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- Best Buy takes the fight to Amazon and Walmart
- Best Buy launches new gaming hub ahead of 'Zelda' and 'Grand Theft Auto VI'
Best Buy is launching Best Buy Gamers, a beta online destination for gamers offering articles, reviews, live event updates and tech deals, built with IGN. The retailer says tens of millions of gamers shop with it each year, and the launch comes ahead of the Nov. 5 release of Nintendo's remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and the Nov. 19 launch of Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto VI. Gaming has become a growth driver as Best Buy works to revive slumping sales hit by tariffs and lower consumer confidence, and incoming CEO Jason Bonfig expects GTA VI demand to boost the category. Best Buy is also opening a gaming-focused in-store experience in Torrance, California, next month, with Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft offering activations. The company says it will adjust the platform based on customer feedback.
- Which Dates Could Move Walmart Stock Most?
Walmart stock returned 11.4% over the past month, while the S&P 500 slipped 1.0%, though it remains down 7.3% over six months. Management has guided for 3% to 3.75% sales growth in fiscal Q3 2027, which will be reported in November 2026, and expects Flipkart's Big Billion Days event to cut more than 100 basis points from that quarter's sales growth, with a similar amount added in fiscal Q4. Drug price rules are expected to cut about 125 basis points from Walmart U.S. comparable sales in fiscal 2027, and management expects more than $2 billion of extra fuel-related costs beyond its original plan, against $32.3 billion of operating income over the last twelve months. Walmart raised its full-year fiscal 2027 sales growth guidance to 4% to 5%, and its February 2027 report will show whether it meets that target. The stock's largest fall over the past year was 23.5%, from May 19 to August 27, 2026, with a 9.2% drop on August 20.
- Can Walmart's New Bundled Subscription Beat Amazon?
Walmart is offering a combined Walmart+ and Sam's Club Plus membership for $120 per year, $100 less than the two programs priced separately and $19 less than Amazon Prime's $139. The bundle includes free delivery, 2% Sam's Cash on select purchases, $0.10 off per gallon of gas, and a choice of Peacock or Paramount+, but it is annual-only with no free trial or monthly option. The author says the bundle is unlikely to displace Amazon Prime, but argues Walmart does not need to beat Amazon to benefit, since the offer strengthens its flywheel and advertising business. Shoppers who are members spend roughly four times as much as non-members at Walmart, and the stock, up nearly 6% year to date, trades at about 40 times forward and trailing earnings. E-commerce grew 23% and membership grew 17% in the fiscal 2027 second quarter.
- Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) Shares Up 2.8% – Time to Buy?
Walmart shares rose 2.8% on Thursday, trading as high as $121.18 and last at $121.12, from a prior close of $117.80. Volume of 27,516,999 shares was 10% above the average of 24,985,637. The article points to consumer-staples demand during October's rally, Agent Gateway tools that let third-party AI agents shop for customers, and a $120 Walmart+ and Sam's Club bundle, while Kroger's plan to spend $5 billion on lower prices and AI-driven job cuts could pressure Walmart's margins. Several analysts adjusted targets: UBS cut its target from $141.00 to $130.00, JPMorgan from $137.00 to $125.00, and Jefferies reiterated a 'buy' rating with a $120.00 target. The consensus rating is 'Buy' with an average target price of $132.41.
- Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) Stock Price Up 2.8% – Still a Buy?
Walmart shares rose 2.8% in mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching a high of $121.18 and last trading at $121.12, up from a prior close of $117.80. Volume of 27,516,999 shares was 10% above the average of 24,985,637. The article cites demand for consumer-staples stocks during October's rally, Agent Gateway tools that let third-party AI agents shop for customers, and a $120 Walmart+ and Sam's Club bundle, while a premium valuation and Kroger's plan to invest $5 billion in lower prices and cut corporate jobs using AI could pressure Walmart's margins. The analyst consensus is 'Buy' with an average target price of $132.41, and the latest quarter showed EPS of $0.81 versus a $0.74 estimate and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year.
