Business 19 May 2026 - 21 May 2026

LegalZoom Drops Ahead of Shareholder Meeting as AI Fight Hangs Over Stock
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LegalZoom Drops Ahead of Shareholder Meeting as AI Fight Hangs Over Stock

LegalZoom.com traded lower in premarket Wednesday, with the stock near $6.53 as investors prepared for the company’s annual meeting. Shares have had trouble translating stronger sales into better numbers on the bottom line. The latest price was off 14.5 cents from Tuesday’s close, giving LegalZoom a market cap near $1.16 billion. The timing sets the scene. U.S. markets are open as usual, and Nasdaq’s 2026 holiday list shows the next full day off is Juneteenth, June 19. LegalZoom’s shareholder meeting is scheduled for later in the day, not on a weekend or holiday.
June 3, 2026
InterDigital shares up after IoT payments patent agreement
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InterDigital shares up after IoT payments patent agreement

InterDigital traded near flat to slightly higher in late trading Thursday, changing hands at $267.10. The wireless and video patent group announced a fresh Internet of Things licensing agreement with a payments tech firm. Regular Nasdaq trading was finished, with the stock in after-hours moving in a range between $261.15 and $268.38. InterDigital didn’t give much detail, but the new catalyst matters for the IDCC story. The company relies on licensing its patents, charging device makers for use. Investors are waiting to see if that business can go wider than just smartphones, into other connected devices.
May 21, 2026
Microsoft shares fall after reports on Anthropic AI chip talks raise questions about its $31.9B deal
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Microsoft shares fall after reports on Anthropic AI chip talks raise questions about its $31.9B deal

Microsoft shares slipped in mid-afternoon trade Thursday, down around 0.3% at $419.62. A new report flagged Anthropic’s potential use of Microsoft’s AI chips, but that didn’t lift the stock. The Invesco QQQ Trust added about 0.2% and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF was up roughly 0.3%. Microsoft’s market cap was near $3.12 trillion. Why it matters: Microsoft says it is making big bets on cloud and AI, pouring money into chips, data centers, and leases. Investors are watching to see if those outlays bring lasting revenue — or just drive up costs.
May 21, 2026
Energous Shares Surge 11% as Wireless Power Name Hits Another Hurdle
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Energous Shares Surge 11% as Wireless Power Name Hits Another Hurdle

Energous Corp stock heads into Thursday holding most of Wednesday’s sharp jump. Traders are watching the small wireless-power player after its Q1 report posted faster revenue but showed the company still leans on just a few customers. Why it matters now: WATT is starting to face different questions from investors. The focus has shifted from whether Energous can build up a big patent portfolio to whether it can use those patents to go beyond trial deployments and generate reliable commercial revenue.
May 21, 2026
ARKR Investors Wait on $24 Million Bryant Park Renewal
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ARKR Investors Wait on $24 Million Bryant Park Renewal

Ark Restaurants Corp. last traded at $6.68 ahead of Thursday’s Nasdaq open, valuing the company near $24.1 million. Investors are still weighing soft sales and the ongoing battle over Ark’s Bryant Park sites in Manhattan. Robinhood showed volume at 916 shares, while the average is 2,440, pointing again to ARKR’s status as a thinly traded micro-cap. The timing is key here. Nasdaq’s normal hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, with pre-market trading kicking off at 4 a.m. According to its 2026 holiday schedule, the exchange won’t close again for a U.S. holiday until Memorial Day on May 25, skipping Thursday. So the stock gets two more regular sessions before a long weekend to trade on the company’s latest
May 21, 2026
XPEL Shares Climb on $110 Million Supply Move, Focus on San Antonio and China Margins
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XPEL Shares Climb on $110 Million Supply Move, Focus on San Antonio and China Margins

XPEL jumped 4.5% Wednesday after the company said it is targeting about $110 million for manufacturing and supply-chain growth and also gave new details on financing tied to its San Antonio base. Shares finished at $45.21, valuing the Nasdaq-traded company near $1.25 billion. Timing is key here. XPEL is shifting from mostly asset-light and using a lot of third-party manufacturing to taking tighter control of production, quality, and logistics. The company still aims for operating margins in the mid-20% range by 2028. Operating margin shows profit from operations as a slice of revenue.
May 21, 2026
Braze Shares Move Ahead of Results as Traders Watch AI Drive and CFO Departure
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Braze Shares Move Ahead of Results as Traders Watch AI Drive and CFO Departure

