Internet outages show signs of recovery as Spotify, Google and other popular online services are down for thousands of users

Multiple popular online services were hit by outages on Thursday afternoon, including Spotify, Discord, Google and Amazon Web Services, according to Downdetector, a website that tracks service disruptions across the web.
The disruptions came as service provider Cloudfare and Google Cloud experienced service disruptions. A Cloudfare representative told CNN that a Google Cloud outage was behind the issue and that its core services were not impacted.
'This is a Google Cloud outage,' a Cloudfare representative said in an email to CNN. 'A limited number of services at Cloudflare use Google Cloud and were impacted. We expect them to come back shortly.'
Google said it was 'investigating a service disruption' when asked for comment.
'We are currently investigating a service disruption to some Google Cloud services,' a representative said. 'Please view our public status dashboard for the latest updates.'
Cloudfare said it was starting to see services recover in a note on its services status page on Thursday afternoon. A Spotify representative pointed CNN to Google's Cloud services dashboard when asked about technical issues impacting the streaming service.
Issue reports on Downdetector for Discord and Google Cloud also began to drop around that time. At its peak, the disruptions impacted roughly 46,000 Spotify users, 11,000 Discord users and 14,000 Google Cloud users, according to Downdetector. Services such as Snapchat and the AI platform Character.ai were also affected, according to the outage tracker website.
Google Cloud plays a massive role in powering the web. In 2018, the company said it 'delivers 25% of worldwide internet traffic.'
It's also not the first time an outage like this has caused widespread interruptions in web service. An Amazon Web Services outage in 2021 disrupted everything from food orders to smart home devices, as CNBC reported at the time.
Several other high-profile services have seen outages in recent weeks, including ChatGPT and social media platform X.
This story is developing. Please refresh for the latest.

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Fast Company

15 minutes ago

• Fast Company

MrBeast used AI to create YouTube thumbnails. People weren't pleased

YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson—aka MrBeast—is the face of the online video-sharing platform. He tops the platform's most-subscribed list, with more than 400 million people following his exploits. Online video has made Donaldson rich, with his business worth an estimated $1 billion. However, the megastar is now embroiled in controversy following the launch of a new AI-powered thumbnail generator. The tool, developed with the analytics platform Viewstats, was promoted in now-deleted videos by Donaldson as a way for creators to easily generate eye-catching thumbnails—including the ability to swap faces and styles with existing popular videos. The product was condemned by fellow YouTubers and artists, who accused MrBeast of facilitating the theft of their creative work and brand identity. Prominent creators like Jacksepticeye (i.e. Seán McLoughlin) publicly criticized the tool after his own logo and thumbnail style were used in promotional materials without his consent, calling the practice deeply unethical and harmful to the creative community. 'I hate what this platform is turning into. Fuck AI,' Jacksepticeye posted on X. (Neither McLoughlin nor Donaldson responded to Fast Company 's request for comment.) Donaldson quickly acknowledged the concerns, pledging to make changes to the tool. 'I'll build this more in a way to be inspiration for artists/a tool they use and not replace them,' he posted on X. Still, the incident has gained momentum, provoking angry responses and heated debate about the endorsement of such an AI product. For example, another YouTuber, Eric Pointcrow, said of Donaldson: 'What a piece of work.' The mini-drama has riled the YouTube community in a way few other issues have, touching on a common occurrence in the space: the copying of video thumbnails. Why? 'I think there are several things going on here,' says Jess Maddox, associate professor at the University of Alabama, who studies platform dynamics on sites like YouTube. Primarily, Maddox believes that underlying the controversy is 'some good old-fashioned YouTube drama.' The platform often responds as a mob to things it deems offensive, so it's unsurprising that this incident has triggered so much anger. 'YouTube pioneered online pile-on culture, in which everyone wants a piece of someone else's name, image, or likeness,' says Maddox. 'But it's actually quite hard to go after MrBeast, who's one of the biggest and most successful creators. He's almost too big to fail, or ride his coattails.' Beyond that, Maddox points out that the technology—and the broader fear of automation —is also driving the intensity of the response. 'AI in the creator economy is incredibly controversial right now,' says Maddox. 