Illinois News

Business

Kirby Caps Record 2025 with Strong Momentum, Eyes Steady Growth Amid Market Headwinds

Kirby Corporation (NYSE: KEX) reported record annual earnings for 2025, fueled by robust free cash flow and strategic capital returns. While Q4 faced seasonal pressures, management highlighted a late-quarter rebound in inland marine and surging demand in power generation, setting the stage for what they project as a year of steady financial performance in 2026.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Meta Stock Surges Over 10% as Analysts Boost Price Target, Citing AI Leadership

Shares of Meta Platforms soared Thursday, fueled by a significant price target upgrade from BofA Securities. The rally comes despite the company reporting a slight dip in full-year profit, as investors focus on strong revenue growth and the company's positioning in the artificial intelligence race.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Bitcoin Tumbles to $82K Amid Policy Jitters, Triggering $1.7B in Market Liquidations

Bitcoin plunged to a nine-month low as a confluence of political uncertainty and geopolitical tensions sparked a broad market sell-off, forcing over $1.6 billion in leveraged positions to close.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Blackstone Explores Sale of Interplex's ICT Unit in Potential $1 Billion-Plus Deal

Blackstone Inc. is weighing a sale of Interplex's information and communications technology business, with early-stage talks suggesting a valuation exceeding $1 billion, sources familiar with the matter said.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Vizsla Silver Shares Plunge 14.9% Following Abduction of 10 Employees in Mexico

Vizsla Silver Corp. (VZLA) shares tumbled sharply Thursday after reports that 10 of its employees were abducted from company housing in Mexico, forcing a temporary halt to operations and rattling investor confidence amid broader weakness in silver prices.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Celestica Shares Tumble 13% Post-Earnings as AI Hype Fails to Lift Stock

Despite reporting a near-doubling of annual net income and raising its 2026 outlook, electronics manufacturer Celestica saw its shares drop sharply Thursday as the market judged its stellar results to be already reflected in the price.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Meta's $135 Billion AI Bet Signals Accelerating Arms Race, With CoreWeave Poised to Capitalize

Meta Platforms' staggering capital expenditure forecast for 2026, heavily weighted toward AI infrastructure, underscores the intensifying tech investment cycle. Specialized cloud provider CoreWeave emerges as a likely key beneficiary, its fortunes tied to the hyperscaler spending spree.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Applied Optoelectronics Shares Tumble 12.5% as Investors Cash In on Eight-Year High

Shares of Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) retreated sharply Thursday, shedding 12.5% as a wave of profit-taking followed the stock's surge to its highest level in nearly eight years. The pullback comes despite analyst optimism around the company's role in powering AI data centers.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Microsoft Shares Tumble 10% as Investors Balk at Heavy AI Spending, OpenAI Exposure

Microsoft's stock faced its steepest single-day drop in months, closing down 10% despite posting strong quarterly earnings. The sell-off was driven by investor concerns over surging capital expenditures and the company's significant financial ties to OpenAI.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Five Point Holdings Caps 'Record Year' Amid Housing Headwinds, Eyes Growth Through Land Banking and Entitlements

Despite a challenging housing market, Five Point Holdings (NYSE:FPH) reported record annual net income for 2025, driven by strategic land sales and the integration of its Hearthstone platform. The company navigated economic uncertainty with disciplined pricing and secured major entitlement approvals to fuel its long-term pipeline.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Microsoft's $625 Billion Backlog Signals AI Boom, But Investors Urged to Look Beyond the Headline

Microsoft's commercial contracted backlog more than doubled year-over-year to $625 billion, fueled by AI demand. However, a closer look reveals customer concentration risks, slower near-term revenue conversion, and soaring capital expenditures that temper the bullish narrative.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Activist Investor Tsai Capital Bets on QXO's Consolidation Strategy in Fragmented Building Sector

Activist investment firm Tsai Capital has taken a stake in QXO, spotlighting the distributor's ambitious plan to consolidate the fragmented building products industry. The move comes as QXO's stock shows strong recent momentum despite longer-term headwinds.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Trump Poised to Name New Fed Chair on Friday, With Kevin Warsh Tipped as Front-Runner

President Donald Trump is set to announce his nominee for Federal Reserve Chair on Friday, with multiple reports indicating former Fed governor Kevin Warsh is the leading candidate to succeed Jerome Powell, a move already rippling through currency markets.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Asian Markets Retreat as Wall Street's Wild Ride Casts a Shadow

Asian equities broadly declined on Friday, taking cues from a volatile U.S. session marked by a historic plunge in Microsoft shares. The sell-off extended to commodities, with oil and precious metals also losing ground.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Dover Caps Strong 2025 with Robust Q4, Eyes Double-Digit Growth in 2026

Dover Corporation delivered a powerful finish to 2025, reporting its highest quarterly organic revenue growth of the year at 5%. Bolstered by accelerating bookings and expanding margins, the diversified industrial manufacturer projects continued double-digit earnings growth for the coming year.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Colony Bankcorp Posts Strong Q4, Eyes Growth from TC Federal Merger and Fee-Based Lines

Colony Bankcorp (CBAN) reported improved operating performance in Q4 2025, with executives detailing on-track integration of TC Federal and momentum in fee-based businesses. The bank targets a 1.20% return on assets for 2026 and signals appetite for further acquisitions.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Caterpillar Posts Record 2025 Results, Warns of Escalating Tariff Headwinds

Caterpillar Inc. capped off a historic 2025 with record sales and a soaring backlog, but executives signaled a cautious outlook for 2026 as escalating trade tariffs threaten to squeeze margins. The industrial giant's performance was buoyed by robust demand across construction, mining, and a surging data center power market.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Peet's Coffee Trims Store Footprint in California Amid Corporate Restructuring

The iconic Berkeley-born coffee chain Peet's is closing dozens of locations across California, including in Southern California and the Bay Area, as part of a strategic realignment following its acquisition by Keurig Dr Pepper. The move, affecting hundreds of employees, has drawn sharp criticism from workers and union representatives.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Trump Poised to Name Kevin Warsh as Next Federal Reserve Chair, Sources Say

President Trump is preparing to nominate former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh to lead the central bank, according to people familiar with the discussions, a move that triggered immediate market reactions as investors assessed the potential policy shift.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Blackstone in Advanced Talks for Major Stake in Hong Kong's New World Development

Shares and bonds of New World Development surged after reports that Blackstone is in advanced talks to become its largest shareholder, a potential lifeline for the embattled Hong Kong property giant and a signal of shifting sentiment in the city's real estate market.

Jan 30, 2026