Bank of America gave Salesforce a double upgrade to buy, sending the stock up about 3.5% to $237.23. Analyst Tal Liani raised the price target to $285 from $160, arguing that large enterprises will increasingly depend on AI platforms like Salesforce. The stock had fallen roughly 14% in 2026 amid worries about AI adoption eating into growth. A separate upgrade from analyst Justin Post pointed to stronger momentum and Slack growth as reasons to be more bullish on the company's enterprise AI strategy.
Meanwhile, AI is spreading well beyond the tech sector. A PYMNTS Intelligence report found that many companies use AI but still struggle to turn it into better financial decisions. Top-performing firms had cash conversion cycles of 39 days compared to 63 days for bottom performers. About 93% of top firms would let AI forecast cash shortfalls, versus 69% of laggards. In the oil and gas industry, AI is shifting from technical tasks into finance, with over CAD$230 billion tied up in working capital across North American companies. A survey of 1,600 finance executives found 62% expect AI to greatly affect capital allocation within three years.
Security concerns are growing as employees connect AI tools to company systems without IT approval. A study of 159 organizations found 978 AI applications with active connections, exposing 373 million sensitive emails and 475 million sensitive Drive files to AI access. Restrictions on data sharing rose from 14% to 44% between mid-2025 and spring 2026 as companies rushed to close gaps.
South Korea announced plans to invest $1.05 billion over five years in three major AI shipbuilding projects. The government also introduced a 10-year plan for maritime autonomous surface ships. In education, Thomas College accepted a $3 million federal grant to integrate AI into its curriculum, with plans for new courses and possibly an AI management major.
On the model front, Meta's new Muse Wonder Full ranked third on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index with a score of 56, behind Claude Opus 5.5 and Claude Sonnet 5.5. A smaller Muse Wonder model scored 52, up from Muse Spark 1.3's score of 48 just six weeks earlier. The models showed large gains in agentic tasks but still trail competitors on factual accuracy. In China, manufacturers are deploying AI agents across operations, bypassing traditional digitalization steps in a shift likened to skipping credit cards and moving directly to mobile payments.
South Korea's Kospi index fell about 24% in the second half of 2026 as investors shifted AI bets toward Taiwan, where the Taiex gained about 70% year-to-date. Samsung and SK Hynix account for over half of the Kospi, and trading volume dropped 70% from its late-May peak. In a separate legal matter, a Super Micro contractor pleaded guilty to conspiring to divert about $2.5 billion worth of Nvidia AI servers to China in violation of U.S. export controls. The operation began around October 2023, and he faces sentencing in September 2027.
Key Takeaways
- <li>Bank of America upgraded Salesforce to buy and raised its price target to $285, citing growing enterprise reliance on AI platforms</li>
- <li>Salesforce stock rose 3.5% to $237.23 after the double upgrade, recovering from a 14% decline in 2026</li>
- <li>Over CAD$230 billion in working capital sits across North American oil and gas companies as AI expands into finance roles</li>
- <li>978 AI applications with active connections exposed 373 million sensitive emails and 475 million Drive files to unauthorized AI access</li>
- <li>South Korea plans to invest $1.05 billion in three major AI shipbuilding projects over five years</li>
- <li>Meta's Muse Wonder Full scored 56 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, ranking third behind Claude Opus 5.5 and Claude Sonnet 5.5</li>
- <li>Chinese manufacturers are skipping traditional digitalization and deploying agentic AI directly across operations</li>
- <li>South Korea's Kospi index fell 24% in the second half of 2026 as investors shifted AI bets to Taiwan, where the Taiex gained 70%</li>
- <li>A Super Micro contractor pleaded guilty to conspiring to divert $2.5 billion worth of Nvidia AI servers to China</li>
- <li>Thomas College received a $3 million federal grant to integrate AI into its curriculum, with plans for new AI-focused courses and majors</li>
Bank of America double upgrades Salesforce on AI strategy
Bank of America upgraded Salesforce stock to buy from underperform and raised its price target to $285 from $160. Analyst Tal Liani said large enterprises will rely more on AI platforms like Salesforce. Salesforce shares had fallen about 14% in 2026 due to AI adoption concerns. The company launched AI initiatives and Agentforce agents to boost growth.
Salesforce stock climbs after Bank of America upgrade
Salesforce stock rose 3.5% to 237.23 after Bank of America gave the stock a double upgrade to buy. Analyst Tal Liani set a price target of $285. The upgrade was based on improving trends in monetizing AI products. Salesforce shares had retreated 13% in 2026 before the upgrade.
Salesforce stock rises on Bank of America BoA upgrade
Salesforce stock popped after Bank of America analyst Tal Liani raised his price target to $285 from $160. The new target was about 24% above the previous close of $229.13. The upgrade came as analysts reconsidered concerns about the so-called SaaSpocalypse. Salesforce stock was up about 2% shortly after the news.
Bank of America upgrades Salesforce on enterprise AI outlook
Bank of America analyst Justin Post upgraded Salesforce to buy from neutral and raised the target price to $285 from $220. He cited stronger momentum and Slack growth as key reasons. Post said Salesforce's AI-driven platform reliance will continue to drive growth. The upgrade reflected confidence in the company's enterprise AI strategy.
