{"id":59200,"date":"2026-02-26T20:38:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle\/59200\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T20:38:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:38:30","slug":"netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle\/59200\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix Abandons WBD Pursuit as CoreWeave Capex Rattles AI Sector; Fed Faces DOJ Subpoena Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle\/59200\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle\/59200\/#Media_M_A_Netflix_Exits_the_Bidding_War\" >Media &amp; M&amp;A: Netflix Exits the Bidding War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle\/59200\/#Tech_AI_CoreWeave_Capex_and_Nvidias_Shadow\" >Tech &amp; AI: CoreWeave Capex and Nvidia\u2019s Shadow<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle\/59200\/#Central_Banking_Fed_Fights_DOJ_Subpoenas\" >Central Banking: Fed Fights DOJ Subpoenas<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle\/59200\/#Energy_Geopolitics_Venezuela_and_Global_Oil_Flows\" >Energy &amp; Geopolitics: Venezuela and Global Oil Flows<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/netflix-abandons-wbd-pursuit-as-coreweave-capex-rattles-ai-sector-fed-faces-doj-subpoena-battle\/59200\/#Macroeconomic_Outlook_UK_Sentiment_and_Safe_Havens\" >Macroeconomic Outlook: UK Sentiment and Safe Havens<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Netflix (<a href=\"\/stock\/NFLX\">NFLX<\/a>) has officially withdrawn its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (<a href=\"\/stock\/WBD\">WBD<\/a>),<\/strong> choosing to focus on a <strong>$20 billion content budget<\/strong> and the resumption of its share buyback program rather than matching a &quot;superior&quot; offer from Paramount Skydance (<a href=\"\/stock\/PARA\">PARA<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li><strong>CoreWeave Inc. (<a href=\"\/stock\/CRWV\">CRWV<\/a>) shares plunged 13%<\/strong> following a wider-than-expected loss and a massive <strong>$30\u2013$35 billion capital expenditure projection for 2026<\/strong>, sparking investor fears over debt-fueled AI infrastructure expansion.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Federal Reserve is locked in a legal battle with the DOJ<\/strong> as U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro investigates Chair Jerome Powell\u2019s testimony regarding <strong>$2.5 billion in building renovations<\/strong>, an inquiry Powell characterizes as political intimidation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Venezuela has suspended 19 production-sharing contracts<\/strong> for revision, though oil output remains steady; meanwhile, U.S. Energy Secretary Wright expects Venezuelan crude to increasingly flow to <strong>India, Asia, and Europe.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>UK economic sentiment disappointed in February,<\/strong> with the Lloyds Business Barometer falling to <strong>44<\/strong> (vs. 46 estimate) and GfK Consumer Confidence dropping to <strong>-19<\/strong> (vs. -15 estimate).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Media_M_A_Netflix_Exits_the_Bidding_War\"><\/span>Media &amp; M&amp;A: Netflix Exits the Bidding War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Netflix (<a href=\"\/stock\/NFLX\">NFLX<\/a>) has formally declined to raise its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery (<a href=\"\/stock\/WBD\">WBD<\/a>), effectively clearing the path for a merger between WBD and Paramount Skydance (<a href=\"\/stock\/PARA\">PARA<\/a>). Netflix leadership stated the deal is <strong>&quot;no longer financially attractive&quot;<\/strong> and they will not match the rival bid, which reportedly reached <strong>$31 per share<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of a massive acquisition, Netflix announced plans to invest <strong>$20 billion in content<\/strong> this year. The streaming giant also confirmed it will <strong>resume its share buyback program<\/strong>, signaling a return to organic growth and capital return to shareholders over aggressive consolidation.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tech_AI_CoreWeave_Capex_and_Nvidias_Shadow\"><\/span>Tech &amp; AI: CoreWeave Capex and Nvidia\u2019s Shadow<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>CoreWeave Inc. (<a href=\"\/stock\/CRWV\">CRWV<\/a>) saw its shares slide as much as <strong>13%<\/strong> after the company revealed a staggering <strong>$30\u2013$35 billion capital spending plan<\/strong> for 2026. While the company maintains strong revenue guidance and receives significant backing from Nvidia (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>), investors are increasingly wary of the <strong>heavy debt<\/strong> required to fuel such rapid AI infrastructure expansion.<\/p>\n<p>The sell-off in CoreWeave contributed to a broader dip in Asian tech stocks, following a sharp decline for Nvidia (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) on Wall Street. Despite the volatility, analysts noted that the Asian region remains on track to outperform U.S. markets due to <strong>strong emerging-market flows<\/strong> and sustained demand within the AI supply chain.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Central_Banking_Fed_Fights_DOJ_Subpoenas\"><\/span>Central Banking: Fed Fights DOJ Subpoenas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Federal Reserve is mounting a closed-door legal defense against subpoenas issued by the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorney <strong>Jeanine Pirro<\/strong> is reportedly investigating Chair Jerome Powell\u2019s testimony from last summer regarding <strong>$2.5 billion in renovations<\/strong> to the Fed\u2019s headquarters, which critics have labeled as &quot;ostentatious.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Powell has characterized the investigation as a <strong>&quot;pretext&quot;<\/strong> designed to undermine the central bank\u2019s independence. The escalating tension between the Fed and the administration has raised concerns in financial markets regarding the future of <strong>monetary policy autonomy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Energy_Geopolitics_Venezuela_and_Global_Oil_Flows\"><\/span>Energy &amp; Geopolitics: Venezuela and Global Oil Flows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Venezuela\u2019s oil ministry has suspended <strong>19 production-sharing contracts<\/strong> signed under the Maduro administration pending a joint review with the U.S. government. While some deals may be revoked, industry sources indicate that <strong>current oil output remains unaffected<\/strong> by the administrative freeze.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Energy Secretary Wright noted that Venezuelan oil is poised to reach a broader global market, with <strong>India expected to emerge as a major new buyer<\/strong>. Meanwhile, global oil prices remained steady, with <strong>WTI near $65<\/strong> and <strong>Brent below $71<\/strong>, as markets monitor extended nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Macroeconomic_Outlook_UK_Sentiment_and_Safe_Havens\"><\/span>Macroeconomic Outlook: UK Sentiment and Safe Havens<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The UK economy faced a setback in February as both business and consumer confidence missed expectations. The <strong>Lloyds Business Barometer<\/strong> hit 44, trailing the 46 estimate, while <strong>GfK Consumer Confidence<\/strong> fell to -19. Despite the headline miss, Lloyds noted that <strong>price expectations rose to 65<\/strong>, suggesting persistent inflationary pressures in the services sector.<\/p>\n<p>In the commodities market, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold-price.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">Gold<\/a> held firm near $5,185 an ounce<\/strong>. The precious metal continues to benefit from a <strong>geopolitical risk premium<\/strong> driven by a large U.S. military build-up in the Middle East and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the U.S.-Iran diplomatic efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Netflix (NFLX) has officially withdrawn its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), choosing to focus on a $20 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5012],"tags":[33,5423,58,633,1684,1947,3703,3710,3860,3871,4154],"class_list":["post-59200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","tag-msft","tag-uk-economy","tag-nflx","tag-nvda","tag-gold","tag-oil","tag-ai","tag-federal-reserve","tag-wbd","tag-para","tag-crwv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}