'Many do view it as theft, and other creators view not using it as a badge of honor—that they can say with pride they either do all the work themselves or pay their team fairly to do so.' Donaldson's decision to launch the AI product also came just after YouTube admitted that it used a subset of the 20 billion videos on its platform to train Google's Veo 3 video generation AI model—a fact that may have further amplified the backlash. Yet a recent small survey of U.K. YouTube creators suggests that up to four in five creators are already using AI themselves, saving nearly eight hours of work each week. 'What's caused this backlash isn't just the tool, it's what it represents,' agrees Dom Smales, cofounder of GloMotion Studios, a digital entertainment studio and longstanding voice in the YouTube space. 'When the most powerful creator on the platform automates creativity using other creators' work, it hits a nerve. It further exposes the growing gap between mega-creators and everyone else, which has to be handled carefully as this is a community above everything else.' This combination of factors helps explain why the criticism has been so strong and so sustained. 'MrBeast clearly has enough money to pay for this work, so the fact that he isn't doesn't paint him in the most positive light,' says Maddox. The idea that such AI systems might worsen existing problems is also top of mind. 'If the biggest YouTube creator out there is using AI, I think many creators are nervous this will unfairly exacerbate the divide between big creators and mega-creators—never mind the divide between those and micro- and nano-creators,' Maddox says. 'AI is a labor issue, and it risks making an already unequal creator economy even more unequal.' Yet Smales cautions that people shouldn't be so quick to vilify AI—so long as it's used responsibly. 'AI is here to stay and can be a superb tool to level creators up and allow further democratization of the creator economy,' he says. 'I'm building businesses that use it, but I believe it has to be developed with creators, not just deployed on them.'

Yahoo

31 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq waver, oil prices trim gains as Wall Street weighs Iran's next move

US stocks wavered on Monday as oil prices eased and investors assessed Iran's next move after the US entered the Middle East conflict by striking its nuclear sites. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 0.1%. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) also slipped 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) dropped 0.1% Stocks climbed into positive territory after Federal Reserve governor Michelle Bowman expressed support for a rate cut "as soon" as July, becoming the second central bank policymaker to be that explicit in recent days about an easing of monetary policy in the near term. Stocks started the session in red territory on the heels of President Trump's decision to join Israel's attacks on Iran on Saturday. Investors are on edge over a shock surge in energy prices if Iran blocks the key Strait of Hormuz waterway, as that would have repercussions for economies worldwide. Trump said late Saturday that the US had struck Iran's three main nuclear enrichment facilities, saying the sites had been "totally obliterated" — a claim that has since been questioned. He threatened Iran with more attacks if the country did not quickly seek peace talks. The focus now is on Iran's next step — both militarily and diplomatically. Its foreign minister on Sunday said it reserves "all options," while its parliament has reportedly voted to block the Strait of Hormuz — though Iran's leaders have yet to make a final decision. After the bombings, oil futures surged over 4% amid jitters about disruption to energy supplies. That spike unwound somewhat early Monday morning, amid skepticism that Iran will follow through on its threat. Brent crude (BZ=F) futures traded above $76 a barrel while WTI crude futures (CL=F) hovered near $73. Elsewhere in markets, gold (GC=F) ticked higher, also switching course amid wavering haven demand. Google's artificial intelligence model is set to drive $4.2 billion in subscription revenue within its Google Cloud segment in 2025, according to an analysis from Bank of America on Monday. That includes $3.1 billion in revenue from subscribers to Google's AI plans with its Google One service, Bank of America's Justin Post estimates. Post also expects that the integration of Google's Gemini AI features within its Workspace service will drive $1.1 billion of the $7.7 billion in revenue he projects for that segment in 2025. 'We believe Google has moved beyond the catch-up phase in the LLM [large language model] race, with Gemini now comparing favorably with leading peer models from OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and Meta,' Post wrote, saying that AI is a 'major growth driver for Google Cloud.' But, Post added, 'While the revenue opportunity is growing with subscriptions, Google will likely see a significant deterioration of market share relative to its ~90% share of search revenues.' At the same time, Alphabet is set to spend $75 billion on AI investments in 2025. 