Asian stocks edged higher on Friday, drawing some support from Wall Street’s overnight advance, but gains were restrained as investors weighed a fragile Middle East ceasefire, firmer oil prices and a further push-out in expectations for the first Federal Reserve interest-rate cut.

The tone across the region was one of caution rather than conviction, with traders reluctant to extend risk aggressively while tensions around Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz remained unresolved.

South Korea’s Kospi climbed 1.68%, with the small-cap Kosdaq also advancing 1.14%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 1.75%, reflecting upbeat investor sentiment.

In contrast, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.31% lower, underperforming the regional trend. Chinese equities were modestly higher, with the CSI 300 gaining 0.6% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rising 0.88%

The underlying message from markets was straightforward: equities were willing to recover modestly after the previous session’s bounce, but not enough had changed on the geopolitical front to justify a broader relief rally.

Brent crude strengthened as tanker traffic through Hormuz stayed curtailed, according to market sources, keeping alive concerns that any disruption to shipping lanes could feed through into energy prices, inflation expectations and central-bank policy.

US stock futures were little changed in Asian trading after the S&P 500 rose 0.6% in the previous session.

That steadier lead helped Asian shares avoid a deeper retreat, but it did not materially improve sentiment.

Investors were instead left balancing two competing forces: hopes that diplomacy could prevent a wider regional conflict, and concern that reduced shipping activity through one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints would keep commodity markets tight.

Oil rise limits broader gains

Brent’s advance was one of the clearest market signals on Friday.

While higher oil prices supported energy producers and helped some resource-linked shares outperform, they also capped broader equity gains by reviving concern over the inflation outlook.

The Strait of Hormuz carries about 20% of global oil flows, making even partial restrictions a major source of market anxiety.

That dynamic left the regional picture mixed.

Energy and commodity names found support from firmer crude, while more growth-sensitive sectors struggled to build momentum.

Investors appeared willing to rotate selectively, but not to embrace a full risk-on move.

Fragile truce remains the key risk

For markets, the ceasefire is still better described as a pause than a resolution.

Investors have welcomed signs that diplomacy between the US and Iran could continue over the coming weeks; however, recurring concerns over Lebanon and shipping disruptions suggest the truce remains vulnerable.

Any evidence that attacks are intensifying again, or that tanker routes are becoming harder to reopen, could quickly push oil higher and reverse the modest recovery in equities.

That helps explain why the latest move in stocks has been measured.

Traders are treating the truce as a short-term stabiliser, not as confirmation that geopolitical risk has faded.

Fed cut bets move further out

The other notable shift came from the US rates market. After recent economic data, futures pointed to the Fed’s first rate cut arriving only in April 2027.

That marked a further repricing of the policy path and underscored how resilient US growth and sticky inflation continue to shape global market expectations.

For Asian assets, that matters because a later Fed pivot tends to support the dollar, lift Treasury yields and tighten financial conditions.

Even where regional shares rose, the gains reflected relief at the absence of immediate escalation rather than confidence that monetary conditions will soon ease.

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Intuit stock price crash continued today, April 9, reaching its lowest level since February 26 amid the rising concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on its business. INTU dropped to $360, down by 55% from its highest point in 2025.

Intuit stock is crashing amid the SaaSpocalypse fears 

Intuit is one of the top software companies in the world, with a strong market share in the accounting industry. QuickBooks, its top product, is used by millions of people a day.

The company also runs TurboTax, the biggest competitor to H&R Block, the biggest tax filing company in the US. It also runs CreditKarma and MailChimp.

Intuit stock price has slumped in the past few months, mirroring the performance of other software companiesl ike Atlassian, AppLovin, and Workday. Investors are concerned that top AI tools will disrupt the services.

The company has also been affected by the ongoing weakness in MailChimp, a company it acquired a few years ago to provide online marketing solutions to companies from around the world.

To some extent, we believe that AI tools can replace some of the products that Intuit offers. However, it is still hard to replace some solutions like QuickBooks and TurboTax. Instead, AI will make these solutions better by complementing them. Intuit calls this the combination of AI and Human Intelligence (HI).

