Australia Stock Market Today: ASX 200 Stalls as Rio Tinto Gain Runs Into Energy Selloff
Australian shares closed nearly flat Tuesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 down 3.9 points to 8,949.40 as
FTSE 100 Today: British Land Rally Masks AB Foods Slide as UK Stocks Edge Up
The FTSE 100 rose 0.12% to 10,622.06 in delayed London trade Tuesday, while the FTSE 250 gained 0.39%. British Land climbed after boosting earnings guidance and signing Anthropic as a tenant. Associated
Alphabet Stock Slips as Google-Marvell AI Chip Talks Put Spending, Earnings in Focus
Alphabet shares fell 0.9% to $338.45 Monday after reports Google is in talks with Marvell Technology to develop two AI chips, despite ongoing investor concerns over a projected $175–$185 billion 2026 spending bill. Marvell stock rose 6.1% while Broadcom dropped 2.4%. Alphabet reports first-quarter results April 29. Google and Marvell declined to comment.
Meta Q1 2026 Earnings Set for April 29 as Ad Growth Faces AI Spending Test
Meta Platforms will report first-quarter earnings after markets close April 29, with a conference call set for 2:30 p.m. Pacific. Shares fell 2.3% midday Monday. Analyst Justin Post expects Meta to beat estimates, forecasting $56 billion in revenue and $7.44 EPS for the March quarter. Meta recently extended its AI chip deal with Broadcom through 2029 and faces rising energy costs and new European regulatory scrutiny.
TQQQ Is Back in Focus as Filings Reveal Bigger Bets on Leveraged Nasdaq ETF
Oriental Harbor Investment Master Fund doubled its stake in ProShares UltraPro QQQ to 2.4 million shares, worth about $126.6 million, in the fourth quarter, filings show. Q3 Asset Management and Main Street Group also increased TQQQ holdings. The disclosures came as the Nasdaq fell 0.55% Monday amid renewed U.S.-Iran tensions. TQQQ’s net assets stood at $31.6 billion as of April 17.
Pfizer Stock in Focus After FDA Priority Review as Padcev, Obesity Bets Drive Post-COVID Reset
The FDA granted priority review to Pfizer and Astellas’ Padcev for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, setting an Aug. 17 decision date. Pfizer shares rose 0.8% to $27.78 after the news. The company reports first-quarter results May 5, with investors watching oncology and obesity drugs to offset declining COVID sales and loss of exclusivity on older products.
SCHD ETF Nears Highs as Dividend Trade Revives and Early Investors Reach 12.5% Yield on Cost
SCHD traded near its 52-week high at $31.06 midday Monday, up about 14% year to date, according to TipRanks. Reuters reported the fund drew $4 billion of the $24.1 billion first-quarter inflows into U.S. dividend funds. Schwab lists $87.5 billion in assets and a 3.33% 30-day SEC yield. The fund holds 104 stocks and charges a 0.06% expense ratio.
US Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Slip From Records as Oil Spike Tests Wall Street Rally
U.S. stocks fell Monday as oil prices surged, with the Dow down 0.12%, S&P 500 off 0.33%, and Nasdaq losing 0.55% by midday. Brent crude jumped 5.1% to $94.99 after the U.S. seized an Iranian ship and Hormuz shipping slowed. Tech shares led losses, while strong corporate earnings limited the decline. A U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline looms Tuesday night.
Walmart’s Backroom Delivery Test Targets Amazon’s Same-Day Edge
Walmart is testing use of store back rooms in Dallas to stage same-day delivery of third-party marketplace goods, aiming to speed up online orders, according to the Financial Times. The move follows Amazon’s rollout of one- and three-hour delivery options in U.S. markets last month. Walmart says it can now reach 95% of U.S. households with delivery in three hours or less. Walmart U.S. e-commerce sales hit $99.6 billion in fiscal 2026.
Apple Stock Gets Fresh Wall Street Backing Ahead of Earnings as Morgan Stanley Sees $300 Path, Qualcomm Cut
Apple shares rose 0.8% to $272.49 by midday Monday after Morgan Stanley advised buying ahead of April 30 earnings, citing potential for stronger revenue and margin outlook. BNP Paribas upgraded Apple and cut Qualcomm, highlighting a split over which firms can handle higher memory costs. Qualcomm gained 1.1% while Nvidia and Microsoft fell about 1%. Apple posted record $143.8 billion revenue last quarter.
