rapidly – Finance News Today

History shows financial calamities occur when rates rise rapidly like this:

Finance News — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 02:40:18 +0000

Traders work on the floor during morning trading at the New York Stock Exchange.

Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note is rising to levels not seen in years. But it’s not necessarily the outright level that’s most concerning for those on Wall Street, it’s the speed of the move.

When rates climb at such a rapid pace, history tells them something bad tends to happen.

The 10-year yield saw its most rapid one-day increase since April 7, 2025, on Wednesday, rising further on Thursday to top 5.17%, quite a move considering two weeks ago it was below 4.8% and at one point in August, it was below 4.6%.

“Something always breaks,” proclaimed a recent note from John Roque, head of technical analysis at 22V Research.

U.S. 10-year Treasury yield, 3 months

Roque pointed out on a chart of the 10-year Treasury yield going back the last five decades 16 instances where it experienced a rapid advance like it is now. During each and every move, some sort of financial calamity resulted. While the scale of the crises varied in their market impact (from the jarring-but-short-lived Silicon Valley Bank failure of 2023 to the 1987 stock market crash), the jump in yields almost always led to some sort of disruption to financial markets that weighed on risk assets.

“As sure as day follows night, when the 10-year Treasury yield rises, something gets knocked out,” Roque remarked to CNBC. “It just pays to be cautious.”

The 10-year Treasury yield is a benchmark for borrowing costs across the economy. Everything from mortgage rates to sophisticated hedge fund trades can become contingent on a stable 10-year yield. When it soars quickly, it can unravel risky plans by companies or investors that were counting on a stable borrowing rate.

What will crack this time around? It’s usually not evident until it is too late and it is not always directly related to borrowing costs on the surface. The Dotcom Bubble burst was because of a multitude of reasons, mostly unrealistic valuations for many tech businesses earning zero profits. But higher rates played their part. During the housing crisis, rising rates directly exposed the lax lending standards by banks as borrowers using floating-rate debt increasingly couldn’t pay.

This time around, traders often cite the booming (and opaque) private credit market and AI datacenter plans funded too much by debt — some of it off balance sheet — as likely breaking points.

Watch the regional banks

Regional banks will be particularly important to pay attention to this time around, Roque believes, as they must perform well for the market to maintain its footing, he said. The State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) has already fallen nearly 10% below its recent high, just a hair away from correction territory. Looking at the past mishaps sparked by high rates, the banking sector is typically punished the hardest.

“It is incumbent that the regional banks especially remain firm or have…

Ron Levin: Investment Expectations Evolving in Rapidly Changing Tech

Finance News — Sun, 24 May 2026 01:32:48 +0000

Investing in startups has always been about balancing risk with growth potential.

However, as artificial intelligence (AI), market volatility and evolving founder behaviors continue to reshape the tech ecosystem, a clear shift is occurring: investment expectations are moving away from market hype and inflated valuations toward a more disciplined, fundamental and execution-focused approach.

That was one of the main takeaways from Vancouver’s Web Summit conference, an annual event that drew 20,235 attendees from over 100 countries this year, a 30 percent increase from last year’s numbers.

The Investing News Network sat down with Ron Levin, managing partner and head of the AV Seed Fund at Alumni Ventures, at the event to explore how investing strategies are adapting and where confident opportunities still exist.

A new era of disciplined investing

Investor scrutiny and market dynamics have led to an era of disciplined fundraising focused on quality over quantity. Fewer deals are being funded at the seed stage, and investors are re‑emphasizing the value of more strategic rounds.

Smaller, focused seed rounds can create necessary discipline for founders, allow greater flexibility to pivot and give investors clearer evidence of company viability before larger checks go in. A startup that shows tangible progress on a leaner initial raise is often better positioned to attract follow-on funding at higher valuations.

Levin, a power law investor, said whether he invests at a US$10 million or US$15 million valuation is less important than the company’s potential to deliver outsized returns if it makes progress. At the same time, Levin noted that the integration of AI tools is fundamentally changing the pace of growth for portfolio companies.

“AI can’t build every product on its own, but there are still a lot of things that can be done faster, so I do sort of expect that founders should be able to hit key metrics, certain milestones, earlier — at least in the realm of vertical AI-type business models,” he explained on the sidelines of the Web Summit.

Valuations have reset, but expectations are rising again on the back of these highly scalable AI-driven technologies.

Durable opportunities in niche AI

While the AI market is crowded, investors can look for strategic opportunities beyond pure-play AI. Promising niches are emerging at the intersection of technology and tangible, real-world applications, including:

Physical AI: This segment includes robotics, hardware and automation. Levin identified these sectors as slower to adopt but ripe for innovation.