'If revenue growth doesn't keep pace with rising Capex, higher spending could weigh on free cash flow and margin projections,' Post wrote. He holds a Buy rating and $200 price target on Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG) shares. Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Claire Boston reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Jennifer Schonberger reports: Read more here. President Trump called for lower energy prices as he posted on social media on Monday: "EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I'M WATCHING! YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON'T DO IT!" He also wrote,"To The Department of Energy: DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!" Oil futures fell more than 1% on Monday after spiking more than 5% on Sunday night as traders assessed whether Iran would close off the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world's oil products flow. Strategy (MSTR) stock fell as much as 3% on Monday morning after the Michael Saylor-helmed firm announced another bitcoin purchase. The software firm turned crypto giant said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it bought $26 million worth of bitcoin between June 16 and June 22. As of Monday's filing, Strategy has spent nearly $42 billion to acquire over 592,000 bitcoins since 2020. Over that time frame, the stock has soared more than 2,800% relative to the S&P 500's 78% gain. Strategy shares pared initial losses shortly after the market opened and are down less than 1%. At the same time, Strategy is facing two new lawsuits from investors — one filed in May, the second last week — over its bitcoin strategy. The lawsuits allege that the company misled investors about how its bitcoin strategy would affect its profits and its stock price, given the cryptocurrency's volatility. Tesla stock (TSLA) rose 5% in early trading Monday after its robotaxi launch kicked off on Sunday in Austin, Texas. Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian reports that several users on X claimed they were able to hail and ride some of the 10-20 Tesla Model Y vehicles available, which featured "Robotaxi" graphics on the sides of the cars. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had announced the rollout on X earlier in the day, saying that customers will pay a flat $4.20 fee. Only select invited Tesla users were invited to test the robotaxi service, as it begins to scale to take on industry leader Waymo (GOOG, GOOGL). Wedbush analyst and Tesla bull Dan Ives wrote in a note: 'We took two approximately 15 minute rides around Austin and the key takeaways are that it was a comfortable, safe, and personalized experience.' Read more here. US stocks wavered on Monday as oil trimmed gains and supply worries eased over Iran's possible retaliatory move following US strikes on the country's nuclear facilities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell slightly while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) was little changed. The tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) fell slightly. OIl futures were little changed after spiking more than 5% on Sunday night as traders assessed whether Iran would close off the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world's oil products flow. Trump Media & Technology (DJT) stock rose 4% before the market opened Monday morning after the company announced a $400 million stock buyback. Shares of the company — in which President Trump is the majority stakeholder — have fallen roughly 48% in 2025. Stock buybacks, a common practice that faces a fair share of criticism, reduce the amount of a company's common shares in the public market and, hence, boost its earnings per share even if its profits don't rise. Trump Media said the buybacks 'would be funded separately from, and would not alter, Trump Media's previously announced Bitcoin treasury strategy.' The company is aiming to create a bitcoin treasury to hold the cryptocurrency on its balance sheet and announced a $2.5 billion private funding round to fund the initiative in May. Trump Media is part of a wave of firms following in the footsteps of crypto tycoon Michael Saylor's company, Strategy (MSTR), which has seen its stock soar by buying up bitcoin. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients on Monday that he expects cybersecurity stocks to be in focus following the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. Ives wrote that 'cyber security stocks in particular [are] set to be front and center this week as investors anticipate some cyber attacks from Iran could be on the horizon as retaliation.' 