Category: Business

Which AI chatbot should you trust? One that’s open and free, or one that promises an edge with fresh insights?

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If you’ve scrolled LinkedIn lately, you may think every company has cracked the code on using AI in customer engagement. Bots, automation, and personalization — the buzzwords stack up fast, but how many are seeing tangible results?

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U.S. stocks extended their impressive rally this Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average carving out fresh record highs. Tech stocks overall showed resilience, even as Nvidia Corp. NVDA underperformed following muted quarterly results.

Major indices closed higher on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.2% to 45,636.90. The S&P 500 added 0.3% to finish at 6,501.86, while the Nasdaq climbed 0.5% to 21,705.16.

These are the top stocks that gained the attention of retail traders and investors throughout the day:

Offerpad Solutions Inc. OPAD

Offerpad shares surged 85.42% to close at $6.23 after an intraday range of $3.56 to $6.35, notching both its intraday high and new 52-week high at $6.35, while its 52-week low remains $0.91. In the after-hours trading, the stock tanked over 26% to $4.57.

Shares of the iBuyer climbed sharply as traders responded to sector-wide optimism fueled by Federal Reserve comments indicating potential interest rate cuts; optimism in the real estate technology segment spilled over from Opendoor Technologies, amplifying volatility. Momentum in the housing market and fluctuations in mortgage rates continue to tie this high-beta stock’s fate to broader rate-sensitive trends.

Affirm Holdings Inc. AFRM

Affirm’s stock spiked 3.09% to close at $79.99, registering an intraday high of $81.05 and low of $78.00, with a 52-week high of $82.53 and low of $30.90. In the after-hours session, the stock climbed 17% to $93.33.

The digital payments innovator rallied following the release of quarterly results that smashed analyst forecasts, including $0.20 EPS and $876 million in revenue. Improved merchant network reach and a strong focus on direct-to-consumer products were reported, alongside enhanced credit performance. The company reported earnings of 20 cent per share, which beat estimates of 10 cents.

Marvell Technology, Inc. MRVL

The company’s shares rose 3.26% to finish at $77.23, with intraday movement from $75.05 to $78.08, sitting notably below its 52-week high of $127.48 but well above its low at $47.09. In the after-hours trading, the stock dipped over 11% to $68.52.

Marvell reported earnings of 67 cents per share, which beat the analyst estimates of 66 cents per share. The quarterly revenue came in at $2.006 billion, missing the Street estimate of $2.009 billion. The company expects third-quarter adjusted earnings in the range of 69 cents and 79 cents per share, compared to the 72-cent estimate.

Ulta Beauty, Inc. ULTA

The stock declined 0.60% to $530.63, trading between $526.17 and $538.59, which also marks its new 52-week high, while the 52-week low remains $309.01. The shares rose 3.8% to $551 in the after-hours trading.

The specialty beauty retailer’s latest quarterly report beat consensus with both EPS and revenue, driven by broad category growth and improving comparable sales. Revenue was reported at $2.79 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Store expansion and increased inventories highlight the company’s confidence, as leadership signaled raised full-year guidance while sharing cautious optimism about consumer demand’s evolution.

Dell Technologies Inc. DELL

The Michael Dell-led company’s shares advanced 1.17% to $134.05, fluctuating between a low of $130.65 and a high of $135.18, keeping its 52-week record at $147.66 and 52-week low at $66.25. In the after-hours trading, the shares slipped 5.3% to $127.

Dell posted strong second-quarter results with record revenue in its Servers and Networking division, thanks to explosive demand for AI solutions. Leadership raised guidance for both quarterly and annual revenue, crediting substantial progress on AI product shipments. In the second quarter, the company reported revenue of $29.78 billion, which beat the consensus estimate of $29.17 billion.

Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate Offerpad stock checks out on Short, Medium and Long Price Trends. Here is how it stacks up against another recent retail favorite, Opendoor Technologies.

Prepare for the day’s trading with top premarket movers and news by Benzinga.