Oracle Stock Holds After AWS Tie-Up as Investors Reassess the AI Bet
Oracle shares slipped 0.2% to $174.75 Monday after investors questioned whether its expanded partnership with Amazon Web Services will drive sustained AI revenue. The company plans to connect its Interconnect service with AWS later this year, but the stock remains far below last September’s record high. Oracle recently raised its 2027 revenue target to $90 billion. Analysts warn data transfer fees and power supply remain concerns.
Microsoft Stock Faces a Make-or-Break Earnings Test as Wall Street Splits on AI Spending
Microsoft shares fell 1.3% to $417.23 Monday, remaining about 23% below their October 2025 peak ahead of the company’s April 29 earnings report. Microsoft’s December quarter revenue rose 17% to $81.3 billion, but capital spending jumped 66% to $37.5 billion, raising investor concerns. Cloud giants are expected to spend $635 billion this year, with Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta all reporting results April 29.
AMD Stock Pulls Back From Record High as BofA, Stifel Raise Targets on AI CPU Boom
AMD shares fell 1.4% to $274.61 in late-morning New York trading Monday after last week’s record highs. Bank of America and Stifel raised their price targets to $310 and $320, citing growing AI infrastructure demand for CPUs. AMD’s partnership with Meta could be worth up to $60 billion over five years. First-quarter results are due May 5.
Intel Stock Pulls Back From 25-Year High Ahead of Earnings as AI CPU Bet Faces Test
Intel shares dropped 3.5% to $66.08 on Monday, retreating from Friday’s 24-year high ahead of its April 23 earnings report. Investors are watching for signs that AI demand for server CPUs is expanding beyond Nvidia’s GPUs. Intel faces ongoing foundry losses, with its contract chipmaking arm losing $10.32 billion in 2025 despite higher revenue.
Hims & Hers Surges Ahead of Earnings as Omnicell Lags in Healthcare Tech Shakeout
Hims & Hers Health shares jumped 8.9% Monday morning, extending a 48.3% weekly gain ahead of its May 11 earnings report. The FDA will meet in July to consider rules on compounding peptides, a market Hims entered last year. Hims ended 2025 with 2.511 million subscribers and $617.8 million in fourth-quarter revenue, up 28%. Omnicell reported $314 million in fourth-quarter revenue and a $2 million net loss.
Broadcom Nears $2 Trillion on Software, AI Chip Boom as Google-Marvell Talks Raise Risk
Broadcom shares fell 1.7% Monday after Reuters reported Google is in talks with Marvell Technology on two new AI chips, raising questions about Broadcom’s custom-silicon relationship with Google. Marvell stock rose 4.3%. Broadcom recently announced long-term AI chip deals with Google and Meta, and reported first-quarter AI revenue up 106% to $8.4 billion.
Gold Price Today Slips as Dollar, Oil Shock Put $5,000 Forecast in Doubt
Gold fell 0.3% to $4,818.03 an ounce Monday, hitting a one-week low as the dollar and U.S. yields climbed. Oil jumped about 5% after renewed U.S.-Iran tensions, cutting into gold’s safe-haven demand. COMEX gold futures open interest rose to 360,881 contracts. Spot silver dropped 0.8% to $80.18 an ounce, platinum fell 1.2%, and palladium slipped 0.3%.
Boeing Pushes Chinook Drone-Swarm Vision as Commercial Jet Recovery Faces Earnings Test
Boeing shares fell 0.9% to $221.37 Monday ahead of first-quarter results due April 22, with options pricing signaling a 5.31% post-earnings move. Analysts expect another quarterly loss, with revenue near $22 billion and improved jet deliveries. Boeing delivered 143 jets in Q1, ahead of Airbus, but March deliveries slipped due to wiring repairs. Management’s production targets and cash flow outlook remain under scrutiny.