'On the cyber security sector, our favorite names remain Palo Alto (PANW), Cyberark (CYBR), Crowdstrike (CRWD), Zscaler (ZS), and Checkpoint (CHKP)." The stocks traded roughly flat premarket on Monday. Defense stocks were modestly higher Monday during premarket trading after the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. Palantir (PLTR), Lockheed Martin (LMT), and Northrop Grumman (NOC) rose less than 1%, while RTX (RTX) climbed 1.3%. Palantir supplies AI-fueled defense tech to Israel, which has prompted blowback from former employees and protesters. The other three companies supply weapons to Israel through their contracts with the US government. The defense stocks had jumped immediately after Israel's first airstrikes on Iran on June 12, but only RTX has sustained notable gains of 4% since those strikes. Lockheed Martin is up 0.3% over that time frame, while Northrop Grumman is roughly flat (up 0.1%). Palantir has risen 1.6%. Jefferies (JEF) analyst Mohit Kumar wrote Monday, 'Market is now waiting to see how Iran reacts …​​However, we are not fully convinced around the market's sanguine reaction.' 'Defence has been one area that we have been bullish on, and we continue to maintain our overweight exposure,' he added. 'NATO countries have moved to increase defense spending with a long term goal of taking to 5% of GDP. We are typically skeptical of long term goals as goal posts do change, but it is also clear to us that defense spending needs to increase globally and not just for NATO countries.' Energy stocks rose alongside rising oil prices in premarket trading on Monday while overall stock futures wobbled. Those with oil production in the US and outside the Middle East caught a bid as investors weighed the possibility of further disruption to the oil supply following the US strikes on Iran. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) advanced 0.6% and has risen 6% in the past month. Here's a look at how trending energy stocks are trading this morning: View more trending tickers here. Yahoo Finance's Jennifer Schonberger reports: Read more here. Economic data: Chicago Fed activity index (February); S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI (March preliminary); S&P Global US services PMI (March preliminary); S&P Global US Composite PMI (March preliminary) Earnings: FactSet (FDS), KB Home (KBH) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Trump just made the Fed's rate call even more complicated Opinion: Trump wages 2 wars — one with trade partners, one with Iran Why Iran could hold off blocking the Strait of Hormuz Oil erases spike in gains in wait for Iran's response Morgan Stanley: Geopolitical selloffs tend to fade fast Analysts react as markets brace for Iran's next move Dollar advances as investors brace for Iran response to US attacks BNY Mellon approached Northern Trust for merger: WSJ Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Tesla (TSLA) stock rose over 1% in premarket trading after rolling out its driverless taxi service to riders on Sunday. The debut of the robotaxi was introduced to a handful of riders, which included retail investors and social-media influencers in Tesla's hometown of Austin. Wolfspeed (WOLF) stock fell 11% in premarket trading on Monday after announcing it plans to file for bankruptcy in the US under a new restructuring agreement with its creditors. The agreement would provide fresh financing and slash debt by nearly 70%. Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS) shares rose 4% before the bell after a report from The Wall Street Journal said that Bank of New York Mellon Corp had reached out to the asset and wealth manager and expressed interest in a merger. Most investors will awaken today searching online for "Strait of Hormuz" after the weekend attacks from the US on Iran. For speed of analysis purposes, if this key oil shipping hub closes down (seems like it won't happen, based on everything I am seeing this morning), it could really send oil (CL=F, BZ=F) prices skyrocketing. Here's what Goldman's team estimates: "If oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz were to drop by 50% for one month and then were to remain down 10% for another 11 months, we estimate that Brent would briefly jump to a peak of around $110." Read more here on Goldman's scenarios. Gold pushed higher with the world in limbo as the US joined Israel's attack on Iran over the weekend. No formal response has been issued by Iran, with wider fallout expected. Spot gold climbed 0.2% to $3,375.04 an ounce taking it to within $125 of its record high as investors sought safe-haven assets in a tumultuous economic situation. Gold then sank 0.5% despite broader haven demand. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Wall Street is closely watching escalating tensions in the Middle East after President Trump confirmed that the US launched a surprise strike on Iran's nuclear sites late Saturday, marking the country's official entry into the two-week-old conflict. Markets have held mostly steady in the aftermath of the escalation, although US stock futures fell across the board when trading opened Sunday evening. Additionally, bitcoin (BTC-USD) prices, often viewed as a barometer of risk appetite, dropped over 1.6% to trade around $100,500 a coin. WTI crude (CL=F) and Brent (BZ=F) futures jumped, trading near $76 and $79 a barrel, respectively, as uncertainty looms over the potential closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz