The main headlines that caught the attention of global financial media last night and this morning are:
Despite concerns about inflation, the Federal Reserve maintains its interest rates unchanged; two members oppose this decision, with Walsh stating that there will be fewer meetings for setting interest rates.
At 02:00 a.m. Beijing time, the Federal Reserve voted to maintain its benchmark interest rate unchanged, with the Federal Open Market Committee keeping the overnight federal funds rate in the range of 3.75% to 4%.
Two of the 12 FOMC voting members expressed dissent with the decision—director Lisa Cook and Federal Reserve Chairman of Cleveland, Beth Harkmark, both of whom preferred that the committee raise interest rates by 25 basis points.
Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh stated that the central bank will reduce the frequency of meetings where members vote on interest rates.
Oracle shares soar; previously, the company forecasted revenue of $225 billion for the fiscal year 2030.
Oracle's stock price closed up nearly 11% on Wednesday, following the software company's release of a revenue forecast for fiscal year 2030 of $225 billion, which implies an average annual growth of 35%, and it stated that it will limit additional financing during that period to $20 billion.
At the Investor Day, Oracle stated that as part of its financing plan for the fiscal years 2027 to 2030, the funds raised will be evenly allocated between equity and debt.
"Supplier financing, hardware provided by customers, and customer prepayments are expected to reduce the initial cash needs during the transition to positive free cash flow," Oracle stated in a document submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Alphabet Third-quarter revenue and profits fell short of expectations
Alphabet Inc. In the third quarter, both revenue and profits fell short of expectations, indicating that the substantial investments in artificial intelligence (AI) have not yet generated sufficient returns to justify such expenditures. The company's stock price dropped by 8.5% after the market closed.
The company stated that for the three months ending September 30, revenue excluding partner commissions was $111.2 billion, slightly lower than the analysts' average forecast of $111.3 billion. Alphabet Earnings per share were $2.12, far below Wall Street's expectation of $2.99.
Google builds AI infrastructure for itself and its customers, driving capital expenditures to record levels. Investors are putting increasing pressure on the company to prove that these expenditures are yielding returns.
Microsoft's cloud business revenue exceeded expectations, and the stock price rose after the market closed.
Microsoft reported that its cloud business revenue in the just-ended quarter exceeded expectations, indicating that the company's substantial investments in artificial intelligence ( AI ) continue to pay off. Microsoft's stock price soared by about 4% after the market closed.
The world's largest software company released its financial report after the market closed on Wednesday. For the fiscal quarter ending in September, the much-anticipated revenue from its Azure cloud business increased by 48%, exceeding analysts' forecast of 44%. The company's overall revenue grew by 19% to $92.3 billion, also surpassing analysts' prediction of 17%.
Microsoft is attempting to commercialize AI by selling office applications that incorporate the AI feature, as well as by providing AI model services through Azure.
Apple releases its first touchscreen laptop
About 20 years after abandoning the touchscreen concept, Apple released a completely redesigned MacBook Pro. The inclusion of a touchscreen for the first time endowed this flagship laptop with a feature that has become an important specification in the personal computer industry.
The new MacBook Pro is available in two sizes: 14 inches and 16 inches, with a thinner body and a significantly reduced weight. This is the first Mac to feature a OLED display screen, which has been used in recent years' iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices. For the first time, the new model also incorporates the iPhone Control Center that users are familiar with on the Mac.
The new computer has a redesigned user interface optimized for touch operations, and is equipped with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The starting price for the 14-inch version is $2,899, and for the 16-inch version, it is $3,399.
The US Department of Justice inquires about the impact of NVIDIA's acquisition of Hugging Face on competition in the AI trading pair
The U.S. Department of Justice has begun inquiring about how NVIDIA's acquisition of the open-source platform Hugging Face will affect competition in the field of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, antitrust enforcement agencies are still advancing a multi-year investigation into the activities of this chip design company.
Recent inquiries by the Ministry of Justice involve NVIDIA's acquisition, investment, and sales activities, as well as whether the company has ever pressured its customers.
Regarding the Hugging Face transaction, officials from the Ministry of Justice asked whether this acquisition would allow NVIDIA to gain control of a fundamental distribution channel in the AI sector.
