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Why we love this deal

One of the most difficult things about the warm-weather months is balancing your outdoor decor with your outdoor storage needs. While it's nice to have a reason to use your pool toys or your gardening tools again, it's not as nice to see them all strewn about the backyard. That's why we were excited to find an amazing deal on a metal storage shed at Target that's currently on sale at a huge discount. 

The Costway Galvanized Steel Storage Shed is on sale for only $230. That's 68% off the regular price of $710. This is a deal that you're not likely to see duplicated anytime soon, so we recommend taking advantage now, while you still can.

Costway Galvanized Steel Storage Shed, $230 (was $710) at Target

Why do shoppers love it?

This shed is the perfect accessory for your backyard needs. Made of highly durable galvanized steel, the shed is rustproof and corrosion-resistant. This is important for any outdoor purchase, but especially for a storage shed that's intended to protect whatever's inside from the elements. The double sliding doors, also made from galvanized steel, offer a nice wide opening for lawnmowers, pool vacuums, and gardening equipment. What's more, the overall dimensions of the shed make for a spacious storage experience. 

The shed measures 76.8 inches long by 55.2 inches wide by 72 inches high. It's ideal for all sorts of items, small to large. In fact, you might even want to store your patio set inside during the winter months, depending on its size. Another benefit of this specific model is its woodgrain exterior design. The thick steel shell can blend in seamlessly with the nature around it, thanks to the subtle natural wood look. It's also available in a gray colorway, though that version is sold out at the time of publication. It would be nice to have a few more color options, though by no means a dealbreaker. 

If we had one specific criticism of this shed, it might be that there are no viewing windows to check what's inside. However, that might also make the overall security of the shed less practical. There are, however, two sets of air vents just above the door opening. This allows for maximum ventilation and airflow throughout the shed. Circulation is of the utmost importance, especially during the humid summer months, when internal air temperatures rise and the air quality inside a shed like this can become stale. 

Related: Walmart has a 2-door outdoor storage shed for just $120

Pros and cons of the Costway Galvanized Steel Storage Shed

Pros 

• Wood look: The woodgrain design of the shed's outer shell allows it to blend in seamlessly with its surroundings.
• Material: The shed's galvanized steel construction is rustproof and corrosion-resistant.
• Ventilation: There are two front-facing vents above the doorway to allow for maximum airflow. 

Cons

• Colorways: There are only two color variants from which to choose, one of which is currently sold out.
• Windows: There are no windows to speak of on this model, though including one might reduce the security of the shed.

Target shoppers were thrilled with this sturdy shed. One described it as "amazing," also claiming it was "just what I needed! Easy to assemble, lots of space, and plenty of headroom."

Shop more deals 

• Asofer Outdoor Storage Shed, $120 (was $240) at Walmart
• Yodolla Metal Storage Shed, $103 (was $190) at Walmart

If you want someplace to store all of your outdoor odds and ends that looks great, then we recommend the Costway Galvanized Steel Storage Shed for just $230. Anything that's available for 68% off is worth consideration, but an item this useful at that big of a discount is a virtual no-brainer. 

Lately it has migrated somewhere stranger. It now sits in a single stock ticker, in the valuation of a company that makes chips.

Nvidia (NVDA) is worth about $5.5 trillion. To put that where you can feel it, the chipmaker is now larger than the annual economic output of every nation on Earth except the United States and China, according to 24/7 Wall St. It overtook Germany's economy in mid-May 2026, according to Euronews.

We have watched that number climb, and the worry has pointed at one place, the stock. Is it a bubble? Will the AI trade unwind and drag our retirement accounts down with it?

Fair questions. They are also, by my read, aimed slightly off target. Because the warning that grabbed me this spring did not come from a short seller. It came from a bank, and it was not about the stock. It was about the debt.

Why the AI boom got too big to ignore

To understand why a bank is nervous, start with how much money the AI build-out actually requires. The five companies doing most of the spending, Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), and Oracle (ORCL), have committed roughly $969 billion combined to data centers and the chips inside them, according to Fortune.

More AI:

• Micron sits at the center of a red-hot chip rally
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For years, that spending came straight out of operating cash flow. That is changing. The build-out now costs more than even these giants generate, so they have started borrowing the difference.

In 2025, those five firms issued about $121 billion in U.S. corporate bonds, up from an average of $28 billion a year between 2020 and 2024, according to Reuters. That is not a rounding error. It is a structural shift in who feeds the bond market.

Related: JPMorgan resets S&P 500 outlook with stunning target

What JPMorgan sees building inside the bond market

Here is the part that should make you sit up. As of late May 2026, debt tied to AI made up roughly 15% of the entire corporate bond universe, a share one Morningstar host called "very high by historical standards," according to 24/7 Wall St.

The bigger worry is not that these companies are over-borrowed. On most balance-sheet measures, they remain very strong, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management. The worry is concentration.

Technology has grown from less than 2% of the investment-grade credit market in 2005 to about 10% today, the same firm found, and credit spreads in the sector have widened as investors digest the flood of new paper. The risk has quietly moved from any single company to the shape of the market itself.

The scale is hard to hold in your head, so here are the numbers that matter:

• The five hyperscalers issued about $121 billion in bonds in 2025, versus a $28 billion annual average from 2020 to 2024, according to Reuters.
• AI-related debt now accounts for roughly 15% of the entire corporate bond universe, according to 24/7 Wall St.
• Technology has climbed from under 2% of the investment-grade credit market in 2005 to about 10% now, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
• Wall Street expects another $100 billion to $300 billion of AI-related bond supply in 2026, according to Fortune.

The trajectory is what alarms JPMorgan. The bank projects that by 2027, spending on AI will outrun the entire world's military budget, which reached $2.718 trillion in 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Sit with that. We may be one year away from the world borrowing more to build chatbots and data centers than it spends to arm itself.

How a bond market bet lands in your portfolio

Here is why this matters even if you never buy a single corporate bond. If you hold a total-bond-market index fund, and millions of retirement savers do, you already own this AI debt. Index funds have to mirror the market, so as hyperscalers flood it with bonds, your fund quietly fills with their paper whether you wanted that bet or not.