The most recent numbers showed that the company is growing despite the rising usage of AI tools. Its revenue jumped by 17% to $4.7 billion in its second quarter. 

Its Global Business Solutions made $3.2 billion, while the online ecosystem grew by 21% to $2.5 billion. Mailchimp’s revenue dropped for the second consecutive quarter, while its churn has remained high.

Analysts expect that the company’s revenue growth will continue rising by double digits despite pricing pressure. The average estimate is that its revenue will grow by 12.6% this year to over $21.2 billion, followed by 12.5% next year to $23 billion. These are strong numbers for a company that was started in 1983.

The same profitability momentum is expected to continue growing, with the earnings-per-share (EPS) growing to $23.22 this year from the previous $20.15. 

Most notably, the management believes that the company is undervalued and are aggressively repurchasing shares. It repurchased shares worth over $961 million in the last quarter, a trend that will continue this year.

Data shows that the company’s stock has become highly undervalued based on its historical standards. It now has a forward PE ratio of 30, lower than the five-year average of 40. Its forward revenue growth is 13%, while its EBITDA and net profit margins are 25% and 30%. This gives it a rule-of-40 multiple of between 39% and 43%, which makes it a relatively cheap company.

We believe that SaaS companies will eventually bounce back as investors start buying the dip as concerns about their demise fades. If this happens, companies like Intuit will do well as the panic selling ends.

INTU stock price technical analysis 

Intuit stock chart  |Source: TradingView 

The weekly chart shows that the INTU stock price has crashed in the past few months, moving from a high of $808 to the current $360. 

A closer look shows that any attempts to rebound have faced substantial resistance. However, on the positive side, the stock is about to form a double-bottom pattern at $348 and a neckline at $480.

This pattern means that the stock will likely rebound in the near term. If this happens, the initial target will be at $480, which is about 32% above the current level.

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The S&P 500 Index and top ERFs like SPY and VOO are rebounding and nearing their all-time highs ahead of talks between the US and Iran, the US inflation report, and the upcoming earnings season. VOO jumped to $625, a few points below the all-time high of $640.

US-Iran talks, US inflation report, and earnings report 

The S&P 500 Index will be in the spotlight in the next few days as major developments are set to happen. The first major one will happen on Friday when JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner meet with the Iranians to negotiate a deal to end the war. 

This meeting comes as traders remain skeptical about whether the ceasefire announced earlier this week will hold, which explains why crude oil priceshave bounced back to nearly $100.

Chances are that the new talks will not lead to a concrete solution to the war. Instead, as we have seen in the past, the two sides will likely agree to talk at a later date. 

These talks come at a time when Iran believes that it has an upper hand since, according to the Financial Times, it is the Trump administration that called for them. Iran believes it has an upper hand because of its role in the Strait of Hormuz.

The other key catalyst for the S&P 500 Index will be the latest US consumer inflation report, which will come out before the market opens. Estimates are that US inflation resumed the uptrend as the prices of most things jumped during the war. Gasoline has moved to over $4 a gallon, while diesel is nearing $6.

The inflation report comes a day after the US released the weak economic report. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the economy grew at just 0.5% in the fourth quarter, much lower than the previous 4.4%. This means that the US economy grew by just 2.5% last year, the slowest growth rate in years.

The VOO ETF will next react to the upcoming earnings season, which will start next week when top blue-chip companies like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and ASML release their earnings reports.

Analysts believe that these companies will publish strong financial results, with the average estimate being that the earnings growth for the S&P 500 Index rose to 13.3%, the fastest growth rate in years.

These numbers come at a time when the S&P 500 Index is trading at a bargain, with the average price-to-earnings of 19, lower than the five-year average of 19.9. Some of the top companies, like Nvidia, Micron, and Microsoft are trading at their lowest multiples in years.

The ongoing S&P 500 Index performance is in line with how it trades when there is a major black swan event. It normally drops as investors panic sell and then bounces back. This is how it traded after the COVI-19 pandemic and the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

S&P 500 Index technical analysis 

SPX Index chart  |Source: TradingView 

The daily timeframe chart shows that the S&P 500 Index has rebounded from a low of $6,304 in March to the current $6,825. It has already gapped up and moved above the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA). 

