Visa, Google, and Stripe have become premier members of the x402 Foundation, which is developing a new protocol to enable AI agents to make micropayments directly over the web without human intervention or subscriptions. The protocol, named after the HTTP 402 status code for 'payment required,' aims to overcome traditional card fee barriers that made small payments uneconomical. By creating an open standard under the Linux Foundation, the initiative seeks to avoid dominance by any single company and potentially transform online content funding from ads to tiny payments per request. However, the success depends on widespread adoption and companies allowing AI agents to spend within set limits, which remains unproven.
Oil prices have risen to $82 per barrel due to geopolitical tensions, low reserves, and the upcoming U.S. elections, creating economic challenges. Meanwhile, AI-related technology stocks continue to report strong earnings but are now facing increased...
Meta reported strong ad revenue growth but saw a 14.42% EPS miss and margin compression due to rising costs and legal charges, signaling short-term pain from heavy AI investment. Alphabet outperformed on revenue and EPS, driven by an 82% surge in Goo...
After holding a record $397.4 billion cash pile and selling stocks for 14 consecutive quarters, Berkshire Hathaway has shifted strategy. In Q2 2026, under CEO Greg Abel, the company became a net buyer of stocks again, purchasing about $20 billion mor...
