ADVFN US – Market Content Editor

Semiconductor leadership may become harder to sustain The strong outperformance of artificial intelligence semiconductor companies relative to hyperscale cloud providers may not continue indefinitely, according to JPMorgan, which believes the current valuation gap between the two groups is unlikely to remain at current levels over the long term. In a note to clients, analyst Nikolaos…

Blockbuster transactions drive record deal values A wave of multibillion-dollar acquisitions pushed global mergers and acquisitions activity to unprecedented levels during the first half of 2026, as companies capitalised on a more favourable regulatory environment to pursue long-term strategic transactions. According to LSEG data, the total value of announced M&A deals reached $2.8 trillion during…

Gold is heading for its steepest quarterly decline since April 2013, with prices retreating around 24% from the record high of nearly US$5,589 per ounce reached in late January. The August Gold Futures contract was trading at US$4,031.70 on Tuesday. Dollar strength and Fed expectations pressure bullion The decline has largely been fuelled by a…

Investors remain heavily concentrated in US equities US stocks continue to dominate global equity markets, but Barclays believes the first indications of a broader shift in investor positioning are beginning to emerge as concerns over crowded trades, artificial intelligence valuations and lower oil prices improve the outlook for Europe. In a research note published on…

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) will reportedly ban employees from using Anthropic’s (NASDAQ:ANTP) Claude Code in its workplace systems from July 10 over alleged security concerns, according to a Reuters report citing a person familiar with the matter. The decision follows a report by Chinese financial publication Yicai, which claimed that Alibaba had identified what…