Muse Wonder Lifts Meta Stock 3.4%: Can Subscriptions Pay for Its AI Spending?

Meta stock (META) rose 3.4% on Monday after the company launched Muse Wonder, its first top-tier frontier AI model. That is roughly a third of the 11% one-day surge Muse enthusiasm sparked in September.  Meta says its benchmarks put Wonder and the larger Muse Wonder Full level with top systems from OpenAI and Anthropic. The smaller reaction suggests investors priced in much of the turnaround during Septembers rally.  Why Did Meta Stock React Less Than It Did to Muse?  Meta climbed even as S&P 500 tech stocks fell 0.9%, according to Bloomberg. Still, the gain trailed September‘s 11% one-day jump on Muse, Meta’s personal AI agent. Shares gained nearly 27% across September.  Sponsored  Sponsored  Meta‘s benchmark comparisons come from its own testing, TechCrunch reported. Muse Wonder Full, the stronger model, is limited to subscribers of Muse Code, Meta’s AI coding tool.  Developers can buy only the smaller Wonder, at $4 per million input tokens, the text units models read. That price sits close to Anthropics Opus 5.5, which suggests a subscription play rather than a developer land grab.  Can Subscriptions Justify the Spending Behind Wonder?  Wonder will soon power the Muse agent, initially for paying subscribers. Oppenheimer analyst Jason Helfstein estimates 115 million subscribers at $20 monthly would yield

18 hours agoIndustry

Wall Street Expects 29.6% Q3 Earnings Growth: Can AI Stocks Deliver?

Wall Street expects S&P 500 earnings to grow 29.6% in the third quarter (Q3). An investment panel from CNBC says guidance from AI-linked tech giants, not that figure, may decide whether the rally holds.  Q3 earnings face a high bar, as FactSet data show growth topping estimates in 37 of the past 40 quarters. An in-line report could therefore disappoint.  Sponsored  Sponsored  Are Q3 Earnings Already Priced In?  One panelist expects the numbers to land roughly as forecast. FactSet shows analysts raised Q3 estimates by 1.4% during the quarter. In contrast, estimates have typically fallen 2.5% during a quarter over the past decade.  So far, 84% of the 19 S&P 500 companies that had reported by Oct. 9 beat estimates.  However, the panelist said guidance is the real test. FactSet projects 15.8% earnings growth for 2027, down from 32.7% in 2026, according to its Earnings Insight report.  Companies have already guided higher. A record 72 S&P 500 firms issued positive Q3 earnings guidance, and 44 of them are technology companies.  One panelist said market reaction may outweigh the data, pointing to Nvidia, whose shares have at times lagged strong results.  Sponsored  Sponsored  Meanwhile, another panelist said over half of S&P 500 stocks sit below their 200-day averages.  Will AI Spending Keep Holding Up

18 hours agoIndustry

KOSPI Drops 5% as China's CXMT Chip Advance Hits Samsung and SK Hynix

South Koreas KOSPI fell nearly 5% to 6,100 on Tuesday morning as Chinese chip progress hit Samsung and SK Hynix. The two chipmakers hold more than half the index by market value.  The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) extends a 3.7% slide on Monday and sits 10.1% lower over five days. Even so, it remains up 44.89% for 2026.  Sponsored  Sponsored  Why Is a Chinese Memory Maker Shaking Korean Stocks?  ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), Chinas largest memory maker, reported progress over the weekend on a denser 4F² chip design.  Its been reported that TrendForce estimates the design could lift memory density by 30% to 50%. CXMT aims to ship server memory built on it by year-end, a higher-value market where Samsung and SK Hynix compete.  Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix each fell roughly 5% by 9:13 a.m. in Seoul. Foreign investors sold a net 341.4 billion won of shares, while individuals and institutions bought.  The Kospi has opened nearly 5% down. Image: Trading View  Micron fell 3.9% and Sandisk 6% in US trading overnight, Bloomberg data showed.  Sponsored  Sponsored  Mondays slide also reflected foreign selling and the near-completion of chipmaker share buybacks, SBS News reported.  Does CXMTs Progress Justify a Selloff This Size?  A Korea Times report says CXMT still struggles to stabilize

18 hours agoIndustry

Record Stocks and 24-Year Yield Highs Push Money Into Bonds, Rewriting 60/40 Portfolio

