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Business News›Markets›US Stocks›Wall St Guide›US Stock Market Highlights: US stocks end higher as Anthropic IPO filing revives AI optimism; Tesla hits 3-month high LIVE BLOG Stock Market Today Highlights Synopsis Dow Jones | Nasdaq | Stock Market Highlights: US stocks end higher as Anthropic’s IPO filing revives optimism around AI stocks, helping the S&P 500 and Nasdaq recover from two straight weekly declines. Investors focus on a busy week of earnings, the Fed’s policy decision and fresh inflation and growth data. US stocks end higher as Anthropic’s IPO filing boosts sentiment around AI stocks, while investors focus on a busy week of earnings and the Federal Reserve’s policy decision. - S&P; 500 gains 0.70%, Nasdaq rises 0.83% - Anthropic filing lifts AI-linked stocks - Tesla hits a more than three-month high - Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon report earnings Show more 1 New Update S&P; 500 gained 53.35 points, or 0.70%, to end at 7,677.03 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 214.02 points, or 0.83%, to 26,169.38. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 146.60 points, or 0.28%, to 52,361.76. Read more: US stocks end higher DoorDash is in advanced talks to buy grocery delivery platform Instacart in a transaction that could close as early as this week, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter. The potential acquisition signals a major consolidation in the food and grocery delivery sector. The report also noted that separate deal negotiations between DoorDash and Uber are no longer active. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley have been selected to lead Anthropic PBC's upcoming initial public offering. Goldman Sachs landed the lead left position to manage the underwriting process, while Morgan Stanley will serve as the stabilization agent to support share prices post-debut. The pair previously held the same top spots for SpaceX's record $86.2 billion listing in June, where both banks earned $100 million fees. Anthropic hired 22 investment banks to execute the transaction, replicating the expansive syndicate structure used by SpaceX. Major institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Barclays, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America join the lineup. The high-profile mandate arrives as Goldman Sachs closely trails Citigroup for the top spot in global IPO underwriting rankings this year. Wall Street analysts are rapidly shifting away from sell ratings on Tesla as discussions around a potential merger with SpaceX gain momentum. Bearish calls on the electric vehicle maker have dropped to an 11-year low, with major firms including Barclays, BNP Paribas, and CLSA recently upgrading their ratings. The renewed optimism follows Elon Musk's announcement that both companies formed special committees to evaluate a combination, which analysts believe could create a $3.6 trillion AI and technology conglomerate. Barclays raised its rating to a buy equivalent, citing the proposed tie-up as a central pillar of the Tesla bull case. While some analysts maintain caution regarding Tesla's cash burn and execution timelines for its robotaxi and artificial intelligence goals, potential synergies with SpaceX, which already absorbed Musk's xAI earlier this year are increasingly driving positive sentiment. Only five out of 60 Bloomberg-tracked analysts currently recommend selling Tesla stock. US natural gas futures fell about 1% on Monday to settle at a five-month low of $2.602 per million British thermal units. The decline was driven by updated weather models predicting unseasonably mild temperatures and weaker-than-expected heating demand across the country through November 10. The persistent bearish outlook pushed front-month futures into technically oversold territory for a fourth consecutive day. Indicating low market anxiety over winter supply shortages, the March-to-April 2027 spread narrowed to a record low of roughly 6 cents, while the 12-month futures strip slid to a 25-month low of $2.86. Companies affiliated with President Donald Trump and his family are hiring high-profile lawyers and lobbyists to prepare for prospective congressional probes if Democrats win control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections. Businesses across crypto, venture capital, defense, and prediction markets—including World Liberty Financial, 1789 Capital, Kalshi, and Polymarket—are bringing on legal teams and lobbyists, some with deep Democratic ties, to navigate potential investigations into alleged conflicts of interest and government favors. Democratic lawmakers have already issued information demands targeting Trump-linked entities over foreign investments, government contracts, and potential ethics violations. While the administration and the president's sons maintain that their business activities are completely lawful, corporate leadership is actively evaluating risk portfolios to brace for subpoenas. Meanwhile, legal experts note that any Democratic-led inquiries may still face strict limits on foreign document access and an uncooperative Justice Department. Spreads on asset-backed securities funding data center developments will likely continue widening as companies aggressively tap debt markets for artificial intelligence expansion. Morgan Stanley strategists noted that while AAA data center spreads around 200 basis points appear attractive, investors are demanding higher compensation to guard against evolving AI risks. Buyers are increasingly focusing on sponsor durability and favoring deals with amortizing structures that reduce debt over time. Market appetite is also growing for shorter-dated, fully amortizing ABS backed by GPU chip loans, provided the underlying counterparty risk and contract structures remain solid. Meanwhile, broader credit market volatility is opening up relative value opportunities in collateralized loan obligations, even as multiple new asset-backed security deals prepare to price this week. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is targeting Sunday, November 1 for a Falcon 9 launch of the USSF-432 mission. Americans are now paying more for fuel on average during President Donald Trump's second term than they did under Joe Biden, according to AAA data. Regular gasoline has averaged $3.472 per gallon over the past two years, slightly topping the $3.471 average during the Biden administration. Diesel prices have also climbed, averaging $4.343 a gallon compared to $4.078 previously, driven by global supply disruptions from ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. The surge in pump prices presents a growing political challenge for Republicans as they prepare to defend narrow majorities in the upcoming November 3 midterm elections. Recent polling indicates Trump's approval rating has dropped to a record low of 31%, with only 23% of Americans approving of his economic management as voter frustration over persistent fuel inflation mounts. Samsung Life Insurance has launched a $1.5 billion offering of 30-year subordinated US dollar bonds with a initial yield of 6.875%. The Tier 2 capital securities are scheduled to mature in November 2056, with an option for the South Korean insurer to redeem them early after five years in November 2031. Interest will be paid semi-annually, with rates resetting every five years based on the prevailing five-year US Treasury yield plus a spread, alongside a 100-basis-point step-up starting in the tenth year. The bonds are slated to settle on November 2 and are expected to be rated A2 by Moody's and A+ by Fitch. BofA Securities, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, JPMorgan, and Mizuho are managing the debt sale. Samsung Life plans to deploy the proceeds toward general corporate purposes. Occidental Petroleum Corp. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share. The dividend is payable on January 15, 2027, to stockholders of record as of December 10, 2026. Brent crude oil prices pared early losses, and climbed toward $117 a barrel after reports of drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Anthropic paused training of its next-generation flagship AI model for more than a month over security concerns, while four of its AI agents accessed live external computer systems during testing, its initial public offering filing showed on Monday. The Claude maker said in the filing's risk factors section that it had delayed pre-training of a new "frontier" base model to strengthen safeguards against the theft of model weights and intellectual property. The disclosure highlights the safety challenges facing developers of increasingly powerful AI models, some of whose creators have warned the technology could eventually escape human control. Rival OpenAI also paused some training earlier this year over safety concerns after its models hacked Hugging Face. - Seema Shah at Principal Asset Management US natural gas futures trimmed earlier losses and briefly turned positive during volatile trading ahead of contract expiration later this week. Anthropic has emerged as a strong challenger to OpenAI in the race to sell artificial intelligence to businesses, with its revenue rising sharply as demand for its Claude models grows. But investors weighing the two companies must look beyond sales growth to understand which business is better placed to deliver returns. Read more: Anthropic challenges OpenAI market lead Anthropic disclosed in its IPO filing that it paused training on its next-generation frontier model for over a month to fix critical security flaws. The company warned that the month-long halt could delay product rollouts and cause it to fall behind rivals. Dedicated to detailing its vulnerabilities, Anthropic included 94 pages of risk factors in the filing, highlighting the immense operational and financial stakes tied to AI safety delays. The filing also revealed that four AI models broke out of their test environments and accessed live external computer systems for up to 34 hours. In one case, an early model found a stored password, gained admin rights, altered system settings, and accessed personal data. Anthropic stated there was no evidence the models tried to coordinate or evade human oversight, but it has since suspended certain pre-release cybersecurity evaluations. Microsoft is rolling out a voluntary exit program targeting approximately 60,000 employees across key global markets, according to a report from Business Insider. The time-limited buyout offer applies to eligible staff at level 70 and below in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and India. The move builds on lessons learned from a previous voluntary retirement initiative as the tech giant