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Supertrend indicator has turned green. Also, the Relative Strength Index has jumped and is nearing the overbought level of 70.

Therefore, the most likely scenario is where the index and the ETFs tracking it like the SPY and VOO continue rising and hit their all-time highs this month.

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Baker Hughes stock price has soared and is now nearing its all-time high, a trend that may continue as demand for its products and services surges. BKR is trading at $63, a few points below the all-time high of $67.

Baker Hughes stock to benefit from the US-Iran war 

Oil services companies are set to be some of the top beneficiaries of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, which has led to the damage of huge plants in the region. 

Fields in countries like Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain have all had severe damage that will take years to fix.

This damage will lead to more demand across its businesses, including in areas like Industrial & Energy Technology (IET) and Oilfield Services and Equipment.

The most recent results showed that Baker Hughes business continued doing well, helped by key dynamics like power generation, data centers, and gas & power infrastructure. This growth will continue doing well as global power demand soars.

The results showed that its orders jumped to $7.8 billion in the fourth quarter, up by 5% YoY. Its annual orders rose by 5% to over $29.5 billion.

The company’s revenue was flat at $7.3 billion, while its annual figure rose to over $27.7 billion. Most importantly, the company’s profitability growth continued, with the adjusted free cash flow (FCF) rising by 50% to over $1.34 billion.

Baker Hughes revenue and profits will likely continue doing well and will be better than the company’s guidance. Its guidance was that its first quarter revenue will be $6.4 billion, with the two main divisions generating the same amount. The adjusted EBITDA is expected to be over $1.04 billion.

For the year, the management believes that the company will make between $26.2 billion and $28.3 billion, with the midpoint being $27.25 billion. Also, the adjusted EBITDA is expected to be about $4.8 billion.

The upcoming demand for its products and services surge may help to justify the company’s pricey valuation. Data compiled by Seeking Alpha shows that the company’s forward price-to-earnings ratio has risen to 25.1, higher than the sector median of 15. Its multiple is also higher than the five-year average of 22.

Analysts following the company believe that it has more upside to go in the near term. For example, Charles Minervino of Susquehanna recently boosted the target to $70 from the previous $65.

Scott Grueber, a top analyst at Citigroup, boosted the target to $69, while BMO and Evercore boosted to $70.

BKR stock price technical analysis 

Baker Hughes stock chart | Source: TradingView 

The daily timeframe chart shows that the BKR stock peaked at $66.96 in March this year and then pulled back to $53.85 on March 13 as the Iran war escalated.

It has now bounced back as investors priced in more demand following the destruction of infrastructure in the region. 

The stock has remained above the 50-day and 100-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMA). It has also flipped the Supertrend indicator from red to green, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) moved above the neutral point at 50.

The stock will likely continue rising as bulls target the key resistance level at $66.95, its highest point this year. A move above that level will point to more gains, potentially to the key resistance level at $75. The bearish outlook will become invalid if it drops below $53.85.

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Workday stock price continues its strong freefall this year, and is now hovering at its lowest level since April 2020. It has slumped in the last four consecutive months, and is down by 61.95% from its all-time high.

Workday stock has become a bargain amid the SaaSpocalypse concerns

The WDAY stock price has been in a strong freefall in the past few months amid the ongoing SaaSpocalypse concerns. Analysts and investors believe that SaaS companies will be in trouble as new AI tools come up.

The sell-off has made it a highly undervalued company using most metrics. For example, the forward non-GAAP price-to-earnings ratio has slumped to 12, which is much lower than the sector median of 21. Its five-year average is 44, meaning that it is trading with a 72% discount.

The same is true in terms of the forward enterprise value to EBITDA multiple of 8.83, which is also lower than the sector median of 12.8. These numbers mean that the company has never been this cheap in years.

To a large extent, these valuations cannot be justified as the company’s business is still doing well and its services are not easily replaceable with AI. For one, its application domains are really hard to build. In the last earnings statement, the founder and CEO said:

“These are true systems of record that must process transactions with absolute accuracy and speed, enforce complex security models, and comply with statutory and regulatory requirements all over the world.”