Photo Courtesy: MMD Creative on Shutterstock.com

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal

After Donald Trump decided to increase military deployment in Washington, D.C., National Guard troops patrolling the capital are now armed.

A Defense Department official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that some units on specific missions will be carrying firearms, ranging from handguns to rifles, AP reports. The official added that all armed units have been trained and are following the strict rules of engagement established by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The official said only certain troops would be carrying firearms, and those working in transportation or administration would likely remain unarmed. However, one day after speaking with the anonymous defense official, an Associated Press photographer observed South Carolina National Guard members outside Union Station carrying holstered handguns.

A task force spokesperson said that National Guard members assigned to safety and security duties will be armed, while those handling “beautification” tasks, such as community restoration, would likely not.

The heightened military presence follows a statement from the joint task force overseeing policing in the capital, which said units began carrying service weapons on Aug. 25. The task force emphasized that force should be used “only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm,” and affirmed its commitment to protecting the safety and well-being of Washington residents.

Since Trump deployed U.S. troops to the nation’s capital, thousands of National Guard members and federal officers have been patrolling D.C.’s streets. The move, which overrides the authority of state and local law enforcement, comes as he weighs expanding military deployments to other Democratic-led cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, and New York.

“I think Chicago will be our next,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office on Aug. 22. “And then we’ll help with New York.”

Critics are calling out what many see as Trump’s use of the military against Democrat-led cities with Black mayors and majority-minority populations.

“This is about profiling us,” Rev. Al Sharpton said while speaking at Howard University.

“This is laced with bigotry and racism,” he later added. “Not one white mayor has been designated. And I think this is a civil rights issue, a race issue, and an issue of D.C. statehood.”

A White House official said that although National Guard troops in D.C. are armed, they are not making arrests and will continue to focus on protecting federal property and supporting law enforcement during arrests. So far, over 2,200 National Guard soldiers and airmen, most from out of state, have been deployed to D.C. as part of Trump’s coordinated effort to address crime and homelessness in the capital that has seen violent crime drop roughly 27% year over year.

RELATED CONTENT: New York Governor Bringing In National Guard To Search Subway Commuters’ Bags

Serial entrepreneur and longtime restaurant group chief executive Julia Stewart, 70, is going viral this week for making one of “the best moves in leadership” when it comes to business deal comebacks.

After seven years as a senior leader at Taco Bell, Julia Stewart joined Applebee’s as president in 1998. She left after three years when she was denied a promotion to CEO, she says, despite being promised and earning the role — during her tenure, company and franchise sales skyrocketed, and so did the stock price, per Fortune. Soon after the snub, she joined IHOP as chair and CEO in 2001, per LinkedIn.

Related: How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Transformed a Graphics Card Company Into an AI Giant: ‘One of the Most Remarkable Business Pivots in History’

After about six years in the role, in November 2007, IHOP acquired Applebee’s for $2.1 billion, and Stewart had a phone call to make.

“I called the chair and CEO of Applebee’s, and I said, ‘Just wanted to say hi.’ And he said, ‘I was expecting this call,’” Stewart recently told The Matthews Mentality Podcast. “And I said, ‘As you know, this morning, we announced that we have purchased, for $2.3 billion, the company, and we don’t need two of us, so I’m gonna have to let you go.”

@kylematthewsceo Replying to @Lindsay The best do ever do it… Julia Stewart. Episode 59 of The Matthews Mentality Podcast #f#fypp#podcastclipsp#plottwistp#powermove ♬ original sound – Kyle Matthews | Sales Tips

Stewart would continue to serve as the chair and CEO of the parent company, Dine Brands Global, for another decade.

And at 70, Stewart is still working. She’s currently a board member at Bojangles, among other places, and the founder of a wellness app.

Related: Airbnb’s CEO Says He Personally Manages 40 to 50 Employees as Direct Reports: ‘A Lot of Work’

Everyone’s comparing AI chatbots — but what happens when one of them is not a chatbot at all? 

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I never planned to run a head-to-head test between Gemini and Copilot. I just wanted to get my work done. But over the past few months, I found myself toggling between the two more often than I expected. 