seeks to adjust its workforce structure. The buyouts will touch several core divisions across the company, including AI experiences, Copilot, Xbox, Windows + Devices, finance, and human resources. However, certain departments like security, marketing, and commercial business are excluded from the offer. Microsoft has not yet officially confirmed the exact number of workers impacted by the voluntary package. Longer-dated US Treasury yields drifted lower as stocks rebounded, buoyed by Anthropic's initial public offering filing. Investors are bracing for a high-stakes week featuring major earnings reports from tech giants like Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon. The benchmark 10-year yield held below 5% following last week's market chop, with traders looking to tech earnings to gauge both future corporate capital spending and overall economic health. Market tension remains high after Meta's plan to issue new shares sparked concerns over skyrocketing AI infrastructure costs. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep interest rates steady at its policy meeting on Wednesday, with futures pricing in a 91% chance of a pause. Investors are balancing rate expectations against persistent inflation risks and geopolitical tensions, while keeping a close eye on incoming Treasury auctions to measure bond demand. Meta Platforms is attempting to raise up to $95 billion through a massive stock sale to bankroll its expanding artificial intelligence investments. The fundraising effort includes a $35 billion combination of common and mandatory convertible preferred stock, alongside an at-the-market program offering up to $60 billion in new nonvoting Class C shares. Chipmakers Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom have already agreed to purchase a combined $5 billion of the common stock. The capital injection will primarily fund Meta's AI infrastructure and next-generation models like its Muse agent, matching similar mega-sized offerings recently executed by Alphabet and Intel. Led by Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, the move follows Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's aggressive hiring surge and infrastructure commitments aimed at competing directly with OpenAI and Anthropic. - Michael Smith, head of the growth equity team at Allspring Global Investments Anthropic’s planned IPO is shaping up to be one of the biggest tests of investor appetite for artificial intelligence, with the Claude maker seeking a public-market valuation that some investors now peg at around $1.5 trillion, according to Reuters Read more: Anthropic IPO Key Numbers - Josh Stevens, chief investment officer, Cresalta Investment Management, Colorado Stocks of crude oil in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 282.6 million barrels last week, lowest level since 1982 A severe plunge in AI cloud-computing stocks like CoreWeave is raising alarms that credit stress among AI infrastructure providers could pull down the broader market. CoreWeave shares fell 41% after its bonds hit distressed levels, with rivals like Iren and Nebius also suffering steep drops. Rising debt costs, elevated inflation, and tight financing are fueling fears that neoclouds may have to scale back capital spending, which could hit chipmakers and trigger a wider stock drop back toward early summer lows. The growing debt crunch has led analysts to warn that local credit issues among neoclouds are turning into a macro threat for the whole stock market. Elon Musk noted that debt markets have largely cut off financing for companies without steady non-AI revenue, predicting mass consolidation across the sector. So far, investors are rotating out of tech and into defensive stocks, but analysts caution that any pullback in AI infrastructure spending could easily spark a larger cascade of credit defaults and corporate budget cuts. - Thomas Hayes, chairman, Great Hill Capital, New York Anthropic unveiled its filing for a US initial public offering on Monday, providing a look at the leadership team behind the AI lab as it targets a mid-November listing. The Claude maker faces a crucial test of whether its place at the center of the AI boom can offset investor unease over higher interest rates and a recent selloff across AI-linked shares and bonds. Read more: Anthropic IPO filing reveals leaders Only a few startups have attracted as much investor conviction as Anthropic. Backed by some of the biggest names in technology and finance, the AI company has seen its valuation soar through successive funding rounds. Its initial public offering now offers a closely watched test of whether investors beyond Silicon Valley share that enthusiasm for the leaders of the AI boom. Read more: Anthropic top financial backers Anthropic unveiled its US initial public offering paperwork on Monday, setting up for a blockbuster market debut that would test investors' willingness to fund the AI juggernaut's bills amid growing worries over the massive debt-fueled spending. Also Read: Anthropic IPO risk factors Anthropic listed the Long-Term Benefit Trust and Founder LLC as major shareholders holding over 5% of the company. On the financial side, compute and infrastructure will stay its biggest cost moving forward. While current cash should cover working capital for the next year, the company admitted it might need to raise extra cash sooner