11:11 | AI arms race intensifies and investors are getting nervous

AI optimism is colliding with investor anxiety as Big Tech splurges, chipmakers face pressure and geopolitical grip tightens further.

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

The global AI race is giving rise to fresh winners and new concerns for investors.

AMD shares logged their steepest fall in nearly a decade after underwhelming forecasts raised doubts over its AI competitiveness, while Alphabet’s massive $185 billion capital expenditure plan signalled Big Tech’s deepening AI push but unsettled markets. Meanwhile, Nvidia’s potential AI chip sales to China’s ByteDance face regulatory hurdles, underscoring how geopolitics is increasingly shaping the future of artificial

intelligence.

AMD shares fall to its worst loss in nearly decade as AI concerns linger

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. saw its biggest stock loss in over nine years after the chipmaker's sales forecast failed to impress investors, indicating that it is not making the AI breakthroughs that Wall Street had expected.

Google-parent Alphabet outlines mega $185 billion capex plan after earnings beat; Stock falls

Alphabet, parent of Google, announced a mega $185 billion capex plan for 2026, smashing analyst expectations of a $119.5 billion figure for the full year. The announcement took the stock lower in extended trading, but boosted sentiments around chipmakers Broadcom and Nvidia. Alphabet will be leveraging its growth to build out data centers and infrastructure to capitalize on the demand in the AI age.

Nvidia's AI chip sale to ByteDance hinges on conditions set by Trump administration

The Trump administration is willing to allow China's ByteDance to buy Nvidia's H200 chips. Still, the AI chipmaker has not agreed to the proposed conditions for their use, Reuters reported citing a person familiar with the matter.

HAL falls 5%, extends losing streak as Morgan Stanley trims target price

Shares of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Ltd. fell another 5.5% on Thursday, February 5, after the stock has been downgraded by brokerage firm Morgan Stanley. The stock is now down 11% in the last two sessions, after a 6% fall on Wednesday as well.

UN faces ‘imminent financial collapse’ as unpaid dues surge, Antonio Guterres warns

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is sounding the alarm on UN finances, warning that the world body is at risk of "imminent financial collapse" due to unpaid fees and a budget rule that forces it to return unspent funds.

Silver prices on MCX fall over 8% on Thursday as rates collapse globally

Silver prices on MCX are down 9% in early trading on Thursday, February 5, tracking the collapse seen in the global spot prices. Prices had first opened 6% lower, before extending their losses to 9%. Silver prices have lost ₹24,196 in just a few minutes of the trading session, currently trading at ₹2,44,654 per kilo.

This Silicon Valley veteran is 'disoriented' with rise of AI; others say humans still valuable

Aditya Agarwal, a veteran of Silicon Valley and former CTO of Dropbox and director of Flipkart, has shared a raw reflection on the existential shift caused by AI. As a veteran engineer who helped build the initial search engine at Facebook, Agarwal described feeling a mix of ‘wonder and profound sadness’ after intensive coding sessions with Claude.

Budget 2026 relaxes courier rules to boost e-commerce exports for MSMEs, D2C brands

When a Bengaluru-based D2C apparel brand landed a bulk order from a European retailer worth over ₹18 lakh recently, the founder faced a familiar dilemma: split the shipment into multiple smaller consignments or switch to slower, costlier cargo routes.

Delhi HC junks actor Rajpal Yadav’s plea to extend deadline to surrender in cheque bounce cases

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (February 4) refused to extend a deadline given to actor Rajpal Yadav to surrender before jail authorities in connection with his conviction in cheque bounce cases.

$24 Billion bounty in a month — Hedge funds are doubling down on their 'short software' bet

Hedge funds are ramping up short positions in software stocks, adding to the sharp selloff in the sector so far this year, two major Wall Street fund sources have told CNBC. Short sellers have generated $24 billion in profits from software stocks this year, even as the sector’s total market capitalisation has shrunk by about $1 trillion, according to S3 Partners data.

Pakistan boycotts India T20 World Cup match: Broadcasters may move court over WC fixture

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has warned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that it faces a potential lawsuit from official broadcasters, JioStar, for boycotting the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India, according to media reports.