Happy Friday, !

Vote for the winner of this week’s world-famous news haiku competition™ in today’s poll!

There’s also some news you Need2Know. Let’s get to it…

Matt Davis — Need2Know Chedditor

News You Need2Know

• Should you refi as mortgage rates go below 6%?

• Nvidia shares fall as blockbuster results fail to …

• What AI execs tell their kids about future jobs

• Paramount raises Warner Bros. Discovery bid

• Google launches even faster AI image tool

• Poll of the day: It’s World Famous 5-7-5™ Time

• Poll of the day: You’re dead inside

What’s the stock market up to, eh?

$SPX ( ▼ 0.84% ) $DJI ( ▼ 1.34% ) $NDX ( ▼ 1.35% )  

Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter

$NFLX ( ▲ 12.93% )  $WBD ( ▼ 2.1% )  $PSKY ( ▲ 19.72% )  $GOOGL ( ▼ 0.21% )  $MSFT ( ▼ 2.05% )  $AMZN ( ▲ 0.43% )  $NVDA ( ▼ 3.22% )  $BYTEDANCE ( 0.0% )  $SAP ( ▼ 1.26% )  

Should you refi as mortgage rates go below 6%?

In recent months, homeowners have been keeping a close eye on mortgage rates and for good reason. With rates dipping below 6% for the first time in years yesterday, many are wondering whether now is the right time to refinance. Refinancing your mortgage at a lower interest rate could potentially save you thousands of dollars over the life of your loan — but is it the right move for your specific financial situation?

Refinancing makes the most sense if the new rate is at least 1% lower than your current mortgage rate, as this can meaningfully reduce your monthly payments and overall interest costs. For instance, let’s say you currently have a 6.75% rate on a $300,000 loan. Refinancing to 5.75% could lower your monthly payment by several hundred dollars, not to mention the long-term savings.

However, refinancing isn't always a slam dunk. Consider closing costs, typically 2-5% of your loan amount. If you don't plan to stay in your home long enough to break even, refinancing may not be worth it.

When rates dip below 6%, it’s an opportunity worth exploring, but the ultimate decision should depend on your current rate, financial goals, and how long you plan to stay in your home. Consult with a trusted lender to crunch the numbers and decide if refinancing is the right move for you. #NotFinancialAdvice

Nvidia shares fall as blockbuster results fail to dazzle

Nvidia’s $NVDA ( ▼ 3.22% ) Wednesday night earnings report showcased record-breaking performance, yet the company’s shares fell 5% on Thursday. Despite forecasting $78 billion revenue for the current quarter — surpassing Wall Street’s $72.1 billion expectations — and achieving $120 billion record profits last year, investor uncertainty about the future of the AI boom overshadowed its success.

CEO Jensen Huang remains confident. “Computing demand is growing exponentially…Our customers are racing to invest in AI compute," he said, butchering a verb and turning it into a noun, gerunding that puppy with blatant disregard. Analysts at TD Cowen told the Financial Times, “All systems [are] ‘go’ at Nvidia, but skepticism continues to pervade large-cap AI stocks.” Such concerns stem from Nvidia’s reliance on hyper-scalers like Microsoft $MSFT ( ▼ 2.05% ) , Google $GOOGL ( ▼ 0.21% ) , and Amazon $AMZN ( ▲ 0.43% ) , whose $660 billion AI infrastructure spending is more than the GDPs of Singapore, Austria, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Norway, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Malaysia, Denmark, and so on.

It’s almost as if nothing is enough for investors these days. It's like when you get your wife flowers on her birthday, and she complains because the restaurant you booked isn’t the right restaurant. Are you KIDDING ME? Hypothetically.

Quote of the Day

What AI execs tell their kids about future jobs

When the people building the future of AI are asked what their own children should study, they don't just point to coding bootcamps. Instead, leaders from Anthropic, Microsoft $MSFT ( ▼ 2.05% ) , and SAP $SAP ( ▼ 1.26% ) are emphasizing a surprising toolkit: humanity, agility, and the liberal arts, reports the Wall Street Journal.

It’s almost as if these AI people think AI is a load of old nonsense, ain’t t?

For Daniela Amodei, co-founder of Anthropic, the most valuable assets are emotional intelligence and connection. She told the Journal: “What’s not going to be replaceable is how you treat other people, how well you communicate with them.” Similarly, SAP’s Caroline Hanke argues that technical skills have a short shelf life, telling the journal: “Agility and openness to change…those will be the central skills I want my teenager to have.”

