SHANGHAI, Dec 17 (Reuters) - MetaX Integrated Circuits jumped 700% in its Shanghai market debut as the Chinese AI chipmaker tapped into strong momentum triggered by Beijing's push to reduce reliance on chips from U.S. firms Nvidia (NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Founded by former AMD executives, MetaX raised roughly $600 million in an initial public ​offering last week, days after larger rival Moore Threads debuted with a 400% pop. MetaX opened at 700 yuan a share in Shanghai versus an IPO pric ...

Good Morning, Asia. Here's what's making news in the markets: Welcome to Asia Morning Briefing, a daily summary of top stories during U.S. hours and an overview of market moves and analysis. For a detailed overview of U.S. markets, see CoinDesk's Crypto Daybook Americas.Crypto’s next $200 billion valuation debate may already be taking shape, and it looks a lot like Solana during the last cycle, according to a new report from Cantor Fitzgerald, which initiates coverage of Hyperion DeFi (HYPD) and Hyperliqui ...

Core Insights - Kioxia America, Inc. has integrated its AiSAQ technology into Milvus, enhancing the capabilities of one of the most widely adopted open-source vector databases for AI applications [1][2][3] Group 1: Technology Integration - The integration of Kioxia's AiSAQ technology into Milvus (starting with version 2.6.4) provides developers and enterprises with a cost-effective solution for scaling AI applications without high memory costs [1][2] - AiSAQ technology significantly reduces DRAM requirements while enabling high-quality vector search, making large-scale Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) deployments more accessible and affordable [2][3] Group 2: Market Demand and Challenges - As organizations adopt larger AI models and develop complex RAG pipelines, the demand for vector databases is increasing, with DRAM cost becoming a major barrier to growth [2][3] - Milvus now supports SSD-optimized vector indexing due to the integration of AiSAQ, which dramatically reduces memory usage while maintaining high-quality search performance [3][4] Group 3: Future Developments - Kioxia's AiSAQ technology is designed to enhance vector scalability by storing all RAG database elements on SSDs, with tuning options available to prioritize performance or scalability [4][5] - The ongoing development of AiSAQ aims to support trillion-vector scale, further advancing the capabilities of AI applications [4][5]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses a securities class action lawsuit against CarMax, Inc. alleging that the company misled investors about its business stability and growth prospects, resulting in significant stock declines [2][4]. Summary by Sections Lawsuit Details - The lawsuit claims that CarMax and its executives concealed critical information regarding the company's operational challenges, leading to two major stock crashes [2][5]. - The class period for the lawsuit is defined as June 20, 2025, to November 5, 2025 [3]. Allegations - The complaint identifies two main issues that allegedly inflated the stock price: - **Unsustainable Demand**: CarMax reported strong growth for Q1 2026 but failed to disclose that this was due to a temporary surge in customer demand driven by anticipated tariffs [4]. - **CarMax Auto Finance Risk**: Management assured investors about the stability of their loan reserves, which later revealed a significant increase in loan loss provisions amounting to $142 million, a 40% sequential increase [4]. Impact on Business - The lawsuit highlights a distortion in core retail demand that could not be maintained in subsequent quarters, leading to a drastic cut in forward guidance and signaling systemic weaknesses in business operations [4]. - The stock experienced a 20% decline following the announcement of disappointing Q2 results, which included a 24% drop in net EPS and the unexpected loan loss provision [4]. Investor Actions - Investors who purchased CarMax securities during the class period and suffered losses are encouraged to contact Hagens Berman to discuss their rights and potential involvement in the lawsuit [5][6].

Core Insights - Affirm's stock surged by 10.2% on a day marked by a broader upswing in the buy-now/pay-later (BNPL) and fintech sectors, influenced by a weaker-than-expected jobs report that may lead to lower interest rates [1][4][5] Company Performance - Affirm's CFO Rob O'Hare highlighted a five-year partnership extension with Amazon, which is expected to drive new customer acquisition for both companies [2][6] - The company reported a 34% increase in revenue and a GAAP operating margin of 7% in its most recent quarter, indicating strong growth and profitability [9] - Credit trends remained stable, with delinquency rates consistent with previous years, suggesting that the company's credit model is holding up [10] Market Context - The positive market reaction to Affirm's performance was also reflected in other BNPL and fintech stocks, which experienced gains due to favorable market conditions and investor sentiment [5] - The partnership with Amazon was described as a "win-win," with terms remaining mostly unchanged, reinforcing Affirm's leadership in the industry [6][9] - Evercore ISI maintained an outperform rating for Affirm, with a price target of $95, reflecting confidence in the company's future performance [7]

Ross Gerber seems to always speak his mind when it comes to Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk. “I’m not a fan of Elon,” Gerber said during a recent episode of the “Chasing Finance” podcast. “But I’m not going to deny the fact he builds great products.” ‘He’s built some big companies and he’s succeeded,” Gerber added. “People are willing to pay a premium for this guy who works 24/7, who, you know, has built some great products.” Gerber Still Believes in Tesla’s Potential, But Not Blindly While the promin ...

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on autoimmune diseases, oncology, and pain management.H.C. Wainwright set a price target of $135 for NKTR, indicating a potential price increase of approximately 164%.Recent Phase 2b REZOLVE-AA trial results for rezpegaldesleukin showed significant potential in treating severe-to-very-severe alopecia areata.Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative medicines in areas of high un ...

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) is a leading global food company known for its wide range of products, including cereals, snacks, and pet foods. The company operates in a competitive market with rivals like Kellogg's and Nestlé. Recently, General Mills has experienced fluctuations in its consensus price target, reflecting changing analyst expectations. General Mills is set to announce its second-quarter earnings results on December 17. Analyst Christopher Growe from Stifel Nicolaus has set a price target of ...

Core Insights - GE HealthCare will supply over 300 CT scanners to Indonesia as part of the Strengthening Indonesia's Health Referral Network (SIHREN) program, aimed at providing equitable, high-quality healthcare to more than 280 million Indonesians [1] Group 1 - The contract is a multi-year agreement that was awarded competitively [1] - The advanced CT scanners will be distributed to public hospitals across all 38 provinces, including both urban and remote areas [1]

Core Insights - Office workers are experiencing heightened anxiety as job security diminishes in sectors like information and financial services, which have seen recent job cuts [1] Industry Summary - The information and financial services sectors are currently undergoing significant job reductions, contributing to a climate of uncertainty and stress among employees [1]