Today's stories that matter
Rate-cut hopes keep risk appetite steady while oil eases on peace-talks chatter. Chips, cyber, retail, and Apple’s supply chain round out the day’s view of growth and inflation.
🧠 SoftBank puts $2B into Intel
SoftBank bought about $2 billion of Intel stock - a nod to Intel’s push into foundry work and AI hardware as Washington debates deeper industrial policy and Intel lines up capital for its turnaround.
Patient capital can extend a turnaround’s runway and keep AI supply chains from becoming a two-company race.
🛢️ Oil slips on tentative Russia-Ukraine talks chatter
Crude fell as traders weighed signals of possible talks involving the US, Ukraine, and Russia. Perceived supply risk eased. Brent hovered near $66 and WTI near $63.
Cheaper energy eases inflation and supports household budgets. That tends to help bonds and consumers, while pressuring energy stocks and producer cash flows.
🔐 Palo Alto Networks beats and raises on AI-security demand
Palo Alto topped estimates and lifted guidance on stronger demand for AI-enabled security tools. Shares moved higher in early trading.
Security is a must-have line item. Resilience here hints that enterprise tech spend remains steady even if broader capex cools.
🏠 Home Depot misses, but comps improve - guidance intact
Sales and profit were a touch light, but US comps rose 1.4% for a third straight quarter. Management kept full-year targets and noted a shift toward smaller DIY projects.
A slow improvement suggests housing-adjacent spending may be stabilizing. If rates ease later this year, bigger projects could follow.
📦 Report: Apple to make all US-bound iPhone 17 models in India
Multiple reports say Apple will build the full iPhone 17 lineup for the US market in India, expanding to five factories to reduce reliance on China ahead of next month’s launch.65y7
Shifting production lowers geopolitical risk and can change who benefits across the hardware supply chain - especially Indian suppliers and logistics.