Bond ETFs have drawn a record $525 billion this year, according to NovaDius Wealth Management president Nate Geraci. Yet many bond categories are posting losses, which strains the 40% bond slice of the 60/40 portfolio.  The 60/40 portfolio holds 60% stocks and 40% bonds. Geraci says record stock prices helped the stock side, but rates at multi-decade highs weighed on the bond side.  Sponsored  Sponsored  Why Are Investors Buying Bonds That Are Losing Money?  NovaDius is a registered investment advisor. Geraci told CNBCs ETF Edge program that more than $75 billion entered fixed income ETFs over the past month.  Geraci said money moved across the yield curve, which plots yields by maturity. Some investors parked cash in short maturities for yields above 4%, while others reached for higher payouts in longer bonds.  However, many bond ETFs remain in the red this year, Geraci said, particularly those with long duration. Duration measures how sharply a bonds price reacts to rate changes.  Meanwhile, State Street Investment Management counted $469 billion of US-listed bond ETF inflows through September, also a record. Geraci did not say which tracker or cutoff date he used.  Sponsored  Sponsored  The S&P 500 set an all-time high on October 6. In the same week, the 10-year Treasury yield touched its

18 hours agoIndustry

Citi Says S&P 500 Needs AI and Non-AI Stocks to Reach 8,100

Citis Scott Chronert says the S&P 500 needs both AI stocks and rate-sensitive sectors to rally to reach 8,100. Only one of those groups is in good standing, by his account.  Chronert, Citi Researchs head of U.S. equity strategy, says AI-linked companies make up just over half of the index. Third-quarter earnings season is getting underway.  Sponsored  Sponsored  Can Rate-Sensitive Stocks Close the Gap?  Citi raised its year-end target to 8,100 from 7,700 in June, citing AI-driven earnings strength. On the AI side, Chronert expects earnings tailwinds to continue through third-quarter reports.  In contrast, Chronert said rate-sensitive sectors have dropped about 10% since the Federal Reserves Jackson Hole symposium in late August.  Those include utilities, real estate, consumer discretionary stocks, and, to a degree, banks.  A rebound hinges on markets pricing out some expected Fed rate hikes, he said. The Fed raised rates by a quarter point on September 16. However, it could raise them again at the October 28 meeting.  Chronert also named the midterm elections as a hurdle the index must clear before year-end.  Sponsored  Sponsored  Meanwhile, Matt Stucky, senior portfolio manager at Northwestern Mutual, expects a positive season. He said consensus points to upper-20s year-over-year earnings growth, versus low 30s in the second quarter.  He said valuation multiples, the price

18 hours agoIndustry

South Korea blocks KuCoin, MEXC and 25 other crypto sites

South Korea has ordered domestic access restrictions on 27 unregistered cryptocurrency exchange websites, including KuCoin, MEXC and BingX, following regulatory reviews held on October 6 and 7.  The Financial Services Commission (FSC) announced on October 13 that the countrys communications review authority had approved the restrictions at the request of its Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The decision extends existing controls on foreign crypto exchange applications to websites operating without the required domestic registration.  The affected platforms include KuCoin, MEXC, Phemex, XT.com, Bitrue, CoinW, Poloniex, BTCC, BingX and BitMart. According to the FIU, the measures cover sites that remain operational despite requests to restrict access to unregistered virtual asset service providers.  South Korea crypto exchange ban extends to websites  Following two rounds of deliberations, the communications review authority approved restrictions covering 27 websites identified by the FIU. Authorities will block domestic access to websites hosted overseas, while sites with domestic servers or operators will face service termination measures.  South Korea Orders Website Blocks on 27 Unregistered Overseas Crypto Exchanges, Including KuCoin, MEXC and BingX  South Koreas Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) announced that the countrys communications review authority has ordered domestic access restrictions on 27…   The latest decision follows South Korea‘s restrictions on foreign crypto exchange apps introduced

