Khadija Saeed

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

Nvidia stock slips as China buyers face “pay upfront” rule for H200 AI chips

Nvidia stock slips as China buyers face “pay upfront” rule for H200 AI chips

New York, January 8, 2026, 10:31 EST — Regular session Nvidia shares fell about 1.6% to $186.03 on Thursday after two people briefed on the matter said the chipmaker is demanding full upfront payment from Chinese customers seeking its H200, a data-center processor used to train artificial-intelligence models. The terms bar cancellations, refunds or configuration changes after an order is placed, the people said. The stock hit an intraday low of $184.73 and a high of $190.28. Reuters The shift lands as investors start 2026 leaning again into big AI names, even as valuations and policy risk keep flashing yellow.
Intel stock slides after 18A ‘Panther Lake’ rally — Jan. 22 earnings is the next test

Intel stock slides after 18A ‘Panther Lake’ rally — Jan. 22 earnings is the next test

New York, January 8, 2026, 10:05 AM ET — Regular session Intel (INTC.O) shares fell 1.6% to $41.95 in morning trade on Thursday. The stock has ranged between $41.87 and $43.31 so far. The pullback comes a day after Intel’s shares jumped when the company said it has begun shipping its first products made on 18A, its newest chipmaking process. The initial shipments involve the Panther Lake family, branded as Core Ultra Series 3, and Melius Research upgraded the stock to “buy” with a $50 price target. TradingView Investors have latched onto 18A because it sits at the center of
XRP price stock slides near $2 after first ETF outflows as U.S. jobs report nears

XRP price stock slides near $2 after first ETF outflows as U.S. jobs report nears

NEW YORK, Jan 8, 2026, 10:28 EST — Regular session XRP fell about 5% on Thursday to around $2.09, extending a pullback in major cryptocurrencies after a hot start to 2026. Trading volume over the past 24 hours was about $4.6 billion, CoinMarketCap data showed. CoinMarketCap The XRP price move mattered because one of the big props under the rally — steady demand for U.S.-listed spot XRP exchange-traded funds — showed its first crack. Spot ETFs, which trade like stocks and aim to track XRP’s price, saw roughly $41 million of net outflows on Wednesday, according to SoSoValue data cited
GOOG stock turns flat after early spike as EU sets Wiz deal deadline and Cantor upgrades Alphabet

GOOG stock turns flat after early spike as EU sets Wiz deal deadline and Cantor upgrades Alphabet

NEW YORK, Jan 8, 2026, 10:18 (EST) — Regular session Alphabet’s non-voting Class C shares were little changed on Thursday after EU regulators set a Feb. 10 deadline for an initial call on Google’s planned Wiz purchase and after Cantor Fitzgerald lifted its rating. The stock opened higher and then sagged, tracking the broader wobble in growth shares. The deadline matters because Wiz would be Alphabet’s biggest deal and a rare megacap bet on cloud security, an area where deals now draw instant scrutiny. A longer review can freeze a transaction for months, keeping investors guessing on costs and timing.
Dow Jones Today: Dow steadies near record highs as jobs report looms and Trump defense talk jolts stocks

Dow Jones Today: Dow steadies near record highs as jobs report looms and Trump defense talk jolts stocks

New York, January 8, 2026, 10:13 EST — Regular session The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 129 points, or 0.3%, at 49,124.87 by mid-morning in New York. It has traded between 48,792 and 49,165 so far and sits about 1% below a recent peak near 49,621. Google The move matters because the index has been swinging on a mix of policy headlines and labor data, with investors trying to pin down whether the Federal Reserve can cut rates as quickly as markets have hoped. After a sharp run to new highs, even small surprises are landing harder. Data on
Palantir stock steadies after Truist’s $223 call as investors eye next catalyst

Palantir stock steadies after Truist’s $223 call as investors eye next catalyst

New York, Jan 8, 2026, 10:01 EST — Regular session Palantir Technologies (PLTR.O) shares were up 0.1% at $181.81 on Thursday after swinging between $180.59 and $186.89 in early trade. Truist Securities initiated coverage with a buy rating and a $223 price target, calling the stock a “best-in-class AI asset” and pointing to demand for generative AI — software that can produce text and code — across governments and companies. The call lands as PLTR stock trades like a referendum on whether AI spending can stay hot and profitable at the same time. Truist framed its target as a 28.1%
Lockheed Martin stock jumps on Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget push — buyback ban still in play

Lockheed Martin stock jumps on Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget push — buyback ban still in play

NEW YORK, Jan 8, 2026, 10:08 EST — Regular session Lockheed Martin shares rose 7.4% to $533.71 on Thursday, leading a rebound in big U.S. defense names after President Donald Trump talked up a sharp increase in Pentagon spending. Northrop Grumman climbed 10.1% and RTX gained 5.5% in early New York trading. Trump said on Wednesday the 2027 U.S. military budget should be $1.5 trillion, well above the $901 billion approved by Congress for 2026, and suggested tariff revenue would help fund it. Capital Alpha Partners defense analyst Byron Callan said the post raised questions about where the money would
Amazon stock today: AMZN ticks up as AWS self-driving deal and GPU pricing come into focus

Amazon stock today: AMZN ticks up as AWS self-driving deal and GPU pricing come into focus

New York, January 8, 2026, 09:32 EST — Regular session Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) shares rose 0.3% to $241.56 in early trading on Thursday after its cloud unit AWS expanded a partnership with German auto supplier Aumovio to speed up self-driving vehicle development using artificial intelligence. “The big accelerant in the industry has been the use of engineering AI,” AWS automotive and manufacturing boss Ozgur Tohumcu told Reuters. Reuters Why it matters now: investors are treating AWS as Amazon’s tell on corporate tech budgets, especially for AI-heavy workloads that need expensive computing power. A steady drumbeat of customer wins can matter
Meta stock drops as China opens scrutiny of Manus AI deal

