Today: 29 April 2026

Khadija Saeed

A dedicated markets reporter, she covers stocks, macroeconomics, and major business developments with a sharp eye for detail and accuracy.

Gold nears $5,400 as silver stays hot — and the “safe haven” trade gets a reality check

Gold nears $5,400 as silver stays hot — and the “safe haven” trade gets a reality check

Gold surged 4% Wednesday, trading near $5,400 an ounce, while silver jumped 7.7% to $111.84 after hitting a record $117.69 Monday. The Federal Reserve held rates steady, fueling debate over future policy. Strategists and analysts warned of possible sharp pullbacks, citing technical signals and volatility risks. Citi raised its silver target to $150, but others cautioned of a potential 50% drop.
28 January 2026
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Gold flirts with $5,400 as Fed, Trump headlines keep safe-haven bid alive

Gold flirts with $5,400 as Fed, Trump headlines keep safe-haven bid alive

Gold surged 4% Wednesday, nearing $5,400 an ounce for the first time as investors sought safety amid economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The Federal Reserve left rates unchanged, while Donald Trump said he would soon name a new Fed chair and predicted lower borrowing costs. Tether announced plans to allocate up to 15% of its portfolio to physical gold. Spot gold extended its record run above $5,400 in early Thursday trading.
28 January 2026
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Lam Research earnings beat lifts LRCX after hours as forecast tops estimates

Lam Research earnings beat lifts LRCX after hours as forecast tops estimates

Lam Research shares rose about 2% in after-hours trading after fiscal Q2 results topped forecasts, with revenue up 22% to $5.34 billion and adjusted earnings at $1.27 per share. The company projected March-quarter revenue near $5.7 billion. China contributed 35% of quarterly revenue. The stock last traded at $248.62, up from $239.58 at the close.
28 January 2026
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IBM stock price jumps after hours as Q4 results lift AI and 2026 outlook

IBM stock price jumps after hours as Q4 results lift AI and 2026 outlook

IBM shares rose 7.8% to $317 in after-hours trading Wednesday after reporting fourth-quarter revenue of $19.7 billion, up 12%. The company projected over 5% revenue growth for 2026 in constant currency and expects about $1 billion more in free cash flow. Red Hat growth slowed to 10%, partly due to a late-2025 U.S. government shutdown. IBM’s $11 billion Confluent acquisition is set to close by mid-2026.
28 January 2026
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Dow Jones closes flat after Fed; Microsoft drops, IBM jumps in after-hours ahead of Apple earnings

Dow Jones closes flat after Fed; Microsoft drops, IBM jumps in after-hours ahead of Apple earnings

Microsoft fell nearly 4% after hours as AI capital spending jumped 66%. IBM rose 6% on strong revenue, Meta gained 4% after forecasting up to $135 billion in 2026 capex, and Tesla advanced 2% with a $2 billion xAI investment. The S&P 500 briefly topped 7,000. The Fed held rates steady at 3.50%-3.75%.
28 January 2026
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Natural gas price whipsaws on February contract expiry; UNG slips, EQT rises

Natural gas price whipsaws on February contract expiry; UNG slips, EQT rises

February Henry Hub natural gas futures closed at $6.954 per mmBtu Wednesday after swinging between $7.325 and $5.770 on expiry day. U.S. gas production rose 2.5% as output recovered from storm-related shutdowns. UNG fell 1.1% after hours, while major gas producers ended higher. Traders await Thursday’s U.S. storage report and early February weather forecasts.
28 January 2026
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AI stocks swing after hours: Nvidia ticks up on China H200 nod as Microsoft, Meta and Tesla turn volatile

AI stocks swing after hours: Nvidia ticks up on China H200 nod as Microsoft, Meta and Tesla turn volatile

Nvidia rose 1.6% in after-hours trading after China approved H200 chip sales to ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent, sources said. Texas Instruments and Intel jumped nearly 10% and 11%, respectively, on strong data center demand. Microsoft, Meta, and Tesla shares fluctuated after earnings, with Microsoft’s cloud spending up sharply. The S&P 500 slipped 0.01% after the Fed held rates steady.
28 January 2026
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Silver price jumps near record after Fed hold as SLV ETF stays in play

Silver price jumps near record after Fed hold as SLV ETF stays in play

Spot silver rose 3.7% to near $116.3 an ounce Wednesday, holding close to Monday’s record $117.69. The Federal Reserve kept rates steady, fueling safe-haven demand as the dollar hit a four-year low. Silver ETFs and miners surged after hours, with iShares Silver Trust up 3.9%. Retail investors drove heavy inflows, while some traders bet against the rally.
28 January 2026
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Tesla Q4 Earnings: Revenue Beats, Profit Sinks, and Musk’s xAI Bet Moves to Center Stage

Tesla Q4 Earnings: Revenue Beats, Profit Sinks, and Musk’s xAI Bet Moves to Center Stage

