<body><p>STORY: Shares of Uber rose eight and a half percent Wednesday after the company said bookings in the second quarter could hit nearly $58 billion, exceeding Wall Street estimates.</p><p>It also gave an earnings forecast that was largely above the consensus forecast of analysts, though revenue in the first quarter missed estimates.</p><p>Uber is seeing strong demand for its ride-hailing and delivery services even though the Middle East conflict weighed on its growth.</p><p>One analyst told Reuters demand is holding up, and Uber can gain market share in the US suburbs and international markets.</p><p>In terms of its business overseas, Uber pointed to strong performance in Australia and new markets such as Denmark.</p><p>Uber also said its growing adoption of artificial intelligence tools is helping moderate the pace of hiring by improving productivity across its operations.</p><p>When it comes to autonomous vehicles, Uber is pursuing a partnership-led approach, working with more than 20 companies to integrate robotaxis onto its platform rather than building the technology itself.</p></body>
