MetaDAO (old) (META) news

Google DeepMind, Meta, Isomorphic Labs Invest $300 Million in Biohub's Initiative to Build AI Data to Treat Disease

10:20 AM EDT, 10/07/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Alphabet's (GOOGL, GOOG) Google DeepMind, Meta (META), and Isomorphic Labs are collectively investing $300 million in Biohub's Virtual Biology Initiative to build datasets for artificial intelligence models to predict and treat disease, Biohub said Wednesday. The investments will be used to create technologies and multi-modal datasets to enable the global scientific community to build and use AI models, allowing researchers to ask, predict, and answer biological questions digitally, Biohub said. Biohub added that the US Department of Energy will invest more than $500 million over five years in lab measurement, modeling and computation towards the initiative. Additionally, the US National Institutes of Health will coordinate the contribution of relevant datasets, repositories, and knowledge bases developed through over $500 million in prior similar federal initiatives, Biohub said. Price: 344.62, Change: -3.06, Percent Change: -0.88

Google and Unity's New Gaming Platform Is a Threat to Roblox. Why It Could Lure Creators Away. -- Barrons.com

By Mariapaula Gonzalez A new rival is targeting videogame giant Roblox's core audience of amateur creators. Alphabet-owned Google and Unity Software on Wednesday launched Playground, an artificial-intelligence-powered game platform that allows users to create games without prior coding experience. Unity is a tool software creator that allows developers to create games and simulations. Among Us and Pokémon Go are some of the popular games created using Unity's game engine. The Wednesday announcement had initially rattled investors, sending Roblox shares down 3.8% in premarket trading, but the stock edged up 0.3% after the open. Peer Take-Two Interactive Software dipped 0.1%. Meanwhile, Alphabet stock fell 0.6% and Unity Software shares declined 1.1% on Wednesday. The new AI gaming platform could hurt Roblox's competitive advantage by breaking its unique hold on amateur game creation. While its users learn to code in Roblox Studio, Playground allows anyone to use natural language prompts to auto-generate custom games instantly on Google's web platform. Playground could lure users away from Roblox, where high platform fees have long been a pain point. Roblox keeps around 70% of its player spending, leaving creators with a small cut. Open engine tools like Unity, however, allow developers to keep much higher portions of revenue. While Roblox maintains a firm grip on Gen Z and Gen Alpha, it has struggled to expand into older demographics. The new Google-Unity platform aims to target creators over the age of 18, giving adult gamers an alternative space to play. Google and Unity said it would expand on Playground later this year by launching Unity Spark, a new product that adds professional-level mechanics, 3-D capabilities, and flexibility within the gaming template. The product announcement came as Roblox has contended with mounting Wall Street skepticism and regulatory heat. Roblox stock has fallen nearly 46% this year. Jefferies recently downgraded the stock to Underperform, the equivalent of a Sell rating, with a $

Meta announces new AI tools to combat child sexual exploitation on its platforms

Meta Platforms (META.US) announced additional measures to combat child sexual exploitation on its platforms, including the introduction of new artificial intelligence tools.

The U.S. government, Google, and Meta will jointly invest in AI biological data.

The non-profit biomedical research organization Biohub announced that the US government, Google (GOOG.US), and Meta Platforms (META.US) will join Biohub to jointly invest in artificial intelligence biology data.

