Alphabet, Google's parent company, posted a strong first-quarter profit, with results driven by its growing bets on artificial intelligence. The stock rose to new highs following the earnings release, reflecting investor confidence in the company's AI strategy. Google has been embedding AI across its core products and cloud services, and those investments appear to be translating into financial results. The company has committed significant capital to AI infrastructure, including data centers and custom chips, and the revenue gains suggest that spending is beginning to pay off. Cloud computing, where AI tools command premium pricing, is a key driver of the profit growth. Investors are watching whether Alphabet can sustain this momentum as competition in AI intensifies, particularly from Microsoft and Amazon in the cloud segment. Any guidance on future capital spending and revenue growth from AI products will be closely tracked in the quarters ahead.
Indian startups raised $5.2 billion across 501 deals in H1 2026, down 9% in value but up 7% in deal count year-on-year, per the Inc42 Indian Tech Startup Funding Report. The drop is driven by fewer mega-rounds, while AI funding surged 317% and growth-stage deal activity hit a multi-year high.
The BSE Sensex fell 893 points and the Nifty 50 shed 279 points on June 30, 2026, wiping out roughly Rs 6 lakh crore in investor wealth in a single session. Both indices dropped 1.16%, closing at 76,200.68 and 23,824.10 respectively.
Kotak Mahindra Bank shares fell nearly 3% to Rs 397.6 after CEO Ashok Vaswani announced plans to exit the bank. Investor concern now centres on succession timing and whether the bank's ongoing digital and deposit-growth strategy will stay on track.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 3% at Monday's open while Japan's Nikkei fell 1%, as escalating US-Iran conflict triggered a broad risk-off move across Asian markets. South Korea's heavy reliance on Middle East oil imports makes it especially vulnerable to geopolitical shocks of this kind.
