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The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq fell on Monday as a deepening conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas roiled global markets and pushed investors toward safe-haven assets, while crude prices jumped over 3%.

Broadly speaking, large- and mega-cap tech stocks are far from bear market territory. But the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) closed 6% below its 52-week high last Friday. These days, that could qualify as a pullback among stalwart growth stocks. It could also signal a buying opportunity with ETFs such as the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) and [...] Read more at ETFTrends.com.

EU antitrust regulators are asking Microsoft's users and rivals whether Bing should comply with new tough tech rules and also whether that should be the case for Apple's iMessage, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

U.S. stocks ended sharply higher on Friday as investors assessed a monthly jobs report that showed robust job additions in September as well as slowing wage growth. All the three major indexes ended in positive territory.

December S&P 500 futures (ESZ23) are down -0.59%, and December Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQZ23) are down -0.68% this morning as the military conflict in the Middle East dampened risk appetite, while market participants looked ahead to the release of U.S. inflation data and the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting later in the week.

How does Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) compare against the other four stocks that trade on U.S. exchanges with market caps of more than $1 trillion? It depends on which measurement you use.

U.S. stock index futures slipped on Monday as a growing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas roiled global markets and pushed investors toward safe-haven assets, while crude prices jumped close to 3%.

Tech companies operating in Israel are expected to fortify security as they could face disruptions, said investors and analysts, after Hamas gunmen from Gaza killed hundreds of Israelis and abducted an unknown number of others.

Prior to its third-quarter earnings report, electric vehicle (EV) company Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) released vehicle production metrics. Tesla produced significantly fewer vehicles compared to the second quarter, and it also missed Wall Street estimates by a wide margin. Nonetheless,

Last week, renowned hedge fund manager Bill Ackman spoke at length about a new position in his portfolio. As it turns out, Silicon Valley investors are not the only ones looking to capitalize on the rising popularity of artificial intelligence (AI).

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday vetoed a bill passed recently by the state legislature to explicitly ban caste discrimination, citing existing laws that already prohibit ancestry discrimination, which made the bill "unnecessary."

