Best Buy Launches U.S. Digital Marketplace<\/p>\n
41 minutes ago<\/p>\n
You can now go to Best Buy\u2019s website for everything from a statue of Ganesh playing the flute to a set of champagne flutes.\n<\/p>\n
Best Buy (BBY<\/a>) doubled the number of products available through its website and app while launching a U.S. marketplace Tuesday that\u2019s open to hundreds of brands not carried in its stores, such as Martha Stewart, Crock-Pot, and World Wide Stereo. The marketplace offers more technology and taps into new categories, including sports team merch, seasonal decorations, and musical instruments, as well as toys and puzzles, Best Buy said in a press release and Q&A.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOur customers have always looked to us to bring excitement and inspiration in ways only technology can,\u201d Frank Bedo, chief marketplace and eCommerce officer at Best Buy, said in a statement. Through the marketplace, \u201cwe can truly offer the full experience they need,\u201d the statement said.\n<\/p>\n The electronics giant, which already has a third-party platform in Canada, is the latest retailer to launch an online marketplace\u2014a move that allows companies to expand their product portfolio without investing in inventory or storage space.\u00a0Walmart<\/a>\u00a0(WMT<\/a>),\u00a0Target<\/a>\u00a0(TGT<\/a>), Lowe\u2019s (LOW<\/a>), Nordstrom, and Ulta (ULTA<\/a>) have launched or shared plans to launch a marketplace, according to company announcements.\u00a0Digital marketplaces are estimated to facilitate\u00a0hundreds of billions of dollars in annual sales<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Shoppers can’t currently have marketplace purchases shipped to a store for pickup, but Best Buy locations will facilitate returns, a spokesman said.\n<\/p>\n Best Buy shares were up about 4% in recent trading but are down more than 12% for the year.\u00a0In late May, the company reported mixed first-quarter results and\u00a0lowered its full-year outlook<\/a>\u00a0because of tariffs.\n<\/p>\n –Sarina Trangle<\/a>\n<\/p>\n Palo Alto Networks Shares Surge on Strong Earnings, Outlook<\/p>\n 1 hr 51 min ago<\/p>\n Shares of Palo Alto Networks (PANW<\/a>) jumped Tuesday, a day after the cybersecurity firm posted better-than-expected results and guidance as customers demanded increasingly powerful tools to fight hackers.\n<\/p>\n The company reported fiscal 2025 fourth-quarter adjusted\u00a0earnings per share<\/a>\u00a0of $0.95, with revenue up 16% year-over-year to $2.54 billion. Both exceeded estimates of analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha.\n<\/p>\n CEO Nikesh Arora said the performance “reflects a fundamental market shift in which customers understand that a fragmented defense is no defense at all against modern threats. They are partnering with us because our platforms are designed to work in concert, creating powerful operational synergies that deliver superior, near real-time outcomes and the efficiency our customers need.”\u00a0\n<\/p>\n CEO Nikesh Arora speaking at an event in Paris in July.<\/p>\n Nathan Laine \/ Bloomberg \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n Palo Alto Networks sees fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $3.75 to $3.85, and revenue of $10.475 billion to $10.525 billion. Visible Alpha forecasts were for $3.67 and $10.431 billion, respectively.\u00a0Its current-quarter profit and revenue projections also topped estimates.\n<\/p>\n Along with the results, the company also announced that its founder, Nir Zuk, was retiring as Chief Technical Officer and stepping down as a member of the board. Zuk is being replaced by Chief Product Officer Lee Klarich in both positions.\n<\/p>\n Palo Alto shares were up 4.5% in recent trading, pushing the stock into positive territory for the year.<\/p>\n –Bill McColl<\/a>\n<\/p>\n Home Depot Stock Jumps as Company Affirms Outlook<\/p>\n 2 hr 32 min ago<\/p>\n Home Depot (HD<\/a>) shares rose in early trading Tuesday after the biggest home-improvement retailer affirmed its guidance as do-it-yourself and large project demand increased.\n<\/p>\n The company reiterated its full-year outlook for sales rising about 2.8%, and\u00a0comparable store sales<\/a>\u00a0growth of approximately 1.0%.\n<\/p>\n CEO Ted Decker said that the “momentum that began in the back half of last year continued throughout the first half as customers engaged more broadly in smaller home improvement projects.” In an interview, CFO Richard McPhail noted that the company saw comparable sales increase every month in the quarter.\n<\/p>\n The comments came as Home Depot reported mixed second-quarter results. Sales gained 4.9% year-over-year to $45.28 billion, a tad higher than estimates of analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha. Adjusted earnings per share of $4.68 narrowly missed forecasts.\n<\/p>\n Comparable store sales were 1.0% higher, and while that was a tick below expectations, it was well above last year’s decline of 3.3%. Comparable average tickets advanced 1.4%, compared to a drop of 1.3% in 2024.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Home Depot shares were up about 4% in recent trading.\n<\/p>\n Including Tuesday’s early gains Home Depot stock is up about 5.5% since the start of the year. That’s roughly in line with the performance of shares of rival Lowe’s, though both home-improvement giants are lagging the gains of the benchmark S&P 500 index.<\/p>\n TradingView<\/p>\n –Bill McColl<\/a>\n<\/p>\n Intel Jumps as SoftBank to Invest $2 Billion<\/p>\n 3 hr 1 min ago<\/p>\n Intel (INTC<\/a>) shares surged in early trading Tuesday on news that Japan’s SoftBank Group is making a $2 billion investment in the struggling U.S. chipmaker.\n<\/p>\n SoftBank will pay $23 for each Intel share, a slight discount to Monday’s closing price of $23.66, the companies announced.\n<\/p>\n “This strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role,” said SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who last December announced plans for the firm to\u00a0invest around $100 billion<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. with President-elect Donald Trump.\n<\/p>\n Last week,\u00a0Bloomberg\u00a0reported that the Trump administration was in talks to\u00a0take a stake<\/a>\u00a0in the chipmaker, and yesterday reported the U.S. would buy around 10% of Intel by converting some or all of the company’s\u00a0CHIPS and Science Act<\/a>\u00a0grants into equity.\u00a0Such a stake would make the U.S. the embattled chipmaker’s biggest shareholder, the report said. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.\n<\/p>\n Last month, Intel’s second-quarter sales topped analysts’ estimates but the company unexpectedly\u00a0swung to an adjusted loss<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0CEO Lip-Bu Tan<\/a>\u00a0announced layoffs in a\u00a0memo to employees<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n As of Monday’s close, the stock had gained about 18% since the start of the year, after falling nearly 60% in 2024.<\/p>\n TradingView<\/p>\n Intel shares were up more than 10% at around $26 in recent trading.\n<\/p>\n