Welcome to Markets Desk, here's what's moving the needle right now.
Amazon is on the doorstep of an extraordinarily exclusive club. The stock needs to climb less than two percent to push the company's market cap above three trillion dollars, a threshold only four other companies in history have ever crossed. That momentum is real and the market is watching closely.
Shifting from equities to geopolitics, and the two are connected more than they might appear — China hosted Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing Wednesday, his first visit since the outbreak of the Iran war. The timing is pointed, arriving just days before President Trump's high-stakes regional trip, and it signals Beijing is actively positioning itself as a counterweight in the diplomatic landscape.
Meanwhile, the Musk versus OpenAI trial is generating more than headlines. Cofounder Greg Brockman returned for a second day of testimony, painting a vivid picture of how Elon Musk moved from enthusiastic backer to bitter rival in a dispute over control. Brockman's account traces the fracture to the summer of two thousand seventeen, and the courtroom drama is sharpening public scrutiny over who ultimately governs the development of advanced artificial intelligence.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
