BUSINESS

SYDNEY — With the Reserve Bank of Australia's cash rate sitting at 4.10 percent after back-to-back 25-basis-point hikes in February and March 2026, economists and financial markets are closely watching for signs of another increase as soon as the May 5 meeting, driven by persistent inflation pressures, a resilient domestic economy and global uncertainties from the Middle East conflict.

SYDNEY — ANZ Group Holdings Ltd shares rose modestly by 0.16 percent to $38.81 in intraday trading Friday on the Australian Securities Exchange, reflecting resilience in Australia's banking sector amid higher-for-longer interest rates and ongoing cost discipline under CEO Nuno Matos.

SYDNEY — Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) shares rose 0.65 percent to close at $28.00 in intraday trading Friday, extending a recent rebound as investors continue to reward the property giant's aggressive pivot toward data centres amid surging global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

BALTIMORE — Shares of Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UAA) rose sharply on Thursday, closing at $6.27, up 28 cents or 4.67%, as investors showed renewed confidence in the sportswear company's ongoing turnaround efforts amid signs of stabilizing North American sales and international growth.

NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Shares of Diebold Nixdorf Inc. (NYSE: DBD) jumped nearly 6% on Friday, closing at $84.51, up $4.70 or 5.89%, as the banking and retail technology company joined the S&P SmallCap 600 index and investors bet on continued momentum from strong 2025 results and optimistic 2026 guidance.

Ocular Therapeutix Inc. shares jumped more than 10% Thursday to close at $9.30 as investors bet on the biotech firm's momentum in retinal disease treatments, fueled by upcoming presentations of additional positive data from its landmark SOL-1 Phase 3 superiority trial of AXPAXLI for wet age-related macular degeneration.

World oil prices plunged Thursday as a U.S.-brokered two-week ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran triggered a sharp unwinding of geopolitical risk premiums, sending Brent crude below $100 a barrel for the first time in weeks after it had spiked above $110 amid fears over disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

CORNING, N.Y. — Corning Inc. shares climbed more than 3% Thursday to trade around $170.30 as investors rewarded the materials science giant's deepening role in powering artificial intelligence data centers with high-density optical fiber, cable and connectivity solutions amid explosive hyperscale demand.

AMSTERDAM — Nebius Group N.V. shares surged more than 7% Thursday to trade around $134.60 as investors bet big on the fast-growing AI cloud provider's landmark infrastructure contracts with hyperscalers and fresh Wall Street coverage highlighting its role in the artificial intelligence buildout.

LAS VEGAS — CleanSpark Inc. shares climbed more than 5% Thursday to trade around $10.38 as investors cheered the Bitcoin miner's robust March production numbers and accelerating pivot toward artificial intelligence and high-performance computing infrastructure in Texas.

MIAMI — Hut 8 Corp. shares surged more than 3% Thursday to trade around $63.72, extending a blistering multi-day rally that has pushed the stock up sharply in recent sessions as investors pile into the former Bitcoin miner's aggressive shift toward artificial intelligence and high-performance computing infrastructure.

FREMONT, Calif. — Aehr Test Systems Inc. stock rocketed higher Thursday, climbing more than 8% to trade around $68 as investors bet on the semiconductor test equipment maker's surging order book tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, even after the company posted mixed fiscal third-quarter results.

WATERLOO, Ontario — Shares of BlackBerry Ltd. jumped more than 6% Thursday after the once-iconic smartphone maker posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results and issued first-quarter guidance that topped Wall Street forecasts, signaling continued momentum in its shift to enterprise cybersecurity and embedded software.

CEDAR PARK, Texas — Shares of Firefly Aerospace Inc. rose nearly 2% Thursday as the fast-growing space and defense technology company continued to draw attention from investors betting on its expanding role in lunar missions, responsive national security launches and artificial intelligence-enabled spacecraft capabilities.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Shares of Bloom Energy Corp. surged more than 7% Thursday, blasting past $157 as investors piled into the solid-oxide fuel cell maker amid intensifying demand for reliable on-site power to fuel artificial intelligence data centers and ease grid constraints.

MILPITAS, Calif. — Shares of SanDisk Corp. surged more than 7.5% Thursday, pushing the pure-play NAND flash and solid-state drive maker to fresh record highs near $840 as booming demand for high-capacity storage in artificial intelligence data centers continued to fuel one of the most dramatic rallies on Wall Street in 2026.

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas emerged as the clear winner in corporate headquarters relocations during the first months of 2026, attracting dozens of major companies seeking lower taxes, lighter regulation and business-friendly policies, while California continued to post the steepest net losses of corporate HQs among U.S. states.

SYDNEY — Dozens of major companies consolidated or shifted operations within or away from Sydney in early 2026, with internal office moves and a broader urban-to-regional population shift reshaping the city's business landscape even as new tech and infrastructure projects drew some activity to the area.

GameStop Corp. shares ticked up modestly Thursday as the video game retailer's massive cash reserves and persistent speculation about a transformational acquisition under CEO Ryan Cohen continued to fuel investor interest despite ongoing revenue declines in its core business.

NEW YORK — Shares of Cipher Digital Inc. climbed nearly 10% Thursday as the former Bitcoin mining company, now aggressively pivoting to high-performance computing and AI infrastructure, continued to draw bullish bets from investors betting on its long-term hyperscale data center ambitions.

Shares of AXT Inc. surged more than 11% midday Thursday, pushing the semiconductor substrate maker's stock to fresh highs as investors bet on accelerating demand for its indium phosphide wafers used in artificial intelligence infrastructure and high-speed optical networking.

Shares of Brown-Forman Corp., the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey, jumped more than 13% midday Thursday, climbing to levels not seen in recent weeks as investors appeared to embrace signs of stabilizing demand for premium spirits and lingering optimism from earlier merger speculation involving French rival Pernod Ricard.

Even after stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025, Warren Buffett remains one of the most quoted voices in finance. His simple, folksy sayings on investing, patience and life continue to resonate as markets navigate high valuations, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change heading into 2026.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — With the Strait of Hormuz still facing restricted traffic and lingering uncertainty despite a fragile two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire announced April 8, 2026, global energy markets and shipping companies are urgently examining alternatives to the narrow waterway that normally carries about 20-21% of the world's oil and significant liquefied natural gas supplies.

SEATTLE — Bill Gates continues to methodically sell shares from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust portfolio in 2026, primarily to generate cash for the foundation's ambitious global health and poverty-fighting initiatives as annual spending ramps up toward $9 billion. The trust, which manages roughly $35 billion in public equities as of late 2025 filings, has focused sales on a handful of longtime holdings rather than broad portfolio overhauls.

LONDON — Britain's benchmark FTSE 100 index edged lower early Thursday, closing at 10,593.61 after shedding 15.27 points, or 0.14 percent, as initial euphoria over a US-Iran ceasefire gave way to caution amid signs the truce remains fragile and oil prices began rebounding.

SYDNEY — Australian shares posted modest gains Thursday, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index closing at 8,973.2 after adding 21.4 points, or 0.24 percent, as investors welcomed signs of de-escalation in the Middle East following a reported US-Iran ceasefire.

OMAHA, Neb. — Warren Buffett may have retired as Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s CEO on Jan. 1, 2026, but the legendary investor remains chairman and is still consulted on major capital decisions as the conglomerate navigates a record $373 billion cash pile and a shifting investment landscape.

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia depends heavily on the Strait of Hormuz for roughly half of its diesel imports, even as the country imports virtually no crude oil directly from the Middle East, leaving the nation exposed to disruptions in the critical chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of global seaborne oil and significant LNG volumes.