US markets held near record highs as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hovered around all-time levels while the Dow led gains. Volatility spiked in commodities—gold plunged—while cyclicals and defense names outperformed. Tech cooled after cloud outages; earnings season and geopolitical deals (rare-earths pact) drove sector rotation and headline risk.
Warner Bros. Discovery has signaled openness to a full sale, triggering a frantic market reaction and sparking takeover speculation from major media and tech buyers. The filings and stock moves suggest a strategic review could lead to a bidding contest or breakup ahead of an already planned spinoff.
500M – Tether says it has reached 500 million users as USDT supply nears $182 billion.
A major AWS outage traced to Northern Virginia knocked large swathes of the internet offline, exposing cloud concentration risks and prompting rapid remediation. Firms and regulators are assessing fallout as Amazon reports services returning to normal.
Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Israel to shore up a fragile Gaza ceasefire, reiterating U.S. limits on troop involvement while warning Hamas on compliance. The diplomatic push seeks to stabilize a volatile truce as reconstruction talks begin.
Apple stock hits all-time high on strong iPhone 17 sales
Apple reached record market value as iPhone 17 demand and services momentum pushed shares to new highs, reinforcing its dominance in hardware and ecosystem revenue.
More on fastcompany.com
The U.S. and Australia struck a major critical-minerals deal to reduce reliance on China, spurring rallies in rare-earth stocks and fresh investment in mining projects. Markets and policymakers see the pact as a strategic move for supply-chain security and defense industries.
Gold suffered a sharp and rapid selloff, plunging from recent records as rate-cut expectations and risk-on flows reversed bullion’s rally. The drop rippled through miners and precious-metals markets, prompting concerns about volatility and position squeezing.
Northrop Grumman stock tumbles on guidance cut and sales miss
Northrop’s shares slid after the defense prime cut guidance and reported weaker-than-expected sales, stoking sector worries about order timing and program execution.
More on barrons.com
General Motors beat expectations, raised guidance and signaled tariffs are easing thanks to price moves, sending shares sharply higher. Management says pricing power and robust truck demand offset EV headwinds and tariff shocks.
Defense contractors are upgrading 2025 outlooks as geopolitical tensions and military demand lift orders. The sector’s positive revisions reflect higher program activity and stronger backlog across primes.
US-Australia $8.5bn critical-minerals pact announced to reduce China dependence; regulators flag tighter scrutiny of private-credit and non-bank lending amid systemic-risk warnings.
GE Aerospace pushed projections higher and posted strong results as jet-engine demand recovers, driving its stock toward record territory. The company cites supply-chain fixes and improving deliveries to back the raised guidance.
Internal Amazon documents and reporting suggest the company plans large-scale automation that could replace hundreds of thousands of roles, prompting internal and public scrutiny. The move underscores intensifying automation trends across retail and logistics.
“There will be no American boots on the ground in Gaza — our role is diplomatic and logistical support.”
— Vice President JD Vance
Anthropic’s leadership publicly pushed back against criticism from Trump administration officials, escalating a partisan clash over AI policy and corporate stance. Investors and policymakers are watching rhetoric as regulation debates intensify.
Coinbase agreed to acquire Echo in a roughly $375 million deal as the crypto exchange accelerates its product and fundraising capabilities. The move is part of broader consolidation and institutional push into crypto fundraising tools.
Blackstone and TPG move to take Hologic private in a deal that values the medical-tech company in the mid‑teens of billions, reflecting PE appetite for healthcare assets. The transaction ends a bout of market speculation and sends shares private.
Tether announced a milestone 500 million users and its USDT supply nears $182bn, underscoring stablecoin scale amid crypto turbulence. Bitcoin’s volatile swings continued, testing technical levels as liquidations hit the market.
Novo Nordisk’s board experienced a surprise shake-up as its chair and several directors stepped down amid shareholder unrest and slowing growth. The departures add governance uncertainty for the Wegovy maker as it navigates cooling demand.
CoreWeave pressed ahead with a $9bn offer for Core Scientific despite mounting shareholder opposition, highlighting strain in the AI-infrastructure M&A space. The deal faces skepticism from major shareholders and could face fights at closing.
The U.S. government shutdown entered week three, forcing warnings that SNAP benefits and other services could be disrupted, heightening political and economic risks. States and agencies are scrambling contingency plans as funding gaps widen.
SpaceX delays on Starship prompted NASA to reopen its Artemis III moon-lander contract to competition, signaling reduced tolerance for schedule slippage on high-profile space programs. The shift opens the door to rivals and reshapes lunar program procurement.
The Bank of England and other watchdogs warned of systemic risks in private credit and contagion from recent U.S. bankruptcy failures, raising market stability concerns. Officials urged caution as non-bank lending grows and oversight lags.