Eli Lilly to Buy Kelonia for Up to $7 Billion in Bet on Next-Gen CAR-T Cancer Therapy
Eli Lilly will acquire Kelonia Therapeutics for up to $7 billion, including $3.25 billion upfront, expanding into experimental cell therapies for blood cancer. Kelonia’s KLN-1010, in Phase 1 trials for multiple myeloma, uses in-body CAR-T technology. Lilly shares rose 2.5% after the announcement. The deal follows Lilly’s recent acquisitions as it seeks growth beyond obesity drugs.
7-Eleven to Close 645 North America Stores as Seven & i Delays IPO, Pushes Food-Focused Reset
Seven & i Holdings plans to close 645 7-Eleven stores and open 205 in North America in fiscal 2026, reducing the total to 12,272. Some closures involve converting stores to fuel-only sites. The group expects North American revenue to fall 9.4% this year and has postponed its planned IPO to fiscal 2027 or later.
Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Futures Fall as Oil Jumps and Iran Ceasefire Wobbles
U.S. stock futures dropped about 0.4% and Brent crude rose nearly 5% early Monday after Washington seized an Iranian cargo ship and Tehran halted new talks. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed sharply, with only three crossings in 12 hours, raising concerns over oil supply and inflation. European airline stocks fell 3–4%, while Exxon Mobil and Chevron gained about 1% in premarket trading.
XRP Price Today: XRP Holds Near $1.41 as Macro Jitters Test Last Week’s Rally
XRP traded near $1.41 early Monday, steady in a $1.39–$1.44 range as global markets turned cautious after renewed U.S.-Iran tensions. The token’s market value stood at about $87 billion, with 24-hour turnover near $3 billion. Wrapped XRP launched on Solana, expanding DeFi access. Bitcoin and ether slipped, while XRP held relative strength among top cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin Price Today: BTC Slips Below $75,000 as Iran Jitters and Oil Spike Hit Risk Assets
Bitcoin hovered near $74,731 Monday after falling 0.7%, with earlier swings between $73,831 and $76,209. Ether and other major cryptocurrencies also slipped. The moves followed renewed Middle East tensions and a stronger dollar after the U.S. seized an Iranian ship. Brent crude surged 5.3% to $95.19 as broader markets turned cautious.
Australia Stock Market Today: ASX 200 Stalls Near 9,000 as NAB Slides, Oil Shock Keeps Traders on Edge. (Indo Premier)
Australian shares edged up 0.1% to 8,953.30 Monday, as gains in gold miners and consumer stocks offset losses in banks and energy. Energy shares fell 3% after Viva Energy warned of reduced output at its Geelong refinery. National Australia Bank lifted loan loss provisions to A$706 million, citing higher fuel costs. Consumer sentiment dropped 12.5% in April to a two-year low.
UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Falls as Oil Spike Lifts Energy Shares, Hits Travel Stocks
Britain’s FTSE 100 dropped 0.6% to around 10,606 on Monday as U.S.-Iran tensions pushed Brent crude up $5.51 to $95.89 a barrel. Energy shares rose 1.9%, but travel and leisure stocks fell 2% and banks lost 1.8%. The index had closed up 0.7% on Friday after a brief easing of tensions. UK 10-year yields rose about 4 basis points.
Oil Prices Today: Brent Jumps Toward $96 as U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Wobbles
Oil prices surged over 6% Monday after the U.S. seized an Iranian cargo ship, raising fears over the Hormuz Strait’s security. Brent crude climbed to $95.9 a barrel, while at least two merchant ships reported gunfire during passage. More than 20 vessels crossed Hormuz Saturday, the busiest day since March 1. Iran and China called for restraint, but 10–11 million barrels per day remain offline.
US Stock Market Today: Live Updates 20.04.2026
LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: April 20, 2026, 12:00 AM EDTUpdated: April 20, 2026, 11:59 PM EDT Micron Technology Poised as Nasdaq's Top AI Growth Stock Over Next Year April 20, 2026, 11:59 PM EDT. Micron Technology (MU) stands out among artificial intelligence (AI) growth stocks with potential significant upside in the next 12 months. The company specializes in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) crucial for AI systems, which require massive memory capacity to train and deploy models. AI hyperscalers like Microsoft and Amazon are increasing orders amid expanding data centers. The HBM market is expected to triple to over $100 billion by 2028.
