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Texas Governor Abbott And Google Make Economic Development Announcement In Midlothian
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai at the Midlothian data center, November 14, 2025 (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Way-Mo-Gems-to-come

Google has smoked the rest of its Big Tech peers this year

Alphabet is top of the BATMMAAN food chain, gaining over 60% in 2025.

David Crowther, Hyunsoo Rim

Sundar Pichai, the most senior Googler of them all, has a lot to be happy about on the work front right now.

Just six months ago, Google was criticized by some investors for being a little lost. Its ultimate cash cow, Google Search, seemed threatened by ChatGPT. Many of its nascent bets were still far from making a positive impact to its bottom line and the US government was still toying with the idea of breaking up the Search-Ads-Maps-Gmail-Chrome-YouTube machine.

But a lot has gone right over the last six months. Most notably, the company has stormed ahead in the AI race, with warm reception to its latest model, Gemini 3 — which even spooked OpenAI’s Sam Altman — sending the stock to record highs at the end of last week, as investors anticipate direct usage of the Gemini chatbot and an even stronger AI-boosted moat around the rest of Google’s vast suite of software products.

That release, combined with the landmark news in September that the nuclear antitrust option — breaking the company up — was essentially off the table, has been the catalyst for a stellar run in Alphabet’s stock, which is now the best-performing BATMMAAN stock in 2025.

Google has notched other wins, too. The company just released a new TPU chip that’s 30x more power efficient than its 2018 version, helping it keep up with its exploding AI compute needs at a time when Nvidia’s chips are hard to come by. Meanwhile, its self-driving arm, Waymo, has rapidly expanded to include freeways and new cities (with a 2,500-car fleet in service that outnumbers Tesla’s robotaxis), its search business is notching record revenues, Google Cloud business is signing deal after deal — most recently with NATO this morning — and YouTube remains the biggest thing on TV.

As one user on social media put it, maybe the next Google... is Google.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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Rocket Lab deal lifts space stocks

Shares of Rocket Lab are surging after announcing an $8 billion acquisition of satellite communications operator Iridium Communications, helping lift a broader basket of space-related stocks as investors piled back into the sector.

Planet Labs, AST SpaceMobile and Redwire all traded higher alongside Rocket Lab, extending gains in an industry that has drawn enhanced investor attention in recent months in light of the strategic importance that governments place on space and satellite communications infrastructure.

In a presentation, Rocket Lab’s management called the purchase “a shortcut” for its satellite communications business.

Under the terms of the agreement, Iridium shareholders will receive $27 in cash and Rocket Lab stock, valuing Iridium at $54 per share. Backed by a $3.6 billion bridge loan committed by Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo, Rocket Lab absorbs Iridium’s globally licensed spectrum and an active base of 2.5 million subscribers.

Rocket Lab has also remained one of the most active launch providers in the sector. The company completed its 12th launch of the year last week, maintaining one of the highest launch cadences among commercial space companies.

Today's rally helps offset a brutal stretch for the group. Rocket Lab shares had fallen over 35% over the prior month, while Planet Labs stock was down more than 40% and AST SpaceMobile stock was down around 30% over the same window.

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