Key Points The Magnificent Seven tech stocks have driven gains in the S&P 500 in recent years. Certain Magnificent Seven companies are particularly strong in the field of artificial intelligence. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › The Magnificent Seven technology stocks offered investors spectacular performance in recent years and powered the S&P 500 higher. This is thanks to these market giants' well-established track records of earnings growth in businesses ranging from e-commerce to cloud co ...

Facebook co-founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sits in his seat inside a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Insight Forum for all U.S. senators hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 13, 2023.A landmark case against social media giants Meta, Alphabet's YouTube and TikTok is set to begin Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. It's the first of several high-profile legal cases kicking off in 2026 that center on allegations that the companies misled t ...

Market Overview - As of January 27, U.S. stock index futures showed mixed results with Dow futures down 0.48%, S&P 500 futures up 0.23%, and Nasdaq futures up 0.60% [1] - European indices also displayed varied performance, with Germany's DAX down 0.12%, UK's FTSE 100 up 0.36%, France's CAC40 up 0.37%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 up 0.29% [3] - WTI crude oil decreased by 0.23% to $60.49 per barrel, while Brent crude oil fell by 0.25% to $64.61 per barrel [3] Investment Insights - UBS forecasts the S&P 500 could reach 8,400 points by year-end, driven by opportunities in artificial intelligence, longevity technology, and energy [4] - Amundi highlights a shift from dollar assets to gold, predicting continued strength in gold prices due to rising U.S. fiscal deficits and uncertainty in monetary policy [6] - Silver prices have surged over 7%, but concerns about speculative trading and potential corrections have been raised [7] Company-Specific Developments - UnitedHealth reported Q4 revenue of $113.22 billion, slightly below expectations, and provided a 2026 revenue guidance of $439 billion, also below market forecasts [10] - Boeing exceeded revenue expectations with Q4 revenue of $23.9 billion [10] - UPS reported Q4 revenue of $24.5 billion, surpassing expectations, and raised its 2026 revenue guidance to approximately $89.7 billion [10] - General Motors' Q4 revenue fell 5% to $45.3 billion, but it announced a $6 billion stock buyback plan and provided a positive 2026 earnings outlook [11] - Micron Technology plans to increase investment in storage chip manufacturing in Singapore to address global shortages [13] - Nike is cutting 775 jobs in its U.S. distribution centers as part of a strategy to streamline operations and enhance automation [14]

Group 1 - U.S. stock index futures show mixed performance, with Nasdaq futures up 0.63% and S&P 500 futures up 0.25%, while Dow futures are down 0.44% [1] - Major European indices also display mixed results, with Germany's DAX down 0.09%, UK's FTSE 100 up 0.35%, France's CAC up 0.37%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 up 0.28% [1] - The Federal Reserve officials expect to pause interest rate cuts this week, with an unclear path for future cuts [1] Group 2 - Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are negotiating with Apple to significantly increase the price of LPDDR memory used in iPhones, with a potential increase of up to 100% [2] Group 3 - The European Union has initiated two compliance procedures to ensure Google meets its obligations under the Digital Markets Act [3] Group 4 - Microsoft has received approval to build 15 additional data centers in Wisconsin, USA [4] Group 5 - Micron Technology is investing $24 billion to expand production in Singapore to address AI chip shortages [5] - Synopsys CEO anticipates that the price increase and shortage of memory chips will persist until 2027 [5] Group 6 - Nike is reportedly planning to lay off 775 employees to enhance profitability and accelerate automation [6] Group 7 - Alibaba has officially launched its flagship reasoning model Qwen3-Max-Thinking, which is noted for its stronger initiative and proficiency in logical reasoning [7] Group 8 - XPeng Motors' CEO expects "very strong" growth this year, with overseas sales growth potentially surpassing that of the domestic market [8] Group 9 - VinFast is collaborating with AI company Autobrains to develop autonomous driving technology [9] Group 10 - The U.S. Treasury has terminated its contract with consulting firm Booz Allen, related to the leak of tax records for Trump and Musk [10] Group 11 - UnitedHealth reported Q4 revenue of $113.215 billion, with adjusted EPS down 69.02% year-over-year to $2.11 [11] - General Motors reported Q4 revenue of $45.29 billion, with a loss of $3.31 billion; the company approved a $6 billion stock buyback plan [12] - American Airlines reported Q4 adjusted EPS of $0.16, which was below expectations, and anticipates a revenue decrease of $150 million to $200 million due to winter storms [13] - Raytheon Technologies reported a 12% year-over-year increase in Q4 sales to $24.24 billion, with adjusted EPS of $1.55, exceeding expectations [14]