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Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors’ favorite stocks over the last week — here’s a look at some of our top stories.

Markets rallied sharply this week following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell‘s dovish signals at the Jackson Hole symposium. The S&P 500 and Dow hit record highs as Powell hinted at possible rate cuts amid rising employment risks. Tech, small-cap stocks, and crypto surged, while Treasury yields and the U.S. dollar declined.

Cryptocurrencies benefited strongly from the renewed optimism. Bitcoin BTC/USD rose over 4%, Ethereum jumped 14%, and other altcoins also posted sizable gains, reflecting renewed investor appetite for risk assets under easing policy expectations.

Looking ahead to the last full week of the month, attention shifts to how markets will react post‑Jackson Hole. Forecasters expect Forex volatility — especially in the U.S. dollar, euro, pound, and gold — as traders price in potential Fed easing and await further economic data.

Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week’s most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

“Sunrun poised to gain market share as policy shifts boost its solar model: Analyst”, by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that Sunrun Inc. RUN was upgraded to Outperform by RBC Capital’s Christopher Dendrinos, who raised his price target to $16, citing newly clarified U.S. Treasury policy that reinforces demand visibility and positions Sunrun to win market share through its third-party ownership solar model. Dendrinos forecasts approximately 139,000 new customers in 2026 — 20% year-over-year growth — and projects cash generation rising from $308 million in 2025 to $550 million in 2026, implying a 15% cash-generation yield at his target price.

“Newegg Commerce stock hits 52-week highs: What’s driving the momentum”, by Adam Eckert, reports that Newegg Commerce Inc. NEGG shares are booming — up nearly 260% in just one month and reaching fresh 52-week highs — driven by a strong momentum score, elevated trading volumes, an ascending triangle chart pattern, heavy retail investor interest amid 12% short interest, and a July stock sale program that continues to fuel speculative enthusiasm.

“DeepSeek’s new AI model sparks rally in Chinese tech and EV stocks as Nvidia retreats”, by Adam Eckert, reports that DeepSeek‘s release of an upgraded V3.1 AI model optimized for domestic Chinese chips ignited a surge in Chinese tech and EV stocks — including Alibaba BABA, Baidu BIDU, PDD Holdings PDD, NIO NIO, Li Auto LI, and XPeng XPEV — as investors embraced the momentum toward AI self-sufficiency while Nvidia NVDA began halting the China-only H20 chip output.

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

Nebius Vaults 200% Vs CoreWeave: The AI Trade That Defies Logic?

Nio Stock Is Moving Higher Thursday: What’s Driving The Action?

TikTok Parent ByteDance Takes Aim At Alibaba, DeepSeek With New Open-Source AI Model

The Bears

“Walmart stock tumbles: CEO warns tariffs are raising costs”, by Erica Kollmann, reports that Walmart Inc. WMT shares dropped after the retail giant missed its first earnings estimate in three years — posting adjusted EPS of $0.68 versus the $0.73 expected — despite 4.8% year-over-year revenue growth to $177.4 billion; CEO Doug McMillon cautioned that tariffs have been gradually increasing costs each week and, although the company has absorbed much of the impact to date, those pressures are expected to continue into the third and fourth quarters, potentially influencing future pricing and discretionary spending among lower- and middle-income customers.

“Like Eli Lilly, Viking Therapeutics’ oral weight-loss drug disappoints, stock tanks”, by Vandana Singh, reports that Viking Therapeutics Inc. VKTX saw its stock plunge after its experimental oral obesity medication, VK2735, showed statistically significant weight loss of up to 12.2% over 13 weeks — yet investor enthusiasm was dampened by high discontinuation rates and side-effect concerns, resulting in a sharp pre-market slide.

“Wall Street Braces For Tech Carnage: ‘Disaster’ QQQ options tell the story”, by Piero Cingari, reports that traders are increasingly buying deep out-of-the-money put options on the Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ) — with elevated “put skew” nearing three-year highs — signaling growing anxiety over a tech-sector collapse rather than a shallow pullback, particularly around the $515 strike near QQQ’s 200-day moving average as a key downside level.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

Carvana Stock Is Sliding Wednesday: What’s Driving The Action?