META : YORKVILLE IVES INITIATES COVERAGE WITH OUTPERFORM RATING; TARGET PRICE $900.00

META : YORKVILLE IVES INITIATES COVERAGE WITH OUTPERFORM RATING; TARGET PRICE $900.00

Stocks Futures Steady as Bond Selloff Extends, Oil Prices Rise

By Joe Stonor Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures were little moved in early European trade after the indexes surged to records in the last session, as still-higher Treasury yields and a fresh jump in oil prices failed to knock U.S. stock market exuberance. The "Magnificent Seven"--the mega-cap companies Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Tesla--continued to strengthen in premarket trade after powering indexes to new records. Gains were limited elsewhere, however, as futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 0.2%. Futures for the S&P 500 were flat, while Nasdaq futures edged 0.1% lower amid weakness for some chip makers. "The breadth of the rally has narrowed," said UBS Wealth Management Chief Investment Officer Mark Haefele. "The increasing concentration of market gains reinforces the importance of managing risk." Brent crude oil prices rose 0.6% to $101.20 a barrel while WTI prices neared $90 after Houthi militants attacked Saudi airports. Conflict in the Arabian peninsula is escalating after Saudi-backed forces launched a counteroffensive to retake territory along the Red Sea. Treasury yields rose in tandem with oil prices. Ten-year yields added 3.6 basis points to 5.307%, while 30-year yields jumped 4.3 basis points to 5.683%. Higher yields and oil prices dragged the market mood in Asia and Europe. The Korean Kospi slipped 2%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.6%. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.9%. In Europe, AI-linked stocks slid as the continent-wide Stoxx 600 fell 0.55%. French government bonds came under renewed pressure as budget talks remain in focus. Ten-year French OAT yield increased 5.4 basis points to 4.806% compared with a 2.2-basis-point rise for 10-year Bund yields. The dollar continued to strengthen as oil prices rose, prompting a fall in bitcoin and gold prices. Bitcoin fell close to $84,100, while New York gold contracts fell 0.7% to $4,159 a troy ounce. For the day ahead, the Federal Reserve will publish minutes from its September policy meeting, adding color to

U.S. stock Q3 earnings season kicks off next week: S&P 500 earnings per share expected to grow by 27%, with Nvidia and Micron contributing one-third.

Goldman Sachs expects S&P 500 earnings per share in Q3 to grow 27% year-on-year, with Micron contributing 19%, Nvidia contributing 15%, and the top ten companies together accounting for 68% of incremental earnings. Meanwhile, the median S&P 500 company’s earnings growth is only 9%, significantly lower than the 14% in Q2, signaling that profits and performance in the market are increasingly concentrated among a few AI and energy leaders.

S&P 500 Hits a New High, but Gains Are Mostly Driven by AI Trading

Although US stocks have reached historic highs, the market is severely polarized, with gains heavily reliant on AI-driven tech giants. Under macro pressures such as Federal Reserve rate hikes, high US Treasury yields, and elevated oil prices, funds view cash-rich tech giants as safe havens, resulting in broad pressure on small-cap stocks and traditional sectors. Despite technical risks, this narrow-range rally continues to temporarily support the broader market.

MRVL Targets 10x Revenue Growth in Five Years, AMD Ushers in a Second Spring for CPUs

Sierra and Meta Platforms partner with Walmart and others to develop agent protocol

Sierra, together with Meta Platforms (META.US), has jointly developed the Agent Protocol with companies such as Walmart (WMT.US).

Sierra and Meta launch the Personal Agent Protocol to define agent and enterprise interactions

Sierra founder: The AI startup Sierra and Meta Platforms (META.US) have announced the launch of a personal agent protocol, which will help define how agents interact with businesses.

Republicans criticize AI danger claims, Democrats question the influence of "big tech" on the Trump administration's AI policy and demand disclosure of regulatory framework amendment procedures

A Republican senator sent a letter to the CEO of Anthropic, warning against adopting an "alarmist" attitude towards AI and urging him to emphasize AI's potential to improve people's lives, enhance national security, and address AI threats. Meanwhile, two Democratic senators wrote to U.S. government officials, including the Treasury Secretary, requesting clarification on whether tech giants influenced the government's adjustment of the AI regulatory framework through lobbying between May and June of this year, and called for the disclosure of records of communication between companies and the government.

AI Agents Ignite CPU Demand! Mizuho Estimates Market Size to Reach $209 Billion by 2030, Raises Target Prices for AMD (AMD.US), Intel (INTC.US), etc.

Mizuho stated that with the rapid increase in application scenarios for AI agents, server CPU demand is expected to grow significantly, which will further drive demand for DRAM, NAND, and server equipment.

Update: Meta Facing UK Probe Over Instagram Instants' Safety Risks

11:28 AM EDT, 10/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates to include a statement from a Meta spokesperson in the last paragraph.) Meta Platforms (META) is facing an investigation in the UK, with Ofcom probing whether the new Instants feature of the company's Instagram social media app violates the country's Online Safety Act, the communications regulator said Tuesday. Instants was launched in May, allowing users to share and view content that disappears after it has been viewed. Ofcom said it is assessing if Meta had carried out enough illegal content risk assessment and children's risk assessment before launching the feature. A Meta Platforms spokesperson told MT Newswires that the company has briefed Ofcom on Instagram's Instants feature and conducted a risk analysis before launch. Meta Platforms also plans to cooperate with the regulator over the course of its probe, the spokesperson added. Price: 743.26, Change: +1.36, Percent Change: +0.18