Core Insights - The article asserts that AGI represents the ability to "figure things out," marking a shift from the era of "Talkers" to "Doers" in AI by 2026, driven by Long Horizon Agents [2] - Long Horizon Agents are characterized by their ability to autonomously plan, operate over extended periods, and exhibit expert-level features across complex tasks, expanding from coding to various domains [3][4] - The emergence of these agents is seen as a significant turning point, with the potential to revolutionize how complex tasks are approached and executed [3][21] Long Horizon Agents' Explosion - Long Horizon Agents are finally beginning to work effectively, with the core idea being to allow LLMs to operate in a loop and make autonomous decisions [4] - The ideal interaction with agents combines asynchronous management and synchronous collaboration, enhancing their utility in various applications [3][4] - The coding domain has seen the most rapid adoption of these agents, with examples like AutoGPT demonstrating their capabilities in executing complex multi-step tasks [4][5] Transition from General Framework to Harness Architecture - The distinction between models, frameworks, and harnesses is crucial, with harnesses being more opinionated and designed for specific tasks, while frameworks are more abstract [8][9] - The evolution of harness engineering is particularly advanced in coding companies, which have successfully integrated these concepts into their products [12][14] - The integration of file system permissions into agents is essential for effective context management and task execution [24] Future Interactions and Production Forms - Memory is identified as a critical component for self-improvement in agents, allowing them to retain and utilize past interactions to enhance performance [35] - The future of agent interaction is expected to blend asynchronous and synchronous modes, facilitating better user engagement and task management [36] - The necessity for agents to access file systems is emphasized, as it significantly enhances their operational capabilities [39]

Google's stock continues to show remarkable technical strength, trading at $333.26, up 1.63% on the day with a year-to-date gain of 6.4%. The stock is comfortably above both its 21-day and 50-day moving averages, demonstrating sustained institutional accumulation.While there is some put activity visible in the flow, particularly at the $300 and $340 strikes, the net sentiment remains overwhelmingly bullish with call volume and premium substantially outweighing protective put buying.Notably, heavy call volum ...

Core Viewpoint - The EU's Digital Markets Act mandates Apple to allow developers to inform customers about alternative offers outside its App Store, amidst concerns over the presence of "nudify" apps that exploit AI to create non-consensual sexualized images of individuals [1][4]. Group 1: App Store Findings - A review by Tech Transparency Project identified 55 nudify apps on Google Play and 47 on the Apple App Store [2]. - Apple removed 28 apps identified in the report after being contacted by TPP and CNBC, while also warning developers about potential removals for guideline violations [3]. - Google suspended several apps for violating its policies but did not disclose the exact number of removals due to an ongoing investigation [5]. Group 2: Safety and Security Concerns - Both Apple and Google claim to prioritize user safety, yet they host apps that can transform innocent photos into abusive images [4]. - TTP's director emphasized that the identified apps are designed for non-consensual sexualization, rather than merely changing outfits [8]. Group 3: Context and Background - The report follows backlash against Elon Musk's xAI for its Grok AI tool generating sexualized images, highlighting ongoing concerns about AI's role in creating harmful content [6]. - The watchdog organization utilized search terms like "nudify" and "undress" to locate these apps, testing their functionality with AI-generated images [7].

Group 1 - Google has agreed to pay approximately $68 million to settle allegations of illegally "listening in" on users through its Google Assistant, while denying any wrongdoing [1] - The lawsuit claims that Google's devices often misinterpret other sounds as trigger words, leading to unauthorized recording of private conversations [1] - The settlement agreement has been submitted to a federal court in San Jose, California, and users who purchased Google devices after May 18, 2016, or experienced "false triggers" will be eligible for compensation once approved by the judge [1] Group 2 - Apple previously faced similar allegations and agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding its Siri voice assistant, with compensation expected to be $20 per device and a maximum of $100 per individual [2]

By Aditya Soni Jan 27 (Reuters) - Microsoft and Meta will kick off Big Tech earnings this week under pressure to prove that their costly bets on artificial intelligence can power another year of strong growth as a resurgent Alphabet takes the lead in the high-stakes ​race. The companies, along with Amazon, are expected to lift their AI spending by 30% to more than $500 billion this year, an unprecedented outlay ‌that will sharpen investor scrutiny. Doubts have deepened whether Microsoft has squandered ...

Core Insights - 2026 is expected to see continued significant spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure by major tech companies, following a substantial increase in 2025 [1][2] - The earnings season for major tech firms will provide insights into their spending plans and expected profitability from AI investments [2][3] Group 1: Capital Expenditures - The four hyperscalers—Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon—are projected to increase capital expenditures to over $470 billion in 2026, up from approximately $350 billion in 2025 [3] - Meta has raised its capital expenditure guidance for 2025 to between $70 billion and $72 billion, with analysts forecasting nearly 57% growth in 2026 to over $110 billion [18][19] - Amazon's capital expenditure forecast for 2026 has been increased to $125 billion, with analysts expecting it to grow to $146 billion [25][26] Group 2: Company-Specific Developments - Microsoft is under pressure to control costs while expanding its Azure cloud unit, with capital expenditures expected to rise to $98.8 billion this fiscal year [11][12] - Meta's AI investments have raised concerns among investors due to its reliance on digital advertising for revenue, especially after a failed product launch [16][17] - Apple is focusing on a partnership with Google for its Siri overhaul, while also monitoring its capital expenditure costs and potential iPhone sales growth [21][24] Group 3: Market Dynamics - OpenAI's commitments have reached $1.4 trillion, necessitating ongoing fundraising to support its plans, which are closely tied to the broader tech industry [6][7] - Alphabet has increased its capital expenditure forecast for 2025 to a range of $91 billion to $93 billion, with expectations of over $115 billion in 2026 [30] - Tesla's automotive deliveries fell by 8.6% in 2025, and investors are keen to see updates on its core automotive and energy sales, as well as future growth from new ventures [35][36]