AI Stocks & Markets

Today's Stories

1. 1

   AmEx bets on AI agents, launches card integration toolkit

   American Express introduced the Amex Agentic Commerce Experiences Developer Kit to let developers integrate its cards into AI-powered transactions, and launched Amex Agent Purchase Protection, an industry-first feature protecting purchases made by registered AI agents. The company is building proprietary AI features while partnering with leading AI companies to make premium membership benefits discoverable across their platforms. AmEx's closed-loop payments platform—which gives it end-to-end transaction data—lets the company verify purchase intent, improve payment approvals, and strengthen fraud protection as AI handles a larger share of digital transactions. These capabilities could help the company deepen merchant relationships and support long-term growth.

   AmEx reported first-quarter revenues up 11% year over year to $18.9 billion（約3兆円） and earnings per share rising 18% to $4.28, while reaffirming full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90 despite increased technology investments. Competitors Mastercard and Visa are also expanding AI capabilities for secure AI-driven transactions and fraud prevention.

2. 2

   Intuitive Surgical Q2 earnings set for July 16 as analyst maintains stable demand outlook

   Intuitive Surgical will report Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings on July 16. Evercore ISI lowered its price target to $430 from $480 on July 6 while keeping an In Line rating, citing stable demand in the MedTech sector with healthy procedure volumes and continued equipment spending. The company's Q1 outlook projects full-year da Vinci procedure growth between 13.5% to 15.5%, with expansion particularly in international markets. Analyst commentary on stable demand suggests the company is on track to meet its guidance, which includes non-GAAP gross profit margin between 67.5% and 68.5% of revenue.

   Intuitive Surgical is expected to announce Q2 results on July 16. The company anticipated other income between $315 million（約500億円） and $335 million（約540億円）, primarily due to lower average cash balances following share repurchase activity in Q1.

3. 3

   Cramer: SK Hynix IPO clears biggest AI stock threat in 2026

   Jim Cramer stated that SK Hynix's major listing resolves the largest concern weighing on AI stocks this year, though one scenario could overturn that outlook before summer ends. Uncertainty around major capital raises has been a risk factor for AI-focused investors; clearing this threat may reduce a key headwind for the sector's valuations and investor confidence in 2026.

   Cramer flagged the possibility that a hyperscaler (large cloud company) could announce a surprise move that would reshape the outlook before the end of summer—investors should monitor for such announcements.

4. 4

   Meta AI, Broadcom surge on AI compute push and $30B Apple deal

   Meta gained 9.1% this week after its AI division released Muse Spark 1.1, a multimodal reasoning model with a one-million-token context window, and launched a public preview of its Meta Model API for outside developers. Broadcom added 9.8% after Apple announced a multiyear agreement valued at more than $30 billion（約4.8兆円） to design and produce custom silicon and wireless components, including a $1.5 billion（約2400億円） capital expenditure investment to expand Broadcom's Fort Collins, Colorado facility. SK Hynix began U.S. trading on Friday, with shares around $171.35 apiece. Research firm SemiAnalysis projects Meta will surpass both OpenAI and Anthropic in total AI compute by year-end through construction of five gigawatt-scale data center clusters, positioning its AI division to challenge Google's standing in frontier AI within six months. Apple's agreement is its largest commitment under its American Manufacturing Program and signals the company is locking up strategic semiconductor components at a time when broader availability and cost inflation remain a concern, according to Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani.

   SK Hynix noted that more than 70% of chips produced at its China factories are exported, primarily to the United States, and the company said it is open to further U.S. investment. Bloom Energy declined 18% this week after short seller Hunterbrook published a report alleging the company's fuel cells rely on Chinese-sourced scandium, contradicting CEO statements since early 2025 that the company has no China supply chain dependency.

5. 5

   Microsoft Shares Fall While Business Grows, Creating Investment Conviction Test

   Microsoft's stock price has been sliding even as the underlying business continues to expand, creating a divergence between market valuation and operational performance. The gap between share price and business growth is where investment conviction is either built or destroyed—a dynamic that matters to investors trying to assess whether current valuations reflect genuine risk or opportunity.

   How long this disconnect between stock performance and business fundamentals persists, as it will determine whether the current price environment attracts or deters investors.