BUSINESS

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.

Shares of AXT Inc. (NASDAQ: AXTI) skyrocketed more than 19% midday Wednesday, climbing to $54.10 as investors piled into the semiconductor materials maker on renewed optimism over its role in supplying critical substrates for artificial intelligence infrastructure and data center expansion.

Alphabet Inc.'s Class C shares (NASDAQ: GOOG) climbed more than 3% midday Wednesday, reaching $313.96, as investors cheered fresh signs of strength in the company's artificial intelligence initiatives and cloud computing business amid a broader technology sector rebound.

With Bitcoin trading around A$100,000 to A$102,000 in early April 2026, Australian investors face a familiar dilemma: buy the dip in hopes of another bull run, sell to lock in gains after last year's volatility, or simply hold through what many analysts call a transitional year in the cryptocurrency's four-year cycle.

Americans reported losing a staggering $11.366 billion to cryptocurrency-related scams in 2025, a 22% increase from the previous year and the highest total on record, according to the FBI's annual Internet Crime Complaint Center report released Monday.

Warren Buffett, the legendary investor who stepped down as Berkshire Hathaway CEO at the end of 2025, continued his pattern of net stock selling into early 2026, trimming major holdings to amass a record cash pile now exceeding $373 billion.

LONDON — The FTSE 100 index jumped sharply Wednesday, climbing more than 300 points or nearly 3% to trade around 10,666 as investors cheered a surprise two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran that raised hopes for a partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an easing of the global energy crisis.

NEW YORK — Oil prices tumbled sharply Wednesday after the United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire that raised hopes the partially reopened Strait of Hormuz could ease the worst global supply disruption in decades, sending benchmark crude below $95 a barrel for the first time in weeks.

NEW YORK — U.S. stock futures soared early Wednesday while oil prices plunged after President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, contingent on Tehran allowing the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a sharp relief rally across global markets and easing fears of prolonged energy disruptions from the five-week conflict.

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk fired off a single-word reply — "lol" — to an old Wall Street prediction urging investors to sell Tesla stock, igniting a viral storm on X that underscored how dramatically the electric-vehicle pioneer has defied skeptics over the past eight years. The April 8, 2026, post quickly amassed millions of views as users piled on with memes, old headlines and fresh data showing Tesla shares up roughly 1,100% since the 2018 bearish call.

NEW YORK — World oil prices tumbled sharply Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a framework ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran, easing fears of prolonged disruption to crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz and sending Brent crude futures plunging more than 13% in early trading.

SINGAPORE — As Singapore cements its position as Southeast Asia's AI powerhouse in 2026, a dynamic ecosystem of homegrown champions and global players is driving breakthroughs in fintech, retail analytics, healthcare, and enterprise automation. Backed by strong government support through the National AI Strategy 2.0, generous R&D incentives, and events like GITEX AI Asia, these companies are not only transforming local industries but also expanding influence across the region and beyond.

SYDNEY — In a year when Australia's average employee turnover hovers around 16% and one in three businesses battles rates above 20%, a select group of employers is defying the odds with retention rates that set new benchmarks for workplace excellence.

The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has dethroned longtime leader Stanford Graduate School of Business to claim the top spot in the QS Global MBA Rankings 2026, signaling a shift in how the world's most ambitious professionals evaluate elite business education amid surging demand for artificial intelligence expertise, sustainable leadership and international networks.

Shares of Alignment Healthcare Inc. surged more than 18% in morning trading Tuesday, climbing to $22.13, up $3.46 or 18.53%, on heavy volume as investors piled into the Medicare Advantage specialist amid renewed optimism about its differentiated care model, strong membership expansion and improving profitability in a sector facing reimbursement pressures.

CVS Health Corp. shares jumped more than 6% in morning trading Tuesday, climbing to $78.19, up $4.92 or 6.71%, as investors cheered fresh optimism around Medicare Advantage payments and the company's ongoing turnaround efforts in a challenging health care environment.

Paramount Skydance Corp. shares surged nearly 9% in morning trading Tuesday as the newly formed media giant moved closer to securing $24 billion in equity commitments from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds to finance its ambitious $81 billion to $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that could reshape Hollywood and the global streaming landscape.

Hologic Inc. shares hit a fresh 52-week high of $76.07 Tuesday as the medical technology company's $18.3 billion buyout by private equity giants Blackstone and TPG appeared on track to close as early as April 7, leaving investors with a narrow window to decide whether to buy, sell or ride the deal to its likely conclusion.

Intel Corp. shares climbed more than 2.5% in early trading Tuesday as the semiconductor giant continues to ride optimism from a major deal that gives it full control of a key European manufacturing plant, part of a broader push to reclaim leadership in advanced chip production amid fierce AI competition.