Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Market Moves
The S&P 500 bloomberg.com sank 1.2% Monday as fresh AI anxiety hit financial and software stocks, marking its steepest drop in weeks. Gold bloomberg.com rose and silver surged as traders weighed tariff uncertainty and Middle East tensions, seeking safety. The Japanese yen ft.com weakened further after reports that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s picks for Bank of Japan board members favor lower rates, challenging Governor Kazuo Ueda’s normalization efforts.
Earnings & Guidance
Salesforce investing.com topped quarterly profit estimates, with its AI push supporting a stable outlook despite Wall Street’s broader fears about software disruption. Snowflake investing.com saw revenue jump 30% on robust cloud and AI demand, while Trade Desk investing.com slid after providing a first-quarter revenue outlook that missed estimates. Zoom investing.com fell sharply on an earnings miss and weak profit guidance, contrasting with Synopsys investing.com, which beat estimates and guided in line with expectations.
Media & Deals
Paramount Global wsj.com reported rising streaming revenue but acknowledged significant headwinds in its traditional TV segment as it pursues a high-stakes bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. An options trader placed a nearly $14 million bet bloomberg.com that Netflix would benefit if its own Warner Bros. Discovery bid fails. Eleven US states urged the DOJ to probe the potential Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery deal, adding regulatory scrutiny to the merger talks.
Sector & Stock Specific
First Solar ft.com shares continued to slide, with Baird downgrading the stock after fourth-quarter results, citing tariff and demand concerns. Brookfield Business Partners-backed CDK Global bloomberg.com reported an 18% earnings drop, a stark indicator of growing software sector fears. Lowe’s wsj.com noted homeowners remain reluctant to remodel, though sales to professional builders grew, reflecting a bifurcated housing market.
Macro & Credit
Global debt surged to a record $348 trillion ft.com last year, driven by defense and AI-related government spending. US data center construction bloomberg.com fell for the first time since 2020 despite soaring AI demand, as developers grapple with permitting, zoning, and power grid delays. The US corporate bond market bloomberg.com is the most competitive ever, according to Barclays, fueled by strong investor demand.
Private Markets & Alternatives
EQT bloomberg.com partner Jan Vesely forecast data center deals will top $100 billion as AI infrastructure demand is seen requiring over $3 trillion in investment. Oaktree Capital bloomberg.com is exploring a sale or London IPO for UK wealth manager Utmost Group, valued at about £2 billion. A BDC with minimal software exposure is pitching itself as a relative “safe haven” amid sector turmoil.
Currency & Commodities
Traders have piled into the most bearish yuan bloomberg.com wagers since April to hedge downside risks. Saudi oil exports bloomberg.com surged to a three-year high even as Middle East tensions rise, adding supply to global markets. Copper bloomberg.com rose for a second day on tariff uncertainty and a softer dollar, while gold’s rise reflected similar risk-averse sentiment.