Good morning, you're listening to Markets Desk.
Cisco is under pressure today after earnings raised fresh concerns about the cost of chasing artificial intelligence growth. Analysts are warning that the company's aggressive pivot toward the AI supercycle could squeeze gross margins meaningfully, and the stock is reflecting that anxiety with a notable decline in early trading.
Shifting to energy, Brent crude is sitting at ninety dollars and twenty-eight cents per barrel as of early this morning, down about one dollar and thirty-two cents from yesterday but still running nearly thirty-nine percent above where it was a year ago. That year-over-year surge is keeping inflation conversations alive at the Fed, particularly as input costs ripple through transportation and manufacturing.
And in consumer travel, the premium cabin is getting a makeover — and not entirely in your favor. Airlines are introducing what the industry is calling basic first class, stripping out traditional perks to create a lower entry price point. It broadens the revenue ladder but signals that the race to segment premium passengers is far from over.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
