#alphabet

#alphabet

The S&P 500 is down 0.5%, or by 33 points. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is down 0.36%, or by $2.32. The Dow is down 0.45%, or by 208 points. The Nasdaq is down 0.73%, or by 173 points.

Kaley, a 20-year-old who alleged that social media harmed her childhood by addicting her and keeping her on platforms like Instagram for up to 16 hours a day, won $3 million in damages.

Alphabet said on Wednesday it was targeting capital expenditure of $175 billion to $185 billion this year, in yet another aggressive ramp-up in spending from the Google parent as it deepens its investments to push ahead in the AI race. Analysts on average had expected Alphabet to spend about $115.26 billion this year, according to data compiled by LSEG. Shares of the company fell more than 6% in extended trading.

There are numerous ways to bet on AI (artificial intelligence). But two paths are particularly intriguing: the AI technology suppliers and the beneficiaries of AI at scale. In other words, you can buy the company selling the "picks and shovels," or the chips and systems powering AI. Or, alternatively, you can invest in a company that integrates AI into existing products, services, and infrastructure used by billions of people.

Shares rose as much as 1.7% to $334.04, translating to a market cap of $4 trillion. The company recently overtook Apple Inc. to become the second-largest firm, behind Nvidia Corp. Only Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft Corp. have topped the $4 trillion barrier, and Nvidia remains the lone company to ever crest $5 trillion. Monday's gain came after CNBC reported that Apple had picked the company's Gemini to run an AI-powered version of its Siri digital assistant.

Alphabet Inc. has overtaken Apple Inc. to become the second-most valuable company by market capitalization, a reflection of how the Google parent has emerged as one of the most significant winners of artificial intelligence. Shares of Alphabet rose 2.4% on Wednesday, closing with a valuation of $3.89 trillion. That allowed it to surpass Apple, which closed with a market cap of $3.85 trillion on Wednesday, following a six-day slump that erased nearly 5% and almost $200 billion off its value.

Alphabet is one of the world's most dominant technology platforms, operating a global portfolio of services spanning Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Cloud, and digital advertising infrastructure. The company controls the largest share of global search traffic and online video consumption, giving it unparalleled data scale and monetization power. Alphabet's business is reinforced by deep network effects, massive computing infrastructure, and expanding AI capabilities across consumer, enterprise, and cloud workloads.

Shares of Meta Platforms have advanced 13% year to date, bringing its market value to $1.6 trillion. Meanwhile, shares of Google parent Alphabet have advanced 64%, bringing the company's market value to $3.7 trillion. Three top hedge fund managers bought both stocks in the third quarter. Israel Englander of Millennium Management added 793,500 shares of Meta Platforms and 2.2 million shares of Alphabet. Both stocks rank among his top 10 holdings.

Alphabet's cofounders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, are worth $265 billion and $246 billion each as of Monday's close, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. They're the second- and third-richest people on the planet, behind only Elon Musk and his $638 billion net worth. Page and Brin have added $97 billion and $88 billion to their respective fortunes since the start of January, for a joint wealth gain of $185 billion, the rich list shows.

Investing in the stock market is an excellent way to build lasting wealth over the long term. By leveraging the power of compounding returns, you can grow your nest egg into a significant amount of money for retirement or other financial goals in mind. There are many approaches to investing, but one popular option is investing in growth stocks. These stocks tend to be fast-growing companies that are disrupting industries, leveraging technology, or tapping into previously underserved markets.