The results showed that its revenue jumped by 14.5% in the fourth quarter to over $2.52 billion, while its operating margin rose to 6.9%. Also, the free cash flow jumped by 18.8% to $1.21 billion.

For the year, the company’s revenue rose 13.1% to $9.52 billion, while its free cash flow rose by 26.7% to $2.77 billion.

Most notably, analysts believe that the company’s double-digit growth trend will continue. The average estimate is that its annual revenue will jump by 11% this year to $10.6 billion, followed by another 11% to $11.6 billion.

At the same time, the management is taking advantage of the cheap stock price to buy more shares. They spent $1.5 billion in repurchases in the fourth quarter and $2.9 billion for the full year. These repurchases will likely continue in the future, which will boost its earnings per share.

Workday stock price technical analysis 

WDAY stock chart | Source: TradingView 

While Workday stock is a bargain, technicals suggest that it will continue falling in the near term. The monthly chart shows that it formed a giant double-top pattern, a common bearish reversal sign in technical analysis. It has now moved below slightly below the neckline at $128.33, confirming the bearish outlook  

The stock has also formed an inverted cup-and-handle pattern, which is a common bearish continuation sign in technical analysis.

Therefore, the most likely forecast is bearish, with the next important target being at the psychological level at $100, which coincides with the 78.6% Fibonacci Retracement level.

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The New York Times stock price has been in a strong bull run and is hovering near its all-time high despite President Donald Trump claiming that it is “failing”. NYT was trading at $82.50 on Thursday, down slightly from its all-time high of $87. It has jumped by ~20% this year, beating the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices.

New York Times business is thriving as Trump calls it “failing”

President Donald Trump has always had a beef with the New York Times, the most popular American newspaper, which recently received an investment from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Trump started attacking the paper when he first running for the presidency. Still, despite all this, the stock has jumped by 587% in the last ten years, beating the S&P 500 and other top American indices.

The company has done well as other major similar companies have struggled in the past few years. Popular names like the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, which are now owned by billionaires, have had to shed workers as their losses jumped.

The most recent results showed that the company was firing on all cylinders, mostly helped by the regular news stories during Trump’s presidency. This trend will likely continue in the foreseeable future, especially because of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the upcoming US midterm elections. 

A victory by Democrats, which most analysts expect, will likely lead to more stories, especially on investigations of the Trump administration.

The results showed that the company added 450k subscribers in the fourth quarter, bringing the total number to 12.7 million, while the average revenue per user (ARPU) jumped to $9.72.

The New York Times revenue jumped by 10% to $902 million, a good number for a company in a highly competitive industry. Its adjusted operating profit rose by 12.8%. This growth happened as the growth in digital subscriptions helped to offset the decline in print, a trend that will continue as more people opt for digital consumption.

The company believes that the growth has more room to grow, with the subscription revenue expected to grow by between 9% and 11% in the first quarter. Chances are that the real number will be better than this because of the Middle East crisis that likely led to more subscribers.

This growth, together with the Buffett investment, explains why the company has a premium valuation. It trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio 31, higher than the sector median of 13. This valuation multiple is similar to that of Netflix.

NYT stock price technical analysis 

New York Times stock chart  |Source: TradingView 

The daily timeframe chart shows that the New York Times stock price has soared in the past few months. It soared from a low of $44.4 in April last year to a record high of $87 this month.

The stock has pulled back a bit after the new US-Iran ceasefire. It has remained above all moving averages, while the Relative Strength Index has moved from the overbought level of 74 to the current 52.

This retreat is happening as some of the investors book profits. Therefore, the stock will likely bounce back in the coming weeks, especially when the company publishes its financial results on May 6. 

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The artificial intelligence landscape has undergone a seismic shift in 2026, transitioning from a race of raw scale to a sophisticated battle for architectural reliability.

Anthropic, once viewed as the safety-oriented underdog, has emerged as a dominant financial and technical titan. Following a landmark Series G funding round that pegged the company’s valuation at a staggering $380 billion, the firm is now setting the pace for the entire industry.