Infrastructure and construction: Levin cited Boston Civil, a civil engineering and land planning firm formerly known as Quetti Design, as a company using AI to optimize projects.

Energy Sector: Startups such as Pila Energy are focused on modular, smart and efficient power…

Text With Jesus AI chatbot grows rapidly despite blasphemy criticism

Finance News — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 13:10:17 +0000

Catloaf Software’s Text With Jesus app lets users message biblical figures like Jesus and Moses, but some faith leaders warn it risks trivializing scripture. (Courtesy Catloaf Software)

Text With Jesus, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that lets users message biblical figures, has grown quickly since its launch, and its creator says most users are embracing it despite skepticism and calls of blasphemy.

“Since launch, most people have come to the app out of curiosity, and it’s been incredible to see how many want to try a conversation with biblical figures,” Stéphane Peter, CEO of Catloaf Software, told FOX Business in a statement.

On the app, users can text with “Jesus,” “Moses” or other figures and receive AI-generated responses that quote scripture directly.

In one exchange displayed on the app, “Jesus” tells a user anxious about work, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

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A user holds a phone running the Text With Jesus app, which uses AI to simulate conversations with Biblical figures like Jesus Christ. (Courtesy Catloaf Software / Fox News)

Another prompt offers advice on kindness: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

The app is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and developed by Catloaf Software, a Los Angeles–based company founded by Peter, who came to the United States from France.

Peter previously built lighter apps such as Text From the Founding Fathers and Text From Oscar Wilde before turning to scripture, first with a static devotional tool and then with this interactive version.

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Text With Jesus now includes AI “spiritual counselor” personas, designed to let users ask questions about faith and scripture. (Courtesy Catloaf Software / Fox News)

“We expected some pushback, especially from those who worry about AI taking on roles tied to faith,” Peter said. “But, overall, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The vast majority of users see it for what it is — a fun, accessible way to explore scripture and spirituality in a new format.”

The app recently added AI-powered pastors and spiritual counselors.

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“They’ve quickly become a popular part of the app because they give people a safe, approachable way to ask questions about faith, scripture or life that they might hesitate to raise elsewhere,” Peter said.

Peter, who grew up in a Christian household but says he is “not particularly religious at the moment,” added that while some pastors offered positive feedback after the first version launched, they were not directly involved in development.

Not all…

AI technology develops rapidly as experts debate benefits and risks

Finance News — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 01:34:13 +0000

Fox News anchor Bret Baier explores how the technology is changing how the world operates on ‘Special Report.’

Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly. While some are embracing it, others are warning of the potential threats. But both sides agree, the technology is changing how the world operates.

“We’re only two and a half years into the whole AI boom, the first commercially available product launched at the end of November in 2022,” White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks said.

Over the next year, we can see more visual uses for AI. Text-based large language models are shifting toward video, audio and imaging.

“There are paper books, there are electronic books. It doesn’t mean that you use only electronic books now. I have a lot of paper books,” said Margarita Grubina, vice president of business growth at voice-cloning special effects firm Respeecher. “And then there is a different audience for AI-generated content and for content that’s filmed traditional.”

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FILE – Dayret Alaniz works on the circuit board of a thermostat in the Clean Tech Accelerator program at Goodwill Job Connection, April 4, 2024, in Houston. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images / Getty Images)

According to Fox News polling, just 11% of registered voters say they use AI daily. But many people are already using the technology without realizing it.

“We say that because of AI, we can now all be artists. Because of AI we can all be programmers. Because of the AI we all be great writers. It raises to bar of everyone, and so I would advise everyone to engage AI,” NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said.

Algorithms built into your social media platforms curate the content you see. Your car’s navigation apps analyze traffic in real time, and if you have smart thermostats in your home, they are now programmed to learn your routines and adjust the temperature.

“All of the analysis we’ve been doing is that the demand is real,” Constellation President and CEO Joseph Dominguez said. “In the long term, if this continues to grow, there is no alternative but to grow our ability to have 24/7 machines, whether that be nuclear or some new technology that comes along that does the same thing.”

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Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, speaks onstage at a forum on July 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Hill & Valley Forum / Getty Images)

Energy producers, Hollywood and businesses are all finding new ways to utilize AI.

“I use four different AIs every day,” Huang said. “I use them to get second opinions, or I’ll give the same prompt and the same query to all three of them to go do research for me. And I get them to work with each other, so I get better answers.”

There are concerns over AI’s reliance on the internet. Even though it seems like an endless amount of information,…