Welcome to Markets Desk, here's what's moving right now.
Salesforce is the headline of the session, with shares surging roughly eight percent after the company cleared second-quarter estimates and deepened its partnership with AI lab Anthropic. That Anthropic stake delivered a meaningful profit contribution, and CEO Marc Benioff used the moment to push back on fears that AI would hollow out the software-as-a-service model entirely, calling the company's new AI interface one that thinks, reasons, and acts. Wall Street, for now, is buying it.
Riding that same AI current, Okta popped fifteen percent after topping estimates and reporting that new products accounted for thirty percent of total bookings. The identity security firm closed dozens of AI deals during the period, a signal that as enterprises deploy more autonomous agents and models, the demand to verify who and what is accessing those systems is accelerating, not shrinking.
Away from tech, corn futures rallied to their highest level since August two thousand twenty three, gaining eleven to fourteen cents at midday. A combination of spillover strength in wheat and mounting supply concerns around the domestic crop drove the move, with the national cash price climbing another nine cents. Commodity traders are watching weather and export demand closely heading into the back half of the growing season.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