Google, Constellation Energy Strike 3.59-GW Power Deal

11:18 AM EDT, 10/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google and Constellation Energy (CEG) said Tuesday they are collaborating on 3,590 megawatts of power as part of a long-term energy strategy to meet demand and improve grid reliability. The partnership includes a $4.3 billion investment by Constellation in new equipment and technology at its 11 nuclear units in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, generation of 890 megawatts of new nuclear energy, and a 20-year power purchase deal, according to the companies. The new capacity will be added to the PJM Interconnection grid while sustaining about 4,400 existing jobs and creating nearly 7,200 new construction jobs, the companies added. PJM is a regional transmission organization that coordinates wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia. Additionally, Google agreed to a 15-year energy supply deal for another 2,700 megawatts of power from Constellation in PJM's fleet. Constellation's shares jumped more than 13% in Tuesday trading, reducing their year-to-date loss to about 14%. Alphabet's class A and C shares were up about 0.3% each. "We're committed to meeting our growth responsibly by actively investing in clean, reliable power that brings new capacity to our nation's grids," Google's global head of energy and power Amanda Peterson Corio said in a statement. "This long-term clean energy collaboration with Google can serve as a model for how technology companies and the energy industry can work together to responsibly develop the digital economy and invest in our nation's energy infrastructure in a way that delivers grid-wide benefits for all, funded by private entities," Constellation Chief Executive Joe Dominguez said. The deal addresses PJM's "bring your own power" proposal, which requires data centers to either bring or contract their own new generation capacity or face shutoff or reduction during peak demand, the companies said. The collaboration mirrors previous landmark agreements between tech giants and

Stocks Rise Pre-Bell After Nasdaq Reaches New Record High

07:56 AM EDT, 10/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were tracking in the green on Tuesday following gains in the previous session, when the tech-heavy Nasdaq reached a record closing high. The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.5%, and the Nasdaq 100 added 0.3% in premarket activity. The indexes finished Monday trading strong, with the Nasdaq Composite hitting a new peak. Shares of major companies in the artificial intelligence trade were trending upwards pre-bell, including SpaceX (SPCX), Nvidia (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Qualcomm (QCOM). Microsoft (MSFT), Meta Platforms (META) and Amazon (AMZN) were also up early Tuesday. Treasury yields were down, with the two-year rate retreating 2.1 basis points to 4.81% and the 10-year rate falling 3.4 basis points to 5.28%. The latter reached its highest level since April 2002 on Monday, according to CNBC. The Federal Reserve is scheduled to post minutes from its September policy meeting on Wednesday, which will be assessed for fresh insight into the central bank's monetary policy. At that meeting, the central bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points, its first hike in just over three years, to combat inflation that has run persistently above its 2% target. Markets are currently pricing in a 78% probability that the Fed will keep its benchmark rate steady this month, with the remaining odds in favor of a 25-basis-point hike, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman is scheduled to speak at 10:45 am ET. New York Fed President John Williams, Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid and Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan are also slated to speak on Tuesday. Tuesday's thin economic calendar has the international trade in goods and services report for August at 8:30 am. West Texas Intermediate crude oil declined 1.9% to $87.76 a barrel, while Brent dropped 1.8% to $98.49. Yemen's government forces said on social media that they've reclaimed control of the strategic por

Wells Fargo raises Meta Platforms target price to $1,000

Wells Fargo raised the target price for Meta Platforms (META.US) from $796 to $1,000.