Braze Inc shares gained roughly 5% in recent U.S. trading, with the customer-engagement software stock showing up ahead of its earnings next week and a coming CFO change. BRZE last traded at $22.82, up $1.07 from the last close. Nasdaq trading was still in pre-market hours at the time. Pre-market runs 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET, while regular trading goes from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The exchange's 2026 calendar puts the next U.S. market holiday on Memorial Day, May 25.
May 21, 2026
Krispy Kreme Stock Pops as DNUT’s Turnaround Faces Its Next Test
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Krispy Kreme Stock Pops as DNUT’s Turnaround Faces Its Next Test

Krispy Kreme shares rose 14 cents, or about 4.4%, to $3.35 in Wednesday afternoon trading, outpacing broader U.S. stock trackers as former partner McDonald’s traded little changed. The S&P 500 tracker SPY was up about 0.8%, while the Nasdaq-100 tracker QQQ gained about 1.3%. The move puts a familiar question back in front of investors: whether Krispy Kreme can turn brand heat into steadier cash generation. For DNUT, the flavor cycle is not the whole story. The balance sheet is.
May 20, 2026
SSE Investors Watch for Results After £33 Billion Move
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SSE Investors Watch for Results After £33 Billion Move

SSE Plc slipped in London on Wednesday as the market focused less on a minor accounting boost to its earnings guidance and more on next week’s annual numbers. The utility faces pressure to prove how its big grid and renewables spend is hitting the bottom line and its cash generation. Bid/ask on the stock was 2,317/2,319 pence during early afternoon, off 0.26%. Around 2.3 million shares changed hands, according to AJ Bell data.
May 20, 2026
BP Faces More Uncertainty on $35 Billion Gas Gamble as Woodside Looks at Inpex
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BP Faces More Uncertainty on $35 Billion Gas Gamble as Woodside Looks at Inpex

BP PLC’s top Australian gas asset came back into play Wednesday, as Woodside Energy said it may match Inpex’s bid to acquire PetroChina’s 10.67% stake in the Browse gas fields offshore Western Australia. Woodside CEO Liz Westcott said, “We will absolutely assess pre-emption.” Pre-emption lets an existing partner match a stake sale before it is offered to outsiders. BP became the biggest Browse partner when it bought Shell’s stake in 2023, according to Reuters.
May 20, 2026
Meta Sends 4 A.M. Layoff Emails as AI Drive Threatens 8,000 Jobs
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Meta Sends 4 A.M. Layoff Emails as AI Drive Threatens 8,000 Jobs

Meta sent layoff emails at 4 a.m. today, moving to cut about 8,000 jobs as Mark Zuckerberg presses ahead with the company’s AI push. Meta Platforms started sending layoff notices to staff on Wednesday, beginning in Singapore at 4 a.m. and continuing across time zones. The Facebook and Instagram parent is axing about 8,000 jobs worldwide. Workers in the U.S., Britain and other places were told to work from home as the company sent out the emails.
May 20, 2026
M&S chief hits out at UK food price-cap plan as ministers retreat
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M&S chief hits out at UK food price-cap plan as ministers retreat

UK backs away from mandatory supermarket price caps after retail pushback Downing Street stepped back from the idea of forcing supermarkets to cap food prices on Wednesday, after retailers pushed back and Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Machin called the idea “completely preposterous.” Exchequer Secretary Dan Tomlinson told BBC Radio the government will keep talking with supermarkets but is not planning a mandatory cap. Cost of living is back in focus for politicians as prices keep rising. Reuters, citing a Financial Times story it later confirmed, reported that big grocery chains could be asked to hold down prices on basics like eggs, bread and milk if they get lighter regulation in return. Any price ceiling under the plan would not
May 20, 2026
BYD Car Carrier Heads to Australia as Ford, Mazda Trail
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BYD Car Carrier Heads to Australia as Ford, Mazda Trail

