Major global financial media outlets focused on the following headlines overnight and this morning:
1. Following urgent lobbying by multiple Middle Eastern nations, the United States has reinstated the US-Iran negotiations originally scheduled for the 6th. 2. Alphabet's annual revenue surpassed $400 billion in 2025, with its cloud division emerging as the primary growth driver. 3. NVIDIA was swept into the software stock sell-off, extending its losing streak to four days, although one analyst deemed the move irrational. 4. Elon Musk's SpaceX is engaging with non-US banks to broaden its IPO underwriting team. 5. Nike is under investigation in the United States over allegations of discriminating against white workers. 6. AMD's stock price plunged following an earnings report that disappointed investors.
After urgent lobbying by several Middle Eastern leaders on the afternoon of February 4, the US-Iran nuclear talks originally scheduled for the 6th were reinstated, following threats from the Trump administration to withdraw. The negotiations will be held in Oman. The US had previously rejected an Iranian proposal to change the venue from Istanbul, Turkey, to Oman. The impasse reportedly sparked widespread concern across the Middle East that the Trump administration might resort to military action. At least nine countries in the region contacted the White House through top-level channels, strongly urging the US not to cancel the meeting. One US official stated, "They asked us to proceed with the meeting to hear what Iran has to say. We have told the Arab nations that if they insist, we will hold the meeting. But we are very skeptical about it." Another US official indicated that the Trump administration agreed to the meeting to "respect" its allies in the region and to continue pursuing diplomatic avenues.
On February 4, 2026, Alphabet released its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2025. The report revealed that the company's annual revenue exceeded $400 billion for the first time, with Q4 revenue growing 18% year-over-year. AI technology drove comprehensive growth in core businesses, Google Cloud maintained rapid expansion, overall profitability improved steadily, and all key metrics showed positive trends. Consolidated annual revenue for 2025 reached $402.836 billion, a 15% increase year-over-year. Fourth-quarter revenue surged 18% to $113.828 billion. Full-year net profit was $132.170 billion, up 32% year-over-year, with diluted earnings per share (EPS) reaching $10.81, a 34% increase. Q4 net profit was $34.455 billion, a 30% rise, and diluted EPS was $2.82, up 31% year-over-year. The profit growth rate significantly outpaced revenue growth, highlighting the effects of scale and effective cost control.
The recent sharp decline in software stocks has spread to the chip sector, but an analyst from Bank of America argues the sell-off is unjustified. In a report on Tuesday, Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya suggested that the "indiscriminate" violent swings around chip stocks "appear contradictory and could represent another overreaction similar to the DeepSeek event." On Wednesday, chipmakers including NVIDIA and Broadcom saw their shares fall more than 3% and 6%, respectively. NVIDIA's decline marked its fourth consecutive day of losses. Memory and storage stocks like Micron Technology and SanDisk, which had surged on AI-driven demand, experienced double-digit percentage drops.
According to informed sources, SpaceX has held discussions with banks outside the United States regarding its initial public offering (IPO). The rocket and satellite manufacturer, led by Elon Musk, is aiming for a public listing this year under a tight schedule. The sources indicated that in mid-January, foreign banks participated in underwriting pitches at SpaceX's California offices, with one group consisting of European banks and another from other regions. These talks were intended to add junior underwriters to the IPO underwriting team and occurred prior to Monday's announcement by SpaceX that it would acquire Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI. Bloomberg News previously reported that the combined company still expects to proceed with an IPO later this year.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency responsible for enforcing laws against workplace discrimination, stated in a court filing on Wednesday that it is investigating allegations that Nike discriminated against white people through its diversity policies. The Commission stated that Nike refused to comply with a broad subpoena demanding data on the racial and ethnic composition of its workforce, as well as rosters of employees selected for mentorship and development programs, among other information. The Commission said it is investigating claims that Nike intentionally discriminated against white employees and job applicants, including disproportionately targeting them for layoffs, and requires this information to determine if the company violated the law.
Shares of chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) plummeted on Wednesday after the company's earnings report failed to meet Wall Street's exceptionally high expectations. By the market close, AMD's stock was down 17%, potentially marking its largest percentage decline since 2017. The company reported after the market closed on Tuesday that, driven by robust performance in its data center business, fourth-quarter revenue reached $10.27 billion, exceeding the $9.69 billion consensus estimate from analysts surveyed by FactSet.
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