Professional buyers feel the squeeze, too. Kevin SigRist, who runs North Carolina's $143 billion pension fund, said the extra yield for holding these long bonds is thin, with spreads "very, very tight," according to Fortune. His fund stays underweight the sector on purpose.

When I ran the comparison myself, the thing that stuck was not the size of any one company. It was the wiring. A single theme, AI, now sits inside your stock funds through the Magnificent Seven and inside your bond funds through hyperscaler debt. It is the same bet, made twice, in the two halves of a portfolio that are supposed to offset each other.

That is the cost JPMorgan is really flagging. Not a weak balance sheet at any one firm, but a market that has quietly pointed most of its money at one story.

The fix is not to panic-sell or to swear off AI. It is to know what you actually own. Pull up your largest holding, in your 401(k) or your brokerage, and check how much of it rides on five companies. If the AI story keeps compounding, you will be glad you looked. If it stumbles, you will be very glad you looked. Either way, the number that stopped making sense is now sitting in your account. The least you can do is learn its name.

Related: JP Morgan CEO has stark message for investors on stocks

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Why we love this deal

There aren't a lot of brands that have the worldwide respect that's enjoyed by Seiko. As an avid watch collector myself, Seiko was my foot in the door to the world of luxury watches, and it has remained one of my favorites ever since. If you're thinking of dipping your toe in the water of luxury watches, or even if you're an experienced collector, one thing that every watch nerd can agree upon is that you can never own too many Seikos. If you want to add one at the moment, I can't think of a better deal than the gorgeous panda-style chronograph that I recently found on sale at Walmart. 

The Seiko Reverse Panda Luxury Chronograph is on sale for only $249. If ever there was a perfect time to get your collection started, this is it. However, there's no guarantee that the price will remain for long, so it's better to act quickly rather than wait. 

Seiko Reverse Panda Luxury Chronograph, $249 at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

Seiko knows how to make a high-end watch that's available at a low-end price. This piece is the perfect example of that axiom. The case and bracelet are made from durable 316L stainless steel. Not only does the material have a lustrous beauty, but it's also rustproof and corrosion resistant. The brushed finish that covers the case and the bracelet keeps it looking fresh and clean better than a highly-polished case that shows every knick and scratch. The case has an almost-perfect diameter of 42 millimeters, which fits just about any wrist immaculately. 

Speaking of immaculate things, the dial is an absolute work of art. As you might have guessed, this dial configuration is referred to as a reverse panda style because it mimics the monochromatic inverse of a panda bear's face. The matte black base is nicely contrasted by two white subdials that display minutes and hours respectively. Below them at the 6 o'clock position is a third register that's the same color as the dial and keeps track of the running seconds. At the 4 o'clock position is a date window with a special detail just for watch lovers in the know. The date wheel underneath is black, matching the dial. Personally, I'm always a big fan of matching date wheels to the dial because it creates a far more cohesive look.

On the inside, the watch is powered by a quartz-regulated Japanese chronograph movement. Seiko is one of the few watch brands at this price point that manufactures their own movements, which means they can control the production and quality control from start to finish. This lovely timepiece also boasts an impressive 100 meters of water resistance. That means you don't have to worry about damaging the aforementioned high-accuracy movement inside if you choose to take a swim in the pool or even the ocean.

Related: Amazon's $188 Seiko luxury timepiece is a 'great everyday watch'

Details to know

• Case diameter: 42 millimeters.
• Water resistance: 100 meters.
• Movement: Seiko quartz-regulated chronograph movement.
• Material: 316L Stainless Steel

A number of Walmart shoppers understood just how special this watch is, and chose to share their satisfaction in the reviews. One claimed, "You can't miss with Seiko," adding that "the brand is top quality and has proven to be reliable over the years…I couldn't be happier."

Shop more deals 

• Citizen Black Dial Watch, $95(was $130) at Walmart
• Seiko Blue Dial Automatic Watch, $220 at Walmart
• Citizen Crycen Eco-Drive Watch, $319 (was $350) at Walmart

If you want to feel that type of joy every time you look down at your wrist, then I recommend getting the Seiko Reverse Panda Luxury Chronograph while it's still on sale, as $249 is a worthy price to pay for the gift of time. 

There's a reason for that. 

Unlike traditional retailers that have to inflate prices to pay for overhead and profits, Costco relies on membership fee revenue to generate profits. 

During Costco's most recent operating quarter, the company reported $1.37 billion in membership fee income, up 10.7% from a year prior. The company also said that as of the end of the quarter, it had 82.9 million paying members.

Of course, some shoppers refuse to pay a membership fee for the privilege of walking into a store to spend money. I'd argue that their stubbornness could be costing them, since I'm able to more than make up for my membership fee in the form of savings on groceries and the many other everyday essentials I buy at Costco.

But having membership fee revenue to offset its costs isn't the only reason Costco is able to keep its prices low. There's another strategy that allows Costco to remain competitive at a time when inflation is surging and many retailers are responding by raising prices.

Costco just lowered prices on key items

Costco doesn't always make a big production over lowering prices. And there's a reason for that.

Costco's aim is to perpetually undercut its competitors and offer members maximum value. So when the company sees an opportunity to lower prices, it tends to jump on it without making a show of it or plastering "sale" signs all over the store.  

During the company's third-quarter 2026 earnings call, CEO Ron Vachris, said, "Our goal is to be the first to lower prices and last to raise them."

Related: Costco just made a major move to fix a member pain point

CFO Gary Millerchip reaffirmed that sentiment, stating, "Our goal is to be the first to lower prices where we see opportunities to do so." 

And Millerchip pointed out that Costco did, in fact, quietly lower the price of a number of key items during its most recent quarter:

• Kirkland Signature Crispy Wings dropped from $16.99 to $14.99
• Kirkland Signature Milk Chocolate Almonds dropped from $19.99 to $18.99
• Kirkland Signature Golf Balls dropped from $32.99 to $29.99
• Kirkland Signature King Size Sheets dropped from $89.99 to $79.99 

Costco's Kirkland Signature brand is key to staying competitive

Private-label brands are pretty common in retail. Walk around your typical supermarket, and you'll generally see store brands all over the shelves.