QXO to Buy TopBuild for $17 Billion in Brad Jacobs’ Biggest Building-Products Push Yet
QXO said Sunday it will acquire TopBuild for about $17 billion in cash and stock, offering TopBuild shareholders $505 per share or 20.2 QXO shares each, with a 45% cash and 55% stock mix. The deal values TopBuild at a 23% premium to Friday’s close. The combined company is expected to generate over $18 billion in revenue and close the transaction in the third quarter, pending shareholder approval.
Social Security 2027 COLA Forecast Holds at 2.8%, but Retirees May Get Less Relief Than They Hope
An early forecast for Social Security’s 2027 cost-of-living adjustment held at 2.8%, matching this year’s increase, despite a jump in March inflation. The Senior Citizens League said this would add about $56.69 a month to the average retirement benefit. A rival analyst raised her estimate to 3.2% after the March data. The final COLA will be set in October using third-quarter inflation figures.
Redwire Stock Faces Fresh Selling Pressure as Major Holders File New Sales After $20 Million Marine Corps Order
Redwire Corp’s top shareholders filed to sell up to 5.18 million shares worth nearly $54 million over two days, following news of a $20 million Marine Corps drone order. The stock fell 7.84% Friday to $10.34. AE Red Holdings and Edge Autonomy Ultimate Holdings submitted separate Form 144 notices for the proposed sales. Redwire completed its Edge Autonomy acquisition in June 2025.
Buc-ee’s Port Lavaca Store to Close in Rare Move, Rebrand as 7-Eleven
Buc-ee’s plans to close its Port Lavaca, Texas, store at 2318 W. Main St., with the site expected to reopen as a 7-Eleven featuring a Laredo Taco Company restaurant. City officials say no building permits have been filed and Buc-ee’s has not announced a timeline. The store opened in 2000 and is one of the chain’s smaller locations. Port Lavaca would gain its third 7-Eleven if the conversion proceeds.
Why Charles Hoskinson Says XRP Holders Get No Share of Ripple’s Success as Cardano Keeps XRP DeFi Plan Alive
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said XRP holders have no legal claim on Ripple’s expanding business ventures, highlighting a split between token value and company profits. Ripple has acquired prime broker Hidden Road for $1.25 billion and Swiss custody firm Metaco for $250 million, while launching new treasury software. XRP traded at $1.43 Sunday, ranking fourth by market value. Ripple holds most XRP in escrow and publishes quarterly reports.
US Stock Market Week Ahead: Record S&P 500 Rally Faces Iran Risk, Tesla Earnings and Fed Hearing
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs Friday, but the Strait of Hormuz remained shut Sunday after Iran reversed its reopening, with new U.S.-Iran talks set for Monday in Pakistan. Nearly one-fifth of S&P 500 companies report earnings this week, including Tesla, Boeing, and Intel. Two vessels came under fire in the Strait Saturday, and U.S. gasoline prices average $4.05 a gallon.
Watches and Wonders 2026: Rolex, Patek And Cartier Meet Luxury’s Gulf Shock
Watches and Wonders Geneva entered its final public days Sunday as luxury brands faced sharp sales drops in the Gulf due to Middle East conflict. LVMH, Kering, and Hermès all reported declines tied to weaker Gulf demand, with Dubai mall sales plunging up to 50% in March. Airport retail also suffered as flight cancellations peaked. Swiss watch exports fell for a second year in 2025.
Gold Price Near $4,830 Faces Monday Test After Hormuz Reversal Revives Safe-Haven Risk
Spot gold last traded at $4,829.40 an ounce before markets closed for the weekend, after touching $4,889.60 on Friday. Iran kept the Strait of Hormuz shut, pushing oil and inflation concerns back into focus and adding a risk premium to gold. Silver, platinum, and palladium also rose. U.S. and Iranian officials reported little progress in talks over the strait and nuclear issues.
Psyence Biomedical in Spotlight After Trump’s Ibogaine Order Puts Supply Strategy to the Test
Psyence Biomedical shares jumped 29.5% to $7.60 after President Trump signed an order to accelerate research into psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine. The order offers faster FDA handling and $50 million in federal support but does not legalize ibogaine. Psyence, which supplies GMP-grade ibogaine, has no approved products and its lead drug is still in Phase IIb trials.