Meta stock drops as China opens scrutiny of Manus AI deal

New York, Jan 8, 2026, 09:56 EST — Regular session Meta Platforms shares fell on Thursday after China’s commerce ministry said it would assess and investigate the company’s acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus. Reuters The move matters because Meta has been leaning hard into AI — both for ads and new consumer products — and any new friction around data or technology transfer can turn a small deal into a bigger risk question for investors. China’s statement also lands at a touchy moment for U.S. tech, with markets quick to reprice policy and regulatory surprises. Meta stock was down
Apple stock slips today as Apple Card shifts to JPMorgan, payrolls and earnings loom

Apple stock slips today as Apple Card shifts to JPMorgan, payrolls and earnings loom

New York, Jan 8, 2026, 09:34 EST — Regular session Apple (AAPL.O) shares slid 0.8% to $260.33 in early trading on Thursday. The stock closed at $262.32 on Wednesday. The move keeps attention on Apple’s services and payments push, a piece of the story that tends to matter more when hardware demand looks harder to read. Investors have also started treating big-tech leadership as less stable than it looked a few months ago. The broader tape was cautious ahead of Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, after data this week pointed to slower hiring even as layoffs stayed relatively low. “Both
Micron stock slips as UBS, Piper lift targets to $400 ahead of New York megafab kickoff

Micron stock slips as UBS, Piper lift targets to $400 ahead of New York megafab kickoff

NEW YORK, Jan 8, 2026, 09:40 EST — Regular session Micron Technology Inc shares fell 1.1% to $339.55 in early trading on Thursday, after touching $342.50 and $336.33, as the chipmaker’s recent surge cooled. The moves matter because investors are trying to judge whether a tight memory market is turning into something more durable, driven by data centers building out artificial intelligence systems. Samsung Electronics this week forecast record quarterly operating profit as demand for memory chips used in AI applications lifted prices, a read-through for rivals that sell similar products. Reuters UBS lifted its price target on Micron to
Microsoft stock edges up after Fiserv expands Copilot rollout, with earnings next in focus

Microsoft stock edges up after Fiserv expands Copilot rollout, with earnings next in focus

NEW YORK, January 8, 2026, 09:44 EST — Regular session Microsoft Corp shares rose $5.02, or about 1.0%, to $483.47 on Thursday after payments technology firm Fiserv said it will deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot across its workforce and expand its use of Microsoft Foundry, an Azure-powered platform for building and running AI applications. “We’re transforming how Fiserv delivers the next generation of innovation for our clients,” Guy Chiarello, Fiserv’s vice chairman, said. Fiserv, Inc. The timing matters because Microsoft’s big pitch to investors is that enterprise customers will pay up for “Copilot” tools — generative AI features stitched into Office

Stock Market Today

Wall Street Feels the Heat (and Thrill): Fed Cuts, Tariffs & Mega-Mergers Set NYSE Buzz

Stock Market Today 07.02.2026

7 February 2026
LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: February 7, 2026, 12:00 AM ESTUpdated: February 7, 2026, 12:31 AM EST Dollar Dips as Stocks Rally and US Data Influences Fed Rate Expectations February 7, 2026, 12:18 AM EST. The **dollar index** fell 0.17%, pressured by a rebound in equity markets reducing demand for the safe-haven currency. Weaker-than-expected U.S. labor market data raised the odds of a Fed rate cut to 18% for March, though consumer sentiment improved to a six-month high, limiting losses. Hawkish comments from Atlanta Fed's Raphael Bostic emphasized maintaining restrictive monetary policy. The dollar faces medium-term weakness amid expectations for rate cuts
Seagate (STX) stock jumps nearly 6% as Citi hikes target — what to watch next week

Seagate (STX) stock jumps nearly 6% as Citi hikes target — what to watch next week

7 February 2026
Seagate shares rose 5.9% to $429.32 Friday after Citigroup raised its price target to $480 and reiterated a buy rating. The gain ended a two-day slide but left the stock 6.6% below its Feb. 3 high. CEO Dave Mosley sold 20,000 shares on Feb. 2 under a pre-arranged plan, SEC filings show. U.S. jobs and inflation data next week are seen as key tests for tech stocks.
Cummins (CMI) stock price rebounds after earnings whipsaw as investors eye data-center power demand

Cummins (CMI) stock price rebounds after earnings whipsaw as investors eye data-center power demand

7 February 2026
Cummins shares jumped 6.8% to $577.73 Friday, recovering from a nearly 9% post-earnings drop the day before. The company reported Q4 revenue up 1% to $8.54 billion, took a $218 million charge tied to its hydrogen business, and guided for 2026 EBITDA of 17–18% of sales. Demand for data center generators offset weakness in North American truck markets. Analyst reaction was mixed; Truist raised its price target.
Corning stock hits first record close since 2000 as jobs, CPI data loom

Corning stock hits first record close since 2000 as jobs, CPI data loom

7 February 2026
Corning shares surged 8.3% to $122.16 Friday, their highest close since the dot-com era, after Meta agreed to buy up to $6 billion in fiber-optic cables. The stock is up 40% since late 2025, fueled by strong first-quarter guidance and AI data-center demand. Insiders sold shares following the rally, SEC filings show. Investors await next week’s U.S. jobs and inflation data for rate signals.
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