Why Knowledge Graphs Are The Future Of Data Intelligence Platforms
What's really powering AI? High-quality data—foundational to creating new products and solutions. With AI adoption reaching a tipping point, the emergence of AI use cases has enforced a paradigm shift toward high-quality, trustworthy data, essential building blocks crucial for scalable and reliable AI solutions.
According to a GenAI Data Readiness survey, 44% of organizations surveyed said they are deploying GenAI for critical use cases, but only 4% are confident about their data preparation. Without a trusted data foundation, organizations run the risk of building solutions that deliver inaccurate or misleading results known as hallucinations, leading to poor code, confusion, compliance violations and costly fines.
For example, a financial analyst using mislabeled data can produce flawed forecasts that cascade into poor decision making and substantial losses for end users. Similarly, in healthcare, outdated datasets can lead to misdiagnoses, triggering lawsuits and regulatory fines.
The Future Of Data Management Is Graph-Powered
In times of blink-and-miss-it AI breakthroughs, it's clear that the secret sauce lies in architecting an effective data management stack with data quality, reliability and speed at the core. But traditional non-graph-powered data management solutions often fall short of keeping pace with evolving business needs and struggle with static, big metamodels that are often difficult to implement and rarely see user adoption.
Enter knowledge-graph-powered data intelligence platforms with metadata management capabilities.
Google popularized the term "knowledge graph" in this 2012 blog post. Since then, there has been a massive momentum around knowledge graphs, which have become increasingly vital in data intelligence platforms by providing structured, interconnected representations of data that go beyond tabular formats.
Think of knowledge-graph-powered data catalogs as the search engine for the data in the enterprise. It empowers business users to move beyond static tables and columns that fail to capture relationships between data assets and visualize their enterprise data landscape like a map. Instead of combing through hundreds of thousands of tables and columns, data users can visually navigate their enterprise's data landscape and get precise results instantly through natural language interactions.
Tapping Into The Federated Knowledge Graph Advantage
In today's enterprise environment, AI-critical data is distributed across multiple systems—from cloud applications to legacy on-premises infrastructure. To overcome data silos, traditional centralized knowledge graphs consolidate data into a single repository. However, this approach increases data movement, introduces latency and creates governance complexities.
On the other hand, federated knowledge graphs address data silos by bringing a decentralized approach to data integration. Unlike traditional centralized knowledge graphs that require consolidating data into a single repository, federated knowledge graphs operate across multiple, distributed data sources while maintaining a unified semantic layer.
Also, the federated approach reduces the need for extensive data movement, enhances data governance and provides faster, real-time access to information. By connecting data from disparate systems through a federated graph, enterprises can get a holistic, contextual view of their data landscape without compromising agility, empowering business users with richer insights.
Federated Knowledge Graph Use Cases
Here's a look at a few use cases across industries.
Retail companies are data-rich and have a huge variety of data, from customer service tools, sales records, POS systems and e-commerce platforms residing across various platforms, making it difficult to analyze. Through a federated graph, customers can connect data from disparate sources seamlessly without data consolidation. By adding a semantic layer, even non-technical users can use simple terms such as 'customer satisfaction scores' or 'total sales in the previous quarter' to get more meaningful and relevant results when searching for the best data products across the enterprise to do correlation analysis on.
Similarly, in the healthcare segment, federated graphs help keep sensitive patient data secure while enabling cross-institutional insights through a unified semantic layer. The decentralized model ensures compliance with regulations by allowing data to remain under local control, in keeping with data residency mandates.
Additionally, it also facilitates the integration of diverse patient records and clinical research data, providing GenAI models with the contextual knowledge needed to create personalized treatment plans. To function precisely, these models need context. Nothing is stronger than a knowledge graph to deliver that context with ontological robustness. It makes the GenAI models work securely with verified information, reducing hallucination risks. Simultaneously, GenAI updates these knowledge graphs by analyzing new research and patient data to ensure the accuracy and relevancy of results.
In financial services, real-time fraud detection across multiple systems can be done without moving sensitive data by leveraging data intelligence platforms with federated knowledge graphs, which can identify transaction patterns in real time, ultimately reducing financial risks.
Essential Features To Consider
When evaluating solutions, chief data officers need to understand how well these platforms support distributed governance and cross-system collaboration without compromising agility.
A data intelligence platform with a federated knowledge graph approach enables distributed data governance while maintaining central oversight, addressing key challenges in modern data management. Unlike traditional data lakes or warehouses that require extensive data movement, leading to latency and governance risks, federated knowledge graphs allow data to remain localized, respecting data residency and security requirements. They also surpass data catalog-only solutions by capturing semantic relationships between data assets, providing deeper context and more meaningful insights. Additionally, it helps avoid data silos, fostering interoperability across diverse systems and partners.
