Wall Street Breakfast

Paramount wins the bidding for Warner Bros after Netflix steps back, triggering a large breakup fee. Anthropic refuses unrestricted Pentagon access to its AI models amid national security pressure. Burger King gives the Whopper its first big refresh in over a decade. Markets buzz with Bitcoin banking integration plans, a new Meta-Google AI chip deal, and ASML chipmaking production news.

Markets shift away from AI winners toward consumer staples as valuations for staples climb. Krispy Kreme and Shake Shack surge after strong earnings and strategic moves. Jane Street becomes a major silver ETF holder, hinting at unusual positioning. The S&P 500 triggers a Hindenburg Omen signal, stirring debate about market breadth and risk.

C3.ai’s missed guidance, regional sales shortfalls, and a large workforce cut take center stage. NVIDIA’s blowout quarter and confident revenue guide create a stark contrast. A report says DeepSeek withheld an AI model from U.S. chipmakers, raising geopolitical and industry questions. Markets also react to Salesforce outlook and big movers like Nutanix and AMD-related partnership news.

Wayve scores a massive $1.2B raise with Microsoft, Nvidia and Uber joining the round. Uber maps out robo-taxi timing and multimodal plans with Joby Aviation. HP and Lowe's flag guidance risks tied to memory and housing. Pew data shows most US teens are using AI chat tools. Tom Lee spots heavy trading that could mark a software-stock turning point.

UBS warns private credit defaults could surge amid AI disruption fears. AMC plans to shutter underperforming theaters and trim expansion. The White House pushes tech firms to build dedicated AI data centers under a rate-protection pledge. Rapid shifts in AI policy and media M&A ripple through market movers and upcoming corporate catalysts.

Coverage of FedEx suing the U.S. to reclaim IEEPA tariff payments. Discussion of Hims & Hers disclosing an SEC inquiry tied to GLP-1 copycats. Conversation about IBM’s stock drop after controversial claims about COBOL modernization. Brief notes on tariffs, pharmaceutical litigation, quantum contract news, and market snapshot items.

Markets wobble after renewed tariff news sends futures lower. DHS staffing drama threatens TSA PreCheck and could complicate airline operations. Big outflows hit U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs over a five-week stretch. A pharma trial setback knocks down a major obesity stock while AI chip and corporate updates keep investors watching.

Brian Stewart, Director of News at Seeking Alpha, offers market analysis on retail winners and risks. He breaks down Walmart’s holiday results and Carvana’s margin squeeze. He flags private credit liquidity concerns from Blue Owl and discusses heavy AI capex and its boom-or-bust stakes. He also reviews the Supreme Court tariff ruling and previews key earnings and inflation signals.

Carvana sees higher sales but shrinking per-vehicle profit, sparking a sharp stock drop. DoorDash posts double-digit order growth and issues upbeat near-term guidance. Moderna gets FDA acceptance to review its seasonal flu mRNA filing with an August action date. Markets update covers big movers, commodities, and tech earnings trends like Figma's strong growth outlook.

Japan-backed financing will funnel $36 billion into U.S. oil, gas, and critical minerals projects across Texas, Georgia, and Ohio. SoftBank’s energy arm is tied to a massive Portsmouth power development. Plans include a large Texas crude export terminal and a $600 million synthetic diamond plant. Tech news covers a global YouTube recommendation outage and Palantir’s headquarters move to Miami.