BYD has sent one of its own car carriers out of Shanghai, loaded with 4,810 BYD and Denza vehicles headed for Australia. The shipment is meant to meet strong orders with deliveries in June. The company describes the cargo as new-energy vehicles—battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models that can recharge from the grid but also have a petrol engine. Timing is key. Australia's EV market picked up in recent months as more models arrived and high fuel prices pushed buyers toward lower running costs. Battery-electric vehicles made up a record 16.4% of new vehicle sales in April, according to AADA.
May 20, 2026
Tesco Shares Fall on UK Price-Cap Concerns
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Tesco Shares Fall on UK Price-Cap Concerns

Tesco shares dropped in London on Wednesday morning. The move followed a new government effort to lower food prices, while a Morgan Stanley upgrade that boosted the stock earlier this week was still in play. The stock lost 1.24% to 454p as of 0901 BST, according to Sharecast data. Hargreaves Lansdown quoted it at 453.90p to buy, 454.10p to sell. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.45%.
May 20, 2026
Unilever dips as break-up faces new hurdle
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Unilever dips as break-up faces new hurdle

Unilever PLC shares dropped nearly 1% in early London trade Wednesday, trailing a weaker FTSE 100. Traders are weighing cost pressures at the Dove maker against its push for a leaner, higher-growth business. Unilever shares were at 4,249.50 pence as of 09:15 on Davy’s 20-minute-delayed feed, off 0.99%. Hargreaves Lansdown also had Unilever down 1.00%. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.37%. Prior close for Unilever was 4,292p, according to Hargreaves Lansdown. London stock trading runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST on weekdays.
May 20, 2026
Xero’s Stock Bounce Has a Catch as AI Hopes Face a Profit Squeeze
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Xero’s Stock Bounce Has a Catch as AI Hopes Face a Profit Squeeze

Xero Limited heads into Wednesday’s Sydney session with its shares trying to steady after a deep slide, helped by a firmer Australian market but still trading far below last year’s levels. The accounting-software group’s ASX-listed shares closed at A$78.62 on Tuesday, up 55 cents. That was a modest bounce alongside a broader relief rally, with the S&P/ASX 200 finishing at 8,604.70.
May 20, 2026
Goodman Group Stock Faces a Data Centre Test After Quiet Friday Close
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Goodman Group Rises in Sydney, Eyes on Next Week’s AI Data-Centre Test

Goodman Group shares climbed Tuesday, tracking gains across Australia’s wider market. Investors moved back into real estate stocks ahead of a trading update that will return focus to the company’s data centre pipeline. Goodman traded at A$30.65 ahead of the ASX open Wednesday, up 53 cents or 1.76%. The stock had dipped earlier to A$30.44. Charter Hall added 2.21% and Dexus Property was up 1.84%, so the move looked sector-wide, not just Goodman.
May 19, 2026
Telstra Faces $7.32 Billion Hurdle After Rally
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Telstra Faces $7.32 Billion Hurdle After Rally

Telstra Group Ltd shares are trading at A$5.55 heading into Wednesday, up 2.6% from the previous close and near a 12-month peak. The stock is now facing new pressure after Australia’s communications regulator put the market value for renewing major spectrum licences at A$7.32 billion. The licences, which are held by Telstra, Optus, TPG Telecom, and NBN Co, come under what ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin called “a finite and valuable national resource.” ASX cash equities were shut as of the dateline, with trading set to pick up at the usual time. Regular hours for ASX are 09:59:45 to 16:00 Sydney time, including auctions near the start and end.
May 19, 2026
Haleon shares edge higher as buyback returns spotlight
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Haleon shares edge higher as buyback returns spotlight

Haleon shares in London traded up on Tuesday. The Sensodyne maker announced a new phase of its share buyback, giving investors another catalyst as the UK market held firm. Hargreaves Lansdown quoted Haleon at 340.10p to sell and 340.20p to buy, up 0.86%. Prices are delayed at least 15 minutes. Haleon said Monday it bought 8,316,688 ordinary shares for cancellation under the buyback announced in March.
May 19, 2026
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