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Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq sink after weak jobs report, Trump's tariff redux
US stocks sank on Friday after President Trump officially hit virtually every US trading partner with sweeping tariff hikes, while the July jobs report showed signs of a labor market slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell more than 500 points, or about 1.1%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) dropped roughly 1.5%, with the two gauges set for weekly losses. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) sank around 2.1%, on track for its own weekly decline, despite earnings reports from major tech firms that beat expectations. Friday's sell-off followed a losing day for the indexes on Thursday. The retreat in stocks came as the July jobs report released Friday morning showed weaker-than-expected jobs growth, with the economy adding some 73,000 jobs, versus 104,000 expected. The prior two readings were also revised down sharply, indicating the labor market has been slowing down over the past three months. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%. The surprise cracks in the labor market will be closely watched by the Federal Reserve, whose preferred inflation gauge on Thursday showed signs of increasing price pressures. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury (^TNX) dived following the jobs data as traders ramped up bets on interest rate cuts this year. Meanwhile, markets assessed the reshaped US trade landscape after Trump on Thursday hit dozens of countries — including crucial partners Taiwan and India — with steep new tariffs. His executive order formally authorized a hike in levies on Canada to 35%, to go into effect on Friday. Most of the other "reciprocal" rates range from 15% to 40% (though the baseline remains 10%) and will be implemented in seven days. The White House also confirmed details of trade agreements negotiated by some trading partners before the Aug. 1 deadline for "Liberation Day" tariffs to hit. But Trump said the implementation of the hiked levies will be pushed back by seven days, opening up scope for more talks. Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs Also dragging on spirits was disappointment over Amazon's (AMZN) earnings released late Thursday. The performance of its AWS cloud unit failed to live up to lofty expectations set by rivals Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT), sending its shares down as much as 8%. But Apple (AAPL) erased losses despite results that beat expectations, boosted by surprisingly strong iPhone sales. Trump calls for firing of commissioner of Bureau of Labor Statistics responsible for monthly jobs reports President Trump said he has directed his team to fire Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who is responsible for producing the US monthly jobs reports. This comes after July's print showed larger-than-normal revisions for the past two months, indicating that the labor market has been cooling for the past three months. "I was just informed that our Country's 'Jobs Numbers' are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala's chances of Victory," Trump wrote on social media. "We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified," he added. "Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes. McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative." Trump has been pressuring the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Policymakers this week decided to keep rates steady, with two dissidents voting for a rate cut. Coinbase stock takes a hit as lower crypto volatility slows trading activity Coinbase (COIN) stock plunged 14%, its biggest intraday drop since April, after the crypto platform high flyer's quarterly revenue took a hit from lower trading volume. Revenue for the company's second quarter increased 3.3% year over year to $1.5 billion. Wall Street was expecting a climb to $1.59 billion. Revenue also slowed from $2 billion in the prior quarter. Total trading volume declined 40% in the second quarter as crypto asset volatility declined. Read more here. Dow sinks 600 points, S&P 500 Nasdaq drop to session lows The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped more than 600 points, or 1.4% Friday afternoon, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell around 1.7% to touch a session low. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) tumbled more than 2.3%. Most growth sectors were in the red, leading the declines. The sell-off followed a weaker-than-expected jobs report, and after President Trump reshaped the US trade landscape by imposing tariffs on imports from dozens of trading partners around the world. Friday's July jobs report showed weaker-than-expected hiring and larger-than-normal downward revisions to prior months' data, suggesting the labor market has been weakening for months. 'A gamechanger': Economists react to weak July jobs report as rate cut bets Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal reports: Read more here. " Big Tech's AI investments set to spike to $364 billion in 2025 as bubble fears ease Big Tech firms Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) reported that they were set to spend as much as a cumulative $364 billion in their respective 2025 fiscal years, up from their prior estimates of around $325 billion. Investors appeared to shrug off the increase for the most part. Shares of three of the four tech giants spiked following their latest quarterly earnings reports over the past two weeks, which showed the companies broadly outperforming Wall Street's expectations and lifting their capital expenditure forecasts. Meta and Microsoft shares surged roughly 11% and 4%, respectively, in Thursday's trading session, following their quarterly results the prior afternoon. Microsoft's surge briefly pushed the firm's value north of $4 trillion for the first time. Alphabet stock also jumped following its report last week. Amazon was an exception to Wall Street's bullish reception of the capital expenditures changes. Shares fell 8% Friday after the company raised its capital expenditure forecast, but its guidance for operating income at its AWS cloud computing unit was lower than expected, raising questions about its AI plans. Amazon said its $31.4 billion in second quarter capital expenditures was "reasonably representative of our quarterly capital investment rate for the back half of this year," implying it would spend around $118.5 billion in the full fiscal year. Read the full story here. UnitedHealth Group stock drops after appointing new CFO in wake of top leadership change After a year that has seen its share price collapse by more than 50%, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has swapped out its chief financial officer, Yahoo Finance's Jake Conley and Anjalee Khemlani report. Conley and Khemlani write: Shares of UnitedHealth dropped around 3.4% early Friday. Read the full story here. Manufacturing activity hits a 9-month low Economic activity in the US manufacturing sector hit a nine month low in July. The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) manufacturing PMI registered a reading of 48% in July, down from June's reading of 49%. Readings above 50 for this index indicate an expansion in activity, while readings below 50 indicate contraction. The manufacturing sector has been in contraction for most of the past two years. 