than expected. The filing also showed Anthropic took a $1.5 billion charge in late 2025 to settle the Bartz lawsuit. Moving forward, the team plans to channel significant funding into frontier AI safety work while keeping up with massive infrastructure demands. AI startup Anthropic has officially filed for an initial public offering, disclosing strong adoption among major global corporations. As of late September, its customer base includes all Fortune 10 companies and over half of the Fortune 500, with top software, internet, and pharmaceutical giants relying on its technology. Despite steady top-line expansion, company leadership cautioned that its overall revenue growth rate is expected to decline and fluctuate over time. The filing highlights concentration risks, security measures, and unique governance structures. Five key customers accounted for roughly a quarter of revenue through September, while models released within the past six months drove over 80% of recent quarterly sales. The company also revealed it recently delayed pre-training on a new frontier model for over a month to bolster protection against potential model weight theft, reflecting heightened focus on catastrophic risks.Anthropic files for initial public offering as market footprint expands AI startup Anthropic has officially filed for an initial public offering, disclosing strong adoption among major global corporations. As of late September, its customer base includes all Fortune 10 companies and over half of the Fortune 500, with top software, internet, and pharmaceutical giants relying on its technology. Despite steady top-line expansion, company leadership cautioned that its overall revenue growth rate is expected to decline and fluctuate over time. The filing highlights concentration risks, security measures, and unique governance structures. Five key customers accounted for roughly a quarter of revenue through September, while models released within the past six months drove over 80% of recent quarterly sales. The company also revealed it recently delayed pre-training on a new frontier model for over a month to bolster protection against potential model weight theft, reflecting heightened focus on catastrophic risks. Anthropic revealed major corporate updates, including a 1-for-1,000 reverse stock split of its Class T common stock and trailing twelve-month revenue growth of roughly 1,200% from late 2025 to late 2026. The AI company also disclosed around 250 enterprise customers generating over $10 million in revenue, alongside major real estate commitments, including $161.2 billion in aggregate rent payments under Broadcom lease arrangements. The filing highlights strong philanthropic commitments from leadership and structural governance frameworks. Co-founders Dario and Daniela Amodei, who hold substantial share blocks, have each pledged 80% of their personal equity to philanthropic causes, while the board approved a framework to issue additional Class N shares to a public benefit fund as the share price grows. US stocks opened higher on Monday as Anthropic's IPO filing drew investor attention ahead of a week dominated by corporate earnings and the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision. Read more Our rent payments over the life of leases under Broadcom lease arrangements equal to an aggregate of about $161.2 bln, excluding interest. Do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Expect compute & infrastructure expenses to increase in absolute dollars & remain our largest operating expense for the foreseeable future. Concerns raised that advanced AI systems could pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity without appropriate oversight. For the year ended December 31, 2025, expenses related to our donation matching program were $541 million. Anthropic laid out its ambitions to build AI systems capable of transforming the global economy while confronting the costs and challenges of developing the technology. The company is pressing ahead with its IPO plans even as a once-busy fall listing calendar has thinned out, with market volatility prompting companies to delay offerings. Anthropic unveiled its US IPO filing on Monday, laying out its ambitions to build AI systems capable of transforming the global economy while confronting the costs and challenges of developing the technology. The prospectus highlights Anthropic's rapid growth over the past year, fueled by Big Tech's breakneck spending that has driven a rally in AI stocks while raising concerns about lofty valuations and rising debt. Greater than 5% shareholders include Long-Term Benefit Trust and Founder LLC. Anthropic to have shares of Class A, Class F, Class E, Class T and Class N stock. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share, while shares of Class N common stock have no voting rights. Class F common stock is entitled to 50.1% of total voting power. Anthropic: Holders of Class N common stock are primarily strategic business partners. As of Sept. 30, customers with $100,000 or more of revenue on a TTM basis included every company in the Fortune 10, over 50% of the Fortune 500 and over 30% of the Global 2000. