A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday overturned a ruling that had temporarily barred Perplexity from using its AI-powered agentic shopping tools on Amazon's platform. In a novel legal dispute, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Amazon was unlikely to succeed on its claim that Perplexity's AI agents violated a federal computer-hacking law. The ruling is the first by a federal appeals court to address whether AI agents acting on behalf of users can legally access online platforms, a question with broad implications for the fast-growing field of agentic AI tools that can browse, shop and transact across the web.
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The lawsuit alleges Amazon violated federal and state antitrust laws through its Delivery Service Partner program, arguing the company exercises unlawful “monopsony,” or a dominant buyer’s ability to dictate prices and terms-over the small businesses that deliver Amazon packages and the drivers they employ.
The state's attorney general filed the federal antitrust lawsuit Tuesday, accusing Amazon of holding down pay for drivers in its Delivery Service Partner program

<body><p>STORY: Wall Street ended higher on Friday, with the Dow adding more than half a percent, the S&P 500 gaining seven-tenths of a percent and the Nasdaq climbing one percent.</p><p>:: Amazon</p><p>Amazon surged more than 15% after the tech giant posted its biggest quarterly revenue growth in over four years. Its results, along with a similar report from Microsoft this week, alleviated investor concerns about potential overspending on AI data centers.</p><p>Meanwhile, shares of Apple tumbled more than 7% after a disappointing forecast showed that the iPhone maker was struggling to secure enough components, as the AI-driven data center boom strains global supply chains.</p><p>Friday marked the end of a bumpy week for stocks that included a Fed policy meeting in which the central bank left rates unchanged - but with three dissenters pushing for a 25 basis point hike.</p><p>Dean Smith is chief strategist & portfolio manager at FolioBeyond.</p><p>"I think there was a decent case to be made that a hike is in order. Inflation, we had a slightly softer print on the most recent one, but inflation is now running well above Fed's 2% stated target. It's higher now than it was a year ago and it seems to be reaccelerating. [FLASH] So it was a close call probably, but I think, you know, if I had been on that voting committee, I would have voted for a rate hike as well."</p><p>:: Archive</p><p>Other stocks on the move Friday included Monolithic Power Systems, which rose more than 8% after forecasting third-quarter revenue above estimates.</p><p>But shares of GoDaddy slid nearly 17% after the domain registrar narrowed its annual revenue forecast.</p></body>
The e-commerce giant, which saw shipping costs escalate at the highest rate in more than three years, did not specify the amount it could reimburse.
The company said refunds were limited because it stockpiled inventory ahead of tariffs and is not the importer of record for most goods in its store
Federal backing still leaves major execution hurdles ahead
DoorDash just secured federal clearance to fly its own delivery drones commercially, but a persistent trust gap with the American public may prove harder to clear than any regulatory hurdle.
Stocks kicked off Thursday’s trading session higher, reemerging from the carnage of Wednesday’s selloff. The S&P 500 was up 0.9%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.6%. Rosenberg Research’s Dave Rosenberg described the moves as “a weak stock-market bound on shaky ground,” nodding to the major averages’ “precarious technical positions,” yesterday’s rise in bond yields, and oil price spikes.
DoorDash on Wednesday launched its in-house drone-delivery program, DoorDash Air, after securing a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification to operate commercial drone deliveries in the U.S. The move marks the food-delivery company's push into autonomous delivery as it looks to reduce reliance on human couriers and expand its logistics network. • The program was developed by DoorDash Labs, its robotics and autonomy unit, and will eventually be integrated into its delivery app, according to a TechCrunch report.
Today Federal Reserve meeting: Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh will hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET, following the FOMC interest-rate decision at 2 p.m. Earnings (a.m): Procter & Gamble, Humana, L3Harris, Biogen, General Dynamics, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Airbus Earnings (p.
(Bloomberg) -- Jack Ma-backed OceanBase is seeking to raise money to help it operate more independently and bankroll its expansion into AI database services, according to people familiar with the matter. Most Read from BloombergChip Rout Deepens on Circular Funding, China Competition FearsNvidia’s $750 Billion in Deals Reignite Circular AI FearsApple Set to Make Big Smart Home Push With Siri AI at CenterCitadel Securities Sees Warsh Delivering Surprise Fed HikeUEFA Considering Boycott of FIFA To

<body><p>STORY: Wall Street's main indexes closed mixed on Tuesday with the Dow gaining 1%, the S&P 500 edging up about two-tenths of a percent and the Nasdaq dipping by roughly two-tenths of a percent.</p><p>Markets have been volatile this month as investors worry that Microsoft, Amazon and other tech heavyweights may be overspending on data centers in the race to build out AI infrastructure.</p><p>But Nancy Tengler, CEO and chief investment officer of Laffer Tengler Investments, said to expect these companies to announce more AI spending when they report quarterly results this week.</p><p>"Make no mistake, we're in an AI arms race. I think you will continue to see spending. I think you'll actually see companies increase spending next year and then things will normalize and stabilize... We're focused on adding to the US names because you can't have a situation where companies are penalized for spending, i.e. the hyperscalers, and companies are penalized for being on the receiving end to the spending, Micron, chip names. At some point, this will come, regress to the mean and we'll start to pay attention to fundamentals."</p><p>Shares of Microsoft rose ahead of its report on Wednesday, while Amazon dipped before its results on Thursday.</p><p>Shares of Apple closed almost 1% higher, though they rose nearly 2% during the trading session and briefly exceeded a $5 trillion market valuation for the first time. The iPhone maker reports its results on Thursday.</p><p>Outside of technology, shares of Coca-Cola rallied 5% after the beverage company raised its annual revenue and profit forecasts.</p><p>:: Archive</p><p>And shares of Boeing jumped nearly 5% after the airplane maker generated positive free cash flow as its turnaround plans gained momentum.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is due to announce its interest-rate decision at the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting on Wednesday. Traders see about a 70% chance that the central bank will leave rates unchanged, according to CME's FedWatch tool.</p></body>

