Intel suffers record plunge in ‘absolutely brutal’ Wall Street sell-off

Intel suffered its worst ever stock market plunge on Friday, as fears surrounding AI triggered a tech rout on Wall Street.

The chip maker fell by more than 30pc after warning of a slowdown in PC sales. It blamed the weak fourth-quarter forecast on AI data centres’ seemingly insatiable demand for microprocessors, which has pushed up the price of computers and led to a shortage of components.

Dan Ives, an analyst and partner at Yorkville Ives, said Intel’s PC chip division “was a disaster this quarter driven by higher memory prices/supply issues caused by the AI buildout”.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Why isn't this in the news or trending?

On average, 12 Christians are killed every day in sub-Saharan Africa because of their faith. Yet hardly anyone is talking about it.

While other stories fill our feeds, millions of our brothers and sisters are living with violent persecution, displacement and fear. The church in sub-Saharan Africa is asking us not to look away and speak up for them.

www.opendoorsuk.org

Microsoft killed Windows 10 to push Windows 11, but many still refuse to switch

Microsoft’s Windows OEM revenue fell 27% in the July to September 2026 quarter, and Microsoft says it was “driven by the Windows 10 end of support demand in the prior year, inventory drawdowns by OEM and channel partners, and weaker PC market demand.” As it turns out, the people who rushed to buy PCs before Windows 10 support ended last year don’t have a reason anymore to upgrade…

Meanwhile, a big chunk of PC users still hasn’t moved on. In September 2026, nearly a year after Windows 10 support ended, Steam’s hardware survey shows Windows 11 at 71.34% with 0.37% growth, while Windows 10 had 0.71% growth and 23.61% market share.

www.windowslatest.com

In China, the AI bubble has already burst

While global tech stocks teeter, in China they have already crashed as lofty valuations collapse under worries about AI demand and curbs on Chinese exports.

The meltdown, tanking the mainland STAR50 index of AI and semiconductor leaders by 40% in less than four months and vaporising some $480 billion in market value, is an ill omen ‌for wobbly world markets and a dampener on China's efforts at encouraging its savers into stocks to fund the AI boom.

It has also slammed the brakes on a rally running two ‌years, since economic stimulus promises sent shares soaring, and has stalled Beijing's push to break with a long boom-bust pattern and drive a "slow bull" market that delivers reliable performance. China's broad blue-chip index has dropped about 20% from highs made in June.

"The ​stock market later evolved into a speculative crazy bull," said Beijing-based fund manager Dong Baozhen. "And now we see the bubble bursting."

finance.yahoo.com

John Piper: Boasting Only in the Cross - Passion OneDay 2000

John Piper - passionately urges believers to dedicate their lives solely to the glory of the cross, embracing a deep passion for Christ that compels them to live and die for His supremacy.

This sermon emphasizes the importance of living a life that counts for the cross, urging listeners to not waste their lives on fleeting success but to instead dedicate themselves to the glory of the cross. The speaker, drawing from personal experiences and a deep desire for his children and the younger generation to embrace a passion for Christ, challenges the audience to find their own unique passion and purpose in spreading the supremacy of God and the joy of Christ to all people. The message centers on the call to lay down one's life for Jesus, to go to the hard places, and to boast only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

www.sermonindex.net

Microsoft offers buyouts to around 60,000 employees to contain costs

Microsoft said on Monday it is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, or more than a quarter of its global workforce, as the technology giant looks to ​contain costs and help fund its massive AI investments.

Staffers across the Windows maker ‌would be eligible for the offers, including those working in AI experiences, Copilot, finance, human resources, Xbox and Windows + Devices, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, requesting anonymity as the matter was ​private. Units such as marketing, commercial business and security will be excluded, the source ​added.

"This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside ⁠the company a new choice to make that transition now with support. It also ​gives participating organizations another way to adapt their workforce to changing needs," Chief People Officer Amy ​Coleman said in a staff memo.

Like other tech giants, Microsoft is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI data centers and chips, drawing scrutiny from investors over whether the returns will justify the staggering ​cost. The company, slated to report first-quarter results after markets close on Wednesday, has ​forecast $175 billion in capital expenditures for the 2026 calendar year.

Meanwhile in other news: Technology giant Microsoft says its profits for the three months to the end of September jumped to more than $36.6bn (£27.5bn), just days after announcing plans to cut its workforce by more than a quarter. So why the job cuts? In a word: GREED...

www.reuters.com

Today's Reading, by C.S.Lewis. On goodness...

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. 

The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. 

An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.

From Mere Christianity