But Kirkland Signature differs from many of the store brands you'll see in that it's not just a cheap alternative.

Sure, you might save money by focusing on the Kirkland label. In fact, during Costco's most recent earnings call, Millerchip said, "We continue to innovate with new KS items, offering savings of at least 15% to 20% to the national brand equivalent with equal or better quality."

But what makes Kirkland so special is that members know they're not skimping on quality when they favor it over a national brand. In fact, it's common for Kirkland products to not only match the quality of national brands, but exceed it. 

More Retail:

• Costco sees major shift in member behavior
• Retail chain shuts all locations as legal changes hit industry
• Costco makes major investment in online shopping for members

"Kirkland is an extension of the value promise Costco extends to customers," retail expert Jennifer Bartashus told RetailWire. "Costco is all about discovery and value. The ability to offer even bigger discounts through the Kirkland brand without sacrificing quality really resonates with customers."

At a time when consumers are feeling increasingly squeezed by inflation, that's important. 

A good 76% of Americans called cost-of-living increases their biggest economic issue in a May CNN poll. 

By not only offering competitive prices to begin with, but lowering them without fanfare, Costco is doing its part to prove to members that they can rely on the Kirkland brand for savings even during challenging economic times. 

And it's that value proposition that helps explain why Costco is able to retain so many members even at a time when consumers on a whole are cutting back on spending.

Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.

Related: Dollar Tree sees big shift in consumer behavior

Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman became the latest AI exec to walk back his previous comments, telling the Commonwealth Bank of Australia conference in Sydney that his earlier predictions about the social and economic implications were "pretty wrong."

"I'm delighted to be wrong about this. I thought there would have been more impact on entry-level white-collar jobs being eliminated by now than has actually happened," Altman said, according to Reuters. "I now think I understand more about why it hasn't, and I'm obviously grateful, but that is an area where my intuitions were just off."

His more humble tone is a sharp departure from the hubris he has shown repeatedly in the past when he has said things like "I'm happy to say that I am convinced that the job destruction in the next couple of decades is going to be massive," even going as far as to say that "my job is to help people destroy jobs."

Whether he has truly had a change of heart or has just seen polling on shifting American attitudes toward AI is up for debate, but the latest data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggests his initial predictions are starting to come true.

AI adoption drives May job losses to Covid levels

U.S.-based employers announced more than 97,000 job cuts in May, a 16% increase from the more than 83,000 they cut the month prior and 3% higher than last year's total, according to the latest data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas viewed by TheStreet.

The May 2026 total was the highest for the month since 2020, when the Covid pandemic forced employers to cut nearly 400,000.

The firm says it has seen "a jump in bankruptcy-related losses, which tells me companies are restructuring aggressively as they reposition for an AI-driven economy," according to Andy Challenger, labor and workplace expert and Chief Revenue Officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The tech sector was responsible for more than a third of the job cuts, with companies announcing more than 38,000 job cuts in the month, the highest total since August 2024.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, led the way, laying off 8,000 amid the company's own shift towards an AI future.

For the year, the tech sector has announced 123,653 job cuts, a 66% increase from the 74,716 announced through the first five months of 2025. Tech is the leading job cutter "by a wide margin," according to Challenger.

“The labor market is being reshaped by technology in real time. AI is now the leading reason companies give for cutting jobs, and the primary industry citing it is Technology. Technology, already the year's biggest job cutter, saw its steepest month of cuts since early 2023, even as it remains the sector with the most hiring plans this year,” said Challenger.

"AI isn't yet the jobpocalypse some predicted. Like spreadsheets and email before it, the technology will ultimately make workers more productive, but our data shows companies are already acting on it, citing AI for more cuts than any other reason. The open question isn't whether AI changes the workforce, but how fast."

Employers blame AI for job cuts

Employers aren't always truthful about the reasons for job cuts. Sometimes they blame one thing for the attrition when other causes may be more pressing. But whether they are being completely truthful or not, most are blaming AI for job cuts.

AI led all reasons for job cuts in Challenger's data for the third consecutive month, but the 38,579 AI-related job cuts in May were the highest monthly total ever recorded for the reason since the firm began tracking it in 2023. AI accounted for 40% of all job cuts announced in May, up from just 7% in January, 25% in March and 26% in April.

So far in 2026, employers have cited AI in 87,714 job cuts, or 22% of total job cuts. That total is already well ahead of the 54,836 that were attributed to the reason all last year.

So even though Sam Altman is having a change of heart, he may have just been ahead of the curve.

But it's not all doom and gloom, especially in the tech sector. While May's job cuts were deepest in tech, the industry also led all others in hires. Technology led May hiring by a large margin with 11,250 announced positions. Electronics was the next-largest hirer, adding just 3,158 jobs.

"People are like 'oh you could have saved the world a lot of fear mongering and a lot of doom and gloom,' but at the time I was like 'I see this is a real risk we should probably ​talk about it' and it still may," Altman said.

Related: AI CEO just made a wild prediction about AI agents

That is how the initial public offering, or IPO, has worked for decades. A company hires a syndicate of banks, the banks call their best clients, and the shares that matter get spoken for before the rest of us learn the name.

Retail buyers usually get whatever is left, and only after the stock starts trading, often at a price the early crowd already ran up. Roughly 95% of the shares in a sought-after debut go to big institutional investors, University of Florida finance professor Jay Ritter estimated for CNBC.

Now, one of the country's largest brokerages has moved that rope, and it did so for the biggest stock market debut anyone has ever attempted.

Fidelity said it will let ordinary customers place an order for shares of Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPCX) at the IPO price, and the account minimum is a sliver of what it used to be.

What Fidelity just changed for everyday investors

On June 4, Fidelity laid out how its brokerage customers can chase a piece of the deal. You sign up for IPO alerts, read the prospectus, submit a nonbinding indication of interest, then confirm the order once the price is set, according to Fidelity.

The number that matters is the entry fee. Fidelity normally wants $500,000 in an account before it will take your indication of interest on an IPO. For SpaceX it cut that to $2,000, Barron's reported.

