Justin Emerson

AMD launches Helios and steps up its offensive against Nvidia with Microsoft's backing

With Helios, its first rack-scale artificial intelligence system, AMD takes a strategic step in the AI infrastructure market. Microsoft is one of the first customers for the platform, which is due to ship by the year-end and aims to compete head-on with Nvidia's most advanced systems. Following this announcement, AMD shares rose more than 4% as the markets opened.

July 20, 2026 at 10:05 am EDT

Apple did not retake the crown, Nvidia let it slip

Apple did not dethrone Nvidia. The company with the apple logo simply stayed almost motionless, firmly planted on its pedestal, while a violent gust blowing through the chip sector knocked Nvidia's crown off… for a few hours. Apple therefore briefly became the world's most valuable company again without really moving forward. Nvidia fell, Apple resisted. Behind this aborted handoff lies a question that is becoming increasingly pressing for Wall Street: in a capital-intensive arms race, how much is the right to wait worth?

July 20, 2026 at 02:51 am EDT

The Week's Best Reads: soccer, the Middle East, AI and an escape of sorts

This week, AI is (again) everywhere. It writes with tics, threatens our jobs, unnerves its own bosses and stirs up chaos with Elon Musk. What about the rest? Well, Wall Street is learning to read Washington, two petro-monarchies fighting over $3,000bn, China knocking France off its foie gras throne (yes), and a chance to get away somewhere between the ultra-rich French Riviera.

July 17, 2026 at 08:36 am EDT

US green light for a new Merck cholesterol drug

US biopharmaceutical group Merck said on Thursday it has received authorization from US health regulators (the FDA) to market Lipfendra, a new type of cholesterol treatment, lifting its shares on Wall Street.

July 16, 2026 at 10:12 am EDT

US Bancorp beats expectations in Q2

Q2 2026 US Bancorp has reported EPS that is up 22% at $1.35, beating the consensus of $1.28, as well as a return on tangible common equity (ROTCE) up 0.7 percentage point to 18.7%.

July 16, 2026 at 10:05 am EDT

Amazon Leo teams up with Herotel to launch satellite internet in South Africa

Amazon Leo, Amazon's low-Earth-orbit satellite internet project, has struck a partnership with South African provider Herotel to offer a broadband service aimed at underserved rural areas. Branded 'evry', the offering is set to launch for consumers in 2027 and aims to improve internet access in regions where rolling out terrestrial networks remains too costly.

July 15, 2026 at 01:51 pm EDT

Apple considers semiconductor acquisitions to speed up its AI

Apple is exploring the acquisition of semiconductor-focused companies to bolster the development of processors for its artificial intelligence servers. According to The Information, the group has approached several young companies in the sector and opened talks with investment banks to assess potential deals, as it seeks to improve the performance of its AI infrastructure.

July 15, 2026 at 12:46 pm EDT

The Big Race for Capital

The hyperscalers have made a bet: spending colossal sums to boost their AI infrastructure. While nobody is certain whether these investments will pay off or not, one thing is clear: they will need to be paid for.

July 15, 2026 at 11:19 am EDT

JP Morgan Seen Lower Despite Strong Results, Geopolitics Weighs

The leading US bank posted very strong quarterly results, beating analysts' expectations. The 2026 targets were not updated and the group said it remains vigilant on geopolitics, inflation and the public deficit. That caution appears to be cooling markets: the stock is expected down nearly 2% at the opening bell on Wall Street.

July 14, 2026 at 09:33 am EDT

Diesel threatens to reignite inflation despite a contained Brent

While investors continue to watch Brent and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, the real energy shock is now centered on the diesel market. This divergence could have more direct consequences for the global economy than moves in crude oil prices themselves.

July 14, 2026 at 03:10 am EDT

Trump revives Iran blockade, demands 20% Hormuz fee

Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States was reinstating its naval blockade of Iran and would seek reimbursement equal to 20% of the value of all cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

July 13, 2026 at 10:42 am EDT

PageGroup finds its footing

The recruitment group is still operating in a weak hiring market. But a better second quarter, rising productivity and growth in Asia and the Americas suggest that the downturn may finally be losing some of its force. The stock was up 11% this morning.

July 13, 2026 at 04:27 am EDT

Delta Air Lines Sees EPS Dip Slightly Less Than Expected

Delta Air Lines reported non-GAAP EPS down 26% to $1.56 for its June 2026 quarter, although slightly above the consensus of $1.53, along with an operating margin of 8.8%, down from 13.3% a year ago.

July 10, 2026 at 08:48 am EDT

French tycoon Niel dials up Vodafone

Xavier Niel has spent decades unsettling Europe's telecoms establishment. Now the French billionaire is becoming its most powerful shareholder, taking a 16.2% stake in Vodafone in a £4.4bn ($5.9bn) deal that sent the British group's shares up by around 11%.

July 10, 2026 at 03:58 am EDT

Memecoins: When Internet Jokes Hit the Big Time

A Japanese dog, an anonymous fisherman and a cartoon frog walk into a market. It sounds like the start of a bad joke. It is one, it has cost tens of billions of dollars, and the punchline is playing out at the White House.

July 09, 2026 at 10:24 am EDT

European defense: why the markets are no longer getting carried away

European defense stocks are no longer benefiting from the enthusiasm that followed announcements of the continent's rearmament. While military budgets continue to rise, investors are now more demanding, favoring companies that can innovate quickly in drones, robotics, or military software, rather than large cooperative programs that have shown their limits.

July 09, 2026 at 05:35 am EDT

Oil vs LNG: AlphaValue Sees Energy Paths Moving Further Apart

AlphaValue has published a sector study on the LNG market: "2050: A Gas Odyssey". Global LNG (liquefied natural gas) demand is expected to rise from 422 Mtpa (million tonnes per year) in 2025 to nearly 700 Mtpa by 2050, an increase of 65% over the period. South and Southeast Asia account for about 40% of that growth.

July 09, 2026 at 05:13 am EDT

Fidelity International: "ETF investors are once again favoring US equities"

The European UCITS ETF market was still on the up in June. Net inflows of $44.9bn exceeded their 3-month and 12-month averages. Investors' renewed interest in the United States was one of the month's key developments. Equity ETFs with US exposure drew in $14.6bn, the highest intake amongst the various equity regions, extending a trend seen throughout Q2.

July 09, 2026 at 04:56 am EDT

Lufthansa hits turbulence, analysts grow concerned

Despite the stock's recent rebound (+13% in one month, +27% in three months), analysts' views on Lufthansa remain mainly cautious. Citi has downgraded the stock to 'sell', while Morgan Stanley is maintaining its 'underweight' rating. Meanwhile, UBS notes an improvement in investor positioning, with the analyst not questioning the group's underlying reservations. The airline stock is down over 5% today in Frankfurt as jet fuel prices jump again after the announcement of the end of the ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

July 08, 2026 at 10:43 am EDT

When it's murky, there's trouble: why is Indonesia in the cellar?

After MSCI, S&P Dow Jones is now placing Indonesia under review. The IDX Composite is down over 31% since January, the worst performance amongst major markets. Jakarta is paying for its gray areas, from tiny free floats and poorly identified shareholders to the risk of being downgraded in the world's major indices.

July 08, 2026 at 06:47 am EDT

Broadcom extends its commercial agreement with Apple, shares rise

Broadcom is starting the week on the right foot, up 6% to $382 on Wall Street, cheered by an encouraging announcement for the semiconductor supplier's business outlook over the coming years.

July 06, 2026 at 10:03 am EDT