Today: 7 February 2026
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Khadija Saeed

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

Microsoft stock slides on Brazil antitrust probe into cloud licensing — what investors watch next

Microsoft stock slides on Brazil antitrust probe into cloud licensing — what investors watch next

NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 09:33 ET — Market closed Microsoft (MSFT.O) shares ended down 2.21% on Friday after Brazil’s antitrust watchdog opened a probe into the company’s corporate software and cloud computing practices. The stock finished at $472.94, and U.S. markets are closed on Saturday. Terra The investigation puts cloud licensing — the rules and prices for using Microsoft software on different cloud platforms — back in focus as investors size up regulatory risks alongside growth. It also lands as megacap tech valuations remain sensitive to changes in interest-rate expectations. Those expectations may get tested quickly. U.S. employment data
3 January 2026
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Micron stock jumps 10% after Bernstein raises target to $330 as AI memory pricing stays tight

Micron stock jumps 10% after Bernstein raises target to $330 as AI memory pricing stays tight

NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 09:27 ET — Market closed Micron Technology, Inc. (MU.O) shares jumped 10.5% on Friday, closing at $315.42, after a Bernstein price-target increase helped propel the memory-chip maker higher in the market’s first session of 2026. The move matters because Micron’s earnings are tightly linked to the direction of memory-chip prices, and investors have been leaning into the view that AI data centers are tightening supply faster than the industry can add capacity. Memory has a long history of boom-and-bust cycles, so even small shifts in expectations for pricing and supply can produce outsized moves in
3 January 2026
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Nvidia stock today: NVDA closes higher as chip rally kicks off 2026 — what investors watch next week

Nvidia stock today: NVDA closes higher as chip rally kicks off 2026 — what investors watch next week

New York, Jan 3, 2026, 09:20 ET — Market closed Nvidia shares ended Friday up 1.2% at $188.85, outperforming the broader market as semiconductors led a rebound in the first trading session of 2026. Reuters That move matters because Nvidia has become a bellwether for “AI plays” — stocks tied to artificial intelligence spending — after a choppy year-end left investors wary of stretched valuations. Chipmakers lifted the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index, a benchmark for major U.S. chip stocks, which rose 4% on Friday. Reuters The early bounce also comes as traders look for a new catalyst to set the
3 January 2026
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Shopify stock slides after Canadian court order in CRA data dispute

Shopify stock slides after Canadian court order in CRA data dispute

NEW YORK, January 2, 2026, 21:00 ET — Market closed Shopify Inc. shares slid 2.3% on Friday, and investors weighed a Canadian appeals court order requiring the company to retain data sought by the Canada Revenue Agency in a tax dispute. The stock ended at $157.20. Barchart The timing matters because the data fight lands as investors head into 2026 focused on regulation, privacy and the interest-rate outlook — all key inputs for high-growth software stocks. U.S. stocks ended mixed in the first session of 2026 as Treasury yields moved higher and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dipped slightly. “Value is outperforming
3 January 2026
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Cisco stock today: CSCO slips on ex-dividend day as Wall Street braces for jobs data

Cisco stock today: CSCO slips on ex-dividend day as Wall Street braces for jobs data

NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 21:07 ET — Market closed Cisco Systems, Inc. shares fell on Friday, ending the first trading day of 2026 down about 1.3% at $76.04. The move matters now because investors are heading into the first full trading week of the year with a heavy slate of U.S. economic data and the start of quarterly earnings season. Those catalysts can reset interest-rate expectations and risk appetite, which often ripple through large-cap tech. Reuters Cisco also traded ex-dividend on Friday — the date when new buyers no longer qualify for the next dividend payment. Nasdaq U.S. stocks
3 January 2026
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Chevron stock rises as energy kicks off 2026; OPEC+ and Venezuela in focus

Chevron stock rises as energy kicks off 2026; OPEC+ and Venezuela in focus

NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 21:09 ET — Market closed Chevron Corp (CVX.N) shares ended Friday up 2.3% at $155.90, finishing near the day’s high after trading between $151.25 and $155.96. Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) rose 1.9% and ConocoPhillips (COP.N) gained 3.3%. The move matters because energy shares are starting 2026 with crude prices still pinned in a tight range after a steep slide last year, and a weekend decision from OPEC+ is looming. OPEC+ — the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus allies including Russia — often sets the tone for oil prices by adjusting supply targets. Macro cross-currents
3 January 2026
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Astera Labs (ALAB) stock jumps nearly 8% as chip rally kicks off 2026

