Few big-pharma bosses enjoy a stronger reputation on Wall Street than AstraZeneca’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot. After plunging on a Financial Times report of merger discussions with Bristol-Myers Squibb shares of AstraZeneca recovered somewhat when Reuters reported there are no ongoing talks. After rebuffing Pfizer’s $120 billion takeover bid in 2014, he steadily transformed AstraZeneca into one of the drug industry’s top growth stories.
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U. S. stock index futures traded with little direction on Thursday as investors monitored diplomatic developments involving Iran, assessed another round of corporate earnings and looked ahead to key labour market data due later this week.
Reports of talks were quickly disputed, but the prospect exposed the appeal — and antitrust risks — of combining two pharma giants.

<body><p>STORY: "A $15 billion investment that promised 188,000 jobs. That's the pitch behind Google's planned data center in India. But for environmentalists, it's a threat to wildlife and water supply."</p><p>:: Munsif Vengattil, Reuters India Technology Correspondent</p><p>:: Bengaluru, India / August 6, 2026</p><p>:: Google’s $15 billion India data center project battles water, wildlife concerns</p><p>:: Visakhapatnam, India / August 3, 2026</p><p>"This dispute, it centers on where this is being built. The site in the port city of Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag, it sits near forests, reservoirs, and wildlife sanctuary buffers on in a city that is already facing water shortages. Activists, they say clearances were fast-tracked without assessing the impact on the city's water supply or on local wildlife. </p><p>"The city has already seen at least five street marches, also some round table discussions around the concerns of this project. There have been at least four cases, including in the state's top court, as well as the environmental tribunal in India, all asking for the project work to be halted because of the environmental concerns."</p><p>"Google has given us a very detailed statement for the story saying the project will be complying with all applicable laws on water. They say they will use air cooling technology in the data center facility, which will significantly reduce the water usage."</p><p>"On the wildlife concerns, Google says in their words, they're going to be a silent neighbor because they're gonna use sound dampening fans as well as landscape buffers."</p><p>"The state of Andhra Pradesh has responded to Reuters in a statement. They have said that the concerns of activists are incorrect and misleading, but said that they are open to feedback. They have added that the protesters have every right to protest. And it is open to corrections if it finds that there is any legitimacy to the claims."</p></body>
Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. recently reported second-quarter 2026 results showing revenue of US$1,753 million and net income of US$904 million, alongside affirming a quarterly dividend of US$0.5025 per share payable on September 29, 2026 to shareholders of record on August 31, 2026. The company’s record fundraising, expansion into AI-focused infrastructure, full integration of Oaktree and continued dividend payments together highlight how fee-based and AI-related initiatives are shaping...
↘️ Western Digital (WDC): Shares in the data storage company fell more than 14% premarket despite a more than elevenfold increase in quarterly profit driven by AI storage demand. Sandisk (SNDK) shares also dropped in off-hours trading, falling 7%, despite reporting soaring revenue.
European stock indexes rose in early trade as earnings stories drove increases. The Europe-wide Stoxx 600 added 0.3%, led by consumer-facing stocks and healthcare. London's FTSE 100 moved 0.3% higher, led by a 10.
Networking stocks like Astera and Arista could be the next big winners as the AI boom continues.
Investors may want to brace for turbulence. But these stocks should hold up well.
Joby Aviation is advancing electric air taxi development with higher revenue, improved year-on-year losses and a strong cash position.
Southern Copper, Freeport, Lundin, Energy and Ero have been highlighted in this Industry Outlook article.
Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Fidelity and WEX have been highlighted in this Industry Outlook article.
Commodities and real estate peformed well in July.
Chip stocks fell in Asia and the U.S. as investors once again grew nervous about the durability of artificial-intelligence spending, while oil held steady in early European trade.
Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:WDC) said artificial intelligence (AI) customers are already negotiating long-term storage agreements extending over the next five years, giving the company greater visibility into future demand as hyperscalers continue building AI infrastructure. Customers Seek Storage Agreements Through 2031 During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, CEO Irving Tan said Western Digital is in discussions with customers to extend long-term agreements beyond the current cycle
BlackRock, Ameriprise, and Invesco have been highlighted in this Industry Outlook article.
Broadcom, Coca-Cola and Palantir are in focus as Zacks highlights AI growth, resilient execution and key risks shaping each company's outlook.
The latest tariff move wasn't about raising rates; it was about making them stick, and that could reshape which stocks win for years to come.
The S&P 500 snapped a four-session winning streak on Wednesday as investors locked in profits from technology stocks, even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed to another record high. Despite the pullback, Polymarket traders continue to expect the benchmark...
A modest silver lining for headline inflation is overshadowed by one of the central bank's favorite inflationary measures.
(Bloomberg) -- Nigeria agreed a gas deal that moves it closer to reviving a giant steel plant that hasn’t produced any metal since being built half a century ago.Most Read from BloombergIran Says Agreement on Hormuz Shipping Reached With OmanGoogle AI Veterans Depart During Seismic Leadership ShiftMajor Hedge Funds Targeted in Wave of Attempted CyberattacksMicrosoft’s AI Sales Mostly Come From OpenAI, Disclosures ShowSpaceX’s AI Splurge Puts a Damper on First Earnings After IPOThe agreement with
Nvidia's path to $1 million faces a critical growth limitation.
Alphabet said DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis will step down from his role and become chief scientist of Alphabet and chair of DeepMind.
PLTR surged 29% over the past week, while NVDA climbed 15% and CAT gained 11%, outperforming the broader market.
Arista Networks (NYSE: ANET) reported record Q2 revenue, reaching its first ever US$3b quarter, supported by rising AI infrastructure demand. The company raised its guidance alongside the results, pointing to continued traction across its networking portfolio. Arista launched new 1.6 Tbps AI fabric platforms aimed at high performance data center workloads. The company was recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s 2026 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN, marking progress beyond...
Nvidia (NasdaqGS:NVDA) agreed an exclusive partnership with SpaceX for its Starmind satellite AI program, which will use Nvidia's Vera Rubin NVL72 rackscale system as its dedicated AI chip platform. SpaceX selected the Vera Rubin NVL72 system for upcoming Starmind satellites, positioning Nvidia's hardware as a reference point for aerospace focused AI compute. Separately, Nvidia backed Volta Infra entered a US$10b multi year AI cloud deal with Anthropic to roll out data centers in Europe...
The Morning Bull - US Market Morning Update Thursday, Aug, 6 2026 US market stock futures are pointing higher this morning, with E mini S&P 500 contracts up about 0.2% and Dow futures also in positive territory. The backdrop is softer inflation expectations, as UK gilt yields slip below 4.9% and US 10 year Treasury yields hover near 4.6%. This signals that borrowing costs may not rise as sharply as feared. At the same time, a series of purchasing manager indexes across Europe and Japan show...
Lockheed Martin is back in focus as analysts lift price targets into the US$590 to US$700 range following the latest Q2 update and refreshed models. Recent Street commentary links these higher targets to views on improving execution, a raised 2026 outlook and mixed but constructive signals around contract momentum and sector headwinds. Read on to see how these shifting targets fit into the broader Lockheed Martin story and how you can track the narrative as it evolves. Stay updated as the...
SSR Mining (TSX:SSRM) has just packed several developments into a single update. You have fresh operating results, a reinstated quarterly dividend, new 2026 production guidance, a larger credit facility and a completed share buyback. See our latest analysis for SSR Mining. The fresh guidance, dividend reinstatement, larger credit facility and buyback completion have arrived alongside a sharp shift in sentiment. The 1-day share price return of 8.41% and 7-day share price return of 15.44%...