CHINESE VICE PREMIER HE LIFENG: CHINA RAISED CONCERNS ON RECENT RESTRICTIVE MEASURES FROM US

Investors forgive Alphabet's huge capital expenditure because of its strong earnings, XTB's Kathleen Brooks writes. Google-owner Alphabet said its investment in artificial intelligence data center will rise to $190 billion this year. At the same time, the company earnings per share were well ahead of Wall Street expectations, while revenue rose by 22% on year. "Alphabet has proven that its AI investment is paying off, and its AI products and cloud computing businesses are making a meaningful difference to its bottom line," Brooks writes. Alphabet's AI product offering is also easy to understand and built around a coherent strategy, she adds.

CBOE VOLATILITY INDEX NEAR TWO-WEEK LOW; LAST DOWN 1.4 POINTS AT 17.43