While Manny Medina of Paid.AI encourages his kids to explore high-growth sectors like nuclear energy and healthcare, his primary goal is mindset: “The part I want to make sure of is that they don’t look at AI as a threat,” he told the Journal.

For those worried about automation, the experts suggest staying "broad." Wharton professor Ethan Mollick believes “generalist jobs, where there are many different skills bundled together, are good jobs in an AI world.”

Like being a prison guard or working for ICE?

This is echoed by Microsoft’s Jaime Teevan, who advocates for deep thinking over quick answers, insisting that “a traditional liberal-arts education is really important” for fostering critical judgment.

Song of the Day: Dominique Fils-Aimé, ‘Phoenix Rising’

This track is the centerpiece of the album “My World Is The Sun,” marking a departure toward a more personal, high-energy sound. Critics describe it as a declaration of a new era that blends her jazz and soul roots with polished pop sensibilities (just like this newsletter).

Free yourself from advertising forever!

Paramount raises Warner Bros. Discovery bid

In yet another episode of "Corporate Giants Doing Corporate Things," Paramount $PSKY ( ▲ 19.72% ) has upped its offer to snag Warner Bros. Discovery $WBD ( ▼ 2.1% ) , bumping its bid to $31 per share. How exciting...or not.

“Paramount welcomes the WBD board’s determination and looks forward to continuing to engage constructively with WBD,” Paramount said in a very earnest statement. Translation? "Please pick us over Netflix $NFLX ( ▲ 12.93% ). We're trying really hard!"

Meanwhile, Netflix, still riding high on its $83 billion bid, isn’t losing any sleep. Warner Bros. Discovery, however, is still playing coy. “There can be no assurance that the board will conclude that the transaction proposed by Paramount is superior to the Netflix deal,” said the company, which is basically code for, "We’re sticking with Netflix.”

Oh, and let’s not forget Paramount’s CEO, David Ellison, son of $ORCL ( ▼ 5.36% ) founder Larry, who managed to bring more politics into the mix by attending President Trump's State of the Union address. Mark your calendars for the next thrilling installment when shareholders vote on this saga March 20. 

I have “watch paint dry” on my schedule already for that day, so I may be busy. But still.

Google launches even faster AI image tool

Google has unveiled Nano Banana 2, the latest update to its widely popular AI image generator. The original Nano Banana debuted last August, becoming an instant hit, while Nano Banana Pro followed in November with its Gemini 3 Pro-powered precision. Now, Nano Banana 2 promises an even faster, smarter experience.

According to Google $GOOGL ( ▼ 0.21% ) , Nano Banana 2 boasts enhanced world knowledge via real-time data pulled from its Gemini system, making images “more accurate.” The company says this upgrade also provides quicker generation speeds, sharper text rendering, and better instruction-following capabilities, all perfect for creating marketing mockups or custom greeting cards.

“Users can still access Nano Banana Pro,” Google clarified, “for high-fidelity tasks requiring maximum factual accuracy. Nano Banana 2, however, prioritizes speed, precision, and seamless integration with image-search capabilities.”

AI-powered creative tools have seen explosive growth recently, with competitors like Adobe integrating their Firefly AI into its software and OpenAI’s Sora tool driving AI video generation. However, the rise of these tools hasn’t come without controversy. Google’s move highlights efforts to refine AI without falling into the copyright pitfalls that have plagued companies like ByteDance $BYTEDANCE ( 0.0% ) , whose AI tool Seedance faced copyright backlash.

Should you check your 401(k) today?

👎️ 

No.

Poll of the day: It’s World Famous 5-7-5™ Time

Poll of the day: You’re dead inside

We asked: How do you feel about the State of the Union address?

You answered:

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ I saw a majestic, soaring eagle clutching a trade deal in its talons. (23)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ It was the most coherent 108 minutes of my life. (22)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ I interpreted every "pause for applause" as a personal invitation to go to the kitchen and look for snacks. Mm, Yodels! (44)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ I interpreted every "pause for applause" as a personal invitation to blow my brains out. (123)
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 I am checking the price of one-way tickets out of America. (214)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 I've long since stopped having feelings. You may think I'm dead inside, but ... well, yes, I'm dead inside. (220)

646 Votes via @beehiiv polls

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