{"id":64105,"date":"2026-07-02T03:38:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T07:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud\/64105\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T03:38:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T07:38:16","slug":"google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud\/64105\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Loses \u20ac4.1B EU Antitrust Appeal; SoftBank to Launch US Neocloud"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 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\/google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud\/64105\/#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\/google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud\/64105\/#Tech_Antitrust_Googles_Record_Fine_Upheld\" >Tech &amp; Antitrust: Google\u2019s Record Fine Upheld<\/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\/google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud\/64105\/#SoftBank_Targets_US_AI_Infrastructure\" >SoftBank Targets US AI Infrastructure<\/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\/google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud\/64105\/#Commodities_Forex_Gold_Forecasts_and_Yen_Volatility\" >Commodities &amp; Forex: Gold Forecasts and Yen Volatility<\/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\/google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud\/64105\/#Healthcare_Roches_Breakthrough_in_Lung_Cancer\" >Healthcare: Roche\u2019s Breakthrough in Lung Cancer<\/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\/google-loses-e4-1b-eu-antitrust-appeal-softbank-to-launch-us-neocloud\/64105\/#Geopolitical_Impact_UK_Morale_and_Trade_Diplomacy\" >Geopolitical Impact: UK Morale and Trade Diplomacy<\/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>Alphabet\u2019s Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>)<\/strong> lost its final appeal against a record <strong>\u20ac4.125 billion ($4.67 billion)<\/strong> EU antitrust fine related to its Android operating system.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SoftBank Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/SFTBY\">SFTBY<\/a>)<\/strong> announced the establishment of <strong>SB Neo<\/strong> to launch &quot;neocloud&quot; services in the U.S. by fiscal year 2027, leveraging a <strong>10-gigawatt<\/strong> AI infrastructure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>UBS<\/strong> lowered its year-end <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">gold<\/a> forecast to <strong>$5,000\/oz<\/strong> (from previous higher targets), citing persistent headwinds from elevated real interest rates and a strong U.S. dollar.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Roche (<a href=\"\/stock\/RHHBY\">RHHBY<\/a>)<\/strong> reported that its experimental lung-cancer drug <strong>divarasib<\/strong> outperformed existing therapies from Amgen and Mirati in a late-stage clinical trial.<\/li>\n<li><strong>UK business morale<\/strong> slumped to its lowest level since late 2022 as the ongoing conflict with <strong>Iran<\/strong> continues to drive up energy and transportation costs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tech_Antitrust_Googles_Record_Fine_Upheld\"><\/span>Tech &amp; Antitrust: Google\u2019s Record Fine Upheld<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Alphabet\u2019s Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) has reached the end of the legal road in its battle with European regulators. The <strong>European Court of Justice<\/strong> upheld a <strong>\u20ac4.125 billion<\/strong> fine, confirming that the tech giant used its <strong>Android<\/strong> mobile operating system to illegally cement its search engine dominance. The court agreed with the European Commission&#39;s 2018 finding that Google forced manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome as a condition for using the Play Store.<\/p>\n<p>While the fine was slightly reduced from the original <strong>\u20ac4.34 billion<\/strong> in a 2022 lower court ruling, it remains the largest antitrust penalty in EU history. <em>Legal analysts suggest this final verdict reinforces the EU&#39;s aggressive stance on &quot;gatekeeper&quot; platforms and may set a precedent for ongoing Digital Markets Act (DMA) investigations.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SoftBank_Targets_US_AI_Infrastructure\"><\/span>SoftBank Targets US AI Infrastructure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>SoftBank Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/SFTBY\">SFTBY<\/a>) and its telecom unit, SoftBank Corp., are expanding their AI ambitions to the United States. The companies will establish <strong>SB Neo<\/strong>, a subsidiary 51% owned by the telecom unit, to provide &quot;neocloud&quot; services. These services will offer the massive computing resources required for <strong>large-scale AI model training<\/strong> and inference to major U.S. enterprises and hyperscalers.<\/p>\n<p>The venture will utilize SoftBank\u2019s developing <strong>10-gigawatt-scale<\/strong> energy and AI infrastructure. SoftBank plans to launch these services in the U.S. during the fiscal year ending <strong>March 31, 2028<\/strong>. This move follows the May 2026 launch of a beta GPU cloud service in Japan, signaling Masayoshi Son&#39;s commitment to leading the &quot;AI revolution&quot; through physical infrastructure.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Commodities_Forex_Gold_Forecasts_and_Yen_Volatility\"><\/span>Commodities &amp; Forex: Gold Forecasts and Yen Volatility<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>UBS<\/strong> analysts have adjusted their outlook for gold, cutting the year-end forecast to <strong>$5,000\/oz<\/strong>. Despite gold&#39;s status as a safe-haven asset during the <strong>Iran conflict<\/strong>, the bank noted that &quot;markets are rediscovering the concept of opportunity cost&quot; as real interest rates remain elevated. <em>While the structural bull market is not considered over, the bank warned that a stronger U.S. dollar and rising Treasury yields will cap near-term gains.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the currency markets, the <strong>U.S. Dollar<\/strong> experienced a sudden swing against the <strong>Japanese Yen<\/strong>, sliding <strong>0.61% to 161.61<\/strong> before stabilizing. The volatility comes amid high-stakes speculation regarding potential intervention by Japanese authorities. Meanwhile, <strong>Spain<\/strong> reported a net employment increase of <strong>92.5K<\/strong> for June, significantly outperforming the previous month&#39;s <strong>63.7K<\/strong>, even as unemployment fell by <strong>28.7K<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Healthcare_Roches_Breakthrough_in_Lung_Cancer\"><\/span>Healthcare: Roche\u2019s Breakthrough in Lung Cancer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Roche (<a href=\"\/stock\/RHHBY\">RHHBY<\/a>) announced positive results from a late-stage trial for its drug candidate, <strong>divarasib<\/strong>. The study showed that the drug outperformed current market leaders Amgen (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMGN\">AMGN<\/a>) and Mirati Therapeutics in treating advanced lung cancer. Divarasib met both primary and secondary objectives, showing &quot;meaningful improvements&quot; in <strong>overall survival<\/strong> and progression-free survival.<\/p>\n<p>The Swiss pharmaceutical giant intends to submit this data to global health authorities immediately. <em>The success of divarasib is seen as a critical win for Roche\u2019s oncology pipeline, which has faced pressure from biosimilar competition in recent years.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Geopolitical_Impact_UK_Morale_and_Trade_Diplomacy\"><\/span>Geopolitical Impact: UK Morale and Trade Diplomacy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor<\/strong> revealed that UK business morale has hit a three-year low. The survey of 1,000 accountants found that the <strong>war with Iran<\/strong> has pushed input prices up by <strong>4.1%<\/strong>, leading to a sharp slowdown in hiring and investment. Over <strong>57%<\/strong> of firms expect to raise their own prices in the coming year to offset soaring energy and shipping costs caused by the closure of the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>On the diplomatic front, China\u2019s <strong>Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM)<\/strong> has invited EU Trade Commissioner <strong>Maros Sefcovic<\/strong> to visit Beijing this fall. The invitation follows the first meeting of the <strong>EU-China Trade and Investment Consultations<\/strong>, aimed at balancing a trade relationship strained by subsidies and export controls on critical minerals. Both sides have set an <strong>October deadline<\/strong> to deliver tangible results on trade frictions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Alphabet\u2019s Google (GOOGL) lost its final appeal against a record \u20ac4.125 billion ($4.67 billion) EU antitrust fine related 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