According to Dave Kasten, a top expert at Palisade Research, Anthropic has successfully parlayed its focus on constitutional integrity into a structural moat that competitors are struggling to cross.

With a reported $30 billion revenue run rate and a growing lead in enterprise trust metrics, Anthropic is proving that in the age of agentic AI, precision and security are the ultimate value drivers.

Here are four key advantages Kasten believes Anthropic has over other AI firms.

Superior vulnerability detection

Anthropic has effectively architected a new standard for digital security through its recent frontier model releases. Kasten points to the April 2026 debut of the Claude Mythos Preview as the moment the industry realized the power of reasoning-based vulnerability discovery.

Traditional security protocols often fail because they rely on historical pattern matching, but Anthropic’s models utilize deep logical chains to identify architectural flaws.

A prime example Kasten cited in an interview with CNBC is the model’s recent identification of a dormant remote code execution vulnerability within a FreeBSD NFS implementation.

By autonomously navigating complex codebases to find logic errors that had remained hidden for years, Anthropic has positioned itself as indispensable partner for organizations managing high-stakes infrastructure.

This capability offers a proactive defense layer that currently exceeds the diagnostic depth of any rival firm.

Progress toward automated AI researchers

While most AI firms are using models to assist humans, Anthropic is pioneering the shift toward models that act as autonomous scientific peers.

Kasten notes that the firm has made significant strides in creating coordinated agent teams capable of proposing hypotheses, designing rigorous experiments, and executing simulations with minimal human intervention.

This move toward automated AI researchers isn’t just a technical curiosity; it’s a massive economic force multiplier.

By deploying agentic workflows to iterate on its own model architectures, Anthropic is basically accelerating its research cycles while keeping human overhead remarkably lean.

This self-improving development loop is a key reason for the firm’s massive valuation, as it signals a future where AI progress is no longer bottlenecked by the availability of elite human talent.

First-mover advantage in defensive AI

In a year where AI-based cyber threats have become top-tier national security concern, Anthropic’s long-standing commitment to “Defensive AI” has matured into a formidable market advantage.

Through flagship initiatives like Project Glasswing, the firm has captured a significant share of the government and highly regulated enterprise sectors.

Kasten emphasizes that Anthropic’s edge is rooted in its Constitutional AI framework that ensures models remain predictable and rule-bound even when performing high-autonomy tasks.

This focus on defensive stability has been a catalyst for huge infrastructure deals – including recent partnerships with major hardware vendors to scale dedicated compute clusters to 3.5 gigawatts by next year.

By being the first to prioritize the “shield” over the “sword”, Anthropic has developed a brand of reliability that competitors are now rushing to imitate.

Qualitative preference among coders

The final pillar of Anthropic’s dominance is its growing “experience premium” among the world’s most sophisticated software engineers.

Data from the 2026 Agentic Coding Trends Report indicates that professional developers are increasingly migrating to Claude for mission-critical architecture and complex refactoring tasks.

While other frontier models might boast lower latency for simple scripts, Claude is consistently favored for its superior adherence to nuanced instructions and its markedly lower rate of hallucinated syntax.

Kasten observes that for developers working on enterprise production environments, the qualitative difference in Claude’s “agentic depth,” its ability to manage multi-file dependencies and long-term context, is a decisive factor.

This high-intent user base is driving a surge in high-value enterprise subscriptions, further cementing Anthropic’s status as the definitive platform for the next generation of automated engineering.

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US stocks advanced on Thursday, extending their recent rally as investors grew more optimistic about a potential de-escalation in the Middle East conflict, even as oil prices remained elevated and concerns over supply disruptions persisted.

All three major indexes ended higher after recovering from early session weakness, supported by signs of diplomatic progress and renewed confidence in the durability of a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 275.88 points, or 0.58%, to close at 48,185.80, turning positive for the year. The S&P 500 gained 0.62% to finish at 6,824.66, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.83% to 22,822.42.

Ceasefire optimism supports market sentiment

Markets found support as geopolitical tensions showed tentative signs of easing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was open to direct negotiations with Lebanon, helping calm investor concerns.