Pinterest Hires Amazon Executive as New Finance Chief

06:59 AM EDT, 10/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Pinterest (PINS) has appointed Amazon.com (AMZN) finance executive James Dibbo as its new chief financial officer. Dibbo will succeed Julia Donnelly as Pinterest's CFO, effective Oct. 26, the company said late Monday. Donnelly, who resigned as CFO in August, will remain with Pinterest in an advisory capacity through Oct. 30. Dibbo joins the company from Amazon, where he most recently served as CFO of global entertainment, advertising and corporate development. He oversaw finance for businesses including Amazon Ads, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, according to Pinterest. "James has led complex global businesses at scale, helped build high-performing teams and understands the intersection of consumer experience, shopping, advertising and technology," Pinterest Chief Executive Bill Ready said in a statement. "As we continue to make Pinterest more actionable for our users and more valuable for advertisers, James will be an outstanding partner to our leadership team and board." Pinterest shares edged up 0.3% in Tuesday's most recent premarket activity, after closing the previous trading session up 4.2%. "I am excited to join Bill, the board and the team to build on the company's momentum, invest thoughtfully for the future and create long-term value for shareholders," according to Dibbo. In an emailed client note on Tuesday, Wedbush Securities said it doesn't expect Dibbo's appointment to have an impact on Pinterest's third-quarter results or short-term guidance. "We see an external hire with deep ad-business operating experience as a constructive choice, though look for more evidence as he takes over the reigns," according to the brokerage. Wedbush maintained its neutral rating on the company's stock with a price target of $24. In August, Pinterest reported second-quarter results above Wall Street's estimates. At the time, the company said it expected revenue between $1.19 billion and $1.21 billion for the third quarter, while the current FactSet consensus is $1.21 billi

META PLATFORMS, INC. : WELLS FARGO RAISES TARGET PRICE TO $1000 FROM $796

META PLATFORMS, INC. : WELLS FARGO RAISES TARGET PRICE TO $1000 FROM $796

Meta Platforms will cooperate with Ofcom's investigation

Meta Platforms (META.US): During this investigation, we will of course cooperate with Ofcom.

Meta Facing UK Probe Over Instagram Instants' Safety Risks

04:45 AM EDT, 10/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Meta Platforms (META) is facing an investigation in the UK, with Ofcom probing whether the new Instants feature of the company's Instagram social media app violates the country's Online Safety Act, the communications regulator said Tuesday. Instants was launched in May, allowing users to share and view content that disappears after it has been viewed. Ofcom said it is assessing if Meta had carried out enough illegal content risk assessment and children's risk assessment before launching the feature. Meta didn't immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

UK Communications Authority investigates whether Meta violated its Online Safety Act duties

The UK Office of Communications (OFCOM) has launched an investigation into whether Meta Platforms (META.US) failed to fulfill its obligations under the UK Online Safety Act. The probe will assess whether Meta evaluated risks related to illegal content and risks faced by children before introducing instant messaging features on Instagram.

U.S. stocks ignore high yield warnings! Tech stocks lead gains, pushing the S&P 500 near historic highs

As investors largely ignored concerns arising from bond yields reaching multi-decade highs, tech stocks led the rally, pushing the S&P 500 close to its historical high.

Nasdaq hits a record high, one truth: The hotter AI gets, the harder it is to build data centers

Meta and Microsoft strive to reduce employees’ reliance on Claude: Meta’s internal usage has halved, and Microsoft has cut its budget by one-third.

Microsoft's internal Claude budget has been reduced by more than one-third from its peak, and the number of internal Claude Code users at Meta has dropped from around 60,000 to 30,000. Both companies emphasize that external customer demand is still growing, but the decline in internal usage puts pressure on Anthropic. According to Anthropic's IPO prospectus, two major clients together contributed about 25% of its revenue. Although the prospectus does not name specific clients, it is highly likely that Meta and Microsoft are these two clients or among them.

US Stock Market - Nasdaq Index Closes at All-Time High, Investors Focus on Corporate Earnings

Post-close Latest Developments PTC shares surged due to a takeover bid by Schneider Electric; traders see a decreased probability of an interest rate hike in October; bank earnings season is set to begin next week. Noel Randewich/Tharuniyaa Lakshmi, Reuters, October 5 – On Monday, the Nasdaq closed at a record high, driven by Nvidia and Microsoft, as investors focused on the drop in oil prices and anticipated the upcoming quarterly earnings reports. This marked the second consecutive day of significant gains for the Nasdaq, following weaker-than-expected employment data released on Friday, which weakened market expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike at its policy meeting this month. Artificial intelligence giants Nvidia (NVDA.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) both saw their stock prices rise. Meta Platforms (META.O) and Tesla (TSLA.O) shares also advanced. Oil prices fell due to increased crude exports from the Middle East and a G7 commitment to boost supply. “With economic data releases relatively light and about a week until earnings season starts, investors are searching for any positive catalyst. Clearly, they are looking to the pullback in energy prices,” noted Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist at B. Riley Wealth. Bank stocks to kick off third-quarter earnings season As major U.S. banks report earnings, the Q3 earnings season will officially begin next week. According to data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), analysts expect S&P 500 companies’ earnings to rise by over 30% year-on-year, mainly driven by strong performance from AI-related stocks. According to the CME FedWatch tool, following Friday’s data showing U.S. job growth in September slowed more than expected, traders now put the probability of a Federal Reserve rate hike at its October meeting at 24%, down from 70% a week earlier. Following Schneider Electric (SCHN.PA) agreeing to buy software company PTC (PTC.O) in an all-cash deal valued at $22.6 billions, PTC shares jumped on the news. Preliminary data showed the S&P 500 Index (.SPX) rose 51.50 points, or 0.67%, to close at 7,774.22; the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) climbed 289.42 points, or 1.06%, to 27,480.28; and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) gained 94.59 points, or 0.18%, to finish at 51,274.32. The previous record high close for the Nasdaq occurred on September 22. Despite rising U.S. Treasury yields and higher oil prices due to U.S.-Iran tensions, optimism around strong corporate earnings has driven U.S. stocks to outperform global markets over the past six months. Freight forwarder C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW.O) agreed to acquire transportation broker RXO (RXO.N) for $5.8 billions in a mixed stock and cash transaction. RXO shares rallied on the news, while C.H. Robinson shares fell. Cerebras Systems (CBRS.O) shares gained after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on social media that the chip design company is a “close partner” and that the two firms are “working together deeply on pushing the frontier of speed.”

