-- 加拿大皇家银行资本市场（RBC Capital Markets）周二在一份报告中指出，国际商业机器公司（IBM）已做好充分准备，将受益于企业对人工智能和混合云技术的日益普及。 分析师表示，IBM管理层在Think用户大会上传达的总体信息是，公司致力于使生成式人工智能和智能体人工智能“易于企业使用，重点关注编排、投资回报率以及合规性和治理”。 RBC表示，IBM的方法使企业无需更改现有基础设施即可构建人工智能应用程序，这使其在企业扩大人工智能应用规模的过程中拥有优势。 报告还指出，此次大会重点介绍了IBM内部使用的人工智能开发工具Bob，该工具已显著提高了生产力。 RBC维持对IBM的“跑赢大盘”评级，但将目标价从330美元下调至300美元。 IBM股价周三下跌1%。
Price: $226.64, Change: $-2.39, Percent Change: -1.04%
Health care stocks were higher late Wednesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index increasing 0.3% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) adding 0.2%.The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) climbed 2.1%.In corporate news, DaVita (DVA) shares jumped past 21% after Deutsche Bank upgraded the stock to buy from hold and boosted its price target to $220 from $126, a day after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 results.
New for-sale home listings in the US grew at a faster rate annually than sales for the first time this year as elevated mortgage rates stalled recovery, Zillow Group (Z, ZG) said Wednesday.New listings rose 2.1% year over year to 426,356 units in April, while sales eased 0.4% to 323,631 units, according to the real estate marketplace. Active inventory increased 3.7% last month, putting the total number of for-sale homes at 1.3 million."The spring rebound we anticipated at the start of the year and that produced the stronger sales figures in March was put on pause in April by higher rates," Zillow Chief Economist Mischa Fisher said. "Still, someone who held off in 2025 hoping conditions would improve has seen that improvement."Last week, the average interest rate for 30-year fixed mortgages with conforming loan balances of $832,750 or less increased to 6.45% from 6.37% sequentially, a report by the Mortgage Bankers Association showed Wednesday.The monthly mortgage payment on a typical home in the US dropped 3.4% annually to $1,829 last month, while home values rose 0.7% to $366,712, Zillow said.The share of listings with a price reduction was 23.5% in April, down one percentage point from a year earlier, but up 0.9 percentage point sequentially.Despite the recent rise in mortgage rates, buyers who waited out the market of 2025 are entering on slightly better terms this spring, with more options, improved affordability and a little more decision time, according to Zillow."With more homes to choose from and lower monthly costs than a year ago, the math has shifted in favor of buyers even if the moment may not feel like it," Fisher said. "There's still plenty of reason for optimism that we will see a quick rebound if rates cooperate."On Tuesday, government data showed that new-home sales in the US grew past Wall Street's estimates for March, driven by a demand surge in the Northeast region.Price: $44.82, Change: $+1.28, Percent Change: +2.94%
Consumer stocks were higher late Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) up 0.4% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) rising 1.9%.In corporate news, Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Q1 earnings and revenue topped Wall Street's estimates Wednesday, while the restaurant operator's comparable sales growth was in line with consensus. Its shares were down 5.9%.