Author: arthursheikin@gmail.com

[ad_1] Facebook Tweet Email Link New York  —  Intel said Thursday it has mostly completed plans it announced last quarter to cut 15% of its workforce, as the struggling chipmaker attempts a turnaround. The layoffs, tucked in Intel’s second quarter earnings report, marked one of the first major decisions by new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who took over the company’s top job in March. “It’s going to take time, but we see clear opportunities to enhance our competitive position, improve our profitability and create long-term shareholder value,” Tan said in a press release announcing the earnings results. Intel shares (INTC) rose…

[ad_1] Facebook Tweet Email Link The look on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s face said it all. In a press briefing Thursday afternoon, midway through a tour of the Fed’s ongoing renovation project, President Donald Trump claimed that the work cost $3.1 billion — about $600 million more than its stated price tag. The typically stoic Powell looked at Trump and began shaking his head. “Went up a little bit — or a lot,” Trump said. “And so the 2.7 is now 3.1.” That’s when Powell couldn’t hold it in any longer. The Fed chair shot Trump a quizzical look…

[ad_1] Google on Thursday is launching a new AI-powered feature called Web Guide for organizing Google Search results. Web Guide is a Search Labs experiment that leverages AI technology to organize the search results page by grouping pages related to specific aspects of the search query. Search Labs experiments are a way for Google to test out new ideas by letting users opt in to those they find interesting. The experiments can be turned on or off at any time and include things like Google’s AI Mode, Notebook LM, filmmaking tool Flow, and other, more niche ideas, like an audio…

[ad_1] Google on Thursday is launching a new AI-powered feature called Web Guide for organizing Google Search results. Web Guide is a Search Labs experiment that leverages AI technology to organize the search results page by grouping pages related to specific aspects of the search query. Search Labs experiments are a way for Google to test out new ideas by letting users opt in to those they find interesting. The experiments can be turned on or off at any time and include things like Google’s AI Mode, Notebook LM, filmmaking tool Flow, and other, more niche ideas, like an audio…

[ad_1] Sandal maker Birkenstock is an attractive play with a long-term growth profile, according to Goldman Sachs. Analyst Louise Singlehurst upgraded shares to buy from neutral and kept her 12-month price target of $60, which suggests the stock can jump 18% from its latest close. “In terms of valuation, the recent relative softness versus the footwear/lifestyle peers provides an opportunity to revisit the investment thesis,” Singlehurst said in a note to clients. “Whilst we acknowledge uncertainty remains over the tariff environment … this presents an attractive entry point.” Shares of Birkenstock are down nearly 8% year to date amid general…

[ad_1] Alphabet’s strong earnings report seems to be quashing any fears on Wall Street that the artificial intelligence trade has peaked. The Google parent’s second-quarter results — released on Wednesday afternoon — painted a healthy picture of the tech stalwart’s current AI ambitions. Back in February, the company forecast it would invest an expected $75 billion in capital expenditures this year as builds out its AI offerings. But on Wednesday, the company upped this figure to $85 billion, justifying this increase by pointing to “strong and growing demand for our Cloud products and services.” Boosted by Alphabet’s positive second-quarter earnings,…

[ad_1] Blackstone reported that the trillion-dollar investment firm’s Wall Street deal engine is revving back to life as it sees a pickup in initial public offerings and merger and acquisition transactions.”We are preparing a number of other companies for public offerings over the coming quarters,” Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone’s CEO, said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call on Thursday, after pointing to the investment firm’s July IPO of Cirsa, a gambling company in Spain.Jon Gray, Blackstone’s president, said that the company’s $480 billion credit platform was evaluating 50% more potential IPO transactions than in 2024.”There’s just a lot of pent-up demand…

[ad_1] Netflix has seemingly solved the economics of streaming, but it hasn’t yet mastered movies.Viewership for Netflix’s original films shrank in the last two years, even as inventory rose, according to new research from MoffettNathanson based on data from Netflix’s self-published engagement report.Movies made for Netflix generated 9.2 billion viewing hours in the first half of 2025, 7% lower than the back half of 2024, and well down from 10.3 billion viewing hours in the first half of 2023. Those declines came despite an increase in the number of original film titles available on the platform.That suggests Netflix’s original movies…

[ad_1] Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sent a note to employees on Thursday trying to explain why the company has cut thousands of jobs while generating huge profits and spending billions on AI.”This is the enigma of success in an industry that has no franchise value,” Nadella wrote. “Progress isn’t linear. It’s dynamic, sometimes dissonant, and always demanding. But it’s also a new opportunity for us to shape, lead through, and have greater impact than ever before.”Microsoft this year has said it would shed about 15,000 employees and cut nearly 2,000 additional staff deemed underperformers.Meanwhile, the company’s net income has totaled…

[ad_1] Quant hedge fund managers are experiencing one of the most prolonged droughts in recent memory. The bigger concern: They don’t know why.Systematic hedge funds have suffered a steady decline since June that managers are struggling to wrap their heads around. Quant executives, portfolio managers, and headhunters working in the space told Business Insider that the turmoil has hit most of the industry, generating concern and intrigue about the source of the pain.”It kinda crept up on everyone as there weren’t many disastrous days, but it’s been small loss after small loss,” said one executive at a quant trading firm,…