<body><p>STORY: :: Lisa Bernhard, Reuters</p><p>:: Nancy Tengler, CEO and Chief Investment Officer, Laffer Tengler Investments</p><p>Global markets have been volatile this month as investors worry that Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and other tech heavyweights may be overspending on data centers as they race to build out AI infrastructure.</p><p>"I actually think they are right to spend," Tengler said. "Make no mistake, we're in an AI arms race. I think you will continue to see spending."</p><p>Speaking with Reuters' Lisa Bernhard, Tengler also discussed this week's Federal Reserve policy meeting, the second under new Chair Kevin Warsh.</p><p>And though markets are pricing in rate hikes before the end of the year, Tengler said she believes Warsh will "persuade his colleagues that raising [rates] would be perilous in this environment."</p></body>
(Bloomberg) -- The Nasdaq 100 Index is on track to enter a correction as worries about the eventual payoffs from artificial intelligence investments sour sentiment in the technology giants that have powered most of this year’s stock-market advance. Most Read from BloombergNvidia’s $750 Billion in Deals Reignite Circular AI FearsChip Rout Deepens on Circular Funding, China Competition FearsCitadel Securities Sees Warsh Delivering Surprise Fed HikeDeepSeek Suspends Fundraising After Viral US-China
Today Earnings (a.m.): Coca-Cola, UPS, Boeing, Sherwin-Williams, Hilton, Centene, PayPal, S&P Global Earnings (p.m.): Visa, Ford Motor, Mondelez International, Waste Management, PPG Industries, Bloom Energy, Avis Budget, Seagate Technology Economic data: Consumer confidence index, Johnson Redbook retail sales index, U.
SINGAPORE, July 28 (Reuters) - Asian markets fell on Tuesday led by chipmakers on unease about the massive funding demands of the AI boom, while a slide in oil prices did relatively little to lift

<body><p>STORY: Wall Street ended mixed on Monday, with the Dow gaining half a percent, the S&P 500 virtually flat and the Nasdaq dropping marginally.</p><p>Investors awaited earnings results from Big Tech companies this week, including Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Apple. Of the four, only Apple has seen significant gains this year, with investors concerned about future returns on massive AI spending.</p><p>Skyler Weinand is chief investment officer at Regan Capital.</p><p>"If they don't come out and beat [estimates], they're going to sell off even further. You're going to see some profit taking. You're going to see some hedge funds and retail [investors] potentially pack it in for the rest of the year, sitting up 10 to 15%. I don't blame them. // I don't really see the opportunity for these companies that have run so much over the past 18 to 24 months on that AI build out. I don't see that as a huge buying opportunity. I would rather be looking at some of the companies that have fallen behind a little bit. Auto manufacturers are having their day right now. Defense companies are having their day. Some of these companies that will continue to print earnings regardless of what comes from AI build out."</p><p>The Philadelphia semiconductor index extended its recent selloff, falling more than 2%. It is down 21% from its record high close on June 22 but remains up 63% in 2026.</p><p>Chinese chipmaker CXMT's stellar debut on Monday and a report that the country has started manufacturing homegrown deep ultraviolet chipmaking tools also signaled intensifying competition for the U.S. semiconductor industry.</p><p>Meanwhile, oil prices slid after President Donald Trump said the administration was having "good talks" with Iran, but warned that U.S. strikes would resume if the negotiations failed to deliver.</p><p>Shares of Occidental Petroleum fell more than 4% and Exxon Mobil also closed lower.</p><p>Traders this week will also turn their attention to Tuesday's start of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, with traders projecting a more than 60% chance that the central bank will leave rates unchanged, according to CME's FedWatch tool.</p></body>
Amazon is eyeing a major expansion of its satellite array to compete in the direct-to-phone market against the SpaceX-owned Starlink and others. Amazon stock ticked higher Monday. The Seattle-based tech giant has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to launch 5,105 low Earth orbit satellites designed to deliver "direct-to-device" connectivity in 2028, according to a company blog post.
Investing.com -- Amazon.com Inc. has asked the US Federal Communications Commission for permission to launch a network of 5,000 satellites designed to provide mobile services directly to cell phones from space. The move intensifies competition with SpaceX in the satellite communications sector.
Wall Street is heading for a pivotal week as Big Tech earnings, the Federal Reserve's rate decision and key inflation data test a market hovering near record highs. The busiest stretch begins on Wednesday, when Microsoft and Meta Platforms report earnings before the focus quickly shifts to...