'In July, U.S. manufacturing activity contracted at a faster rate, with declines in the Supplier Deliveries and Employment Indexes contributing as the biggest factors in the 1-percentage point loss of the Manufacturing PMI," Chair of the Institute for Supply Management Susan Spence wrote in the release. Reddit stock soars after Q2 earnings beat Reddit (RDDT) stock soared more than 16% early Friday after the social media platform reported second quarter earnings and revenue that surpassed Wall Street's expectations, with a sunnier than anticipated outlook for its third quarter. The social media's revenue grew 78% to $500 million, its fastest revenue growth in three years, according to the company. That figure was ahead of the $425 million projected by Wall Street analysts tracked by Bloomberg. In its results released late Thursday, Reddit also reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.92, ahead of the estimated $0.72. The company said global daily active users hit 110.4 million in the three months ended June 30, just above the 110 million expected by analysts, according to Bloomberg consensus data. Meanwhile, US daily active users hit 50.3 million, slightly below the 50.5 million expected. Read more about Reddit's latest report here. Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly stocks pop on report of Medicare, Medicaid GLP-1 coverage Shares of Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Eli Lilly (LLY) spiked at the open after the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is planning to experiment with allowing Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight-loss drugs. A plan obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stated that state Medicaid programs and Medicare Part D insurance plans can voluntarily choose to cover Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound for weight management, the Post reported. It's a signal that the administration is more open to GLP-1 drug coverage, despite reservations from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly stocks both popped 3% in the first 10 minutes of trading. On Thursday, the stocks sold off after President Trump sent a letter to 17 pharma companies demanding that they slash their drug prices in the US. Stocks sink at the open US stocks sank at the market open on Friday after President Trump officially hit virtually every US trading partner with sweeping tariff hikes, and the June jobs report showed signs of a labor market slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped 0.9%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell around 1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) sank about 1.4%, on the heels of a losing day for the major US gauges. Treasury yields sink after jobs data as traders price in more aggressive Fed action The big market action after a shocking July jobs report was being seen in the bond market Friday morning. Treasuries were in rally mode as traders moved to price in at least two interest-rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year. That reversed the moves seen Wednesday after the FOMC meeting, which saw Fed Chair Jay Powell talk down the need for rate cuts. The yield on 2-year Treasury notes fell by more than 17 basis points to as low as 3.78% Friday morning. The yield on 10-year notes fell by nearly 10 basis points to as low as 4.27%. Data from the CME Group showed the odds for a September rate cut from the Fed were as high as 75% following Friday's report. The July jobs report showed the US economy added just 73,000 jobs last month while revisions to the May and June reports showed more than quarter million fewer jobs were added to the economy than previously reported. On Wednesday, odds for a September rate cut from the Fed were just 37%. Just before the release of Friday's jobs report, two Fed governors — Chris Waller and Michelle Bowman — issued statements explaining their decision to vote against the Fed's call to keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday. Both suggested the US labor market is not as strong as recent data had shown, and that when the labor market turns, it may turn quickly. Waller and Bowman's dissents on Wednesday marked the first time since 1993 that two members of the Fed's Board of Governors voted against a policy action at the same meeting. President Trump, for his part, said Friday morning before the jobs numbers were released the Fed board should "ASSUME CONTROL" as Powell continues to face criticism from the president over his view that interest rates should remain at current levels. Figma stock rises 19% in premarket trade Friday, poised to build on Thursday's 250% rally Figma (FIG) stock looked set to surge again on Friday, rising as much as 19% in premarket trading after shares rocketed higher with a gain of 250% in Thursday's public market debut, Yahoo Finance's Jake Conley reports. Conley writes: Read the full story here. New healthcare jobs continue to lead gains Here's a look at US employment by sector in July. Where hiring picked up: Where hiring declined: US labor market adds 73,000 jobs in July while unemployment rate hits 4.2% Stock futures fell premarket after the July jobs report showed US nonfarm payrolls missed estimates. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) dropped 0.9%, while futures for the S&P 500 (ES=F) fell around 1%. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) sank 1.1%. