CBC contributor and Fortune contributing editor Mahal Lev joins us now as well. Uh Mal tell us you know tech has always tried to be more efficient but those numbers 10x revenue increase he's talking about while reducing the headcount from 4100 to 3600 um seem almost hard to imagine. I don't know what that paints by the way for the larger economy andor society if in fact that becomes the rule rather than the exception.Yeah, absolutely. It raises a lot of questions, David, but but in fact, this is kind of the ...

M&A Activity & Market Outlook - M&A activity experienced a slow start in the first half of 2025, but a strong July suggests a potential increase in momentum for the second half of the year [1][2] - Confidence in capital markets is growing, contributing to the elevated M&A activity [4] - The bid-ask gap has narrowed from approximately two points to about a half a point, making deals more affordable and aligning buyer and seller expectations [5] Interest Rates & Economic Factors - A lower cost of capital is desired to sustain deal-making activity, although current rates haven't stopped deals entirely [6] - The market anticipates two interest rate cuts (two turns down) this year, fueling optimism [7][12] - The base case economic backdrop anticipates flat or declining inflation and a slight increase in GDP [12] Sector Focus - Technology is expected to remain a key sector for M&A activity for the next 5 years, driven by the race to acquire sophisticated AI technology [8][9] - Oil and gas, life sciences (due to strong cash reserves and the need to build R&D pipelines), and media and entertainment are also expected to see continued M&A activity [10] Regulatory Environment - Deregulation is considered a potential tailwind for companies seeking to consolidate [3] - The current administration's approach to regulation may be facilitating certain deals with fewer compromises [4]

Company Overview - Williams handles roughly a third of all the natural gas transported in the US and oversees more than 30,000 miles of pipelines [1] - Williams posted better than expected revenue, but Q2 earnings were a miss [1] Deregulation & Infrastructure - Deregulation is expected to benefit Williams and the country [2][3] - Permitting a project can take longer and cost more than buying the steel needed for construction [4] - Lowering costs for consumers and winning the race for infrastructure are huge opportunities for the country [4] Natural Gas & Energy Market - The US has the ability to produce the lowest cost energy on the planet with natural gas being four times cheaper than a barrel of oil on an MMBTU equivalent [6] - Natural gas has been the most powerful decarbonization tool in the US, driving down emissions [6][7] - The US has enough natural gas supply to meet export demand, including a potential $250 billion a year deal with the EU, and domestic needs [5] Data Centers & AI - Natural gas is critical for powering data centers and winning the race for AI [4][5][9][12] - Williams is building a utility scale power generation facility (Project Socrates) to power an artificial intelligence center in under 18 months [8][10][11] - Williams' Project Socrates represents a $1.6 billion investment for behind-the-meter power solutions [8]

For more, let's bring in Jeffrey's chief market strategist, David Zervos. David is also a CNBC contributor. Uh, David, what did you make of the president's comments this morning as it pertains to the Fed and uh his process for appointing the next Fed chair? >> Well, I don't think there was a lot new, at least from my perspective there. The markets seem to be talking a lot about Scott and um I think Scott said in many interviews here uh he loves his job and he's doing a great job. The president likes the job ...

Are you going to run again. The constitution. >> Probably not.>> Okay. >> Probably not. >> And you're not going to And you're not going to fire J Pal.We'll get We'll go We'll go all talk about all the stuff that >> Hey, Becky, I'd like to run. I I have the best poll numbers I've ever had. You know why.Because people love >> the tariffs. And that's Republicans. And they love that countries and they love that foreign countries aren't ripping us off anymore. For years, they ripped us off.Friend info. ...

Palanteer hitting a record high this morning after a second quarter beat on the top and bottom lines. The defense tech company topping a billion dollars in quarterly revenue for the first time ever. That's up nearly 50% year-over-year.Joining me now, Jeffrey's analyst Brent Th. He has an underperform rating at a $60 price target on Palunteer. Brent, uh, great to have you weigh in here.I know that, you know, you've kind of been dealing on these two tracks when it comes to Palunteer. The fundamental performan ...

VettaFi’s director of research Todd Rosenbluth and Astoria portfolio advisors COO & head of ETFs Bruce Lavine sit down with CNBC’s Leslie Picker to discuss new strategies for investors looking to diversify while still trying to stay tax efficient, as well as the growing popularity of momentum ETFs. ...

Household Debt Overview - Household debt increased by 1% to $18.4 trillion [1] - Overall delinquency rates remain relatively modest, excluding student loans [2] Delinquency Rates - Auto loan and credit card debt delinquencies remain elevated [1] - Student loan debt that is 30-day delinquent surged to 13%, previously 1% in Q4 during the forbearance period [2] - Credit card agencies are reporting delinquencies around 13%, up from 8% in Q1 [2] - 90-day mortgage delinquencies increased to 1.3%, the highest level since Q4 2016 [3] Potential Economic Weakness - Potential economic weakness is a concern regarding student debt and its knock-on effect on credit card issues and credit reporting [3]

Shares of Hims and Hers health making a big comeback this morning after initially slumping double digits on earnings. Let's get to Brandon Gomez with more on what's moving this one. Brandon.>> Hey Mike. Yeah, HIMS bouncing back from session lows. Shares were down as much as 13% after a mixed quarter.Let's start with the good and we'll get into the bounce back in just a second. EPS beat 17 cents a share versus the expected 15. The company reaffirmed its fullear outlook, not to mention the company's long-term ...

white House throughout the rest of the day today. >> All right Megan we'll be watching. Thank you.Megan Cassella in DC. Let's get back to the markets the S&P, the Nasdaq and the Dow coming off. What was the best day they've had since May 27th.Goldman Sachs chief U.S. Equity strategist David Kostin joins us here on set. David, good to have you towards the end of earnings season. And I want to come to you on something we were discussing yesterday, which was the market outperformance on earnings growth of the ...