Editorial companion

What stands out

Dell jumped after it raised its annual sales forecast by $25 billion, driven by surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers, while Palo Alto Networks topped profit expectations as companies spend to harden defenses against smarter attacks. That combination, raw compute sales and security-software adoption, captures the current phase of the AI boom, where customers buy both horsepower and protection. For investors this is a reminder that AI spending shows up in very different places on corporate income statements, and that headline moves can mask distinct business dynamics underneath.