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer reports: Read more here. European stocks slide after Trump announces new tariffs European stocks fell on Friday after President Trump confirmed new tariff rates, including a 15% tariff rate on goods from the European Union and a 10% rate for the UK. In London, the benchmark FTSE 100 index (^FTSE) fell 0.5%. The pan-European Stoxx 600 (^STOXX) index shed 0.75%, while Germany's DAX (^GDAXI) dropped 1.89% and the CAC (^FCHI) in Paris declined 2%. In a twist, Trump said the new tariffs will take effect a week from now, instead of today, as was originally telegraphed. Still, global markets were rattled by the latest change to US trade policy. Swiss manufacturers warned Friday that tens of thousands of jobs are at risk after President Trump imposed steep tariffs. European pharmaceutical companies, such as Novo Nordisk (NVO) and AstraZeneca (AZN), were also in the red Thursday and will be stocks to watch Friday after Trump sent a letter to 17 companies, urging them to lower prices. Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic calendar: Nonfarm payrolls (July); Unemployment rate (July); Average hourly earnings (July); Average weekly hours worked (July); Labor force participation rate (July); ISM manufacturing (July); S&P Global US manufacturing (July final); Construction spending (June); University of Michigan consumer sentiment (July final) Earnings: Chevron (CVX), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Exxon Mobil (XOM) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: July jobs report on deck: What to expect Trump stuns markets again with latest bid to reshape US trade order Trump: Fed board should assume control if Powell won't cut rates Trump lays out sweeping tariff hikes for dozens of countries Amazon stock sinks as cloud results fail to impress Moderna beats estimates on COVID booster sales, cost cuts Exxon beats profit estimates as output rises despite weak oil prices Chevron beats Wall Street profit estimates with record output Big Tech's AI and core businesses are blurring together This week, investors heard quarterly updates from Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META). And in the midst of strong quarterly financial results from Big Tech, a new paradigm is emerging, Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban wrote in today's Morning Brief. Hamza writes: Read more here. Chevron beats Wall Street profit estimates with record production Chevron (CVX) beat analyst estimates on Friday for second-quarter profit as record oil and gas production and lower capital expenditure helped the US oil producer boost earnings despite weaker crude prices. Chevron shares were flat in premarket trading. Reuters reports: Read more here. Exxon beats profit estimates with higher production despite weak oil prices Shares in Exxon Mobil (XOM) rose more than 1% before the bell on Friday after the company beat Wall Street estimate for second-quarter profit as higher oil and gas production helped the top US oil producer overcome lower crude prices. Reuters reports: Read more here. Eyes on Figma, day two After a sizzling 250% surge on Thursday IPO day, Figma (FIG) is up another 8% premarket. You are watching the forming of a stock bubble in real time here! I encourage you to read up on the company's not-so-impressive financials this weekend. Trump calls for firing of commissioner of Bureau of Labor Statistics responsible for monthly jobs reports President Trump said he has directed his team to fire Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who is responsible for producing the US monthly jobs reports. This comes after July's print showed larger-than-normal revisions for the past two months, indicating that the labor market has been cooling for the past three months. "I was just informed that our Country's 'Jobs Numbers' are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala's chances of Victory," Trump wrote on social media. "We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified," he added. "Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes. McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative." Trump has been pressuring the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Policymakers this week decided to keep rates steady, with two dissidents voting for a rate cut. President Trump said he has directed his team to fire Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who is responsible for producing the US monthly jobs reports. This comes after July's print showed larger-than-normal revisions for the past two months, indicating that the labor market has been cooling for the past three months. "I was just informed that our Country's 'Jobs Numbers' are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala's chances of Victory," Trump wrote on social media. "We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified," he added. "Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes. McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative." Trump has been pressuring the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Policymakers this week decided to keep rates steady, with two dissidents voting for a rate cut. Coinbase stock takes a hit as lower crypto volatility slows trading activity Coinbase (COIN) stock plunged 14%, its biggest intraday drop since April, after the crypto platform high flyer's quarterly revenue took a hit from lower trading volume. Revenue for the company's second quarter increased 3.3% year over year to $1.5 billion. Wall Street was expecting a climb to $1.59 billion. Revenue also slowed from $2 billion in the prior quarter. Total trading volume declined 40% in the second quarter as crypto asset volatility declined. Read more here. Coinbase (COIN) stock plunged 14%, its biggest intraday drop since April, after the crypto platform high flyer's quarterly revenue took a hit from lower trading volume. Revenue for the company's second quarter increased 3.3% year over year to $1.5 billion. Wall Street was expecting a climb to $1.59 billion. Revenue also slowed from $2 billion in the prior quarter. Total trading volume declined 40% in the second quarter as crypto asset volatility declined. Read more here. Dow sinks 600 points, S&P 500 Nasdaq drop to session lows The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped more than 600 points, or 1.4% Friday afternoon, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell around 1.7% to touch a session low. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) tumbled more than 2.3%. Most growth sectors were in the red, leading the declines. The sell-off followed a weaker-than-expected jobs report, and after President Trump reshaped the US trade landscape by imposing tariffs on imports from dozens of trading partners around the world. Friday's July jobs report showed weaker-than-expected hiring and larger-than-normal downward revisions to prior months' data, suggesting the labor market has been weakening for months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped more than 600 points, or 1.4% Friday afternoon, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell around 1.7% to touch a session low. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) tumbled more than 2.3%. Most growth sectors were in the red, leading the declines. The sell-off followed a weaker-than-expected jobs report, and after President Trump reshaped the US trade landscape by imposing tariffs on imports from dozens of trading partners around the world. Friday's July jobs report showed weaker-than-expected hiring and larger-than-normal downward revisions to prior months' data, suggesting the labor market has been weakening for months. 'A gamechanger': Economists react to weak July jobs report as rate cut bets Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal reports: Read more here. " Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal reports: Read more here. " Big Tech's AI investments set to spike to $364 billion in 2025 as bubble fears ease Big Tech firms Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) reported that they were set to spend as much as a cumulative $364 billion in their respective 2025 fiscal years, up from their prior estimates of around $325 billion. Investors appeared to shrug off the increase for the most part. Shares of three of the four tech giants spiked following their latest quarterly earnings reports over the past two weeks, which showed the companies broadly outperforming Wall Street's expectations and lifting their capital expenditure forecasts. Meta and Microsoft shares surged roughly 11% and 4%, respectively, in Thursday's trading session, following their quarterly results the prior afternoon. Microsoft's surge briefly pushed the firm's value north of $4 trillion for the first time. Alphabet stock also jumped following its report last week. Amazon was an exception to Wall Street's bullish reception of the capital expenditures changes. Shares fell 8% Friday after the company raised its capital expenditure forecast, but its guidance for operating income at its AWS cloud computing unit was lower than expected, raising questions about its AI plans. Amazon said its $31.4 billion in second quarter capital expenditures was "reasonably representative of our quarterly capital investment rate for the back half of this year," implying it would spend around $118.5 billion in the full fiscal year. Read the full story here. Big Tech firms Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) reported that they were set to spend as much as a cumulative $364 billion in their respective 2025 fiscal years, up from their prior estimates of around $325 billion. Investors appeared to shrug off the increase for the most part. Shares of three of the four tech giants spiked following their latest quarterly earnings reports over the past two weeks, which showed the companies broadly outperforming Wall Street's expectations and lifting their capital expenditure forecasts. Meta and Microsoft shares surged roughly 11% and 4%, respectively, in Thursday's trading session, following their quarterly results the prior afternoon. Microsoft's surge briefly pushed the firm's value north of $4 trillion for the first time. Alphabet stock also jumped following its report last week. Amazon was an exception to Wall Street's bullish reception of the capital expenditures changes. Shares fell 8% Friday after the company raised its capital expenditure forecast, but its guidance for operating income at its AWS cloud computing unit was lower than expected, raising questions about its AI plans. Amazon said its $31.4 billion in second quarter capital expenditures was "reasonably representative of our quarterly capital investment rate for the back half of this year," implying it would spend around $118.5 billion in the full fiscal year. Read the full story here. UnitedHealth Group stock drops after appointing new CFO in wake of top leadership change After a year that has seen its share price collapse by more than 50%, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has swapped out its chief financial officer, Yahoo Finance's Jake Conley and Anjalee Khemlani report. Conley and Khemlani write: Shares of UnitedHealth dropped around 3.4% early Friday. Read the full story here. After a year that has seen its share price collapse by more than 50%, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has swapped out its chief financial officer, Yahoo Finance's Jake Conley and Anjalee Khemlani report. Conley and Khemlani write: Shares of UnitedHealth dropped around 3.4% early Friday. Read the full story here. Manufacturing activity hits a 9-month low Economic activity in the US manufacturing sector hit a nine month low in July. The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) manufacturing PMI registered a reading of 48% in July, down from June's reading of 49%. Readings above 50 for this index indicate an expansion in activity, while readings below 50 indicate contraction. The manufacturing sector has been in contraction for most of the past two years. 'In July, U.S. manufacturing activity contracted at a faster rate, with declines in the Supplier Deliveries and Employment Indexes contributing as the biggest factors in the 1-percentage point loss of the Manufacturing PMI," Chair of the Institute for Supply Management Susan Spence wrote in the release. Economic activity in the US manufacturing sector hit a nine month low in July. The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) manufacturing PMI registered a reading of 48% in July, down from June's reading of 49%. Readings above 50 for this index indicate an expansion in activity, while readings below 50 indicate contraction. The manufacturing sector has been in contraction for most of the past two years. 