More Tech Stocks:

• Morgan Stanley sets jaw-dropping Micron price target after event
• Nvidia’s China chip problem isn’t what most investors think
• Quantum Computing makes $110 million move nobody saw coming

When I lined up the new floor against the old one, the barrier had effectively dropped by more than 99%.

Fidelity tied the move to supply. SpaceX is setting aside up to 30% of the offering for retail buyers, far above the norm. Most IPOs "offer retail customers only 5% to 10% of the total offering," Fidelity said.

The brokers are not moving in lockstep. Charles Schwab (SCHW) still wants $100,000 in an account, while Robinhood Markets (HOOD), SoFi Technologies (SOFI) and Morgan Stanley's (MS) E*Trade set no portfolio minimum at all, Barron's reported.

How the largest IPO ever reached this point

SpaceX plans to sell 555.6 million Class A shares at a fixed $135 each, a roughly $75 billion raise that would value the company near $1.77 trillion, according to CNBC.

That would be the largest IPO in history, more than triple Alibaba's $22 billion record from 2014. The deal is led by Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley, Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), and JPMorgan Chase (JPM).

Founded in 2002, SpaceX grew from a rocket startup into a company spanning launches, defense contracts, the Starlink satellite network and, after a 2026 tie-up with xAI, artificial intelligence.

Related: Anthropic scales its most powerful AI a day after filing to IPO

Musk will hold about 82.4% of the voting power after the offering, the same kind of ironclad control he wields at Tesla (TSLA). That makes SpaceX a controlled company exempt from some Nasdaq governance rules.

Here is the deal by the numbers:

• A $1.77 trillion valuation at $135 a share, more than triple Alibaba's record 2014 debut, according to CNBC
• Up to 30% of shares reserved for retail buyers, versus the usual 5% to 10%, Fidelity confirms
• A $2,000 Fidelity account minimum, down from as much as $500,000, Barron's indicates
• 2025 revenue of $18.674 billion, up 33%, against a net loss of about $4.94 billion, based on SpaceX's SEC filing as reported by Fortune
• An independent fair value of about $780 billion from Morningstar, according to Fortune

At $1.77 trillion, SpaceX would rank as roughly the seventh most valuable U.S. company, just ahead of Tesla, Kiplinger noted.

What the SpaceX IPO could mean for your portfolio

Open access is not the same as a sure thing. By my math, the 555.6 million shares on offer are only about 4% of the roughly 13 billion shares SpaceX will have outstanding. A float that thin can send a stock lurching in both directions in its first days.

There is also a leash on quick profits. Sell your allocated SpaceX shares within 15 calendar days, and Fidelity can bar you from new offerings for a stretch, with repeat sellers facing a permanent ban tied to their Social Security number, according to Fidelity.

Then there is price. The $1.77 trillion tag sits more than twice Morningstar's independent fair value of about $780 billion for a company that is not yet profitable, Fortune reported. 

Some advisers read Fidelity's lowered bar as a marketing strategy as much as a show of generosity. The change "provides the optics that shares are available to more investors," said David Kudla, chief executive of Mainstay Capital Management, in comments to Barron's.

In my analysis, the door is genuinely open, but walking through it does not guarantee a seat. An indication of interest only puts you in line. Allocation is decided the morning after pricing, and you may get a handful of shares, or none.

Why a hot IPO summer is just starting

SpaceX begins its investor roadshow this week, with pricing expected June 11 and trading on the Nasdaq set to begin June 12.

It will not be alone for long. Anthropic filed confidentially for its own IPO on June 1, and OpenAI is preparing to follow, setting up a run of trillion-dollar listings that will test how much fresh stock public markets can absorb.

The velvet rope has moved. Whether you step past it comes down to one honest question, the same one the institutions are quietly asking.

Are you buying a piece of the future at a fair price, or paying tomorrow's valuation for the privilege of getting in first?

Related: SpaceX lands a $4 billion deal right before its IPO

Why we love this deal

The spring and summer months are peak vacation times. Between long weekends and school breaks, warmer weather is the perfect time to relax and explore new places. To make each trip successful, you're going to want to have durable and practical travel essentials. Luggage sets are great for longer trips or packing heavy, and for a few people. But if you're planning on traveling light or need a spacious and efficient personal item or carry-on, consider getting a travel backpack.

The Joyway Travel Backpack is on sale for only $30 at Walmart, and it's packed with features that make it a reliable travel companion. It's a worthy travel deal to snag before your next vacation. 

Joyway Travel Backpack, $30 (was $60) at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

The Joyway Travel Backpack is well-designed, water-resistant, and durable, making it a backpack you're bound to reach for whether you're traveling. At 12.4 inches long by 8.1 inches wide by 16.9 inches high, it can fit as a personal item under an airplane seat on select U.S. airlines or in an overhead compartment. However, it's expandable up to 10.1 inches wide; while that's great for making more room for souvenirs, it might not be able to fit under an airplane seat on the way home. Thankfully, it has compression buckles to keep it as compact as possible. 

It's also incredibly spacious, with plenty of pockets and compartments to keep you organized for two- to five-day trips, or even longer if you pack efficiently. It has a design that opens like a suitcase, which makes it easier to pack, but still offers the mobility and convenience of a backpack that allows you to move through the airport with ease. There's a separate shoe compartment that can keep dirty shoes or items separate from the rest, a detail that makes it great for hikes, outdoor activities, and the gym. And the waterproof wet pocket is an added bonus that's perfect for liquid toiletries you don't want to spill or wet bathing suits. If you're traveling with a laptop, there's a dedicated space that can fit laptops up to 15.6 inches, complete with a shock-absorbing lining to keep it safe and secure.

The travel backpack comes in seven colors, including classic colors like black and gray. If you want to switch things up with lighter hues, it's also available in a beautiful icy blue, a deep, rich brown, and an earthy olive green color. 

Related: Walmart has a 30-liter travel backpack for just $30

Details to know

• Dimensions: 12.4 inches long by 8.1 to 10.1 inches wide by 16.9 inches high.
• Volume capacity: 28 to 38 liters.
• Colors: Seven.
• Carrying options: As a traditional backpack, attached to a suitcase with a luggage strap, on your shoulder, and by and with the top handle or side handle.