despite ongoing threats from Iran. The latest surge follows oil's third consecutive week of gains on Friday. "We wouldn't be surprised to see this spark a risk-off reaction in US equities and will be watching the futures closely on Sunday evening and Monday morning," Lori Calvasina, head of US equity strategy research at RBC Capital Markets, wrote in a Sunday evening note to clients. "It has been and remains our belief that the longer and broader the conflict becomes, the more challenging it could be for US equities," Calvasina added. "These escalations come at a tricky time for US equities, as the S&P 500 has looked fairly valued to us (perhaps a bit overvalued) from a fundamental perspective, with more room to run from a sentiment perspective." The analyst said her three main concerns include: first, the risk that rising national security uncertainty could weigh on equity valuations; second, the possibility that renewed geopolitical tensions could stall the recovery in sentiment that began after the early April tariff lows; and third, the potential for a spike in oil prices, which could fuel inflation concerns. In terms of sectors, Energy (XLE) tends to outperform when oil prices rise, while Consumer Discretionary (XLY) and Communication Services (XLC), along with Entertainment, Media, and Interactive Media, tend to lag behind the broader market, Calvasina noted. Citi analyst Stuart Kaiser agreed that sharply higher oil prices remain "the channel for geopolitical risks to impact stock markets," identifying crude prices "well above $80 a barrel" as a critical threshold for concern. Kaiser added that options markets are now pricing in a 10% chance that oil surges 20% over the next month, up from just 2.5% two weeks ago, reflecting mounting tail risks as the conflict deepens. Still, the analyst pointed to resiliency in stocks amid the volatility, saying, "Markets powered through extreme oil volatility and unstable geopolitical headlines to post a risk-on week." Oil prices rose Sunday evening, with investors taking stock of the US entry into the Israel-Iran conflict and how Iran might respond. Much of the focus has turned to Iran's status as a major oil producer and whether it might seek to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas flows. Iran's parliament reportedly pushed for the strait's closure, though it left the ultimate decision up to Iran's top national security body. That may be by design, as Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul details: Read more here. Futures tied to the S&P 500 (ES=F) fell 0.6%. (NQ=F) futures dropped 0.7%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) lost around 0.6%. Oil, both Brent (BZ=F) and WTI, rose over 3%. Google's artificial intelligence model is set to drive $4.2 billion in subscription revenue within its Google Cloud segment in 2025, according to an analysis from Bank of America on Monday. That includes $3.1 billion in revenue from subscribers to Google's AI plans with its Google One service, Bank of America's Justin Post estimates. Post also expects that the integration of Google's Gemini AI features within its Workspace service will drive $1.1 billion of the $7.7 billion in revenue he projects for that segment in 2025. 'We believe Google has moved beyond the catch-up phase in the LLM [large language model] race, with Gemini now comparing favorably with leading peer models from OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and Meta,' Post wrote, saying that AI is a 'major growth driver for Google Cloud.' But, Post added, 'While the revenue opportunity is growing with subscriptions, Google will likely see a significant deterioration of market share relative to its ~90% share of search revenues.' At the same time, Alphabet is set to spend $75 billion on AI investments in 2025. 'If revenue growth doesn't keep pace with rising Capex, higher spending could weigh on free cash flow and margin projections,' Post wrote. He holds a Buy rating and $200 price target on Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG) shares. Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Claire Boston reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Jennifer Schonberger reports: Read more here. President Trump called for lower energy prices as he posted on social media on Monday: "EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I'M WATCHING! YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON'T DO IT!" He also wrote,"To The Department of Energy: DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!" Oil futures fell more than 1% on Monday after spiking more than 5% on Sunday night as traders assessed whether Iran would close off the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world's oil products flow. Strategy (MSTR) stock fell as much as 3% on Monday morning after the Michael Saylor-helmed firm announced another bitcoin purchase. The software firm turned crypto giant said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it bought $26 million worth of bitcoin between June 16 and June 22. As of Monday's filing, Strategy has spent nearly $42 billion to acquire over 592,000 bitcoins since 2020. Over that time frame, the stock has soared more than 2,800% relative to the S&P 500's 78% gain. Strategy shares pared initial losses shortly after the market opened and are down less than 1%. At the same time, Strategy is facing two new lawsuits from investors — one filed in May, the second last week — over its bitcoin strategy. The lawsuits allege that the company misled investors about how its bitcoin strategy would affect its profits and its stock price, given the cryptocurrency's volatility. Tesla stock (TSLA) rose 5% in early trading Monday after its robotaxi launch kicked off on Sunday in Austin, Texas. Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian reports that several users on X claimed they were able to hail and ride some of the 10-20 Tesla Model Y vehicles available, which featured "Robotaxi" graphics on the sides of the cars. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had announced the rollout on X earlier in the day, saying that customers will pay a flat $4.20 fee. Only select invited Tesla users were invited to test the robotaxi service, as it begins to scale to take on industry leader Waymo (GOOG, GOOGL). Wedbush analyst and Tesla bull Dan Ives wrote in a note: 'We took two approximately 15 minute rides around Austin and the key takeaways are that it was a comfortable, safe, and personalized experience.' Read more here. US stocks wavered on Monday as oil trimmed gains and supply worries eased over Iran's possible retaliatory move following US strikes on the country's nuclear facilities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell slightly while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) was little changed. The tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) fell slightly. OIl futures were little changed after spiking more than 5% on Sunday night as traders assessed whether Iran would close off the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world's oil products flow. Trump Media & Technology (DJT) stock rose 4% before the market opened Monday morning after the company announced a $400 million stock buyback. Shares of the company — in which President Trump is the majority stakeholder — have fallen roughly 48% in 2025. Stock buybacks, a common practice that faces a fair share of criticism, reduce the amount of a company's common shares in the public market and, hence, boost its earnings per share even if its profits don't rise. Trump Media said the buybacks 'would be funded separately from, and would not alter, Trump Media's previously announced Bitcoin treasury strategy.' The company is aiming to create a bitcoin treasury to hold the cryptocurrency on its balance sheet and announced a $2.5 billion private funding round to fund the initiative in May. Trump Media is part of a wave of firms following in the footsteps of crypto tycoon Michael Saylor's company, Strategy (MSTR), which has seen its stock soar by buying up bitcoin. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients on Monday that he expects cybersecurity stocks to be in focus following the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. Ives wrote that 'cyber security stocks in particular [are] set to be front and center this week as investors anticipate some cyber attacks from Iran could be on the horizon as retaliation.' 'On the cyber security sector, our favorite names remain Palo Alto (PANW), Cyberark (CYBR), Crowdstrike (CRWD), Zscaler (ZS), and Checkpoint (CHKP)." The stocks traded roughly flat premarket on Monday. Defense stocks were modestly higher Monday during premarket trading after the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. Palantir (PLTR), Lockheed Martin (LMT), and Northrop Grumman (NOC) rose less than 1%, while RTX (RTX) climbed 1.3%. Palantir supplies AI-fueled defense tech to Israel, which has prompted blowback from former employees and protesters. The other three companies supply weapons to Israel through their contracts with the US government. The defense stocks had jumped immediately after Israel's first airstrikes on Iran on June 12, but only RTX has sustained notable gains of 4% since those strikes. Lockheed Martin is up 0.3% over that time frame, while Northrop Grumman is roughly flat (up 0.1%). Palantir has risen 1.6%. Jefferies (JEF) analyst Mohit Kumar wrote Monday, 'Market is now waiting to see how Iran reacts …​​However, we are not fully convinced around the market's sanguine reaction.' 'Defence has been one area that we have been bullish on, and we continue to maintain our overweight exposure,' he added. 'NATO countries have moved to increase defense spending with a long term goal of taking to 5% of GDP. We are typically skeptical of long term goals as goal posts do change, but it is also clear to us that defense spending needs to increase globally and not just for NATO countries.' Energy stocks rose alongside rising oil prices in premarket trading on Monday while overall stock futures wobbled. Those with oil production in the US and outside the Middle East caught a bid as investors weighed the possibility of further disruption to the oil supply following the US strikes on Iran. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) advanced 0.6% and has risen 6% in the past month. Here's a look at how trending energy stocks are trading this morning: View more trending tickers here. Yahoo Finance's Jennifer Schonberger reports: Read more here. Economic data: Chicago Fed activity index (February); S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI (March preliminary); S&P Global US services PMI (March preliminary); S&P Global US Composite PMI (March preliminary) Earnings: FactSet (FDS), KB Home (KBH) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Trump just made the Fed's rate call even more complicated Opinion: Trump wages 2 wars — one with trade partners, one with Iran Why Iran could hold off blocking the Strait of Hormuz Oil erases spike in gains in wait for Iran's response Morgan Stanley: Geopolitical selloffs tend to fade fast Analysts react as markets brace for Iran's next move Dollar advances as investors brace for Iran response to US attacks BNY Mellon approached Northern Trust for merger: WSJ Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Tesla (TSLA) stock rose over 1% in premarket trading after rolling out its driverless taxi service to riders on Sunday. The debut of the robotaxi was introduced to a handful of riders, which included retail investors and social-media influencers in Tesla's hometown of Austin. Wolfspeed (WOLF) stock fell 11% in premarket trading on Monday after announcing it plans to file for bankruptcy in the US under a new restructuring agreement with its creditors. The agreement would provide fresh financing and slash debt by nearly 70%. Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS) shares rose 4% before the bell after a report from The Wall Street Journal said that Bank of New York Mellon Corp had reached out to the asset and wealth manager and expressed interest in a merger. Most investors will awaken today searching online for "Strait of Hormuz" after the weekend attacks from the US on Iran. For speed of analysis purposes, if this key oil shipping hub closes down (seems like it won't happen, based on everything I am seeing this morning), it could really send oil (CL=F, BZ=F) prices skyrocketing. Here's what Goldman's team estimates: "If oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz were to drop by 50% for one month and then were to remain down 10% for another 11 months, we estimate that Brent would briefly jump to a peak of around $110." Read more here on Goldman's scenarios. Gold pushed higher with the world in limbo as the US joined Israel's attack on Iran over the weekend. No formal response has been issued by Iran, with wider fallout expected. Spot gold climbed 0.2% to $3,375.04 an ounce taking it to within $125 of its record high as investors sought safe-haven assets in a tumultuous economic situation. Gold then sank 0.5% despite broader haven demand. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Wall Street is closely watching escalating tensions in the Middle East after President Trump confirmed that the US launched a surprise strike on Iran's nuclear sites late Saturday, marking the country's official entry into the two-week-old conflict. Markets have held mostly steady in the aftermath of the escalation, although US stock futures fell across the board when trading opened Sunday evening. Additionally, bitcoin (BTC-USD) prices, often viewed as a barometer of risk appetite, dropped over 1.6% to trade around $100,500 a coin. WTI crude (CL=F) and Brent (BZ=F) futures jumped, trading near $76 and $79 a barrel, respectively, as uncertainty looms over the potential closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz despite ongoing threats from Iran. The latest surge follows oil's third consecutive week of gains on Friday. "We wouldn't be surprised to see this spark a risk-off reaction in US equities and will be watching the futures closely on Sunday evening and Monday morning," Lori Calvasina, head of US equity strategy research at RBC Capital Markets, wrote in a Sunday evening note to clients. "It has been and remains our belief that the longer and broader the conflict becomes, the more challenging it could be for US equities," Calvasina added. "These escalations come at a tricky time for US equities, as the S&P 500 has looked fairly valued to us (perhaps a bit overvalued) from a fundamental perspective, with more room to run from a sentiment perspective." The analyst said her three main concerns include: first, the risk that rising national security uncertainty could weigh on equity valuations; second, the possibility that renewed geopolitical tensions could stall the recovery in sentiment that began after the early April tariff lows; and third, the potential for a spike in oil prices, which could fuel inflation concerns. In terms of sectors, Energy (XLE) tends to outperform when oil prices rise, while Consumer Discretionary (XLY) and Communication Services (XLC), along with Entertainment, Media, and Interactive Media, tend