Tesla posted fourth-quarter revenue of $24.9 billion, beating forecasts, but net income plunged 61% to $840 million. The company confirmed a $2 billion investment in Elon Musk’s xAI and reported a 15.6% drop in vehicle deliveries. Automotive sales fell 11%, while energy storage revenue jumped 25%. The stock was little changed after hours.
28 January 2026
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Meta’s $135B AI Spending Forecast Overshadows a Strong Q4 Beat at Facebook Parent

Meta’s $135B AI Spending Forecast Overshadows a Strong Q4 Beat at Facebook Parent

Meta projected 2026 capital spending of $115 billion to $135 billion, up sharply from $72.2 billion in 2025, as it expands AI infrastructure. Fourth-quarter revenue rose 24% to $59.9 billion, with diluted EPS at $8.88. Shares dipped in after-hours trading. Reality Labs revenue fell 12% to $955 million, with operating losses widening to $6.02 billion.
28 January 2026
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Microsoft beats Azure in Q2, but MSFT stock drops after earnings as AI spending stays in focus

Microsoft beats Azure in Q2, but MSFT stock drops after earnings as AI spending stays in focus

Microsoft reported Azure cloud revenue up 39% in its fiscal second quarter, narrowly beating estimates, but shares fell over 7% in after-hours trading. Total revenue reached $81.3 billion, with Microsoft Cloud topping $50 billion for the quarter. Gross margin slipped due to heavy AI infrastructure spending. Net income received a $7.6 billion boost from the company’s OpenAI stake.
28 January 2026
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Intuit stock price dips as AI fears circle TurboTax, but RBC sticks with $850 target

Intuit stock price dips as AI fears circle TurboTax, but RBC sticks with $850 target

Intuit shares fell 1.2% to $539.13 in after-hours trading Wednesday as investors weighed risks from generative AI competition. RBC Capital Markets maintained its Outperform rating and $850 target, citing limited exposure to “simple filers.” Intuit announced a hiring integration deal with Checkr and board-approved changes to director compensation. Shareholders rejected a diversity ROI report proposal at the annual meeting.
28 January 2026
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IBM earnings beat on AI-driven software demand — but Red Hat slowdown is the catch

IBM earnings beat on AI-driven software demand — but Red Hat slowdown is the catch

IBM reported fourth-quarter revenue of $19.69 billion and adjusted earnings of $4.52 per share, both above Wall Street estimates. Software revenue reached $9.03 billion, driven by rising AI demand, while Red Hat’s growth slowed to 10%. The company’s AI “book of business” rose to $12.5 billion. Investors are pressing IBM for clearer 2026 revenue and cash-flow forecasts amid ongoing U.S. budget uncertainty.
28 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

  • Cotton Futures Slip Amid Stirring External Market Factors
    April 29, 2026, 3:38 PM EDT. Cotton futures declined by 6 to 12 points on Wednesday, pressured by outside markets. Crude oil remained steady midday while the U.S. dollar index surged by 1,711 points. Online cotton sales recorded 1,661 bales on November 5 at 66.05 cents per pound. ICE cotton stocks held steady at 174 certified bales. The Cotlook A Index stayed flat at 82.20 cents per pound. The USDA Adjusted World Price dropped 74 points to 58.54 cents per pound as of last Thursday. March 2025 cotton futures stood at 72.2 cents, down 12 points; May 2025 at 73.61 cents, down 12 points; and July 2025 at 74.95 cents, down 6 points.

Latest article

Vita Coco Stock Surges After COCO Earnings Beat and Coconut Water Demand Lifts 2026 Outlook

Vita Coco Stock Surges After COCO Earnings Beat and Coconut Water Demand Lifts 2026 Outlook

29 April 2026
Vita Coco shares jumped 27% Wednesday after first-quarter net sales rose 37% to $180 million, beating analyst expectations. The company raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $720–$735 million and lifted adjusted EBITDA guidance. Diluted earnings reached $0.50 per share, up from $0.31 a year earlier. Gross margin improved to 39.9% despite higher logistics and tariff costs.
Marathon Petroleum Stock Jumps Before Earnings as Refining Margins Put Wall Street on Alert

Marathon Petroleum Stock Jumps Before Earnings as Refining Margins Put Wall Street on Alert

29 April 2026
Marathon Petroleum shares rose 3.2% to $240.05 Wednesday as investors anticipated its May 5 earnings report, following a surge in fuel margins during the first quarter. Phillips 66 and Valero also gained after posting stronger-than-expected results. Marathon’s Robinson refinery in Illinois began planned maintenance in March. U.S. gasoline prices hit $4.18 a gallon, the highest since 2022, according to AAA.
Why MaxLinear Stock Is Surging as AI Data-Center Demand Rewrites the Story

Why MaxLinear Stock Is Surging as AI Data-Center Demand Rewrites the Story

29 April 2026
MaxLinear shares rose about 34% to $69.58 on Wednesday after Loop Capital upgraded the stock and raised its target to $75. The surge followed a first-quarter report showing infrastructure revenue up 136% to become the company’s largest segment. Total revenue climbed 43% to $137.2 million. MaxLinear guided second-quarter revenue to $160–$170 million, citing strong demand for data-center optical products.
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