Coty Stock Is Hitting 52-Week Lows Today: Here’s Why

Tech Stocks Eye Third Day Of Losses, Walmart Sinks: What’s Moving Markets Thursday?

Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on X.

Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.

Nina Westbrook is bringing her passion for mental health and wellness to a wider audience with the launch of her new app, Nebbi.

The Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Bene by Nina founder recently launched Nebbi, a therapist-designed emotional wellness app that helps users track their emotions and take small, science-backed steps to improve well-being in real time. Developed in partnership with Crimson Education Co-Founder Sharndre Kushor, Nebbi offers users a space to recognize emotional patterns and take meaningful action in just 60 seconds a day, with personalized insights, evidence-based tools, and a supportive community.

“What we wanted to do is create long-term behavioral change and long-term mental wellness: make long-term mental wellness achievable and attainable,” Westbrook shared on the Black Tech Green Money podcast. “And in order to achieve that, there has to be understanding. We can create habits and build habits by doing the same thing every single day.”

While there are countless wellness apps on the market, Nebbi is designed to meet you where you are, in real time. The app is made “for the moments before a breakdown… for the quiet emotional weight we carry every day,” Westbrook said.

Unlike therapy sessions and guided meditation apps, Nebbi follows a simple model: one 60-second emotional check-in per day, a brief science-backed reset, and a gentle nudge toward reflection.

“People want to feel empowered and genuinely supported during everyday life moments,” Kushor told the LA Times. “We’re creating tools that combine emotional intelligence with data-driven insights to deliver meaningful, practical support every day.”

As artificial intelligence continues to grow in dominance, Kushor says Nebbi is deliberately holding off on integrating it until it can truly enhance human connection, highlighting the app’s rare human-first approach in an increasingly AI-driven world.

When developing the app, researchers spent months speaking with people in high-pressure jobs and careers and found that many didn’t want constant instructions or hourly directives from a wellness app. The insight modeled Nebbi’s approach in prompts that read as gentle notifications rather than commands, supported by a streamlined, minimalist feature set.

Features of the app include:

• Daily Emotional Check-Ins using natural language
• Personalized Resets rooted in CBT, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation
• Feedback loops that track what’s helping
• Weekly summaries showing mood trends in natural language
• Gentle reminders designed to encourage, not overwhelm

“One of the tasks I received today was to share a heartfelt moment from my day with someone I care about — and then tick it off once I’d done it,” Kushor explained. “It’s such a simple action, but it nudges you to pause, reflect, and connect in a way that might otherwise be lost in the business of life.”

Nebbi aims to strengthen emotional connection in an era where AI and emotional tech risk replacing human interaction. Westbrook and Kushor designed the app to combine human insight with smart tools, helping users not just manage their emotions but genuinely feel better.

“The reality is, if a wellness tool feels like another ‘should’ on your to-do list, you won’t stick with it,” Kushor said. “People stay engaged when the tool adapts to them rather than making them fit into it. Nebbi is designed as a living, breathing companion — it listens, learns, and adjusts without pressure or judgment. Over time, you see the connection between the small actions you take and how you feel, and that’s incredibly motivating.”

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Too many corporate-startup partnerships fall apart despite everyone starting out with good intentions. Big companies say they want to work with startups. Startups jump at the opportunity to scale their ideas. But a year later, both sides often walk away disappointed and empty-handed.

It doesn’t have to be this way. When done right, these partnerships can unlock enormous value that pays off many times over for both sides. But the key word here is partnership. Too often, corporations treat these relationships as transactions, not collaborations. And startups, for their part, don’t always know how to navigate the maze of corporate expectations and politics.

That may help explain why a 2024 survey of over 800 health-tech decision-makers found that just 15% of corporate-startup collaborations succeed — barely up from 13% five years earlier.

Here’s what I’ve learned about making corporate partnerships actually work.