Finance teams use AI but struggle to improve cash flow
A PYMNTS Intelligence report found that many companies use AI but cannot turn it into better financial decisions. Top-performing firms had cash conversion cycles of 39 days versus 63 days for bottom performers. About 93% of top firms would let AI forecast cash shortfalls compared to 69% of laggards. The report said the next challenge is using AI to make real financial decisions.
AI shifts from oilfield work to finance in oil and gas
AI in oil and gas is expanding from technical tasks into finance, helping CFOs manage cash and investments. Over CAD$230 billion is tied up in working capital across North American companies. A global survey of 1,600 finance executives found 62% expect AI to greatly affect capital allocation within three years. The AI in oil and gas market is projected to grow from USD 4.0 billion in 2025 to USD 15.1 billion by 2035.
Security gaps in workplace AI use need urgent attention
Employees have already connected AI tools to company systems without IT approval, creating serious security risks. A study of 159 organizations found 978 AI applications with active connections. Researchers found 373 million sensitive emails and 475 million sensitive Drive files exposed to AI access. Restrictions on data sharing rose from 14 percent to 44 percent between mid-2025 and spring 2026.
South Korea backs AI transformation of shipbuilding
South Korea's government held a joint meeting to discuss AI use in its shipbuilding industry. The government plans to invest 1.4 trillion won, or $1.05 billion, in three major AI shipbuilding projects over five years. It also introduced a 10-year plan for maritime autonomous surface ships. The shipbuilding sector is one of the country's main export industries.
Thomas College gets grant to add AI to classes
Thomas College accepted a $3 million federal grant to integrate AI into its curriculum. The college plans to create new positions, courses, and possibly majors like AI management. President Jeannine Diddle Uzzi says students will need AI literacy for careers across many fields. The school hopes to pair new AI courses with existing business classes.
South Korea AI stock market cools as Taiwan rises
South Korea's Kospi index fell about 24% in the second half of 2026 after being the top performer earlier in the year. Taiwan's Taiex gained about 70% year-to-date as investors shift AI bets beyond memory chips. South Korea's market depends heavily on Samsung and SK Hynix, which account for over half of the Kospi. Trading volume dropped 70% from its late-May peak in Korea.
Kroger expands AI Shopping Assistant to deepen customer engagement
Kroger is rolling out an AI Shopping Assistant that helps customers plan meals and build carts. The push is part of a broader digital strategy that includes new products like Incredifulls PAW Patrol Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups and a new Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard. The moves aim to integrate payments, personalization and assortment around Kroger's grocery platform. The company sees this as a way to strengthen customer loyalty and reshape its investment story.
Meta's Muse Wonder Full ranks third on Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Meta's new Muse Wonder Full model scored 56 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, placing it third behind Claude Opus 5.5 and Claude Sonnet 5.5. The smaller Muse Wonder model scored 52, a jump from Muse Spark 1.3 which scored 48 six weeks earlier. Muse Wonder Full improved across all ten evaluations, with large gains in agentic tasks like Terminal-Bench 4.0. The models use fewer output tokens than Muse Spark 1.3 but cost more per task. The models still trail competitors on factual accuracy and hallucination rates.
China's factories skip traditional digitalization and adopt agentic AI
Chinese manufacturers are deploying AI agents across operations, bypassing traditional digitalization steps. Software firm Black Lake says this shift aligns with Beijing's national AI plus initiative, which targets integrating AI into 90 percent of China's economy by 2030. The trend is compared to China skipping credit cards and moving directly to mobile payments. Black Lake says Chinese factories are now taking agentic AI global.
Super Micro contractor pleads guilty to smuggling Nvidia AI servers to China
Ting-Wei Sun pleaded guilty to four counts related to conspiring to divert about $2.5 billion worth of Nvidia AI servers to China in violation of U.S. export controls. The operation began around October 2023 and involved routing servers through a Southeast Asian intermediary. Sun arranged fake dummy servers in December 2025 and misled a U.S. Department of Commerce official during an inspection. He faces sentencing in September 2027. Super Micro said it fired Sun and has no knowledge of the scheme.
Sources
- An AI pivot will drive Salesforce shares higher, says Bank of America
- Salesforce Climbs Amid Double Upgrade On Improved AI Trends
- 'AI 3.0 is the interface': Salesforce stock pops on BoA upgrade
- Salesforce rises as BofA upgrades stock on enterprise AI outlook
- Finance Teams Embrace AI but Many Still Struggle to Unlock Working Capital
- AI in Oil and Gas 2026: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Finance Strategy: Expert View by Spherical Insights
- Three Critical Gaps in Your AI Visibility
- South Korea to foster AI-led transformation of shipbuilding industry | MLex | Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation
- Thomas College accepts federal grant to integrate AI into school curriculums
- The world's hottest AI stock market has gone cold
- AI Shopping Assistant Might Change The Case For Investing In Kroger (KR)
- Muse Wonder Places 3rd On Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Ahead Of GPT-6 Astra & Gemini 4 Argon
- How China’s factories leap straight into agentic AI and take it global
- Super Micro contractor pleaded guilty to smuggling $2.5B in Nvidia AI servers to China
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