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- Canada opens consultation on stablecoins, citing US GENIUS Act
The Canadian government has opened a 60-day public consultation on proposed regulations for stablecoin issuers that are not financial institutions, with comments accepted until Dec. 23. The draft proposes barring interest or yield payments, requiring redemption within three business days of tokenholder requests, and capping fees at 1% of the coins' total value. The rules fall under Canada's Stablecoin Act, passed in March, and are intended to take effect in fall 2027, when non-financial issuers would have to register with the Bank of Canada before issuing stablecoins. The framework aims to stay consistent with US and other jurisdictions' stablecoin rules to reduce the regulatory burden on multi-jurisdictional issuers. Meanwhile, the US GENIUS Act is scheduled to take effect in January 2027, and the EU's MiCA could give exchanges until January to halt services for non-compliant stablecoins, likely including Tether's USDT.
- AI Agents Found a Way Into Anthropic's Business Systems in Under 12 Hours
Cathedral, a cybersecurity startup founded by four former staffers of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), says its AI agents reached Anthropic's internal systems in less than 12 hours by exploiting weaknesses in third-party administrative and sales software rather than Claude itself. Anthropic confirmed access to a limited set of sales, HR and IT systems holding business contact details and basic user account records, but says customer conversations, Claude responses, source code and model weights were not reached. Anthropic said Cathedral overstated the national security implications and did not disclose all of its activity, while Cathedral said it kept data access to the absolute minimum. A senior Trump administration official, speaking anonymously, said the report has circulated in government and raised national security concerns.
- Will Bitcoin Hit $100,000 Before the End of 2026?
Bitcoin is down about 10% so far in 2026 and has not reached $100,000 this year, after falling below $60,000 earlier and rallying about 27% since the start of August. The recent rally was driven by concerns over U.S. debt and higher bond yields, which pushed investors toward Bitcoin as an alternative to the dollar. However, the price has recently slipped amid possible profit-taking and renewed fears about market stability. Bitcoin reached around $80,000 in May before giving back those gains. The author expects headwinds such as possible rate increases and a potentially split Congress after the midterm elections, which could hinder crypto-friendly reform, so he does not anticipate a return to $100,000 anytime soon.
- SoFi Stock Lost 82% Once Before, Then Rose About Sevenfold. It's More Than 50% Below Its High Again.
SoFi stock once dropped 82% before soaring 650% about three years later to reach new highs, but it now sits 54% below that peak after just a few months. Q2 adjusted net revenue rose 40% year over year to $1.2 billion, EPS increased from $0.08 to $0.12, and the company added 1.1 million members (up 35%) and 2.2 million products (up 42%), with 51% of new products coming from existing customers. Tech Platform sales keep declining after the loss of a major customer, and management did not raise net income guidance even though it raised revenue guidance. The stock trades at a P/E of 31 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.7, and it faces competition from legacy banks and digital rivals such as Ally, Happen and Nu Holdings. The author thinks SoFi could return to its previous highs but it may take time, and the stock could move when it reports earnings on Tuesday.
- Why Ambev S.A. Dropped Today
Ambev shares fell 15.5% on Monday, not because of company-specific financials but after far-left candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva unexpectedly won Brazil's presidential runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro, whom investors had been betting on. Ambev had rallied after Bolsonaro led the first round on Oct. 4 with 47% to Lula's 45%, but Lula won the second round 51.8% to 48.2%, the first time since 1988 that the first-round leader did not win. Lula has promised large welfare payments and may increase business regulation, which triggered a sell-off in Brazil's currency and bonds, raising inflation risk and reducing the value of Ambev's real-denominated earnings in U.S. dollar terms. Ambev trades at a 14.7 P/E and a 4.1% dividend yield, and the company reports third-quarter earnings on Thursday, Oct. 29.
- 1 Reason to Buy Meta Stock Now and Hold for the Long Term
Meta Platforms, which earns nearly all its revenue from ads, was down about 10% from its September high of $779.82 as of Oct. 22, despite 26% year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter. The author sees the dip as a buying opportunity because non-ad revenue from its apps rose 59% to $1.1 billion, driven by WhatsApp paid messaging and subscriptions, and Meta One has passed 15 million subscriptions and trials, growing more than twice as fast as the company overall. CFO Susan Li said new AI businesses could start contributing to revenue growth in 2027. The main near-term headwind is capital expenditures of up to $145 billion this year, and the stock trades at about 19 times analysts' 2027 earnings estimate, roughly in line with the S&P 500's forward multiple of 19.3.
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