Alphabet rises 10% post-earnings on AI confidence; Meta falls 9%, Apple strong but cautious on AI; Intel soars, Microsoft dips.

Alphabet's stock surged 10% after earnings, driven by strong investor confidence in its AI strategy and higher capital spending. In contrast, Meta's shares dropped 9% due to concerns over its slower AI progress and costly Metaverse investments. Apple showed solid earnings growth, especially in iPhone and services revenue, but its future depends on new product innovation and AI potential. Intel's stock hit a new high, surpassing its dotcom peak amid turnaround optimism, while Microsoft declined despite beating earnings, weighed down by uncertainties around Azure growth and its OpenAI partnership. Robinhood fell on crypto trading weakness. The tech sector's mixed results reflect varying investor confidence in AI and growth prospects amid economic and geopolitical uncertainties.