March 19, 2026
Evening digest: Bitcoin steadies, Goldman Sachs to start layoffs in April
On Thursday, Bitcoin traded around $69,000-$70,000. Goldman Sachs is reportedly looking to start job cuts in April, while OpenAI announced it will acquire Astral, and Uber announceda partnership with Rivian. Bitcoin holds steady amid broader market selloff Bitcoin drifted between $69,000 and $70,000 as escalating tensions in Iran and across the Middle East rattled global […]
March 19, 2026
Figma stock falls as Google AI Stitch sparks design software fears
Figma shares extended their decline this week as investor concerns over artificial intelligence competition intensified following the launch of a new design-focused product from Google. The stock dropped 8% on Wednesday and fell more than 4% on Thursday, taking its losses to about 35% for the year. The selloff reflects broader pressure across the software […]
March 19, 2026
Wall Street falls as oil surge fuels inflation fears, Dow Jones down 200 points
Wall Street closed lower on Thursday as rising oil prices and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East dampened investor sentiment and clouded the outlook for interest rate cuts. The S&P 500 fell 0.27% to 6,606.49, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.28% to 22,090.69. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.44%, or 203.72 points, to […]
March 19, 2026
Republicans balk at going it alone on Iran war funding
Congressional Republicans are confronting serious doubts they can pass Iran war funding on their own, especially as the potential price tag balloons into the hundreds of billions of dollars. The alternative — relying on a handful of Democrats to push it through the Senate — doesn’t look any more likely as Middle East hostilities expand, […]
March 19, 2026
European bulletin: central banks turn hawkish, Lamborghini profits fall
European markets faced broad pressure on Thursday as escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East rattled investor sentiment, pushed energy prices higher, and complicated the outlook for inflation and monetary policy. Central banks across Europe signaled increasing caution, Lamborghini’s profit declined while HSBC announced layoffs. European markets slide on geopolitical and inflation fears European shares […]
March 19, 2026
AI data center boom drives lithium demand as supply risks grow
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure is reshaping global lithium demand, with energy storage systems emerging as a key growth driver alongside electric vehicles. Last year, data centers powering chatbots and other AI applications drove a sharp rise in demand for lithium-iron phosphate batteries, which provide stable and reliable energy supply. These batteries are […]
March 19, 2026
Analyst says SoundHound stock can double as CFO announces departure
SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) opened in the red on Thursday after CFO Nitesh Sharan said he’s stepping down to join a quantum computing company on April 3rd. However, a senior D.A. Davidson analyst, Gil Luria, says the announcement is hardly any reason for long-term investors to trim their exposure to the voice artificial intelligence (AI) […]
March 19, 2026
Congress moves to scrutinize AI use in federal court
A group of lawmakers are set to introduce legislation Thursday to examine the use of artificial intelligence in federal courts, according to bill text obtained by POLITICO. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), along with Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), are preparing to unveil the bipartisan, bicameral Research and Oversight of Artificial Intelligence in […]
March 19, 2026
Micron stock slips 5% after earnings: should you buy the dip?
Shares of Micron Technology fell about 5% on Thursday, even after the chipmaker reported stronger-than-expected fiscal second-quarter results. The company nearly tripled its revenue in the latest quarter, driven by robust demand for memory chips used in artificial intelligence systems. Heavy spending plans weigh on sentiment Investor reaction was tempered by Micron’s outlook for significantly […]
March 19, 2026
Is it too late to invest in Cheniere stock as it hits all-time high?
Cheniere Energy (NYSE: LNG) climbed to an all-time high of nearly $297 on Thursday morning, following reports of missile strikes targeting Qatar’s “Ras Laffan” industrial complex. Year-to-date, the Houston-headquartered firm is now up some 50% amidst a perfect storm of geopolitical supply chain disruptions and robust long-term contract expansions. While record prices often trigger profit-taking, […]
March 19, 2026
OpenAI acquires Astral: is it enough to catch up with Anthropic’s Claude
OpenAI said on Thursday it will acquire Astral, as the ChatGPT maker doubles down on artificial intelligence-powered coding tools to compete more aggressively with rivals such as Anthropic. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition will integrate Astral’s suite of Python-focused developer tools into OpenAI’s coding system, Codex, expanding its […]
March 19, 2026
Senate recess at risk if DHS shutdown continues, Thune says
Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested Thursday the Senate will not go on recess as planned at the end of next week if the Department of Homeland Security isn’t funded by then. “We need to get this resolved and it needs to get resolved, you know, by the end of next week,” Thune said. “I […]