What's on the News?

• On Wednesday, the top-ranked NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA.US)  in US stock trading volume rose 1.80%, hitting a new all-time high. During the session, NVIDIA’s market cap briefly surpassed $4 trillion, approaching Japan’s 2024 GDP (609 trillion yen, or about $4.16 trillion).
  Market observers believe NVIDIA’s stock is benefiting from optimism about its leadership in artificial intelligence and surging demand for its AI chips. Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of Themis Trading, said, “For a company to reach a $4 trillion market cap tells us that AI spending is red-hot, and every investor is chasing it.”
• 2nd-ranked Tesla Motors, Inc.(TSLA.US)  fell 0.65%. After two years as CEO of X (formerly Twitter), Linda Yaccarino announced on the platform that she will step down from her role.
• 3rd-ranked Apple Inc.(AAPL.US)  rose 0.54%. Apple is reportedly planning to launch an upgraded version of its Vision Pro as early as 2025.
• 4th-ranked Palantir(PLTR.US)  rose 2.45%. The company recently reported strong earnings and issued a positive outlook.
• 5th-ranked Microsoft Corporation(MSFT.US)  rose 1.39%. According to sources, Microsoft Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff said in a recent speech that AI tools can boost productivity across sales, customer service, and software engineering. AI reportedly saved Microsoft over $500 million in call centers last year and improved employee and customer satisfaction. Microsoft is also using AI to handle interactions with smaller clients, which has already generated tens of millions in revenue.
• 6th-ranked Amazon.com, Inc.(AMZN.US)  rose 1.45%. Amazon extended its annual Prime Day event from two to four days this year, hoping to give shoppers more time to browse deals. However, early results were underwhelming, increasing pressure for the remaining days.
• 7th-ranked Meta Platforms(META.US)  rose 1.68%. Sources say Meta is acquiring a 3% stake in EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban, for €3 billion (about $3.5 billion), to strengthen its AI-powered smart glasses business. Meta is reportedly considering increasing its stake to around 5% in the future. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said smart glasses will be a key platform for AI and immersive experiences.
• 8th-ranked Alphabet Inc. Class A(GOOGL.US)  rose 1.30%. Google announced it will roll out its AI assistant Gemini on Wear OS smartwatches. The company also enhanced its “Circle to Search” feature by integrating AI-powered search and adding support for gaming-related queries.
• 9th-ranked Verona Pharma plc Sponsored ADR(VRNA.US)  surged 20.62%. U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck announced it will acquire UK-based Verona Pharma for about $10 billion to expand its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment portfolio.
• 12th-ranked MicroStrategy Incorporated Class A(MSTR.US)  rose 4.65%. In an SEC filing, Strategy reported unrealized bitcoin gains of approximately $14.05 billion as of June 30, 2025, and recognized about $4.04 billion in deferred taxes. The company holds 597,325 bitcoins, valued at $64.36 billion, with an average cost of $70,982 per bitcoin.
• 17th-ranked Boeing Company(BA.US)  rose 3.70%. Boeing said it delivered 60 aircraft in June, its best performance in 18 months, reflecting production improvements. In Q2, it delivered 150 aircraft, and 280 in the first half of 2025. Total orders for the first half reached 668, with 43 cancellations or conversions.