Social media company Meta Platform's ( NASDAQ:META ) efforts to strengthen its position in the AI (artificial intelligence) race have gained significant traction in recent months. The stock has risen by 162% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500's ( SPX ) 12% gain, and analysts see more upside ahead. Meta's attempt to strengthen and monetize its already popular social media platforms by adopting generative AI could boost its revenue and earnings in the next few quarters. Hence, I am bullish on META stock now. Meta Platforms: Gearing Up for Another Strong Quarter Meta (formerly Facebook) is a part of the big tech  FAANG group, which also includes Amazon ( NASDAQ:AMZN ), Apple ( NASDAQ:AAPL ), Netflix ( NASDAQ:NFLX ), and Alphabet (formerly Google) ( NASDAQ:GOOGL ). Meta Platforms owns social media platforms Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, the recently launched Threads, and others. These fall under one of its segments, Family of Apps (FoA). Its augmented and virtual reality-related products and services fall under its other reportable segment, Reality Labs (RL). Reality Labs hasn’t been profitable for the company. In Q2, it reported a $3.7 billion operating loss, however, thanks to its FoA segment, which is making up for the damage done. It brought in $31.7 billion in revenue, accounting for a chunk of total revenue, resulting in a $13.1 billion operating profit. CEO Mark Zuckerberg had set 2023 as the "year of efficiency" and has been working hard to make that happen. It entailed layoffs, reducing spending on less significant projects, and focusing on more AI-related projects. During its Q2 earnings call, the company discussed how its AI-related investments over the years are finally paying off. Meta Stock: Powering Through AI Innovations Certainly, it has been a year of efficiency. Most recently, at Meta's Connect conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the company's new generative AI products, which sparked market excitement. Meta AI is an advanced conversational assistant that can generate text responses and photo-realistic images and is integrated with Meta's popular products, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. Meta AI is powered by Llama 2, its large language model, which it released in July in collaboration with Microsoft ( NASDAQ:MSFT ). The company intends to incorporate Meta AI into its mixed reality headset, Quest 3, and another new offering, a new generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The company will launch Quest 3 on October 10. Zuckerberg described Quest 3 as the best value in the industry for combining digital and real-world experiences at a low cost. Indeed, it is low-cost, priced at $500, while competing with Apple's Vision Pro Headset, which will come with a price tag of around $3,500. Apple's headset is set to hit the market in early 2024. What's more, its new generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, are priced at $299. The glasses will be launched in the third week of October. Meta claims the glasses can take pictures, record videos, and connect to social media. Along with these, Meta has added generative AI stickers to its messaging apps. It could use AI to unlock more monetary potential in the wildly popular messaging app WhatsApp, which it purchased for $19 billion in 2014. More features from the company include its monthly subscription charges for ad-free Instagram and Facebook app use in Europe, which could be around 10 euros ($10.60 at current exchange rates). CFO Susan Li stated that the company's capital expenditures could rise in 2024 as it navigates AI and metaverse opportunities by expanding its workforce with more technical roles. Looking ahead, management anticipates revenue in the third quarter to be in the $32 billion to $34.5 billion range, representing an impressive 16% to 25% increase over Q3 2022. Meanwhile, analysts expect its revenue to be in the $29 billion to $34 billion range, with earnings estimates ranging from $2.27 to $4.27 per share, with the consensus EPS estimate landing at $3.59. On October 25, Meta will report its third-quarter earnings. Additionally, Meta closed its Q2 with a hefty cash balance of $53.5 billion and $18.3 billion in long-term debt. Given the company's rapid growth in revenue and profits, repaying the debt shouldn't be hard. Furthermore, it generated a sizable $11 billion in free cash flow in the quarter, which should aid in debt repayment and future project financing. While in pursuit of getting ahead in the AI race, Meta also believes this technology is still in its early stages and thus intends to build it responsibly. Is META Stock a Buy, According to Analysts? Turning to Wall Street, TipRanks rates Meta as a Strong Buy, with 40 Buys, two Holds, and no Sell ratings assigned in the past three months. The average META stock price target of $376.47 implies 19.35% upside potential. The highest price target for the stock stands at $435, while the lowest is at $285 per share. The Takeaway Summing up, sitting at a market cap of $811.6 billion, Meta is very close to joining the $1 trillion club. With Meta's efforts to monetize its social media apps and capitalize on the massive growth brought about by AI, the company is well-positioned to achieve this goal. Though the AI niche is enticing, it is also susceptible to market fluctuations. But for now, I share Wall Street's optimism about META stock's outstanding long-term prospects. Disclosure