"Plenty of pockets and compartments to pack everything for a short trip. It can be worn as a backpack or carried as a regular travel bag," a shopper said. "It is roomy enough to hold a couple of outfits, shoes, and your toiletries."

Shop more deals

• Muzpu Travel Backpack, $33 (was $62) at Walmart
• Joyway 2-Piece Expandable Foldable Duffle Bag Set, $21 (was $40) at Walmart
• Wonhox Travel Backpack, $24 (was $27) at Amazon

Whether you're flying across the country or going on a local staycation, having a travel backpack that's versatile enough to accommodate different kinds of trips is one worth investing in. The Joyway Travel Backpack is a great buy for the value, especially while it's on sale for just $30.

The impact on the sector led to depressed sales for many retailers, including Home Depot, which reported a sales decline of 3.8% in its fourth quarter of 2025, ending Feb. 1, 2026, though its annual sales still rose by 3.2%, according to the company’s fourth quarter earnings call in February 2026.

The economic impact on smaller hardware retail chains has been more intense as several have turned to filing for bankruptcy to restructure their debts.

Chase Ace Hardware files for bankruptcy

D&D Venture Group Inc., operator of the Chase Ace Hardware chain and Sprig Home & Garden stores in Northern California, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize its businesses, according to court papers.

The Greenbrae, Calif.-based Ace Hardware and home and garden store operator filed its Subchapter V petition, No. 26-30496, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco on June 4, listing $1 million to $10 million in assets and liabilities.

The debtor did not state a specific reason for filing for bankruptcy in its petition.

D&D Venture's largest creditors include Fremont Bank, owed over $1.05 million; SCG Marina Bay Business Center, owed over $383,000; Internal Revenue Service, owed $184,000; Bankers Healthcare Group, owed over $177,000; California Employment Development Department, owed over $130,000, and Wells Fargo SBL, owed over $97,000.

Debtor operates Sprig Home & Garden

The debtor operates Chase Ace Hardware stores in San Rafael, Santa Rosa, and Pacifica, Calif., as well as Sprig Home & Garden stores in Santa Rosa and San Rafael.

Chase Ace Hardware carries top name brand hardware products such as Craftsman, DeWalt, Toro, Weber grills, and Benjamin Moore Paints.

Sprig, founded in 2016 by three friends, carries California-style home decor and accessories, as well as plants, candles, paper products, books, style, jewelry, wellness goods, bath and lotions products, and a kids section with baby clothes, plushies, games, and retro toys.

Wren Kitchens filed bankruptcy and closed

Other hardware chains have struggled against the big-box giants as well, including major home improvement chain, Wren Kitchens, which operated stores and had showrooms in Home Depot stores under a strategic partnership.

Wren Kitchens filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on April 24, 2026, according to Bankruptcy Observer, and abruptly closed its 15 brick-and-mortar retail stores on the East Coast.

The U.K.-based home improvement retailer’s parent, Wren US Holdings Inc., posted a message on its website announcing the closing.

“We regret to inform you that our showrooms and studios are now closed. If you require assistance, please click button and complete the form,” the message said. The message included a green “Click for form” button for customers to use.

Home Value Store files for Chapter 11

South Florida home improvement retailer Home Value Store, which operates three locations in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Hialeah, Fla., and Bartow, Fla., also filed for bankruptcy more recently.

Home Value Store filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida on June 2, facing legal claims from creditors, according to PacerMonitor.

Home Value Store did not state a specific reason for filing for bankruptcy in its petition.

The Hialeah, Fla.-based retail chain specializes in providing functional hardware, laminate flooring, kitchen, bath, and furniture accessories, decorative finishes, moldings, high-tech surfaces, wood coatings and finishes, and acrylic panels.

Related: Popular seafood chain franchisee files Chapter 7 bankruptcy

Ford shares caught fire after the company debuted Ford Energy, the battery storage initiative the company has been quietly working on for about a year. The new partnership with EDF will see the company deliver up to 20GWh of battery energy storage systems for utility-scale and data center customers starting in 2028.

The agreement with EDF combines “industrial-scale manufacturing discipline with full lifecycle accountability,” with the venture’s flagship product being a 20-foot containerized 5.45 MWh system using 512 Ah LFP prismatic cells with liquid-cooled thermal management called the Ford Energy DC Block.

The venture gives Ford some skin in the AI infrastructure game that investors have been eager to pile into.

“This agreement with EDF power solutions validates the market’s need for a BESS supplier that combines industrial-scale manufacturing discipline with full lifecycle accountability,” said Lisa Drake, president, Ford Energy.

But while the more than 30% stock increase may seem like an overreaction for more conservative investors, analysts at Morgan Stanley say investors have only priced in part of the benefit from Ford's new non-automotive business venture.

Morgan Stanley says Ford's battery storage business isn't fully priced into the stock

Morgan Stanley analysts led by Andrew Percoco are bullish on Ford Energy, but they say the 30% stock increase over the past month represents only part of the value the new battery storage and AI infrastructure play brings to the company.

"Energy storage systems are becoming a critical part of the US power market, as demand becomes more volatile and peak-heavy, offering modularity, faster deployment timelines, rapid response to sudden load ramps, and the ability to smooth peaks without requiring the overbuild of generation or transmission infrastructure," Percoco said in a note viewed by TheStreet.

The firm expects U.S. energy storage system deployments to grow at a 38% compound annual rate over the next five years, reaching more than 279 GWh by 2030, with 169 GWh demand from data centers.

The sector is so hot, MS analysts believe more companies, like Ford rival General Motors, will dedicate technology and capacity to the segment "given subdued EV demand."

But even with the more than 30% increase and the threat that GM will soon enter the same business, Morgan Stanley says investors are still undervaluing Ford Energy.

"We believe F is currently trading with 20-25 GWh of run-rate ESS demand priced into the stock. While this may seem like a lot, we believe the stock has further room to run if the company continues to add high-quality customers to its ESS backlog, which could bring additional capacity expansion into play (although we do not expect the company to formally announce any capacity expansion anytime soon)," Percoco said.

Ford forced back to the drawing board with EVs

Morgan Stanley sees Ford's pivot to battery storage as a natural outflow of the struggles its EV business has experienced in recent years.