'In July, U.S. manufacturing activity contracted at a faster rate, with declines in the Supplier Deliveries and Employment Indexes contributing as the biggest factors in the 1-percentage point loss of the Manufacturing PMI," Chair of the Institute for Supply Management Susan Spence wrote in the release. Reddit stock soars after Q2 earnings beat Reddit (RDDT) stock soared more than 16% early Friday after the social media platform reported second quarter earnings and revenue that surpassed Wall Street's expectations, with a sunnier than anticipated outlook for its third quarter. The social media's revenue grew 78% to $500 million, its fastest revenue growth in three years, according to the company. That figure was ahead of the $425 million projected by Wall Street analysts tracked by Bloomberg. In its results released late Thursday, Reddit also reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.92, ahead of the estimated $0.72. The company said global daily active users hit 110.4 million in the three months ended June 30, just above the 110 million expected by analysts, according to Bloomberg consensus data. Meanwhile, US daily active users hit 50.3 million, slightly below the 50.5 million expected. Read more about Reddit's latest report here. Reddit (RDDT) stock soared more than 16% early Friday after the social media platform reported second quarter earnings and revenue that surpassed Wall Street's expectations, with a sunnier than anticipated outlook for its third quarter. The social media's revenue grew 78% to $500 million, its fastest revenue growth in three years, according to the company. That figure was ahead of the $425 million projected by Wall Street analysts tracked by Bloomberg. In its results released late Thursday, Reddit also reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.92, ahead of the estimated $0.72. The company said global daily active users hit 110.4 million in the three months ended June 30, just above the 110 million expected by analysts, according to Bloomberg consensus data. Meanwhile, US daily active users hit 50.3 million, slightly below the 50.5 million expected. Read more about Reddit's latest report here. Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly stocks pop on report of Medicare, Medicaid GLP-1 coverage Shares of Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Eli Lilly (LLY) spiked at the open after the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is planning to experiment with allowing Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight-loss drugs. A plan obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stated that state Medicaid programs and Medicare Part D insurance plans can voluntarily choose to cover Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound for weight management, the Post reported. It's a signal that the administration is more open to GLP-1 drug coverage, despite reservations from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly stocks both popped 3% in the first 10 minutes of trading. On Thursday, the stocks sold off after President Trump sent a letter to 17 pharma companies demanding that they slash their drug prices in the US. Shares of Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Eli Lilly (LLY) spiked at the open after the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is planning to experiment with allowing Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight-loss drugs. A plan obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stated that state Medicaid programs and Medicare Part D insurance plans can voluntarily choose to cover Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound for weight management, the Post reported. It's a signal that the administration is more open to GLP-1 drug coverage, despite reservations from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly stocks both popped 3% in the first 10 minutes of trading. On Thursday, the stocks sold off after President Trump sent a letter to 17 pharma companies demanding that they slash their drug prices in the US. Stocks sink at the open US stocks sank at the market open on Friday after President Trump officially hit virtually every US trading partner with sweeping tariff hikes, and the June jobs report showed signs of a labor market slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped 0.9%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell around 1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) sank about 1.4%, on the heels of a losing day for the major US gauges. US stocks sank at the market open on Friday after President Trump officially hit virtually every US trading partner with sweeping tariff hikes, and the June jobs report showed signs of a labor market slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped 0.9%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell around 1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) sank about 1.4%, on the heels of a losing day for the major US gauges. Treasury yields sink after jobs data as traders price in more aggressive Fed action The big market action after a shocking July jobs report was being seen in the bond market Friday morning. Treasuries were in rally mode as traders moved to price in at least two interest-rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year. That reversed the moves seen Wednesday after the FOMC meeting, which saw Fed Chair Jay Powell talk down the need for rate cuts. The yield on 2-year Treasury notes fell by more than 17 basis points to as low as 3.78% Friday morning. The yield on 10-year notes fell by nearly 10 basis points to as low as 4.27%. Data from the CME Group showed the odds for a September rate cut from the Fed were as high as 75% following Friday's report. The July jobs report showed the US economy added just 73,000 jobs last month while revisions to the May and June reports showed more than quarter million fewer jobs were added to the economy than previously reported. On Wednesday, odds for a September rate cut from the Fed were just 37%. Just before the release of Friday's jobs report, two Fed governors — Chris Waller and Michelle Bowman — issued statements explaining their decision to vote against the Fed's call to keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday. Both suggested the US labor market is not as strong as recent data had shown, and that when the labor market turns, it may turn quickly. Waller and Bowman's dissents on Wednesday marked the first time since 1993 that two members of the Fed's Board of Governors voted against a policy action at the same meeting. President Trump, for his part, said Friday morning before the jobs numbers were released the Fed board should "ASSUME CONTROL" as Powell continues to face criticism from the president over his view that interest rates should remain at current levels. The big market action after a shocking July jobs report was being seen in the bond market Friday morning. Treasuries were in rally mode as traders moved to price in at least two