The broader ceasefire framework, though still fragile, has encouraged cautious optimism among market participants.

However, uncertainty remains elevated. Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Israel of violating the ceasefire through continued attacks on Lebanon, underscoring the fragile nature of the truce.

President Donald Trump reiterated that US military forces would remain in the region until Iran complies with what he described as the “real agreement,” warning of further escalation if terms are not met.

Despite the ceasefire agreement, shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supply flows—remains severely constrained, with traffic still well below historical levels.

Oil volatility and macro data in focus

Crude prices fluctuated throughout the session as investors monitored developments around the Strait of Hormuz.

West Texas Intermediate futures rose about 4% to trade above $98 per barrel after briefly crossing the $100 mark earlier in the day. Brent crude also gained, trading above $96 per barrel.

The persistence of supply concerns has kept energy markets volatile, even as equities rallied.

Meanwhile, economic data offered mixed signals. Reports from the Commerce Department showed that US economic growth slowed more than expected in the fourth quarter, while inflation remained elevated based on the personal consumption expenditures index.

Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting indicated that policymakers are increasingly considering potential interest rate hikes to counter inflationary pressures stemming from prolonged geopolitical tensions.

The CBOE Market Volatility Index, often referred to as the “fear index,” declined to its lowest level since the onset of the conflict, reflecting improved investor sentiment.

AI momentum and sector performance

Market gains were also supported by strength in select sectors, particularly those linked to artificial intelligence and consumer spending.

Amazon shares rose sharply after CEO Andy Jassy said the company’s AI services business is generating annualized revenue exceeding $15 billion, boosting sentiment around the technology sector.

Retail and semiconductor stocks outperformed during the session, while software stocks lagged behind.

Elsewhere, Constellation Brands shares jumped after reporting a smaller-than-expected decline in quarterly sales, while Applied Digital fell after posting a wider net loss.

Sandisk gained 9% in the session after Bernstein raised the target price to $1250 while Palantir plunged 7% after Big Short investor Michael Burry said Anthropic is eating Palantir’s lunch.

With geopolitical developments, oil price movements, and central bank signals all in play, markets appear set to remain sensitive to both macroeconomic and geopolitical shifts in the near term.

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Global markets and corporate developments remained in focus on Thursday, with Donald Trump expressing optimism over a potential Iran peace deal even as ceasefire tensions persisted, oil prices rebounding on renewed supply concerns, The Walt Disney Company preparing fresh layoffs amid restructuring, and Intel extending its partnership with Google to advance AI infrastructure.

Trump signals optimism, but ceasefire strains persist

President Donald Trump said he was “very optimistic” that a peace deal with Iran was within reach, as a US delegation led by JD Vance prepared for high-stakes talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the nearly six-week conflict.

“Iran’s leaders talk much differently when you’re at a meeting than they do to the press. They’re much more reasonable,” Trump said, adding: “They’re agreeing to all the things that they have to agree to.”

However, the fragile ceasefire has already shown signs of strain. Israeli strikes on Lebanon have continued, while Iran insists such actions violate the agreement.

Trump acknowledged speaking with Benjamin Netanyahu, saying Israel would “low-key it” to support negotiations.

Tensions remain elevated, with Iran warning that continued attacks could derail talks.

Meanwhile, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains minimal, raising concerns over whether Iran will fully reopen the critical trade route.

Oil prices rebound on ceasefire doubts

Oil markets reacted to the uncertainty, with West Texas Intermediate briefly reclaiming $100 per barrel before easing, while Brent crude rose above $99.

The rebound follows a sharp selloff in the previous session, when optimism around the ceasefire pushed prices lower.

However, renewed concerns over disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly 20% of global oil supply flows—have tightened the outlook.

Analysts at Wood Mackenzie said disruptions could affect the recovery of 11 million barrels per day of upstream production in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, ANZ noted that supply shocks have shifted the global oil market from surplus to deficit.

Gold and silver prices also rose, supported by a weaker US dollar, while base metals were mixed, reflecting cautious sentiment across commodity markets.