In a harbringer of just how fragile EV demand in the U.S. is, consumers flocked to dealerships to buy EVs last year, right up until September 30, when the $7,500 EV tax credit expired. But even in the third quarter, during the height of that buying frenzy, customers purchased 90 different EV models; only nine sold more than 10,000 units.

This is the climate non-Tesla EV makers have to compete in, and it has forced General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, the Detroit Big 3, to completely reevaluate their strategies.

“The vast majority of EVs sell at a rate of far less than 2,000 units a month, or 6,000 units a quarter. In the volume-driven business of automotive manufacturing, low volume is the enemy; EV profitability remains a distant dream for nearly every automaker,” Cox Automotive said last year.

Ford says it is lowering EV production in the near term, though it plans to accelerate by 2028 as it builds its new EV platform. That's one of the reasons Morgan Stanley is so bullish; the firm believes energy storage is the future.

"We believe the benefits of battery storage are broader than appreciated," Precoco said. "As wind and solar energy become an increasingly important part of the US power generation mix (driven primarily by favorable economics, state-level clean energy goals, and federal tax credits that have continued to be extended), storage helps address a couple of key issues: the mismatch between when renewable energy is produced and when consumers want the power, and the inherent intermittency of renewable energy."

Related: GM, Ford, Stellantis CEOs go back to the drawing board with EVs

We do not really navigate the web the way we used to. Instead of clicking through pages, we prompt, chat, and apparently let AI-powered digital assistants audit our financial decisions before we sign up for luxury credit cards. Fresh data from a Comscore report just pulled back the curtain on our new browsing habits in the AI era, and a few of these metrics will make you look twice. Below is a breakdown of the numbers so you can see exactly where the crown is moving.

1. Claude went into absolute orbit

Anthropic’s Claude just charted a trajectory that looks more like a rocket launch than a standard business curve. In a mere five-month window, user conversations skyrocketed by an eye-watering 1,858%. It moved from a modest 1.1 million interactions to just over 22 million. Granted, it started from a much smaller baseline than the tech giants dominating the headlines, but securing a near-20x jump in a single quarter is enough to make the entire valley pay close attention.

2. ChatGPT still wears the crown, but the throne is shaking

The heavyweight champion isn’t leaving the ring just yet. ChatGPT still owns a massive 70% of all AI prompt volume in the US, hitting all-time highs and seeing a 55% boost year-over-year. It still outpaces its closest competitor by roughly three to one. However, consider the context: a year ago, it held an ironclad 86% market share. The champ is still winning, but it is definitely noticing the footsteps behind it.

3. Gemini is closing the distance fast

Those footsteps belong to Google. Gemini practically quadrupled its presence in the prompt ecosystem, climbing from a 6% slice of the pie to a hefty 23%. Meanwhile, its desktop audience jumped from 3 million to 17 million visitors. This massive surge makes total sense when you realize Google baked Gemini straight into Android hardware, Workspace apps, and standard search features. When an assistant becomes the default setting in your pocket, the metrics follow.

4. Google search results are turning into a robot party

The traditional list of blue web links is officially sharing the spotlight. Around one-third of all Google queries now generate an automated AI Overview right at the top. Looking for a new credit card? Over 45% of those lucrative paid search placements now sit directly alongside an AI summary. Even when users search for specific brand names they already know, AI Overviews tripled their presence in less than a year.

5. Older generations are adopting AI faster than you are

In a twist that nobody saw coming, mobile AI assistant usage among the 55-to-64 age demographic spiked by 151% year-over-year. While the 25-to-34 crowd still represents the foundational power-user core, older family members are actually driving the fastest adoption rates. The technology has officially crossed the chasm from an early-adopter hobby to something your parents use to organize their week.

6. People consult chatbots before swiping their plastic

Nearly 1 in 3 applicants checked in with an AI assistant in the 30 days leading up to a credit card submission. If the card carries a premium annual fee of $300 or more, that number climbs to 34%. Interestingly, while older consumers saw the most AI summaries, the 18-to-24 demographic proved two to five times more likely to pull the trigger and apply directly from an AI-generated window.

7. It is no longer just a text box

This evolution goes way beyond typing questions into a blank window. Specialized platforms dedicated to generating images, editing audio, designing layout assets, composing music, and handling transcription all logged double-digit growth this year. Users are no longer just chatting with their devices; they are using them as a portable creative studio to build actual projects.

Bonus round

For a little extra context: YouTube has emerged as the single most frequently cited source in AI responses across almost every consumer sector. This includes entertainment, retail, and sports. Wikipedia and Reddit remain the primary backbones for chatbot training data. And if you prefer Microsoft Copilot, get ready to type: it takes an average of 7.1 prompts per conversation to get your answer, compared to a leaner 4.9 prompts over on ChatGPT.

The takeaway here is straightforward: AI isn’t some distant horizon for finding information anymore—it is the default reality. Whether you prefer the raw market power of ChatGPT, the ecosystem integration of Gemini, or the massive underdog momentum of Claude, the mechanics of how we browse have shifted permanently.

The post Claude Just Grew 1,800% in Five Months, and the AI Race Got a Lot More Interesting appeared first on Android Headlines.

It blew past its $10 billion target. It also more than doubled the size of the prior fund, which raised roughly $6 billion.

The fund was oversubscribed and hit its hard cap.

For the world's largest alternative asset manager, that is a strong vote of confidence from investors at a moment when many headlines suggest private markets are cooling.

Blackstone's record Asia bet

Blackstone (BLK) confirmed the final close of Blackstone Capital Partners Asia III at $13.1 billion on June 2, 2026.  The message is simple: Asia is where it sees the fastest growth, and it wants to invest there at scale.

Global Head of Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Joe Baratta said the close reflects the trust of the firm's investors and its ability to perform through cycles. 

He called Asia Pacific "the fastest-growing region in the world," according to the company's June 2 press release.

Fund manager buys and sells

• Cathie Wood buys $2.5 million of tumbling megacap stock
• Warren Buffett dumped 77% of Amazon to buy surging media stock
• Cathie Wood buys $11 million of tumbling megacap tech stock

Asia Pacific offers "compelling opportunities to invest at scale behind our high-conviction themes and deliver for our investors,” Baratta added.

