Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on what's moving markets and money.
Fiserv took a hard hit today after the financial services giant slashed its full-year outlook and warned that organic revenue growth could turn negative in two thousand twenty six. That kind of forward guidance reset is never well-received on the floor, and investors responded accordingly, sending shares sharply lower.
Shifting to London, Diageo surged roughly six percent after the world's largest spirits maker unveiled a one billion dollar cost-cutting program. The parent of Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan, and Guinness acknowledged the restructuring will carry a one point two billion dollar charge, but markets read the discipline as a signal that management is serious about margin recovery after a rough stretch.
And in Tokyo, SoftBank posted earnings that beat expectations, though not for the reasons many anticipated. The OpenAI relationship drew headlines, but it was the Japanese conglomerate's position in Intel that did the heavy lifting this quarter, a reminder that in a portfolio this sprawling, the surprise catalyst is rarely the one everyone was watching.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
