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Alphabet announced its first-ever dividend on Thursday and a $70 billion stock buyback, cheering investors who sent the stock surging nearly 16% after the bell. The Google parent is returning capital while spending billions of dollars on data centers to catch up with rivals on generative artificial intelligence. The dividend will be 20 cents per share.

Intel forecast second-quarter revenue and profit below market estimates on Thursday, sending its shares tumbling roughly 8% as it faces weak demand for its traditional data center and PC chips and trails in the surging market for AI components. Businesses have prioritized spending on advanced and speedy artificial intelligence server chips, hurting demand for Intel's central processing units (CPUs), which have been the mainstay chip powering data centers for decades.

A South Korean prosecutor was jailed for leaking sensitive information in a high-profile crypto fraud case, domestic media outlets reported on April 25.

Tech Mahindra, country's fifth largest IT services firm, reported a decline in net profit of 40.9% year-on-year (YoY) to `661 crore primarily driven by slowdown in its telecom, communications, media and entertainment business, which is its largest vertical with 36.5% market share. The profit stood at Rs 1,118 crore in last year's March quarter. Sequentially, profit grew 29.6% from Rs 510 crore in the December quarter because of a one-off gain. The Pune-headquartered firm’s consolidated revenue from operations fell 6.2% YoY to Rs 12,871.30 crore from Rs 13,718 crore in March quarter of FY23. Sequentially, it dipped by 1.7% from Rs 13,101 crore in the preceding quarter.

Axis Bank and other banking stocks. While the S&P BSE Sensex settled at 74,339.44, up by 486.50 points or 0.66%, the broader Nifty closed at 22,570.35, gaining 168 points or 0.75%. In today's trade, shares of Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Finserv, HCL Technologies, Eveready Industries, SBI Cards and Payment Services, SBI Life Insurance Company, Vedanta and Bajaj Finance among others will be in focus due to various related developments or quarterly earnings.

private equity fund Advent International is among investors in discussions to acquire a minority stake in Apollo 24/7, the digital healthcare platform of Apollo Hospitals, said two people aware of the development. The buyer is likely to invest about Rs 2,100 crore ($250 million), valuing the subsidiary at about Rs 17,000 crore ($2 billion). Apollo 24/7 is part of Apollo HealthCo, a subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals. HealthCo also houses the pharmacy distribution business and a 25.5% interest in Apollo Pharmacy. It accounts for about 40% of Apollo Hospitals’ revenue. The promoters have been in discussions with various investors to dilute a minority stake in the pharmacy subsidiary for the last couple of years. Talks were previously held with Amazon,

The move would make Hong Kong the first domicile in the Asia-Pacific region to approve a crypto-backed, exchange-based investment fund. It would also put the island in prime position in the race to become the digital assets hib for the region.

Microsoft has reported that its profit rose 20% for the January-March quarter as it tries to position itself as a leader in applying artificial intelligence technology to make workplaces more productive

Google’s corporate parent Alphabet Inc. has released a quarterly report showing it’s still reaping double-digit revenue gains from its digital advertising empire while sowing potentially lucrative new ground in artificial intelligence

It's now illegal to sell weight-loss and muscle-building supplements to minors in New York

UFO while her flight was above New York, as per a report in New York Post. The Federal Aviation Administration has informed the Post that they were looking into the issue of the flying object. The commercial airline flight passenger has been identified as Michelle Reyes. Reyes on her Facebook claimed that she witnessed «flying cylinder» from the window of the aircraft while flying above LaGuardia Airport on March 25. She also shared a video of the incident.

Players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour amid lucrative recruitment by Saudi-funded LIV Golf are starting to find out how much that loyalty could be worth. The PGA Tour on Wednesday began contacting the 193 players eligible for the USD 930 million from a "Player Equity Program" under the new PGA Tour Enterprises. The bulk of that money — USD 750 million — went to 36 players based on their career performance, the last five years and how they fared in a recent program that measured their star power. How much they received was not immediately known. Emails were going out Wednesday afternoon and Thursday informing players of what they would get. One person who saw a list of how the equity shares were doled out said the names had been redacted. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because many details of the program were not made public.

Harvey Weinstein, the former film producer who had been convited for rape and sex crimes, has achieved a significant legal victory. According to a report by The Associated Press, his 2020 rape conviction has been overturned by the New York Court of Appeal. However, the decision has sparked a fresh wave of controversy and uncertainty regarding his future legal battles and the ongoing ordeal for survivors of sexual assault.

California, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico have been slapped with failing grades for ozone pollution, short term fine particle pollution and annual particle pollution levels, Fox Weather reported quoting American Lung Association 2024 study. The areas also include prominent urban cities and localities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Salt Lake, Sacramento, as per the research report. According to recent data, a staggering 131.2 million Americans, which translates to two in five individuals, reside in cities with failing air quality grades. Among these cities, thirty received failing grades specifically for ozone and particle pollution.

A disappointing earnings report from Meta Platforms Inc. has technology investors on edge ahead of results from some of the stock market’s biggest and most important companies in the coming days.

Stocks that are trading heavily or have substantial price changes on Thursday: Meta Platforms, O’Reilly Automotive fall; Chipotle, TransUnion rise

Adani Green Energy, which is looking to develop a 25 gigawatt portfolio by 2025, is in advanced talks with Rabobank, MUFG, SMBC and DBS for a $400 million loan, according to people familiar with the development. The loan is likely to be priced at a secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) plus 250 basis points with a five-year tenor, they said. A basis point is a hundredth of a percentage point. The renewable energy arm of Adani Group will use the funds for capital expenditure, said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified.

Politicians try to catch a wink in between their busy schedules. But recently Raju Waghmare, a former Congressman who is now in Shiv Sena, dozed off right in the middle of a press conference addressed by Neelam Gorhe in Shirdi. A little later, Gorhe sternly asked him in Marathi ‘utha atha’ (wake up now) and Waghmare was jolted out of slumber. There’s a lot in a name

TikTok ban bill, setting a firm deadline for ByteDance, the parent company of the popular video-sharing app, to sell its U.S. operations. The bill, passed by the U.S. Senate, imposes a deadline of January 24, 2025, for ByteDance to complete the sale process or face potential repercussions.

economic performance" continues to be backed by resilient growth, robust economic activity indicators, price stability and steady external sector performance, the finance ministry said Thursday. However, geopolitical tensions such as those roiling West Asia, remain a concern although risk perceptions over them have softened, offering a potential upside for growth, the ministry said in its monthly economic report for March. The global economic landscape is seeing a gradual resurgence, with fading fears of recession and rebounding growth in major economies, it said. But regional disparities in terms of the pace of growth still exist. India continues to exhibit a robust economic performance, despite global uncertainties, due to factors such as strong domestic demand, robust investment and sustained manufacturing momentum, the ministry said.

Interest rates could remain higher than expected in 2024 and 2025 as global commodity prices level off, the World Bank said in a report released Thursday. The report also noted that a significant flare-up in the Middle East could further stoke global inflation. «A key force for disinflation-falling commodity prices has essentially hit a wall. That means interest rates could remain higher than currently expected this year and next. The world is at a vulnerable moment: a major energy shock could undermine much of the progress in reducing inflation over the past two years,» said Indermit Gill, chief economist, World Bank. The World Bank's index of commodity prices has remained unchanged since mid-2023. The new Commodity Outlook projects prices are expected to decline 3% in 2024 and 4% in the following year.