The latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

1204 ET - AppLovin doesn't face a threat with Google's new Project Genie, Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey says. On Friday, Google launched Genie, a platform that gives users AI tools to build their own mobile and video games, sending down shares of AppLovin, as well as gaming platforms Roblox and Unity Software. Hickey says AppLovin investors shouldn't worry, though, because the company is no longer competing directly with game makers. Instead, it makes its money from advertising on mobile games. Hickey thinks Genie will bring more games to app stores, creating higher content volume and expanding advertiser demand for AppLovin. Shares rise 3%. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1138 ET - Chris Marangi, co-chief investment officer of value at Gabelli Funds, says that he's surprised to see Disney shares trading lower. "If you dropped in from another planet and saw operating income down 9% and adjusted EPS down 7%, you'd probably say that's not great," he says in a note. "But in the fuller context, those are actually pretty solid numbers as the company transitions from traditional linear distribution to direct-to-consumer." Disney has done a good job navigating the challenges facing the secular media business, and the company is outperforming many of its competitors, Marangi says. Meanwhile, the value of its Experiences unit, which includes theme parks and cruises, is likely to continue to grow as AI increasingly dominates the media landscape. Shares fall 4%. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1124 ET - Grubhub's decision to remove delivery and service fees for orders above $50 doesn't pose a threat to DoorDash, Wedbush analysts write in a note. DoorDash's average order is about $31, less than Grubhub's no-fee threshold, they note. "We think the change reflects an irrational decision by a small player that has ceded what was once a sizeable share to its peers," they write, noting Bloomberg estimates that Grubhub's market share has fallen to 4% while Doordash's shares has risen to 71%. They also expect the move to be temporary, calling it unsustainable given Grubhub's comparatively weak capitalization. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1019 ET - Strong computing demand for servers and PCs should allow AMD to beat 4Q and 1Q guidance estimates and gives the company a near-term cushion to settle uncertainty about its artificial-intelligence roadmap, Wedbush analysts Matt Bryson and Antoine Legault write in a note. The company's valuation has hinged on assumptions about the company's AI opportunities, they write, but near-term strength in traditional CPUs creates some wiggle room. "We believe the shift in demand dynamics has potentially created an intermediate term tailwind that should create a bit more leeway for AMD to execute its AI strategy," they write. AMD is up 5%. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1018 ET - The advent of AI-driven video game creation, including the recent release of Google's Project Genie, creates near-term and structural risk for Roblox, Benchmark's Mike Hickey writes in a note. "While AI-native creation aligns conceptually with Roblox's strategy of lowering creation friction, it also accelerates content saturation, increases competition for developer attention, and raises the longer-term possibility of AI-first platforms emerging as competing game ecosystems," Hickey says. Roblox's existing AI capabilities might not be enough to offset the appeal of a purpose-build, AI creation platforms with more autonomy and faster iteration among other things, Hickey says. The company may also need to continue raising developer payouts to retain talent, he adds, extending the recent trend of higher development costs and reinforcing margin pressure. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1005 ET - Disney CEO Bob Iger says he feels as though he's leaving the company on stronger footing than when he stepped back into the top role three years ago. "When I came back three years ago, I had a tremendous amount that needed fixing," he says. "But anyone who runs a company also knows that it can't just be about fixing, it has to be about preparing a company for its future and taking steps to create opportunities for growth." Iger says he's taken those steps, such as by laying out plans for expansion across all of Disney's theme parks. His expectation for his successor is to build on those growth plans, as the world continues to grow and evolve. "In a world that changes as much as it does… trying to preserve the status quo is a mistake," he says." (connor.hart@wsj.com)

0952 ET - Disney CEO Bob Iger says on a call with analysts that the ongoing battle between Paramount Skydance and Netflix over Warner Bros. Discovery should emphasize to investors the tremendous value of intellectual property. Iger, who during his tenure as CEO orchestrated several deals to expand Disney's IP, says he's not currently interested in acquiring additional properties. Rather, Disney is focused on growing the value of its existing IP through investments across the business, such as the company's parks, where it is wrapping up construction on a land themed to "Frozen" in Paris. Iger also says "Zootopia land in Shanghai is enormous in terms of both its size and its value," adding, "the percentage of people that go to Shanghai Disneyland just to go to Zootopia land is very, very high." (connor.hart@wsj.com)

0754 ET - Oracle's plan to raise $45 billion to $50 billion through a combination of debt and equity should ease investor concerns about the company relying too much on debt, says Mizuho analyst Siti Panigrahi. Despite the modest stock dilution, "Oracle's decision to tap the equity market should help alleviate pressure from the recent widening of Oracle [credit default swap] spreads and reduce fears of over-reliance on debt financing," Panigrahi says. Meanwhile, the company's indication that the debt it will raise will come from a one-time investment-grade bond issuance "alleviates concerns about future funding at sub-investment-grade levels," he says. (nicholas.miller@wsj.com)

0741 ET - Disney guides for modest growth across its experiences business, which includes theme parks and cruises, in the current quarter due in part to "international visitation headwinds at our domestic parks." CFO Hugh Johnston, in an interview with WSJ, declined to detail the reasons for the slowdown, which comes as the Trump administration's diplomatic tensions with allies, as well as policies such as tariffs and enhanced visa vetting, have raised concerns about foreign tourism. Johnston says the company is shifting more of its marketing efforts for California's Disneyland and Florida's Walt Disney World to domestic visitors in response. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

0729 ET - Disney's entertainment business--which includes its movie studios, TV division and streaming services--posts higher revenue in its latest quarter, though operating income slipped. The entertainment giant says it benefited from higher subscription fees and subscriber growth across its streaming platforms, as well as holiday hits at the box office. "We delivered strong box office performance in calendar year 2025 with billion-dollar hits like 'Zootopia 2' and 'Avatar: Fire and Ash,' franchises that generate value across many of our businesses," CEO Bob Iger says. Operating income fell, though, hurt by higher production, marketing, distribution and technology costs. Disney is up 1.3% premarket. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

0719 ET - Disney's experiences unit, which includes its parks and cruises, notches what the company calls record quarterly revenue of $10 billion and operating income of $3.3 billion. Attendance across Disney's domestic parks was up 1% during the recent quarter, while per capita spending was up 4%. The company also benefited from an uptick in passenger cruise days, attendance and occupied room nights across its cruising business. Operating income grew despite higher costs tied to new guest offerings, such as the fleet expansion of Disney's cruise line and inflation and increased operational costs. Disney rises 2.3% premarket. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

0623 ET - Oracle's fundraising plans could pressure margins and weigh on the company's earnings per share, analysts at Jefferies write. The cloud-computing provider said it plans to raise $45 billion to $50 billion through a mixture of debt and equity in order to fund its artificial-investment operations. Those plans would also dilute shareholders' stock while the risk of delays on projects for major AI customers would further reduce margins, the analysts write. However, the announcement aids the company's balance sheet credibility and provides "the flexibility to scale more aggressively and stay on track to hit its [fiscal 2030] financial targets," the analysts say. Oracle shares trade down 3.25% premarket. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 02, 2026 12:20 ET (17:20 GMT)

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