Weekly Investment News and Analysis

Last week, Dow Jones fell 1.3%, S&P 500 lost 0.4%, Nasdaq was down 0.95%, the weekend’s geopolitical developments could increase volatility next week. The market continues to grapple with the “AI as a headwind” thesis, as traditional software giants faced a reckoning. Salesforce and Snowflake stocks lost 5% and 2% respectively on decelerating growth forecasts. The most dramatic move was IBM’s 13% tumble following Anthropic’s claim that Claude Code can automate the modernization of 65 year old COBOL systems, direct strike at IBM’s high-margin mainframe services moat. Block co-founder Jack Dorsey said the company plans to lay off 40% of its staff as it believes AI tools can help a smaller workforce “do more and do it better.” Nvidia delivered stellar results, yet again including 73% revenue growth to US$68.1 billion. The company is doubling down on its ecosystem, joining Amazon and SoftBank in a massive US$110 billion funding round for OpenAI, which now equates to a US$730 billion pre-money valuation. Meta is diversifying its silicon supply, striking a 6-gigawatt compute deal with AMD that includes warrants for a 10% equity stake, signaling a shift toward co-designed, proprietary infrastructure. CoreWeave is seeking US$8.5 billion in new debt, but for the first time, it’s seeking a credit rating to appease wary lenders. Stripe is reportedly exploring a massive acquisition of PayPal. Netflix walked away from Warner Bros. Discovery, labeling the Paramount-Skydance bid “superior” and the financial math no longer attractive. In Canada, Sophic client, Cybeats Technologies secured a landmark OEM partnership with Keysight Technologies to operationalize SBOM management for safety-critical environments. CPPIB anchored a US$4 billion deal for Nordic data center operator atNorth. The Canadian federal government’s RDII initiative deployed its first $15 million into Ontario-based defense tech like Wolf Advanced Technology.