interest-rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year. That reversed the moves seen Wednesday after the FOMC meeting, which saw Fed Chair Jay Powell talk down the need for rate cuts. The yield on 2-year Treasury notes fell by more than 17 basis points to as low as 3.78% Friday morning. The yield on 10-year notes fell by nearly 10 basis points to as low as 4.27%. Data from the CME Group showed the odds for a September rate cut from the Fed were as high as 75% following Friday's report. The July jobs report showed the US economy added just 73,000 jobs last month while revisions to the May and June reports showed more than quarter million fewer jobs were added to the economy than previously reported. On Wednesday, odds for a September rate cut from the Fed were just 37%. Just before the release of Friday's jobs report, two Fed governors — Chris Waller and Michelle Bowman — issued statements explaining their decision to vote against the Fed's call to keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday. Both suggested the US labor market is not as strong as recent data had shown, and that when the labor market turns, it may turn quickly. Waller and Bowman's dissents on Wednesday marked the first time since 1993 that two members of the Fed's Board of Governors voted against a policy action at the same meeting. President Trump, for his part, said Friday morning before the jobs numbers were released the Fed board should "ASSUME CONTROL" as Powell continues to face criticism from the president over his view that interest rates should remain at current levels. Figma stock rises 19% in premarket trade Friday, poised to build on Thursday's 250% rally Figma (FIG) stock looked set to surge again on Friday, rising as much as 19% in premarket trading after shares rocketed higher with a gain of 250% in Thursday's public market debut, Yahoo Finance's Jake Conley reports. Conley writes: Read the full story here. Figma (FIG) stock looked set to surge again on Friday, rising as much as 19% in premarket trading after shares rocketed higher with a gain of 250% in Thursday's public market debut, Yahoo Finance's Jake Conley reports. Conley writes: Read the full story here. New healthcare jobs continue to lead gains Here's a look at US employment by sector in July. Where hiring picked up: Where hiring declined: Here's a look at US employment by sector in July. Where hiring picked up: Where hiring declined: US labor market adds 73,000 jobs in July while unemployment rate hits 4.2% Stock futures fell premarket after the July jobs report showed US nonfarm payrolls missed estimates. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) dropped 0.9%, while futures for the S&P 500 (ES=F) fell around 1%. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) sank 1.1%. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer reports: Read more here. Stock futures fell premarket after the July jobs report showed US nonfarm payrolls missed estimates. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) dropped 0.9%, while futures for the S&P 500 (ES=F) fell around 1%. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) sank 1.1%. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer reports: Read more here. European stocks slide after Trump announces new tariffs European stocks fell on Friday after President Trump confirmed new tariff rates, including a 15% tariff rate on goods from the European Union and a 10% rate for the UK. In London, the benchmark FTSE 100 index (^FTSE) fell 0.5%. The pan-European Stoxx 600 (^STOXX) index shed 0.75%, while Germany's DAX (^GDAXI) dropped 1.89% and the CAC (^FCHI) in Paris declined 2%. In a twist, Trump said the new tariffs will take effect a week from now, instead of today, as was originally telegraphed. Still, global markets were rattled by the latest change to US trade policy. Swiss manufacturers warned Friday that tens of thousands of jobs are at risk after President Trump imposed steep tariffs. European pharmaceutical companies, such as Novo Nordisk (NVO) and AstraZeneca (AZN), were also in the red Thursday and will be stocks to watch Friday after Trump sent a letter to 17 companies, urging them to lower prices. European stocks fell on Friday after President Trump confirmed new tariff rates, including a 15% tariff rate on goods from the European Union and a 10% rate for the UK. In London, the benchmark FTSE 100 index (^FTSE) fell 0.5%. The pan-European Stoxx 600 (^STOXX) index shed 0.75%, while Germany's DAX (^GDAXI) dropped 1.89% and the CAC (^FCHI) in Paris declined 2%. In a twist, Trump said the new tariffs will take effect a week from now, instead of today, as was originally telegraphed. Still, global markets were rattled by the latest change to US trade policy. Swiss manufacturers warned Friday that tens of thousands of jobs are at risk after President Trump imposed steep tariffs. European pharmaceutical companies, such as Novo Nordisk (NVO) and AstraZeneca (AZN), were also in the red Thursday and will be stocks to watch Friday after Trump sent a letter to 17 companies, urging them to lower prices. Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic calendar: Nonfarm payrolls (July); Unemployment rate (July); Average hourly earnings (July); Average weekly hours worked (July); Labor force participation rate (July); ISM manufacturing (July); S&P Global US manufacturing (July final); Construction spending (June); University of Michigan consumer sentiment (July final) Earnings: Chevron (CVX), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Exxon Mobil (XOM) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: July jobs report on deck: What to expect Trump stuns markets again with latest bid to reshape US trade order Trump: Fed board should assume control if Powell won't cut rates Trump lays out sweeping tariff hikes for dozens of countries Amazon stock sinks as cloud results fail to impress Moderna beats estimates on COVID booster sales, cost cuts Exxon beats profit estimates as output rises despite weak oil prices Chevron beats Wall Street profit estimates with record output Economic calendar: Nonfarm payrolls (July); Unemployment rate (July); Average hourly earnings (July); Average weekly hours worked (July); Labor force participation rate (July); ISM manufacturing (July); S&P Global US manufacturing (July final); Construction spending (June); University of Michigan consumer sentiment (July final) Earnings: Chevron (CVX), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Exxon Mobil (XOM) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: July