Amit Dixit, who runs Asia for Blackstone Private Equity, pointed to the firm's edge. He said the team's scale, local presence in major markets, and control-focused approach let it take a hands-on role in transforming businesses. 

In plain terms, Blackstone likes to buy large stakes and then work directly to improve the companies.

Where is the money going?

Blackstone has not been sitting still while it raised this fund.

The firm said it has been one of the most active global investors in Asia over the past two years, with a clear focus on India and Japan.

Over those 24 months, Blackstone put more than $7 billion to work across 12 deals. A few stand out:

• Neysa, a fast-growing Indian AI cloud platform
• TechnoPro, Japan's leading specialized engineering services provider
• JUNO, South Korea's top hair salon franchise

The firm has also been cashing out winners. 

• Blackstone logged 15 exits over the same stretch. These included the stock market listing of International Gemological Institute, the largest player in lab-grown diamond certification. 
• It took Aadhar Housing Finance, India's biggest affordable housing finance business, public. 
• The company sold its stake in Alinamin Pharmaceutical after building it into one of Japan's leading consumer health companies.

It shows Blackstone is deploying capital and getting it back out at a profit.

Blackstone's new partner: Japan

The Asia push got a second boost the next day. On June 3, Blackstone confirmed a wide-ranging strategic partnership with Nippon Life Insurance, one of Japan's largest insurers.

The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding focused on private credit and real estate. 

Under the plan, Nippon Life expects to commit about 1.5 trillion yen in fresh capital to Blackstone over the next five years. 

Related: Blackstone is betting on your local handyman

That money will go into private credit and structured credit strategies.

On the property side, Nippon Life will lean on Blackstone to help manage and add value to about a dozen real estate assets, including large urban properties. 

Blackstone is already one of the biggest foreign investors in Japanese real estate.

Blackstone COO Jon Gray called it "one of the most significant multi-asset private credit partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region." 

Why Blackstone's Asia investment matters

Blackstone spent much of its first-quarter earnings call defending the private credit business against what Schwarzman described as an "intensely negative campaign" against the sector. 

A large new commitment from a blue-chip Japanese insurer is a useful counterpoint to that noise.

• Blackstone reported first-quarter distributable earnings of $1.8 billion, up 25% from a year earlier. 
• Inflows reached $69 billion for the quarter and nearly $250 billion over the trailing 12 months. 
• Total assets under management climbed 12% year over year to a record of more than $1.3 trillion.

Gray flagged the Asia fund's progress on that same call, noting the firm was approaching the $13 billion hard cap, compared with roughly $6 billion for the previous vintage. 

What's next for Blackstone stock investors

For investors watching Blackstone, the story here is focus. The firm is steering significant capital toward Asia, and the themes it believes will define the next decade: AI infrastructure, energy, real estate, and private credit.

A $13.1 billion fund that doubled its predecessor and beat its target is a clear signal. So is a multi-year, trillion-yen partnership with a major Japanese insurer. 

Blackstone is betting that Asia-Pacific is a key market for its next phase of growth. Right now, investors appear willing to fund that bet.

Related: New Blackstone REIT will offer pure-play exposure to data centers, AI boom

Governments are not built to move first. They move when something scares them.

For roughly two years, the United States treated artificial intelligence (AI) exactly that way. The official posture was hands off. Let the labs build, let the models ship, and write the rules later, ideally much later.

The bigger worry in Washington was never really that AI might be dangerous. It was that slowing down American companies would hand the lead to China. So nobody wanted to be the one to tap the brakes.

That held right up until one model did something unsettling enough to change minds at the top. Then, the White House stopped waiting. President Donald Trump signed an executive order asking the most powerful AI companies to show the government their newest models before the rest of us are allowed to touch them.

The order is voluntary, for now. The machinery behind it is not small, and the reason it exists is the part worth your attention.

What the White House's new AI order actually asks for

When I reviewed the order, which is titled "Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security," the standout feature is a swap. AI labs can give the government early access to their most capable models, and federal agencies get to study them before the public does.

Labs would share these "covered" frontier models for up to 30 days before a public launch, according to The Hill. Taking part is voluntary, and no model has to pass a review before it ships.

More AI:

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The other half of the order is pure cybersecurity. It directs federal agencies to harden the systems behind national security, the Department of War, and civilian government, and to expand cyber hiring, according to the White House.

There is real institutional muscle under that "voluntary" label. The framework leans on classified benchmarks run by the National Security Agency (NSA) and a government-managed window to review models before release, the law firm Ropes & Gray noted.

My read is that the government is quietly building a permanent on-ramp to the most powerful AI, then calling it optional so nobody panics. For you, it means the next big model your employer rolls out, or the one running inside the app on your phone, may clear a federal checkpoint first.

Why Mythos Preview rattled the White House

None of this happens without a scare, and the scare has a name. It is Mythos Preview, a frontier model from the AI company Anthropic.

In April, Mythos Preview demonstrated it could autonomously hunt down thousands of severe software flaws on its own, including in widely used operating systems and browsers, according to NBC News.

The scale is what spooked people.

• Mythos Preview flagged more than 23,000 software vulnerabilities, including over 6,000 rated high or critical severity, with about 91% later judged valid by independent firms, Security Boulevard indicated.
• Anthropic first gave roughly 50 partners early access through a program it calls Project Glasswing, then expanded that to 150 organizations across more than 15 countries on June 2, according to NBC News.
• The new order asks AI labs to share covered models with the government for up to 30 days before a public release, The Hill reported.

The fear was not subtle. A tool that good at finding holes in software could just as easily be pointed the wrong way.

A "bad actor could use Mythos to target various cybersecurity vulnerabilities," Vice President JD Vance said at a news conference in May, according to NBC News.

The president nearly signed a version of the order that month, then pulled it at the last minute over fears it would slow American labs while China kept racing, NBC News noted. The June 2 order is what survived that fight.

What Sam Altman wants out of the deal

The morning after the signing, the industry showed up in person. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spent June 3 meeting with White House officials and lawmakers from both parties, CNBC confirmed.

