SpaceX rockets set new launch record in 2023

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Oct. 13, 2023. Chandan Khanna | AFP | Getty Images Elon Musk’s SpaceX smashed its previous annual record for orbital rocket launches, pulling off 96 successful missions in 2023 at a blistering average launch pace … Read more

Only 2 are in the Magnificent Seven

It was a big rebound year for stocks. The S & P 500 gained 24%, while the Dow rose 14% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose more than 43%. All three major averages were coming off big losses in 2022. Our portfolio of 33 stocks also bounced back. Throughout the year, we held onto our conviction … Read more

In new world of AI, same old data privacy tradeoff for consumers

All the dominant technology companies are integrating generative AI into their online services, from Google to Meta, Microsoft and Apple. Google’s recent integrations of Bard, its chat-based AI tool, with a host of Google apps and services is one example of moving generative AI more directly into consumer life via text, image, and voice interactions. … Read more

Apple underperformed mega-cap peers in 2023 due to revenue slide

Apple CEO Tim Cook stands next to a new Apple Vision Pro headset displayed during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, June 5, 2023. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Apple’s stock rallied in 2023, but its performance was outshined by all of its mega-cap tech peers, as the company suffered four straight quarters … Read more

Nvidia brings slower gaming chip version to China to bypass U.S. rules

Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang holds one of the company’s new RTX 4090 chips for computer gaming in this undated handout photo provided September 20, 2022. Nvidia Corp | via Reuters U.S. chipmaking giant Nvidia is set to launch an adjusted version of a gaming processor with slower performance in China to comply with U.S. … Read more

Baidu says its ChatGPT rival Ernie bot has more than 100 million users

HANGZHOU, CHINA – NOVEMBER 23: People learn about Baidu’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service ERNIE Bot during the 2nd Global Digital Trade Expo at Hangzhou International Expo Center on November 23, 2023 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. (Photo by Wang Gang/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images) China News Service | China News Service | … Read more

Startup bubble fueled by Fed cheap money policy finally burst in 2023

Scooters take over SXSW in Austin, TX As the last decade came to an end, it was easy for a young engineer to hop on a Bird scooter and ride it to a nearby WeWork office, home to the hottest new crypto startup. Then came Covid. Electric scooters and coworking spaces were no longer important, … Read more

Affirm’s stock quintupled this year, beating all tech peers

Drew Angerer / Getty Images  A year ago, there was little holiday cheer at Affirm. The point-of-sale lender was confronting rising interest rates, recession fears and weakening consumer spending. Affirm shares ended 2022 down 90%, wiping out billions of dollars in market value. Affirm investors are wrapping up 2023 in a much different mood. The … Read more

China’s Xiaomi unveils first EV in bid to compete with Porsche, Tesla

Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi revealed on Dec. 28, 2023, its forthcoming electric car, the SU7 sedan. CNBC | Evelyn Cheng BEIJING — Chinese consumer electronics company Xiaomi on Thursday detailed plans to enter China’s oversaturated electric vehicle market and compete with automaker giants Tesla and Porsche with a car model it says it spent more … Read more

Apple Watch import ban temporarily stopped by U.S. appeals court

Apple smartwatches ads are displayed as customers take a look at smartwatch accessories at the Apple store in New York, U.S., December 26, 2023.  Eduardo Munoz | Reuters Apple will be able to sell the latest Apple Watches after an import ban was temporarily paused by an appeals court on Wednesday, in a major victory … Read more