Major chip stocks have rallied this year due to the generative artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Advanced chips are needed for developing and training AI models. While Nvidia ( NASDAQ:NVDA ) is seen as the frontrunner in the AI race, other chip companies are working on innovative products that can capture growth opportunities in the AI market. We used TipRanks’ Stock Comparison Tool to place Broadcom ( NASDAQ:AVGO ), Nvidia, and Intel ( NASDAQ:INTC ) against each other to find the best chip stock, as per Wall Street analysts.    Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) Broadcom shares have rallied 51% year-to-date, as the company is expected to benefit from the generative AI wave. However, the company’s Q4 FY23 revenue growth guidance of 4% disappointed investors, especially after Nvidia issued a market-crushing outlook.   Moreover, a report by The Information that tech giant Alphabet ( NASDAQ:GOOGL, GOOG ) is thinking about ditching Broadcom as its supplier of AI chips as early as 2027 further impacted investor sentiment. The report also said that Marvell Technology ( NASDAQ:MRVL ) could replace AVGO as one of Google’s AI chip development partners. Despite all this noise, Wall Street analysts remain bullish on Broadcom, as they see it as the next big semiconductor play to immensely gain from AI-induced demand, trailing only Nvidia. The company expects generative AI to account for over 25% of its semiconductor revenue in FY24, up from 10% in FY22. What is the Price Target for AVGO? Last month, Truist Financial analyst William Stein reiterated a Buy rating on AVGO stock and raised the price target to $995 from $942. The analyst noted that while the company’s traditional chip business is stabilizing, its AI revenue is accelerating and supporting a more stable and "growthy" model. Stein thinks there is more room for upside to both Broadcom’s fundamentals and the stock over time, given continued dividend growth, potential M&A benefits, and revenue growth looking possibly higher than the mid-single-digit level. With 16 Buys and two Holds, Broadcom stock earns a Strong Buy consensus rating. At $984.94, the average price target implies 16.5% upside. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) Nvidia shares have skyrocketed 213% so far this year, as the semiconductor giant is seeing a spike in demand for its graphics processing units (GPUs) from companies that are aggressively pursuing their generative AI ambitions. The company’s Q2 FY24 revenue jumped 101%, while adjusted EPS surged 429%, mainly driven by a 171% rise in the data center segment’s revenue. The data center segment includes the HGX platform, which is witnessing robust demand from cloud services providers and large consumer internet companies like Amazon ( NASDAQ:AMZN ), Alphabet, Meta Platforms ( NASDAQ:META ), and Microsoft ( NASDAQ:MSFT ). Looking ahead, the company expects its Q3 FY24 revenue to increase 170%, as clients are seeking the company’s advanced GPUs to build and run AI applications. Is Nvidia a Good Stock to Buy Now? On October 2, Goldman Sachs analyst Toshiya Hari added Nvidia to its Conviction Buy List. Hari views the company as the principal “shovel supplier” in the AI wave. Also, the analyst believes that NVDA will maintain its position as the “accelerated computing industry standard for the foreseeable future given its competitive moat and the urgency with which customers are developing and deploying increasingly complex AI models.” Wall Street’s Strong Buy consensus rating on NVDA stock is based on 38 Buys and one Hold. The average price target of $647.07 implies 41.4% upside. Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Intel shares have risen 37% year-to-date, as investors are appreciating the company’s turnaround efforts. After two consecutive quarters of losses, the company returned to profitability in the second quarter despite continued weakness in the top line. Persistent weakness in the PC market has significantly impacted Intel’s revenue. Moreover, cloud companies and several other enterprises are more interested in securing graphics processors for generative AI than Intel’s central processors. Against a tough demand backdrop, the company delivered improved earnings driven by its cost reduction efforts. The company is taking several initiatives to turn around its business. Earlier this week, the company announced its intention to separate its Programmable Solutions Group (PSG) into a standalone business. The PSG unit, which makes programmable chips for defense, telecommunications, and other end markets, will eventually be spun out through an IPO. The move follows the company’s Mobileye ( NASDAQ:MBLY ) spin-off last year.   Is Intel a Buy, Sell, or Hold? While several analysts cheered Intel’s PSG announcement, Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis is skeptical about it and reiterated a Hold rating on the stock on October 4. “If it's about accountability, then it's unclear why PSG was folded into [Data Center and AI Group] when times were good during the pandemic and it's being broken off when the business is turning negative,” said Curtis. Curtis said that he appreciates Intel’s turnaround efforts but remains on the sidelines as he is doubtful about the company's ability to execute on its roadmap. Further, he expects some downside to the Q4 2023 and Q1 2024 estimates. Wall Street’s Hold consensus rating on INTC stock is based on six Buys, 20 Holds, and five Sells. The average price target of $36.53 indicates that the stock could be range-bound at current levels. Conclusion Analysts are bullish on Nvidia and Broadcom, while they are sidelined on Intel. Nvidia has outperformed Broadcom and Intel so far this year and yet Wall Street expects the highest upside in NVDA stock from current levels. The company’s advanced GPUs and innovative technology are expected to drive continued strength in its performance.   Disclosure

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The White House may have blamed Exxon Mobil for high energy prices taking their toll on consumers, but would struggle to thwart the top U.S. oil producer's contemplated $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources, five antitrust lawyers and experts said on Friday.

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The video game market is vast and has blown up in recent years with the introduction of new earning opportunities, including mobile games, microtransactions (in-game purchases), cloud gaming, and more. Video games are an ever-expanding industry that allows companies to profit fro

Tech stocks were higher late Friday afternoon with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) advancing 2.2% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor index adding 2.4%.

Amidst recent Nasdaq turbulence, savvy investors should keep an eye on three top-performing stocks - CrowdStrike, T-Mobile, and The Trade Desk - that look poised for potential growth.

Tech stocks were higher Friday afternoon, with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) rising 1.7% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor index advancing 1.9%.