Stock Market Today (LIVE): Visa Launches Gen-AI for Chargebacks; Intel Reclaims Fab Stake in 10% Surge

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1:30 pm -- V -0.5%

Visa (V 0.99%) is deploying six new artificial intelligence tools to automate the increasingly bloated charge dispute process. The payments giant processed 106 million disputes in 2025 — a 35% surge since 2019 — taxing the manual back-office systems of merchants and banks alike. By using generative AI to draft merchant responses and predictive models to flag "unfamiliar" charges for cardholders, Visa aims to transform a reactive, costly headache into a proactive digital workflow. This efficiency drive mirrors aggressive tech spending at JPMorgan Chase (JPM +0.36%), Goldman Sachs (GS +1.83%), and BNY (BK +2.12%), as the financial sector pivots toward a leaner, AI-augmented labor model.

1:15 pm -- LLY +5.6%, NVO -0.2%

Eli Lilly (LLY +5.47%) received FDA approval Wednesday for Foundayo, its once-daily weight-loss pill, intensifying the competition with Novo Nordisk (NVO +0.01%), which launched its own obesity pill earlier this year. Lilly shares rose as much as 5.6% on the news while Novo shares slipped as much as 2%.

12:25 pm -- INTC +9.7%

Intel (INTC +9.62%) shares surged 10% after announcing a $14.2 billion deal to repurchase the 49% stake in its Irish Fab 34 facility from Apollo Global Management (APO 0.76%). This reversal of a 2024 capital-raising move signals renewed financial discipline and confidence in the "CPU renaissance." As agentic AI shifts compute needs, industry leaders like Nvidia (NVDA +0.89%) and AMD (AMD +3.93%) are highlighting a "quiet supply crisis" where traditional processors are becoming the bottleneck. Intel’s move to consolidate its manufacturing footprint comes as its advanced 18A node in Arizona begins production, positioning the firm to capitalize on a projected surge in general-purpose AI compute demand.

11:50 am

SpaceX has confidentially filed for what could be the largest IPO in history, targeting a June listing with a valuation potentially hitting $1.5 trillion. The space giant, bolstered by the high-margin profitability of its Starlink satellite wing, expects to raise up to $75 billion. In a move echoing his history with Tesla (TSLA +2.10%), Elon Musk reportedly plans to allocate 20% of the offering to retail investors — double the industry standard. The capital influx will fund "orbital data centers," a pivot toward space-based AI computation following a strategic shift from Mars colonization to more financially feasible lunar and satellite infrastructure goals.

10:20 am

Private sector employment grew by 62,000 in March, according to data from Automatic Data Processing (ADP 0.72%), easily topping the Dow Jones consensus of 39,000. While large firms shed 4,000 positions, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees proved resilient, adding 85,000 jobs to "catch up" with inflation-driven demand. Education and health services led the charge with 58,000 gains, partly rebounding after a resolved strike at the private nonprofit Kaiser Permanente. Despite the beat, manufacturing and transportation sectors shed nearly 70,000 combined roles, suggesting a stark divergence between service-sector strength and industrial softness ahead of Friday's official federal jobs data.

9:35 am

Wall Street opened April with gains as the Dow added 363 points on hopes of a Middle East resolution. President Trump revealed that Iran has requested a ceasefire, though he maintains that military operations will continue until the Strait of Hormuz is "open, free, and clear." Oil prices responded by retreating, with West Texas Intermediate dipping to $100 per barrel. While the S&P 500 and Nasdaq climbed on the prospect of a U.S. exit within weeks, investors remain wary of a 9 p.m. ET presidential address that could dictate the market's direction for the new quarter.

9:30 am -- NKE -11.4% in pre-market trading

By Andy CrossMotley Fool CIO

It's been about a year since Elliot Hill rejoined Nike (NKE 14.33%) as CEO to light a fire under the world's largest athletic apparel company. While it's still smoldering, there are some sparks. As we reported earlier, Q3 sales were flat with strength in wholesale but DTC (direct-to-consumer) dropped. Back out currency impacts and growth was even worse. Yet the Win Now program Hill put in place is starting to take shape.

Nike Running grew 20% and is the paragon of success for the turnaround plans. Football/Soccer with the North American-hosted World Cup will be next. Wholesale is starting to see some life again after a few years of pivoting more to direct selling. Share and shelf space are growing. They have been rebuilding those critical relationships, and that is showing in strong North America performance. That's not just a flip-the-switch strategic change. After focusing much more on selling to consumers at the expense of wholesale partners like Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS 1.53%), Hill and his team are flipping the page in the playbook.