jobs report on deck: What to expect Trump stuns markets again with latest bid to reshape US trade order Trump: Fed board should assume control if Powell won't cut rates Trump lays out sweeping tariff hikes for dozens of countries Amazon stock sinks as cloud results fail to impress Moderna beats estimates on COVID booster sales, cost cuts Exxon beats profit estimates as output rises despite weak oil prices Chevron beats Wall Street profit estimates with record output Big Tech's AI and core businesses are blurring together This week, investors heard quarterly updates from Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META). And in the midst of strong quarterly financial results from Big Tech, a new paradigm is emerging, Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban wrote in today's Morning Brief. Hamza writes: Read more here. This week, investors heard quarterly updates from Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META). And in the midst of strong quarterly financial results from Big Tech, a new paradigm is emerging, Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban wrote in today's Morning Brief. Hamza writes: Read more here. Chevron beats Wall Street profit estimates with record production Chevron (CVX) beat analyst estimates on Friday for second-quarter profit as record oil and gas production and lower capital expenditure helped the US oil producer boost earnings despite weaker crude prices. Chevron shares were flat in premarket trading. Reuters reports: Read more here. Chevron (CVX) beat analyst estimates on Friday for second-quarter profit as record oil and gas production and lower capital expenditure helped the US oil producer boost earnings despite weaker crude prices. Chevron shares were flat in premarket trading. Reuters reports: Read more here. Exxon beats profit estimates with higher production despite weak oil prices Shares in Exxon Mobil (XOM) rose more than 1% before the bell on Friday after the company beat Wall Street estimate for second-quarter profit as higher oil and gas production helped the top US oil producer overcome lower crude prices. Reuters reports: Read more here. Shares in Exxon Mobil (XOM) rose more than 1% before the bell on Friday after the company beat Wall Street estimate for second-quarter profit as higher oil and gas production helped the top US oil producer overcome lower crude prices. Reuters reports: Read more here. Eyes on Figma, day two After a sizzling 250% surge on Thursday IPO day, Figma (FIG) is up another 8% premarket. You are watching the forming of a stock bubble in real time here! I encourage you to read up on the company's not-so-impressive financials this weekend. After a sizzling 250% surge on Thursday IPO day, Figma (FIG) is up another 8% premarket. You are watching the forming of a stock bubble in real time here! I encourage you to read up on the company's not-so-impressive financials this weekend. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Amazon Warns AI Capacity Limits, Stock Retreats
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) slid after its earnings call because Andy Jassy was blunt: AI demand is real, but the company can't just snap its fingers and supply enough capacity. Electricity and chip shortages are the choke points, and he said it will take several quarters to work through it, even if things slowly improve each period. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with NVDA. He pushed back on the idea Amazon is losing the AI race and leaned into the spend$31.4Billion of AI-heavy capex in Q2 is the kind of run rate the back half is built on, with more going into chips, data centers and power. Tariffs haven't bitten yet in H1, he said, but who ends up paying higher U.S. rates later is still unclear. That caution rubbed some investors the wrong way. Lucas Ma of Envision Research warned the heavy investment and mounting competition from GOOG (NASDAQ:GOOG) and META (NASDAQ:META) could squeeze free cash flow, making capital allocation riskier if the AI arms race keeps accelerating. Amazon is chasing a big AI opportunity while bumping up against real limits, so growth hinges on execution and capital discipline. The next signs to watch are whether capacity actually ramps as promised and whether margin or cash flow pressure shows up once tariffs shift. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Super Micro Q4 Earnings Loom--Should You Buy, Hold, or Sell?
Aug 1 - Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) prepares to report fiscal fourth-quarter 2025 results on August 5, with analysts watching for a potential earnings surprise as the company leans on surging AI infrastructure demand. Wall Street expects revenue near $6 billion, slightly below the midpoint of management's prior outlook, and EPS estimates also reflect modest expectations. The San Jose-based server and data center solutions provider navigated a soft fiscal Q3 as revenue came in at $4.6 billion, up 19% year-over-year but just shy of forecasts. Management attributed the shortfall to customers delaying purchases amid the transition from Nvidia's (NVDA) Hopper to Blackwell GPUs, with deferred orders expected to contribute to a stronger Q4 and early fiscal 2026. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with SMCI. Super Micro continues to expand globally, launching over 30 new Blackwell-based AI server solutions and forming a multi?year, $20 billion partnership with Saudi DataVolt to deploy ultra?dense GPU platforms in the U.S., U.K., and Saudi Arabia. With 9% share of the AI platform market and 31% in branded AI servers, the company positions itself for growth as liquid?cooled and high?density solutions drive demand. Investors now look for confirmation that Q3 was a reset, not a slowdown. Based on the one year price targets offered by 16 analysts, the average target price for Super Micro Computer Inc is $41.06 with a high estimate of $70.00 and a low estimate of $15.00. The average target implies a downside of -27.40% from the current price of $56.55. Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Super Micro Computer Inc in one year is $71.09, suggesting a upside of +25.71% from the current price of $56.55. Gf value is Gurufocus' estimate of the fair value that the stock should be traded at. It is calculated based on the historical multiples the stock has traded at previously, as well as past business growth and the future estimates of the business' performance. For deeper insights, visit the forecast page. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
