Anthropic is in talks with investors for a new round of financing, targeting a valuation of US$900 billion, surpassing OpenAI's US$852 billion valuation in a funding round in late March, CNBC quoted sources as saying.

A few days ago, Anthropic released the Claude Mythos Preview, a model equipped with advanced cybersecurity features and available only to select companies, which sent shockwaves through Wall Street.

Mythos is also one of the reasons Anthropic is seeking new funding, as Anthropic needs sufficient capital to purchase the computing power required to run Mythos.
~

AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

With four officials dissenting, the most dissenting votes in more than 33 years, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged as expected.

The three major US stock indices softened on Wednesday. The DJIA ended down 280 points or 0.6% at 48,861, marking a five-day losing streak. The S&P 500 dropped 2 points to close at 7,135. The Nasdaq rose 9 points, closing at 24,673.

Amazon (AMZN.US) maintained a 1% gain for the day, while Microsoft (MSFT.US) fell 1%. Seagate (STX.US) surged 11% amid an aggressive rally in memory and storage hardware stocks.
~



AAStocks Financial News
Web Site: www.aastocks.com

In the first 26 days of April, China's retail sales in the new energy passenger car market reached 614,000 units, down 11% YoY and 6% MoM, according to data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Total retail sales YTD amounted to 2.523 million units, down 19% YoY.
~

AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

Oil prices hiked to historical new highs, while Iran peace talks stalled and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz escalated again, leading to mixed performance in US equities on Monday.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq opened lower but closed higher, both setting new closing highs. The S&P 500 ticked up only 8 points or 0.1% to close at 7,173, while the Nasdaq added 50 points or 0.2% to 24,887. The DJIA slid 62 points or 0.1% to 49,167.

It is reported that Qualcomm (QCOM.US) is partnering with OpenAI to develop AI smartphone chips, and is cooperating with MediaTek for production, with mass production expected in 2028. The stock hit its high for the day shortly after the market opened, hyping up 8% but closing up just 1%.

Although the Nasdaq closed lower, individual large-cap stocks posted notable gains. Nvidia (NVDA.US) leaped 4%, while Intel (INTC.US) mounted 3%. Alphabet (GOOG.US) jumped up nearly 2%.

Microsoft (MSFT.US) stabilized. The company will no longer pay revenue share to OpenAI, and its OpenAI license will now become non-exclusive.
~

AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

XPENG-W (09868.HK) is set to disclose a more advanced, automotive-grade, anthropomorphic robot in 3Q26, Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng revealed at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show. The carmaker is also aiming to mass-produce robots in China by the end of 2026 and to kick off deliveries in more countries next year.

Regarding flying cars, He also disclosed that XPENG-W is developing a second-generation flying car, which is intended to suit not only China but also overseas markets like Europe and the US.

When asked about comparisons between XPENG-W's VLA and Tesla (TSLA.US)'s FSD, He said that both Tesla's FSD in the US and the advanced driver assistance systems of XPENG-W, NIO-SW (09866.HK), and Huawei in China are excellent.
~



AAStocks Financial News
Web Site: www.aastocks.com

Tesla (TSLA.US) CEO Elon Musk said in a post that production of the Cybercab has commenced, Bloomberg reported.

Unveiled in 2024, the Cybercab is a BEV designed specifically for autonomous taxi (Robotaxi) services. The model is not equipped with a steering wheel or pedals, meaning that mass production will require specific exemptions from US regulators.

Musk stated that the business is unlikely to generate meaningful revenue until at least 2027.
~

AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

EOPTOLINK (300502.SZ) selected CITIC Securities and JP Morgan to advance its Hong Kong listing plan, with expected fundraising of approximately USD3 billion, Bloomberg reported, quoting people with the knowledge of the matter.

Over the past year, EOPTOLINK has seen its share price in Shenzhen proliferate, bringing its market cap to USD78 billion. The company focuses on the R&D, production and sale of various high-performance optical modules and optical components.

Buyers of optical modules include leading global technology companies such as Alphabet (GOOGL.US) and Amazon (AMZN.US), as data centers require optical modules to connect advanced chips within AI computing clusters.
~

AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

In 1Q26, smartphone shipments in China totaled around 69.01 million units, down 3.3% YoY, according to the latest quarterly report released by International Data Corporation (IDC).

Shored by Huawei and Apple phones, the overall market performance for the quarter was slightly above expectations. Huawei ranked first with shipments of 13.7 million units, accounting for a market share of 19.8%, while Apple's shipments reached 13.1 million units, representing a market share of 18.9%.
~



AAStocks Financial News
Web Site: www.aastocks.com

PATEO (02889.HK) announced that it has entered into a series of in-depth partnerships with NVIDIA (NVDA.US) and a leading NEV OEM.

Spurred by the news, the stock price opened 14.86% higher today (24th). With gains once exceeding 23%, it peaked at HKD198.9. It last posted at HKD179.7, up 11.27%, with turnover of 648,200 shares, involving HKD122 million.

PATEO announced that the series of in-depth collaborations include the company receiving a designation notice for a new-generation intelligent vehicle model from a leading NEV OEM, as well as configuration solutions for NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform.

The cooperation involves deploying AI BOX based on the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor accelerated computing platform, providing high-performance computing power support for on-vehicle deployment of next-generation AI foundation models.
~

AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

Amid lingering uncertainty over US-Iran peace talks, declines in software shares, and oil price surges, US equities retreated from their peaks on Thursday.

The DJIA once sank as much as 628 points or 1.3% after midday to a bottom of 48,861. It eventually closed down 179 points or 0.4% at 49,310. The Nasdaq ended 219 points or 0.9% lower at 24,438. The S&P 500 fell 29 points or 0.4%, closing at 7,108.

Software stocks were under sell-off pressure. Microsoft (MSFT.US) slid 4%. Oracle (ORCL.US) slumped 6%. IBM (IBM.US) plunged 8.3%. While it reported forecast-beating earnings for 1Q26, growth in its software business slowed. ServiceNow (NOW.US) nosedived 17.8% after it lowered its operating margin guidance.
~



AAStocks Financial News
Web Site: www.aastocks.com