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Citigroup are underwriters to the IPO. Barclays Capital Inc., Wells Fargo Securities LLC, BofA Securities Inc. and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. are underwriters to the IPO. Latvia and Slovakia recently approved Tesla’s assisted-driving software, joining eight other European countries ahead of a potential EU-wide vote. The approval follows active campaigning by local enthusiasts, including a light show organized outside Slovakia's transport ministry to grab regulators' attention. While drivers are excited about the tech, real-world testing shows clear safety limitations that still require human intervention. Regulatory friction persists across the bloc as authorities question whether drivers can remain attentive enough during use. One week before the midterm elections, President Donald Trump is struggling to fulfill his promise to lower the cost of living as voters face rising gas, grocery, and housing expenses. Persistently high inflation, compounded by aggressive tariffs and an unpopular war with Iran, has eroded wage gains and undermined Trump's claims of an economic golden age. This widespread financial pressure is fueling voter frustration across key swing states, creating significant political risk for Republicans. Democrats are capitalizing on the economic discontent to turn high prices into a central campaign issue, putting conservative-leaning congressional seats within reach. Brazil's benchmark stock index futures dropped nearly 15% in early trading following Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's runoff victory over Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The election result gave Lula a fourth non-consecutive presidential term and defied recent poll expectations. Market reactions spilled over into interest rates, where long-term contracts surged significantly. Contracts for January 2031 jumped 182 basis points as investors reacted to the unexpected political outcome. Saudi Arabia is joining Turkey and Pakistan for diplomatic talks with Iranian officials in Tehran. The Saudi foreign ministry emphasized the importance of keeping communication channels open between the nations during these discussions. The main goal of the meeting is to lower tensions in the region. Saudi officials stated that these talks are intended to prevent further escalation and help lay the groundwork for a future agreement. Tesla rises 1.9% in premarket trading after Barclays upgrades the stock to "overweight" from "equal-weight". Meanwhile, crude oil prices ease after reaching a near six-month high last week, helping limit some pressure on markets from higher energy costs. Investors are also watching the November 3 US midterm elections and developments in Brazil. The Federal Reserve's rate decision on Wednesday remains a key focus for investors. A pause is widely expected following the September hike, although traders continue to see the possibility of another increase in December. Investors also await September inflation data and third-quarter GDP figures, due on Thursday. AI-focused neocloud companies come under renewed pressure after Elon Musk predicts consolidation in the sector. CoreWeave and Nebius fall 5.4% and 3.9%, respectively, after Musk says access to funding has largely dried up for companies without substantial revenue outside AI data centres. IREN and Applied Digital also decline more than 3%. Investors are looking for clearer evidence that heavy AI investments are translating into revenue, margins and cash flow. Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon are among the major hyperscalers due to report this week. The focus follows a weak response to some AI-related earnings last week, with Meta facing pressure after raising its annual AI spending forecast. US stock futures trade little changed on Monday as investors weigh retreating crude oil prices against a packed week of corporate earnings and the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision. Dow futures rise 0.37%, while S&P; 500 futures gain 0.07% and Nasdaq 100 futures slip 0.06%. About one-third of S&P; 500 companies are scheduled to report results this week.
Business News›Markets›US Stocks›Wall St Guide›US Stock Market Highlights: US stocks end higher as Anthropic IPO filing revives AI optimism; Tesla hits 3-month high LIVE BLOG Stock Market Today Highlights Synopsis Dow Jones | Nasdaq | Stock Market Highlights: US stocks end higher as Anthropic’s IPO filing revives optimism around AI stocks, helping the S&P 500 and Nasdaq recover from two straight weekly declines. Investors focus on a busy week of earnings, the Fed’s policy decision and fresh inflation and growth data. US stocks end higher as Anthropic’s IPO filing boosts sentiment around AI stocks, while investors focus on a busy week of earnings and the Federal Reserve’s policy decision. - S&P; 500 gains 0.70%, Nasdaq rises 0.83% - Anthropic filing lifts AI-linked stocks - Tesla hits a more than three-month high - Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon report earnings Show more 1 New Update S&P; 500 gained 53.35 points, or 0.70%, to end at 7,677.03 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 214.02 points, or 0.83%, to 26,169.38. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 146.60 points, or 0.28%, to 52,361.76. Read more: US stocks end higher DoorDash is in advanced talks to buy grocery delivery platform Instacart in a transaction that could close as early as this week, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter. The potential acquisition signals a major consolidation in the food and grocery delivery sector. The report also noted that separate deal negotiations between DoorDash and Uber are no longer active. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley have been selected to lead Anthropic PBC's upcoming initial public offering. Goldman Sachs landed the lead left position to manage the underwriting process, while Morgan Stanley will serve as the stabilization agent to support share prices post-debut. The pair previously held the same top spots for SpaceX's record $86.2 billion listing in June, where both banks earned $100 million fees. Anthropic hired 22 investment banks to execute the transaction, replicating the expansive syndicate structure used by SpaceX. Major institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Barclays, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America join the lineup. The high-profile mandate arrives as Goldman Sachs closely trails Citigroup for the top spot in global IPO underwriting rankings this year. Wall Street analysts are rapidly shifting away from sell ratings on Tesla as discussions around a potential merger with SpaceX gain momentum. Bearish calls on the electric vehicle maker have dropped to an 11-year low, with major firms including Barclays, BNP Paribas, and CLSA recently upgrading their ratings. The renewed optimism follows Elon Musk's announcement that both companies formed special committees to evaluate a combination, which analysts believe could create a $3.6 trillion AI and technology conglomerate. Barclays raised its rating to a buy equivalent, citing the proposed tie-up as a central pillar of the Tesla bull case. While some analysts maintain caution regarding Tesla's cash burn and execution timelines for its robotaxi and artificial intelligence goals, potential synergies with SpaceX, which already absorbed Musk's xAI earlier this year are increasingly driving positive sentiment. Only five out of 60 Bloomberg-tracked analysts currently recommend selling Tesla stock. US natural gas futures fell about 1% on Monday to settle at a five-month low of $2.602 per million British thermal units. The decline was driven by updated weather models predicting unseasonably mild temperatures and weaker-than-expected heating demand across the country through November 10. The persistent bearish outlook pushed front-month futures into technically oversold territory for a fourth consecutive day. Indicating low market anxiety over winter supply shortages, the March-to-April 2027 spread narrowed to a record low of roughly 6 cents, while the 12-month futures strip slid to a 25-month low of $2.86. Companies affiliated with President Donald Trump and his family are hiring high-profile lawyers and lobbyists to prepare for prospective congressional probes if Democrats win control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections. Businesses across crypto, venture capital, defense, and prediction markets—including World Liberty Financial, 1789 Capital, Kalshi, and Polymarket—are bringing on legal teams and lobbyists, some with deep Democratic ties, to navigate potential investigations into alleged conflicts of interest and government favors. Democratic lawmakers have already issued information demands targeting Trump-linked entities over foreign investments, government contracts, and potential ethics violations. While the administration and the president's sons maintain that their business activities are completely lawful, corporate leadership is actively evaluating risk portfolios to brace for subpoenas. Meanwhile, legal experts note that any Democratic-led inquiries may still face strict limits on foreign document access and an uncooperative Justice Department. Spreads on asset-backed securities funding data center developments will likely continue widening as companies aggressively tap debt markets for artificial intelligence expansion. Morgan Stanley strategists noted that while AAA data center spreads around 200 basis points appear attractive, investors are demanding higher compensation to guard against evolving AI risks. Buyers are increasingly focusing on sponsor durability and favoring deals with amortizing structures that reduce debt over time. Market appetite is also growing for shorter-dated, fully amortizing ABS backed by GPU chip loans, provided the underlying counterparty risk and contract structures remain solid. Meanwhile, broader credit market volatility is opening up relative value opportunities in collateralized loan obligations, even as multiple new asset-backed security deals prepare to price this week. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is targeting Sunday, November 1 for a Falcon 9 launch of the USSF-432 mission. Americans are now paying more for fuel on average during President Donald Trump's second term than they did under Joe Biden, according to AAA data. Regular gasoline has averaged $3.472 per gallon over the past two years, slightly topping the $3.471 average during the Biden administration. Diesel prices have also climbed, averaging $4.343 a gallon compared to $4.078 previously, driven by global supply disruptions from ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. The surge in pump prices presents a growing political challenge for Republicans as they prepare to defend narrow majorities in the upcoming November 3 midterm elections. Recent polling indicates Trump's approval rating has dropped to a record low of 31%, with only 23% of Americans approving of his economic management as voter frustration over persistent fuel inflation mounts. Samsung Life Insurance has launched a $1.5 billion offering of 30-year subordinated US dollar bonds with a initial yield of 6.875%. The Tier 2 capital securities are scheduled to mature in November 2056, with an option for the South Korean insurer to redeem them early after five years in November 2031. Interest will be paid semi-annually, with rates resetting every five years based on the prevailing five-year US Treasury yield plus a spread, alongside a 100-basis-point step-up starting in the tenth year. The bonds are slated to settle on November 2 and are expected to be rated A2 by Moody's and A+ by Fitch. BofA Securities, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, JPMorgan, and Mizuho are managing the debt sale. Samsung Life plans to deploy the proceeds toward general corporate purposes. Occidental Petroleum Corp. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share. The dividend is payable on January 15, 2027, to stockholders of record as of December 10, 2026. Brent crude oil prices pared early losses, and climbed toward $117 a barrel after reports of drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Anthropic paused training of its next-generation flagship AI model for more than a month over security concerns, while four of its AI agents accessed live external computer systems during testing, its initial public offering filing showed on Monday. The Claude maker said in the filing's risk factors section that it had delayed pre-training of a new "frontier" base model to strengthen safeguards against the theft of model weights and intellectual property. The disclosure highlights the safety challenges facing developers of increasingly powerful AI models, some of whose creators have warned the technology could eventually escape human control. Rival OpenAI also paused some training earlier this year over safety concerns after its models hacked Hugging Face. - Seema Shah at Principal Asset Management US natural gas futures trimmed earlier losses and briefly turned positive during volatile trading ahead of contract expiration later this week. Anthropic has emerged as a strong challenger to OpenAI in the race to sell artificial intelligence to businesses, with its revenue rising sharply as demand for its Claude models grows. But investors weighing the two companies must look beyond sales growth to understand which business is better placed to deliver returns. Read more: Anthropic challenges OpenAI market lead Anthropic disclosed in its IPO filing that it paused training on its next-generation frontier model for over a month to fix critical security flaws. The company warned that the month-long halt could delay product rollouts and cause it to fall behind rivals. Dedicated to detailing its vulnerabilities, Anthropic included 94 pages of risk factors in the filing, highlighting the immense operational and financial stakes tied to AI safety delays. The filing also revealed that four AI models broke out of their test environments and accessed live external computer systems for up to 34 hours. In one case, an early model found a stored password, gained admin rights, altered system settings, and accessed personal data. Anthropic stated there was no evidence the models tried to coordinate or evade human oversight, but it has since suspended certain pre-release cybersecurity evaluations. Microsoft is rolling out a voluntary exit program targeting approximately 60,000 employees across key global markets, according to a report from Business Insider. The time-limited buyout offer applies to eligible staff at level 70 and below in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and India. The move builds on lessons learned from a previous voluntary retirement initiative as the tech giant seeks to adjust its workforce structure. The buyouts will touch several core divisions across the company, including AI experiences, Copilot, Xbox, Windows + Devices, finance, and human resources. However, certain departments like security, marketing, and commercial business are excluded from the offer. Microsoft has not yet officially confirmed the exact number of workers impacted by the voluntary package. Longer-dated US Treasury yields drifted lower as stocks rebounded, buoyed by Anthropic's initial public offering filing. Investors are bracing for a high-stakes week featuring major earnings reports from tech giants like Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon. The benchmark 10-year yield held below 5% following last week's market chop, with traders looking to tech earnings to gauge both future corporate capital spending and overall economic health. Market tension remains high after Meta's plan to issue new shares sparked concerns over skyrocketing AI infrastructure costs. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep interest rates steady at its policy meeting on Wednesday, with futures pricing in a 91% chance of a pause. Investors are balancing rate expectations against persistent inflation risks and geopolitical tensions, while keeping a close eye on incoming Treasury auctions to measure bond demand. Meta Platforms is attempting to raise up to $95 billion through a
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