Sector Update: Tech Stocks Mixed Late Afternoon

03:42 PM EDT, 10/05/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Tech stocks were mixed late Monday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rising 0.7% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) shedding 0.3%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index rose 0.3%. In corporate news, Schneider Electric said Monday it is acquiring PTC (PTC) in an all-cash deal valued at $23.7 billion. Schneider said it will pay $205 per PTC share. PTC shares surged nearly 34%. Meta Platforms (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) are reducing employees' use of Anthropic's Claude as they push their own AI tools, The Information reported. Meta shares were up 2.1%, and Microsoft rose 2.2%. Strategy (MSTR) recorded an estimated $20.91 billion gain on digital assets in Q3, the company said in a Monday filing. Its shares rose 3.2%. SpaceX (SPCX) shares are "cheap and getting cheaper," Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said in a note. The shares have hovered around $150 per share since early August, and at $159, investors can take advantage of an opportunity to buy shares that, "while expensive on any trailing metric, look unusually cheap on the forward," Jonas said. Morgan Stanley maintained its overweight rating and $300 price target on the company. SpaceX shares jumped past 6%. Nvidia's (NVDA) $20 billion licensing deal with Groq is the subject of a lawsuit alleging that Groq's board improperly sold the AI firm's core assets and top engineers, the Financial Times reported. The lawsuit, filed on Friday by Groq engineers and shareholders Benjamin Serebrin and Joshua Rubin, accuses the firm's board of not seeking to get the best price and structure for all shareholders, and not allowing some of them to vote on the deal, the report said. Nvidia shares were up 2.5%.

This year, only tech billionaires are making money: the AI boom drives a $845 billion surge in net worth, with Elon Musk alone accounting for nearly 40%.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, out of the world's 500 richest people, approximately 100 technology industry billionaires saw their combined wealth increase by $845 billion in the first nine months of this year, setting a historical record for the period. Meanwhile, billionaires from non-technology sectors saw their collective wealth shrink by $62 billion during the same timeframe. Elon Musk alone added $310 billion to his wealth in the first nine months, accounting for about 40% of the total increase in the index.

Sector Update: Tech

03:17 PM EDT, 10/05/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Tech stocks were mixed late Monday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rising 0.7% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) shedding 0.3%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index rose 0.3%. In corporate news, Meta Platforms (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) are reducing employees' use of Anthropic's Claude as they push their own AI tools, The Information reported. Meta shares were up 2%, and Microsoft rose 2.1%.

Market Chatter: Meta, TikTok Push Back Against Information Requests by British Regulator

03:14 PM EDT, 10/05/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Meta Platforms (META), TikTok and X are pushing back on the amount of information sought by British regulator Ofcom linked to online safety, Reuters reported Monday, citing court filings. The companies said the information request is burdensome and lacks a clearly defined regulatory purpose, the report said. "This challenge is on a narrow issue regarding Ofcom's implementation of a substantial extra-statutory program not mandated by law, when the Online Safety Act already provides for a significant transparency regime," a TikTok spokesperson said in an email to MT Newswires. Meta and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.) Price: 742.89, Change: +14.81, Percent Change: +2.03