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☆ Amazon soars on 'game-changing' quarter, iPhone slump drags Apple
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Aditya Soni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO-The logo of Amazon is seen at the company's logistics center in Bretigny-sur-Orge, near Paris, France, November 25, 2022. Online retail giant Amazon's shares closed at a near one-year high and added more than $109 billion to its market value. "The second quarter is a game-changing quarter for Amazon; we would call it an-all clear moment," said SVB MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Morton. The surge in Amazon's stock reflected analysts' increased estimates for its earnings. But its services business was a bright spot and helped Apple top profit expectations for the June quarter.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, SVB, Michael Morton, —, Dan Coatsworth, AJ Bell, Aditya Soni, Samrhitha, Joice Alves, Noel Randewich, Chavi Mehta, Amanda Cooper, Saumyadeb Organizations: REUTERS, Google, Microsoft, Wall Street, Amazon, Refinitiv, Apple, Thomson Locations: Bretigny, Paris, France, Apple's, Bengaluru, London

☆ Amazon surges on 'game-changing' quarter, iPhone slump drags Apple
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Aditya Soni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO-The logo of Amazon is seen at the company's logistics center in Bretigny-sur-Orge, near Paris, France, November 25, 2022. Online retail giant Amazon was set to add about $120 billion to its market value, based on premarket movements. "The second quarter is a game-changing quarter for Amazon; we would call it an-all clear moment," said SVB MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Morton. But its services business was a bright spot and helped Apple top profit expectations for the June quarter. "It is time for Apple to launch something new and innovative, not just another variation of its core products."

Persons: Benoit Tessier, SVB, Michael Morton, —, Dan Coatsworth, AJ Bell, Aditya Soni, Samrhitha, Joice Alves, Amanda Cooper, Saumyadeb Organizations: REUTERS, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Wall Street, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Bretigny, Paris, France, Apple's, Bengaluru, London

☆ AI music could revolutionize the industry — and this artist is leading the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Drew Austin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Despite this widespread apprehension, Holly Herndon — an experimental musician and artist — doesn't think AI is nefarious or will ruin art. Herndon's usage of AI shows a way forward for not just artists but also the rest of us. In her blog post announcing Holly+, Herndon said she envisioned a future where digitally created voices "soon become standard practice for artists and other creatives." While the project has yielded an ever-growing array of fascinating art, Holly+ also raises questions about the future of that art. (Anyone can use the Holly+ voice tool itself without submitting the output to the DAO, however.)

So far in 2023, this index of what are the leading lights of the U.S. economy is up 36% - six times the year-to-date gains of the S&P 500 index (.SPX). Put another way, this year's rise of these 10 mega tech stocks accounts for pretty much all of the S&P 500 gains. "But given how often the S&P 500 has been used as Exhibit A for overall 'resilience', it's important to acknowledge just how idiosyncratic this macro gauge has been." Are tech stocks overpriced? There are certainly plenty of concerns that these mega stocks may be overbought and just too expensive - even though that concern will hardly be a new worry for these stocks.

☆ The TikTok hearing was an ugly political theater
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Despite lacking evidence for their belief that TikTok is a spying tool for the Chinese Communist Party, US lawmakers from both parties on Thursday carried out an ugly political theater to advance that narrative. But — and I cannot stress this enough — the national security concerns are purely hypothetical. And against that tense (not to mention deeply xenophobic) backdrop, everyone in Washington is bolstering their “tough in China” credentials. “We see this handwringing about TikTok as a big distraction from the conversation that we really need to be having,” Greer said. “It’s a national embarrassment that we have no basic data privacy law in the United States.”Enjoying Nightcap?

A down shift in the rate hiking pace by the Bank of Canada this week just stoked that speculation. And even in the face of some spooky corporate health warnings, stock markets fed off Fed 'pivot' talk yet again and have been chomping at the bit for a fortnight. When that 2-10 yield curve inverted in April for the first time in almost three years - shortly after the Fed's first hike - recession angst took a firm grip. Fed economists argued vociferously that the 2-10 yield curve was not reliable and insisted a 'soft landing' was still possible if more accurate shorter-term yield curve spreads that remained positive were used instead. An elongated measure of the yield curve between 3 months and 10 years - used by the New York Fed in its recession probability models - dropped into negative territory for the first time since the pandemic hit.

☆ A musician raised an AI 'baby' to harmonize with — and her newest experiment could usher in a brave, new world of art
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Drew Austin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In the world of art, misgivings about AI have been particularly acute. Despite this widespread apprehension, Holly Herndon — an experimental musician and artist — doesn't think AI is nefarious or will ruin art. In her blog post announcing Holly+, Herndon said she envisioned a future where digitally created voices "soon become standard practice for artists and other creatives." While the project has yielded an ever-growing array of fascinating art, Holly+ also raises questions about the future of that art. (Anyone can use the Holly+ voice tool itself without submitting the output to the DAO, however.)

☆ Sorry, Biden backers. President Donald Trump actually has more campaign cash now than 4 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-10 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

President Trump's campaign ended July with $120 million, about three times more than the roughly $39 million it reported at this point in 2016. This doesn't cost Trump's campaign anything but helps get his message to voters. In addition to the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and several pro-Trump super PACs have planned heavy spending before Election Day. The Trump campaign ended July with more than $120 million, compared with about $99 million for Biden. Some areas of Trump campaign spending have even dropped from 2016 to 2020.

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