American Eagle (NYSE: AEO) shares rose more than 20% aftermarket on Wednesday, as the apparel retailer delivered better-than-expected second-quarter earnings results, boasting the benefits of its controversial advertising campaign with actress Sydney Sweeney as the main driver behind new customer acquisition and positive traffic. "The fall season is off to a positive start. Fueled by stronger product offerings and the success of recent marketing campaigns with Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce, we have seen an uptick in customer awareness, engagement and comparable sales," CEO Jay Schottenstein said in a release. American Eagle also re-issued its full-year guidance on Wednesday after previously withdrawing it, now expecting comparable sales to be flat and its operating income to range between $255 million and $265 million.

Swedish buy now, pay later start-up Klarna updated its initial public offering on Tuesday, looking to raise as much as $1.27 billion. The company, who paused its IPO venture after President Donald Trump's tariff announcement in April, plans to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "KLAR." Klarna is selling approximately 34.3 million shares between $35 and $37 each, the company said in its latest registration statement, with Klarna receiving proceeds from about 5.6 million shares and existing shareholders will put forward nearly 29 million shares. Founded in 2005, Klarna is one of the leading BNPL players, offering consumers financial products such as installment loans, debit cards and deposit accounts. The company said in its filing that its revenue rose 54% to $823 million annually in the second quarter, benefitting from a 14% increase in its gross merchandise value to $6.9 billion.

Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in a year on Friday, only a few months after thee budget airline announced it exited protection in March. The first filing had Spirit's debt holders agree to declare bankruptcy to exchange $795 million in debt for equity, but failed to cut costs through other measures like reducing its fleet and flight schedules. Now, the airline said it plans to reduce costs by "hundreds of million of dollars" by doing just that. "Since emerging from our previous restructuring, which was targeted exclusively on reducing Spirit's funded debt and raising equity capital, it has become clear that there is much more work to be done and many more tools are available to best position Spirit for the future," CEO Dave Davis said in a news release. Spirit listed its assets and liabilities as between $1 billion and $10 billion in the filing, and encouraged customers to continue to book flights throughout the bankruptcy process, writing that "virtually every major U.S. airline has used these tools to improve their business and position them for long-term success," in a post on Meta's (NASDAQ: META) Instagram on Friday.

Tesla's (NASDAQ: TSLA) Full Self-Driving systems, commonly known as FSD, apparently negatively influence potential buyers instead of adding attractive value, according to new survey from the consulting firm Slingshot Strategies. The firm polled 8,000 American for its August Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report, and found that only 14% of those polled said autonomous driving integration would make them more likely to purchase a Tesla. Meanwhile, 35% said the technology would make them less likely to buy one of the company's EVs, and the remaining 51% said the option of FSD would not make a difference in their car buying decisions. Moreover, nearly half of Americans surveyed said they think the technology should be illegal, with 66% of consumers saying Tesla should be held responsible for accidents involving FSD and 71% believe regulators should require the company to use both LiDAR and cameras for safety. The diverging sentiment amongst Americans comes as companies like Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Waymo begin to expand their robotaxi services to more major metropolitan areas.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the latest COVID vaccine updates on Wednesday, but issued new guidelines for who can receive them, ending its broad authorization for most Americans to now only include those at higher risk of severe illness. "The emergency use authorizations for COVID vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a post on X. "The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three." The FDA has authorized Moderna's (NASDAQ: MRNA) shot for ages 6 months and up, Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) vaccine for those ages 5 and up, and Novavax's (NASDAQ: NVAX) dose for ages 12 and up -- but only for Americans at greater risk of severe COVID. That would include elderly adults ages 65 and older, and younger Americans who are immunocompromised or have underlying medical conditions such as cancer, obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) sent out a media announced on Tuesday inviting outlets and analysts to its next launch event on September 9 starting at 10 A.M. pacific time. The tagline of this year's event, which is expected to be the release of the company's new iPhone 17 model, is advertised with the tagline: "Awe dropping." The smartphone, which is the main focus of the event, is expected to get two new Pro editions alongside its new upgraded base model, as well as an all-new version that has a thinner design than all prior iPhones. The standard iPhone 17 is also set to have a larger display and improved camera technology compared to its predecessor, Bloomberg News reports, while the thinner model is reported to be about 2 millimeters slimmer than current models. Apple is known to also release updates to its Apple Watch, AirPods and other wearables in September, but usually saving upgrades for its Macbooks and iMacs for their own separate events in October or November.

Elon Musk's social media platform X and artificial intelligence venture xAI filed to sue Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and OpenAI on Monday, alleging the two companies are conducting an "anticompetitive scheme," to squeeze out competitors from the market. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, claims that in a "bid to protect its smartphone monopoly, Apple has joined forces with the company that most benefits from inhibiting competition and innovation in AI: OpenAI, a monopolist in the market for generative AI chatbots," referring to Apple's previously announced partnership with OpenAI to integrate its large-language model with this iPhone, iPad, and Mac products. The suit also claims that Apple deprioritized rival AI chatbots in its App Store rankings. Musk's latest legal action continues his ongoing feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman -- Musk had previously sued Altman last year for an alleged breach of contract, while OpenAI has said in a counterclaim that it believes Musk and xAI are engaging in "harassment" through litigation.

Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Waymo received its first permit from the New York Department of Transportation on Friday to start testing its autonomous vehicle technology in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday. The company will begin testing up to eight vehicles in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn through the month of September, with the program having the option for extension based on the early test's results. Like other states, New York requires Waymo to have a driver behind the wheel to operate its robotaxi business. "We're a tech-friendly administration and we're always looking for innovative ways to safely move our city forward," Adams said in a release. "New York City is proud to welcome Waymo to test this new technology in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as we know this testing is only the first step in moving our city further into the 21st century." Waymo has previously expanded to Austin and San Francisco bay area this year, and plans to start operations in Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

Sony (NYSE: SONY) announced Wednesday it is raising the price of PlayStation 5 gaming consoles effective Thursday, August 21. The Japanese tech hardware giant said the price increases are due to "a challenging economic environment," mainly from President Donald Trump's 15% tariff on imports from Japan. In the United States, cost of the PlayStation 5 will increase to $549.99, the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will now be $499.99, and the PlayStation 5 Pro will be $749.99 -- each increasing by about $50. The company did not release plans to raise prices in other country, nor to increase the cost of accessories. Sony previously raised console prices in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand back in April, citing similar reasons including inflation. Rivals Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Nintendo have taken similar price actions in recent months due to tariff impacts.

Artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic announced Tuesday is will offer Claude for Enterprise and Claude for Government to all three branches of the U.S. government for $1 per agency for one year, following rival OpenAI's similar decision last week to offer ChatGPT Enterprise to U.S. federal agencies for $1 through the end of the year. Anthropic is notably extending beyond the executive branch -- which is the only branch OpenAI is offering the discount to -- to include the legislative and judiciary branches. “We believe the U.S. public sector should have access to the most advanced AI capabilities to tackle complex challenges, from scientific research to constituent services,” Anthropic said in a statement. “By combining broad accessibility with uncompromising security standards, we’re helping ensure AI serves the public interest.” OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) have each been added to the U.S. General Services Administration's list of approved AI providers for federal agencies.

Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ESPN and Fox Corp (NASDAQ: FOXA) announced Monday the two sports entertainment giants combine their services into a direct-to-consumer streaming bundle starting Oct. 2 for $39.99 per month. The move comes as both companies plan to offer new streaming services, ESPN and Fox One, later this month on Aug. 21 ahead of the start of popular college football and NFL seasons, with subscriptions priced at $29.99 and $19.99 per month, respectively. As standalone services, EPSN streaming platform includes the network's live sports, as well as fantasy and sportsbetting products and other studio programing and documentaries. Fox One, meanwhile, offers all of the networks news and entertainment products, but will not host any exclusive or original content. Fox's direct-to-consumer venture, according to the company's recent earnings call with CEO Lachlan Murdoch, is designed with bundling with other services in mind.

Texas has granted a rideshare license to Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) under new state autonomous vehicle regulations, allowing the company's robotaxis to operate alongside Uber (NYSE: UBER) and Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT). Tesla Robotaxi LLC is now listed as a transportation network company with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Bloomberg reports, complying with the new law -- which adds permits, oversight and requirements for driverless vehicles, including mandatory use of cameras and insurance -- taking effect on Sept. 1. The electric vehicle company has been offering ride-hailing services for invited passengers in Austin, Texas since June, using Model Y vehicles equipped with Tesla's automated driving systems operating alongside a human safety supervisor behind the wheel.

OpenAI announced Wednesday it will offer its ChatGPT Enterprise product to the United States government for $1 through next year, deepening its use by federal agencies ahead of the opening of its first Washington D.C. office early next year. The artificial intelligence start-up has partnered with the U.S. General Services Administration to launch the "essentially no cost" initiative, offering government employees access to its frontier model and other advanced features. OpenAI had previous launched OpenAI for Government back in June and was awarded a contract of up to $200 million by the U.S. Department of Defense. "We believe public servants should help shape how AI is used," the company wrote in a blog post. "The best way to do that is to put best-in-class AI tools in their hands -- with strong guardrails, high transparency, and deep respect for their public mission."

Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) announced Tuesday its launch of a new commercial-free streaming service called Howdy. The service, offered at $2.99 a month, is a departure from Roku's standard model of hosting free, ad-supported content on its platform. Howdy is expected to feature 10,000 hours of movie and TV content from entertainment brands such as Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD), Lionsgate (NASDAQ: LION) and FilmRise, as well as its own exclusive Roku Originals content. “Priced at less than a cup of coffee, Howdy is ad-free and designed to complement, not compete with, premium services,” CEO Anthony Wood said in the release. Roku Channel will remain free, with Howdy being initially offered on the Roku Platform starting Tuesday, before a later roll out on mobile and other platforms, the company said.

Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) sued the register of Ohio's Bureau of Motor Vehicles on Monday in federal court, claiming that the state's blocking of direct sales harms consumers. The electric vehicle company currently offers direct-to-consumer sales in 25 states and Washington D.C. "Ohio's prohibition of Rivian's direct-sales-only business model is irrational in the extreme: it reduces competition, decreases consumer choice, and drives up consumer costs and inconvenience -- all of which harm consumers -- with literally no countervailing benefit," the company's legal council wrote in a complaint. Through the lawsuit, Rivian is asking the court to allow it to apply for a dealership license to sell directly to Ohioans -- currently state residents have to buy Rivian vehicles from locations in other states and have them shipped to service centers in Ohio.