18 hours agoIndustry

South Korea moves to block 27 crypto websites, including KuCoin, MEXC

South Korean authorities have approved measures to block domestic access to 27 websites operated by unregistered crypto exchanges and other virtual asset service providers, including KuCoin, MEXC, Phemex and Bitrue.  In an announcement on Tuesday, South Koreas Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) said the decision followed reviews by the Korea Media and Communications Standards Commission on Oct. 6 and 7.  The list also includes CoinW, BTCC, BitMart, BingX, DigiFinex and others. The block applies to crypto platforms that have not registered under the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information, the countrys anti-money laundering legislation.  “With this decision, blocking measures against illegal virtual asset operators will also apply to internet websites, following apps such as those on Apple and Google,” the FIU said, according to a translation.  The measures involve terminating services hosted domestically or blocking access to websites operated overseas.  The move follows earlier restrictions on mobile apps. Cointelegraph reported in April 2025 that South Korea had blocked downloads and updates for 14 unregistered crypto exchange apps on Apples App Store, following restrictions on 17 apps through Google Play.  The FIU said authorities assess whether overseas operators target Korean customers by looking at whether platforms offer Korean-language services, market to South Korean users or

19 hours agoIndustry

Meta claims new Muse Wonder AI models rival OpenAI, Anthropic

Meta has unveiled two new artificial intelligence models, Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, which it called its most capable models to date and a step toward “personal superintelligence.”  Meta on Monday said the models introduce two capabilities Meta calls Active Memory and Active Focus. The first carries relevant information across conversations, and the second helps the agent sustain work on difficult tasks.  Independent evaluation platform Artificial Analysis scored Wonder Full at 56 on its Intelligence Index and the standard Wonder at 52, both at maximum reasoning effort.  That puts Full above Claude Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra, which each scored 53, but below Claude Opus 5.5s 58.  Bindu Reddy, CEO of Abacus.AI, which conducts its own model evaluations, challenged the performance claims, writing on X that Muse Wonder was “nowhere near Fable or Astra level” and said detailed benchmark results would follow.  Metas new models are its most expensive to date, with the standard Wonder model charging $4 per million input tokens, matching Claude Opus 5.5 but undercutting GPT-6 Astra and Claude Fable 5.1, which charge $10 and $50 respectively.  Wonder Full is available only to people who subscribe to Muse Codes $50 a month “power usage” or $200 a month “maximum usage” tiers.  Related: Global

20 hours agoIndustry

Meta launches Muse Wonder AI models, challenging top rivals

Meta has unveiled two new artificial intelligence models, Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, which it called its most capable models to date and a step toward “personal superintelligence.”  Meta on Monday said the models introduce two capabilities Meta calls Active Memory and Active Focus. The first carries relevant information across conversations, and the second helps the agent sustain work on difficult tasks.  Independent evaluation platform Artificial Analysis scored Wonder Full at 56 on its Intelligence Index and the standard Wonder at 52, both at maximum reasoning effort.  That puts Full above Claude Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra, which each scored 53, but below Claude Opus 5.5s 58.  Bindu Reddy, CEO of Abacus.AI, which conducts its own model evaluations, challenged the performance claims, writing on X that Muse Wonder was “nowhere near Fable or Astra level” and said detailed benchmark results would follow.  Metas new models are its most expensive to date, with the standard Wonder model charging $4 per million input tokens, matching Claude Opus 5.5 but undercutting GPT-6 Astra and Claude Fable 5.1, which charge $10 and $50 respectively.  Wonder Full is available only to people who subscribe to Muse Codes $50 a month “power usage” or $200 a month “maximum usage” tiers.  Related: Global

20 hours agoIndustry

Aptos rolls out Encrypted Mempool to curb frontrunning, sandwich attacks

Layer-1 blockchain Aptos has launched an optional new feature that could help shield traders from attacks involving maximal extractable value (MEV), including frontrunning and sandwich attacks.  On Monday, Aptos said its Encrypted Mempool feature is now live on its mainnet, allowing users to opt in to keep pending transactions encrypted until their block ordering is finalized. Aptos said the feature was built for institutions submitting large transactions to the chain, traders wanting to avoid MEV risk, AI agents and builders.  “When you send a transaction on any major chain today, anyone watching the network can see the details before it executes, the function you‘re calling, the assets and amounts involved, and the contracts you’re interacting with,” Aptos said. “Bots use that visibility to trade against you or copy your strategy.”  Sandwich attacks, one form of MEV attack, cost Ethereum traders about $60 million over the 12 months through October 2025, according to Cointelegraphs analysis of EigenPhi data. On Solana, sandwich attacks generated $29.7 million for bots over an 11-month period examined by Bitquery, which identified nearly 6.9 million attacks affecting about 2.2 million wallets.  How Encrypted Mempool works  When a user opts in, a compatible wallet or app encrypts the transaction‘s contents on their device

21 hours agoIndustry
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