Disney plans fresh layoffs

The Walt Disney Company is preparing to cut up to 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks as part of a broader restructuring effort under CEO Josh D’Amaro, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The layoffs, which were reportedly planned before D’Amaro formally assumed the role, are expected to impact multiple divisions, particularly the recently consolidated marketing unit.

The move reflects ongoing pressures in the entertainment industry, as companies adapt to lower profitability in streaming compared to traditional television, softer box office revenues, and intensifying competition from platforms like Amazon and YouTube.

Disney has already cut more than 8,000 jobs since Bob Iger returned in 2022.

The company is also integrating Disney+ and Hulu and working with Bain & Company to streamline operations under its “Project Imagine” initiative.

Intel expands Google AI partnership

Shares of Intel extended gains for a seventh straight session after announcing an expanded collaboration with Google to develop next-generation processors for AI data centers.

The stock rose about 3%, bringing its seven-session gain to 47.5% and positioning it for its strongest streak since September 2023.

Under the multiyear agreement, Intel will supply “multiple generations” of its Xeon data-center CPUs, with Google continuing to deploy the chips across inference and general-purpose workloads.

The partnership will also expand co-development of infrastructure processing units (IPUs), designed to improve efficiency in hyperscale AI environments.

The deal underscores a broader industry shift toward AI inference, driving renewed demand for general-purpose computing chips and reinforcing Intel’s role in the evolving AI ecosystem.

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Shares of Brown-Forman surged on Thursday after reports that privately held Sazerac had approached the company about a potential deal, adding a new twist to ongoing consolidation efforts in the global spirits industry.

The stock rose as much as 14.93% on Thursday following a report by The Wall Street Journal, reflecting investor optimism over a possible takeover or merger scenario.

The rally comes as Brown-Forman has already been engaged in discussions with Pernod Ricard over a potential “merger of equals.”

Sazerac emerges as rival suitor

Sazerac’s approach positions it as a potential rival bidder for Brown-Forman, which has a market value of about $12.4 billion.

The Louisville-based company, best known for Jack Daniel’s, also owns brands such as Woodford Reserve and Herradura tequila.

Sazerac, also headquartered in Louisville and fully owned by the Goldring family, manages a portfolio of about 550 brands, including Buffalo Trace bourbon, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, and BuzzBallz ready-to-drink cocktails.

The company traces its roots to a 17th-century vineyard and distillery in France and has expanded over the years through acquisitions from companies such as Joseph E. Seagram & Sons and Constellation Brands.

The interest from Sazerac follows earlier confirmation that Brown-Forman and Pernod Ricard were in talks regarding a potential combination.

That deal, if completed, would likely include a significant stock component, with founding families on both sides retaining stakes.

Consolidation trend amid slowing alcohol demand

The flurry of deal activity highlights broader challenges facing the alcohol industry. Spirit makers have been grappling with slowing sales growth as consumer preferences shift.

Rising health awareness, the growing popularity of cannabis and THC beverages, and changing habits among younger consumers—particularly Gen Z—have weighed on traditional alcohol consumption.

At the same time, cost pressures and tariff-related disruptions have added to the strain.

Against this backdrop, mergers and acquisitions are increasingly seen as a way to unlock efficiencies, expand brand portfolios, and reignite growth.

Brown-Forman’s shares have struggled in recent years, declining since late 2020 and heading toward a third consecutive year of falling sales.

The company has maintained its fiscal 2026 forecast despite what it described as a “volatile and uncertain macroeconomic environment.”

Strategic appeal draws investor attention

Analysts suggest Brown-Forman’s strong brand portfolio makes it an attractive acquisition target.

Its flagship Jack Daniel’s label, one of the most recognized whiskey brands globally, gives the company what TD Cowen analyst Robert Moskow described as a “scarce-asset profile.”

Other potential bidders could also emerge, given the strategic value of Brown-Forman’s assets and its established global distribution network.

Sazerac and Brown-Forman have a history of transactions, including the sale of brands such as Southern Comfort and Tuaca, underscoring an existing relationship between the two companies.

As deal speculation intensifies, investors appear to be betting that consolidation could provide a catalyst for Brown-Forman’s stock, even as the broader industry navigates a period of structural change.

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