Astera Labs (ALAB) stock jumps nearly 8% as chip rally kicks off 2026

NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 21:00 ET — Market closed Shares of Astera Labs closed up 7.9% on Friday at $179.56, lifting the Nasdaq-listed semiconductor company at the start of the new year. The move tracked a broader rally in chip stocks that helped U.S. equities end mostly higher on the first trading day of 2026, after a four-session skid, according to Reuters. Reuters That matters now because investors are looking for fresh direction after late-December weakness, with economic data and the start of fourth-quarter earnings season poised to reset rate expectations and risk appetite. Reuters Astera Labs sells connectivity
3 January 2026
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Citigroup stock closes higher to start 2026 as traders eye jobs data and Citi earnings

Citigroup stock closes higher to start 2026 as traders eye jobs data and Citi earnings

NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 20:58 ET — Market closed Citigroup Inc (C.N) stock rose $2.01, or 1.7%, to close at $118.70 on Friday, outpacing several large U.S. lenders in a session that opened the new year on a cautious note for equities. The move matters because bank shares tend to track shifts in U.S. interest rates, which drive both loan demand and the spread banks earn on lending. Traders began 2026 looking for clarity on whether the economy is cooling enough to keep rate cuts in play without derailing growth. Citigroup’s next test comes on Jan. 14, when it
3 January 2026
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P&G stock drops again as 2026 opens — earnings date and key levels in focus

P&G stock drops again as 2026 opens — earnings date and key levels in focus

NEW YORK, January 2, 2026, 21:01 ET — Market closed. Procter & Gamble Co shares fell 1.06% on Friday to close at $141.79, after trading between $143.34 and $141.24. The drop marked a fourth straight daily decline, with about 8.7 million shares traded. The stock was last indicated at $141.68 in after-hours trading. StockAnalysis The slide matters as investors begin 2026 repositioning in defensive stocks — companies viewed as steadier because they sell everyday essentials and typically pay regular dividends. P&G is a bellwether within consumer staples, a sector that tends to draw interest when growth expectations soften or when
3 January 2026
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MongoDB (MDB) stock drops nearly 5% to start 2026 — here’s what investors are watching next

MongoDB (MDB) stock drops nearly 5% to start 2026 — here’s what investors are watching next

NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 20:46 ET — Market closed MongoDB, Inc. (MDB) shares closed down 4.8% at $399.65 on Friday, deepening a pullback across software stocks as investors trimmed risk on the first trading day of 2026. The decline matters because MongoDB has been one of the stronger large-cap software names in recent months, a setup that can magnify moves when sentiment turns. High-growth software stocks often trade on expectations for future cash flows, which can make them more sensitive than the broader market to shifts in risk appetite. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF fell 2.9% on the
3 January 2026
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Confluent (CFLT) stock slips to $30 as IBM’s $31 deal caps upside — what investors watch next

Confluent (CFLT) stock slips to $30 as IBM’s $31 deal caps upside — what investors watch next

New York, Jan 2, 2026, 20:47 ET — Market closed Confluent, Inc. (CFLT) shares closed down 0.4% at $30.11 on Friday, ending the first trading day of 2026 just under IBM’s $31-per-share cash offer. IBM has said the all-cash acquisition values Confluent at an enterprise value of $11 billion, is expected to close by mid-2026, and has support agreements from investors controlling about 62% of Confluent’s voting power. Yahoo Finance The stock’s small discount to the offer price is the metric merger-arbitrage traders watch. Merger arbitrage is a strategy of buying a takeover target to capture the gap to the
3 January 2026
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IBM stock drops 1.6% as Big Blue touts Quantum Nighthawk chip ahead of Jan. 28 earnings

IBM stock drops 1.6% as Big Blue touts Quantum Nighthawk chip ahead of Jan. 28 earnings

NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 20:43 ET — Market closed Shares of International Business Machines Corp fell 1.59% on Friday to close at $291.50, extending a three-session slide as the first trading day of 2026 ended with U.S. equities modestly higher. MarketWatch The move matters now because January brings a dense run of economic releases and the start of quarterly reporting, events that often reset expectations for interest rates and corporate IT spending. Reuters For IBM, the next major checkpoint is its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings announcement scheduled for Jan. 28, listed as a preliminary date on the company’s investor calendar.
3 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

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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