to lag behind the broader market, Calvasina noted. Citi analyst Stuart Kaiser agreed that sharply higher oil prices remain "the channel for geopolitical risks to impact stock markets," identifying crude prices "well above $80 a barrel" as a critical threshold for concern. Kaiser added that options markets are now pricing in a 10% chance that oil surges 20% over the next month, up from just 2.5% two weeks ago, reflecting mounting tail risks as the conflict deepens. Still, the analyst pointed to resiliency in stocks amid the volatility, saying, "Markets powered through extreme oil volatility and unstable geopolitical headlines to post a risk-on week." Oil prices rose Sunday evening, with investors taking stock of the US entry into the Israel-Iran conflict and how Iran might respond. Much of the focus has turned to Iran's status as a major oil producer and whether it might seek to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas flows. Iran's parliament reportedly pushed for the strait's closure, though it left the ultimate decision up to Iran's top national security body. That may be by design, as Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul details: Read more here. Futures tied to the S&P 500 (ES=F) fell 0.6%. (NQ=F) futures dropped 0.7%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) lost around 0.6%. Oil, both Brent (BZ=F) and WTI, rose over 3%. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Business Insider

32 minutes ago

• Business Insider

A surprising number of tech leaders think AI will mean more hiring for their teams

Tech workers, take heart — artificial intelligence might actually be good for your job prospects. In a recent survey, nearly seven in 10 tech leaders said they planned to increase the number of people on their teams because of the expansion of generative AI. The possibility of increased demand for tech talent is welcome news after years of industry layoffs and following recent comments from high-profile tech CEOs, including Amazon's Andy Jassy, who warn that AI is coming for some jobs. The newly released findings from Deloitte are based on a March survey of some 600 chief information officers, CTOs, and other tech leaders. In it, 69% of tech leaders said they planned to boost their team's size because of GenAI. Such plans are a sign that many leaders are going to step back and think about the expertise they'll need as AI makes rapid advances in its capabilities, Anjali Shaikh, a managing director at Deloitte, told Business Insider. She said that will mean, among other things, asking what types of skills will be needed as AI takes on more work. Other questions will include how roles might evolve to incorporate AI. For example, people working in cybersecurity could see their day-to-day activities change as AI absorbs more duties related to fortifying digital infrastructure. Beyond that, Shaikh said, many new roles are likely to combine technical chops with so-called soft skills. Workers, build your skills The prospect of a workplace crowded with tech like GenAI and AI agents — autonomous software programs — has, at times, raised uncomfortable questions about how many human employees will still be needed. That's particularly true with desk jobs that are likely easier to automate than the work of a plumber or an electrician. More CEOs are talking about the possible fallout. OpenAI chief Sam Altman said this month that AI was already producing work similar to that of junior employees. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has said he tells fellow chief executives that future generations of leaders will oversee both people and agents. Getting or keeping a job in tech as AI takes on a bigger role within organizations isn't guaranteed, of course. In many cases, people will need to build their skills in order to remain competitive. That's a point that Amazon's Jassy and other leaders have been making as they've implored workers to level up their AI abilities to avoid risking obsolescence. Jassy said that while AI will take over some jobs, the technology will likely lead to the addition of other roles — an idea echoed in the results of the Deloitte survey. For many, experimentation is key Shaikh said the takeaway for most workers is to learn AI and what it can and can't do. She said technical skills might be needed in some cases, though Shaikh doesn't think most workers need to get hung up on that. "The experimentation, the understanding of what the technology can and cannot do, is probably most fundamental," she said. Shaikh said that as AI becomes more self-sustaining within organizations, there will be a greater need for human skills to propel adoption further and maximize the technology. She said that means workers will often need to deploy their most human abilities: empathy, emotional intelligence, and curiosity. They'll also need to rely on critical thinking, problem solving, logical reasoning, and written and verbal communication, Shaikh said. "You're going to need people who understand how to use it," she said. "That's going to require some of those human skills."