{"id":66060,"date":"2026-08-06T08:08:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/alphabet-taps-debt-markets-for-ai-expansion-fiserv-slashes-guidance-on-q2-miss\/66060\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T08:08:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:08:17","slug":"alphabet-taps-debt-markets-for-ai-expansion-fiserv-slashes-guidance-on-q2-miss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/alphabet-taps-debt-markets-for-ai-expansion-fiserv-slashes-guidance-on-q2-miss\/66060\/","title":{"rendered":"Alphabet Taps Debt Markets for AI Expansion; Fiserv Slashes Guidance on Q2 Miss"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Alphabet (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>)<\/strong> launched a massive <strong>10-part US dollar benchmark bond sale<\/strong> to fund an estimated <strong>$185 billion<\/strong> in 2026 capital expenditures for AI infrastructure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fiserv (<a href=\"\/stock\/FISV\">FISV<\/a>)<\/strong> shares tumbled over <strong>8%<\/strong> after reporting a <strong>Q2 earnings miss<\/strong> and slashing its full-year organic revenue growth outlook to <strong>-1% to 0%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paramount Skydance (<a href=\"\/stock\/PSKY\">PSKY<\/a>)<\/strong> received formal clearance from the <strong>UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)<\/strong> for its <strong>$110 billion<\/strong> acquisition of <strong>Warner Bros. Discovery (<a href=\"\/stock\/WBD\">WBD<\/a>)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fiserv<\/strong> lowered its <strong>FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance<\/strong> to a range of <strong>$7.20\u2013$7.40<\/strong>, significantly below previous estimates of <strong>$8.00\u2013$8.30<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paramount<\/strong> maintains that its merger raises <strong>no antitrust concerns<\/strong> in any market, despite an ongoing legal challenge from 12 US state attorneys general.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Alphabet Fuels AI &quot;Arms Race&quot; with Multi-Tranche Debt Offering<\/h2>\n<p>Alphabet (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) has returned to the debt markets with a sweeping <strong>10-part investment-grade bond sale<\/strong> intended to capitalize on its high credit ratings. The transaction features maturities ranging from <strong>two to 40 years<\/strong> and includes both fixed and floating-rate notes. This move comes as the tech giant scales its infrastructure for <strong>Gemini AI models<\/strong> and cloud services, with projected capital outlays nearly doubling previous years.<\/p>\n<p>The offering is expected to carry top-tier <strong>Aa2\/AA+ ratings<\/strong>, appealing to a wide range of investors from short-term managers to long-duration pension funds. Initial price talk for the <strong>two-year fixed-rate notes<\/strong> was reported at approximately <strong>60 basis points<\/strong> over US Treasuries. By tapping the debt market now, Alphabet aims to preserve its massive cash reserves while optimizing its cost of capital during a historic expansion phase.<\/p>\n<h2>Fiserv Shares Plunge on Disappointing Q2 Results and Outlook<\/h2>\n<p>Fiserv (<a href=\"\/stock\/FISV\">FISV<\/a>) saw its stock price drop sharply in <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/movers\/premarket\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Premarket Movers\">pre-market trading<\/a> after the company missed analyst expectations for the second quarter and lowered its annual forecast. The payments firm reported <strong>adjusted revenue of $4.96 billion<\/strong>, a <strong>4% year-over-year decline<\/strong> that fell short of the <strong>$5.05 billion<\/strong> consensus estimate. <strong>Adjusted EPS of $1.84<\/strong> also missed the mark, coming in <strong>$0.07 lower<\/strong> than anticipated.<\/p>\n<p>The company&#39;s updated guidance reflects a &quot;tough economic landscape,&quot; with <strong>organic revenue growth<\/strong> now expected to be flat or slightly negative for the full year. <strong>Fiserv<\/strong> attributed some of the margin compression to transformation expenses under its <strong>&quot;One Fiserv&quot;<\/strong> action plan. Despite the downward revision for 2026, management reiterated its commitment to medium-term growth targets through 2029.<\/p>\n<h2>UK Regulators Clear Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger<\/h2>\n<p>In a major regulatory victory for <strong>Paramount Skydance (<a href=\"\/stock\/PSKY\">PSKY<\/a>)<\/strong>, the UK&#39;s <strong>Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)<\/strong> has formally cleared the acquisition of <strong>Warner Bros. Discovery (<a href=\"\/stock\/WBD\">WBD<\/a>)<\/strong>. The CMA concluded that the merged entity would continue to face sufficient competition from other major studios and streaming platforms. This follows a similar clearance from the <strong>European Commission<\/strong> in July 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the international momentum, the <strong>$110 billion deal<\/strong> still faces significant hurdles in the United States. A group of <strong>12 state attorneys general<\/strong> has filed a lawsuit to block the merger, alleging it would illegally concentrate power in Hollywood and harm labor markets. <strong>Paramount<\/strong> has rejected these claims, stating that the CMA&#39;s findings &quot;directly refute the assumptions&quot; of the US legal challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Alphabet (GOOGL) launched a massive 10-part US dollar benchmark bond sale to fund an estimated $185 billion in 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