the Marina Bay Sands resort hotel, which overlooks the financial district skyline of Singapore.Singapore's core inflation — which strips out prices of private transport and accommodation — posted its softest rise since February 2021, coming in at 0.3% for August as services inflation softened.This was lower than the 0.4% expected by economists polled by Reuters, and lower than the 0.5% seen in the month before.Headline inflation in Singapore came in at 0.5%, down from the 0 ...
What Europe can learn from Sweden's booming IPO market
CNBC· 2025-09-23 05:09
Core Viewpoint - The Stockholm Stock Exchange is currently the leading market in Europe for initial public offerings (IPOs), raising nearly $2 billion in 2025, significantly outperforming other major financial hubs like London, Frankfurt, and Madrid [1][2]. Group 1: Market Performance - Companies listed in Sweden have raised nearly $2 billion in 2025, which is more than eight times the volume seen in London [1]. - The IPO activity in Sweden is highlighted by upcoming high-profile listings from Verisure and NOBA, indicating a robust market environment [2]. - Despite the current boom, the amount raised in 2025 is still far from the all-time peak of over $11.5 billion achieved in 2021 [17]. Group 2: Investment Culture - Sweden's success in the IPO market is largely attributed to a strong national "equity culture," with about 70% of household wealth held in equity, compared to the EU average of 59% [5]. - A significant portion of the population, approximately seven in ten residents, hold investment funds directly, with only about 10% of their financial assets in cash or bank deposits, the lowest in Europe [5][6]. - The cultural acceptance of equity investment is supported by decades of government policy and regulation, fostering a mature investment ecosystem [6][7]. Group 3: Ecosystem and Support - The local capital ecosystem in Sweden is characterized by a high participation of retail and family office investors, as well as institutional capital managing savings and pension assets [8]. - The efficient IPO process benefits from a consistent deal flow and the involvement of "cornerstone" investors, which provides early quality assurance for new public offerings [10][11]. - A steady supply of companies backed by private equity and venture capital is contributing to the pipeline of potential IPOs, with private equity firms ensuring their portfolio companies are "IPO-ready" [12][14]. Group 4: Future Outlook - The outlook for the IPO market in Sweden remains positive, with expectations for a significant increase in activity in 2026 across the Nordics [18]. - Investors are currently selective, focusing on track records and prospects for profitable growth, but confidence in the upcoming pipeline is strong [17][18].
Asia-Pacific markets set to open higher, tracking Wall Street gains on tech stocks rally
CNBC· 2025-09-22 23:35
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher Tuesday, fueled by a tech rally on Wall Street after Nvidia announced a partnership with OpenAI, driving investor optimism about the future of artificial intelligence.Australia's ASX/S&P 200 rose 0.17%. South Korea's Kospi climbed 0.69%, while the small-cap Kosdaq added 0.28% at the open.Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 0.34% at the open. Hong Kong is bracing for a severe typhoon. The Hong Kong Observatory warned that conditions will begin to worsen later Tuesday, with ...
As Apple and Nvidia soar, Jim Cramer makes the case for owning individual stocks
CNBC· 2025-09-22 22:56
CNBC's Jim Cramer opined on two of his favorite long-term holdings — Apple and Nvidia — and suggested their continued success shows that it's worthwhile to stick with good-quality growth stocks instead of trading in and out of them. "As Nvidia and Apple proved once again today, individual stocks are where the biggest money is," he said. "Provided you've got the fortitude to stick around and you aren't addicted to buying high and selling low – the ultimate result of endless trading."The indexes ripped higher ...