His public verdict was warm. "The new EO gets the balance right," Altman wrote on X (the former Twitter), backing an approach that keeps building the best models while putting cyber tools in the hands of defenders.

Related: The pros and cons of using AI for your taxes

The private agenda was sharper. Altman pushed for more transparent disclosure of how the government tests models, and for a larger role for OpenAI in shaping the process, according to Bloomberg.

He worked every corner of the Capitol, sitting down with House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, plus Senator Bernie Sanders, CNBC reported. When Sanders and Johnson take the same meeting, the company in the middle is not worried about its access.

Where the real AI security risk still lives

Here is the part the order does not solve, and the part I keep coming back to. Testing a model before launch tells you how it behaves in a lab. It says almost nothing about what that model does once it is wired into a real company.

"Pre-release vetting is necessary, but it tests a model in isolation," said Matan Bar-Efrat, chief executive and co-founder of Rein Security, which secures AI agents running inside large enterprises. "It can't test what the model does once it's wired into your APIs, your data stores, and running live in production."

His point lands for anyone whose job now runs on AI. The risk most people will actually meet is not a rogue frontier model. It is an ordinary, approved model plugged into company systems with too much access and not enough oversight.

That is the gap between what Washington is testing and where breaches happen. The order inspects the engine. The crash tends to happen out on the road, after the car is sold.

What the U.S. government AI order means for your money and your job

For investors, the order is less a brake on the AI trade than a new variable. A federal review window, even a voluntary one, is one more thing that can delay a launch or reshape a product.

For everyone else, the takeaway is simpler. The AI showing up in your work software, your bank, and the apps on your phone now passes through a government checkpoint that did not exist a month ago, built because one model proved how much damage a capable enough machine could do.

Right now the labs are cooperating, because cooperating is good politics and good marketing.

The real test arrives with the next Mythos, the model too capable to wave through. Whether "voluntary" survives that moment is the thing worth watching.

Related: Analyst resets Workday stock forecast on hidden AI risk

When you're constantly running low on storage options, you have to get creative. For small items, you can get away with using multi-drawer organizers or even toolboxes as versatile storage options. To really make an impact, though, you're going to have to think bigger, like sofas with storage.

Why invest in a storage sofa

A sofa with built-in storage is the furniture upgrade you should consider if you want new living room seating and you need more storage. It's truly the best of both worlds. It provides a spot to lounge, sit, and relax, all while providing much-needed space to store other home essentials, like linens, pillows, and more. 

The multifunctional design checks off two things at once, and it doesn't take up any extra space, aside from the sofa itself, of course. If you pair a regular sofa with something like a storage cabinet, it's efficient, but it takes up extra floor space. With a storage sofa, you can eliminate clutter without buying additional furniture and maximize your space, thus saving money in the long run.

There are storage sofas of all sizes, too. While they're especially ideal for small spaces, larger homes can also benefit from their versatility. Whether it's a compact loveseat or a spacious sectional, a storage sofa is a smart purchase that can upgrade your home with new seating and hidden extra storage space.

Loveseat sofas with storage

Just because a loveseat is small, doesn't mean it can't have the extra benefit of hidden storage. Loveseats with built-in storage exist, and they're a dream for compact spaces. Storage loveseat sofas often have compartments directly under the seats, come with storage ottomans, or both. If you're really limited on space, opt for a loveseat with a lift-top seat. If you have extra space and want more of a modular, mini sectional, you have the flexibility to get storage loveseats with ottomans.

Loveseats work well in apartments, compact living rooms, bedrooms, home offices, and kids' rooms. However, they can also be used to section off larger spaces with more open-concept designs. In a larger space, you can pair it with a larger sofa and some armchairs to complete the look and feel of a cozy seating area.

Latitude Run Calkins Modular Loveseat with Storage Ottomans

Orrd Loveseat Couch with Storage

Coewske Faux Leather Storage Loveseat with Charging Station

Sofas with storage

Standard-sized sofas are some of the most flexible options, as they can work in small, medium, and large rooms. Their versatility makes them a great choice for living rooms of most sizes, and if you move to a new place or want to switch up your layout, they're adaptable.

Since they're larger than loveseats, they not only provide more seating but also typically offer more hidden storage space. You have more wiggle room in the size of the items you're storing, whether it's an extra comforter or spare pillows. The larger sofas are also great for storing off-season clothing, like bulky winter outerwear, during the spring and summer months. 

LeChapitre Faux Leather Storage Sofa

Tekamon Modular Storage Sofa

Ebern Designs Modern Storage Sofa

Sectional sofas with storage

Sectionals are already a good way to maximize your space; add hidden storage into the mix, and you couldn't ask for better living room seating. Sectional sofas with storage can provide more seating than loveseats and smaller sofas, often due to the addition of a chaise or an ottoman. The extra pieces not only provide more space to lounge, but also usually contain hidden compartments for extra storage. There are also some sectionals that have storage space built under the seats.

With storage sectionals, there are different styles to consider. You can get a sleeper-style option that gives it a three-in-one design. Not only is it a sofa, but it's also a storage solution and a bed. These picks are great for people who host overnight guests often and don't have a guest room. 

Sectional sofas with storage are also a great option for people who don't want to sacrifice more cushioned seats for extra storage, but you have to choose the design wisely. Sofas with hidden compartments directly under the seats typically have firmer cushions to accommodate the design. However, if you get a sectional that's essentially a standard sofa with a storage ottoman, the sofa might have more cushioning and support.

Nabumi Modular U-Shaped Sectional Sofa with Storage

Better Homes & Gardens Modular Sectional Sofa with Storage Ottoman

Amerlife L-Shaped Sleeper Sofa Bed with Storage Chaise

Latitude Run Penelopa Chenille Modular Sofa with Storage

Is a storage sofa right for you?

Sofas with storage are multifunctional pieces of furniture that reduce clutter and maximize space. It can also save you money, as it's essentially like buying two pieces of furniture for the price of one. 

Even though they're versatile and functional, storage sofas may not be the best choice for people who like thick, plush cushions. While some are more plush than others, many styles have firmer seating to accommodate the open storage space beneath them. However, if you need extra storage and don't want to compromise plush seating, opt for a sectional sofa with a storage ottoman.

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