Related: Startups & Corporates: A Symbiotic Relationship

Don’t go silent after the kickoff

One of the biggest mistakes I see corporations make is treating the startup business partnership like a box to check. They kick off the project, then walk away and expect the startup to deliver magic. I can tell you: That almost never works.

Startups thrive on feedback, iteration and course correction. If you leave them alone for months, you risk missing key opportunities to adjust — or worse, ending up with something that doesn’t fit your needs.

As a startup, don’t be shy about pushing for regular check-ins. Insist on ongoing conversations, even if it feels like you’re nagging. I’ve worked with startups that were afraid to “bother” their corporate sponsor, only to find out months later that they’d gone down the wrong path.

If you’re not talking, you’re headed for trouble.

Watch for the “not invented here” syndrome

Here’s a common attitude trap: Big companies love to say they’re open to outside innovation, but when it comes down to it, I’ve seen many struggle to embrace something they didn’t invent themselves.

When corporate teams subconsciously (or even consciously) resist integrating the startup’s work because it feels foreign, or simply because of an ego reflex, the “not invented here” mindset is getting in the way of innovation.

Startups need to pay attention to this dynamic early. Ask yourself: Is your partner genuinely committed to bringing your innovation inside? Do you see them involving their internal teams? Are they championing your work internally?

If not, that’s a red flag. A partnership where the big company never really intended to adopt your solution is just window dressing and will probably end up being a waste of your time.

Related: When It Comes to Corporate Partnerships, Remember These 5 Relationship Tricks

Don’t let your corporation partnership get buried in bureaucracy

Let’s be honest: Corporations can be slow and bureaucratic. Startups … aren’t.

I’ve seen great startups get bogged down in legal reviews, compliance checklists and approval processes, draining resources and killing momentum. If you bring all the corporate bureaucracy to a startup, they will fail. Trying to find that balance is really important.

As a startup, you need to be honest about what your team can handle. If there are just ten of you and the corporate partner is bogging you down in demands like you’re a big vendor with endless resources, speak up. Don’t be afraid to push back and set clear limits. Whether it’s about timelines, resources or anything else, be clear on what you can deliver.

On the corporate side, the best partnerships happen when the company makes an effort to adapt. Simplify processes and give the startup breathing room to operate. Again, startups beware: If you’re not seeing that kind of flexibility, think carefully about how much you’re willing to tolerate.

This is even more important as corporate interest in startups grows. In 2023, corporate-backed deals already accounted for 19% of global venture funding, and the numbers are growing. This shows just how much big companies rely on these partnerships to drive innovation and how much is at stake if they fail.

Redefine what success looks like

One of the most important mindset shifts for both sides is understanding that success isn’t always about launching a blockbuster product right away.

In some of the best startup partnerships I’ve been a part of, the immediate result wasn’t a shiny new thing on the market. What we learned from a project often helped us to solve a problem elsewhere. So — it was successful.

It was learning. It was building capabilities. It was solving problems elsewhere, sometimes in surprising and unforeseen ways, by using what we discovered together.

I like to say: Don’t measure the partnership just by the end product. Measure it by the progress it enables. By the degree of innovation it brings to your company. That is the kind of mindset that keeps both parties motivated.

Creating this win-win relationship is important. You can apply that to intellectual property, licensing and credit, for example. Too many partnerships fail because one side tries to squeeze too much value out of the other. The result is that in the end, nobody wins.

Startups should make sure their corporate partner values the knowledge and connections that come out of the collaboration, beyond the deliverable itself. These expectations need to be managed from the very beginning in open conversations.

Related: Making Startup-Corporate Partnerships Succeed: The How-To

What you should take away

If you’re a startup thinking about partnering with a big company, here’s my best advice:

• Speak up! Insist on regular meetings as part of the process from day one.

• Be honest about your capacity and set realistic expectations.

• Remember: Success is much more than a glossy product launch.

These partnerships can be transformational. They can open doors you’d never reach on your own — but only if you go in with the right mindset and a true partner.

If you treat it like an actual collaboration, not just a deal, you’ll unlock opportunities others might miss.