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Super Micro Computer SMCI-Q jumped over 12 per cent on Wednesday after it forecast quarterly revenue and profit margin comfortably above Wall Street estimates, signaling that AI data center demand remains resilient. Shares of the AI server maker rose 12.2 per cent to US$36.44 in premarket trading. Super Micro forecast first-quarter revenue between US$18.5-billion and US$19.5-billion, above analysts’ expectations of US$15.23-billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. It now expects profit margins in the range of 12 per cent to 12.5 per cent versus earlier expectations of between 10.4 per cent and 10.8 per cent. The ongoing scramble to build data centres has largely benefited semiconductor and AI server makers, including Super Micro. Microsoft MSFT-Q, Google GOOGL-Q, Amazon AMZN-Q and Meta META-Q are expected to spend more than US$700-billion on AI infrastructure this year. Other server makers Dell DELL-N and Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE-N also gained 5.2 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively, before the bell.

Cryptocurrency trading bots and exchange applications may remain exposed to the eMudhra certificate security flaw despite emergency fixes from major technology companies, according to blockchain security company CertiK. By Tuesday, tech giants including Google, Apple and Microsoft had blocked eight vulnerable certificates issued by India’s eMudhra, but the fixes may not protect crypto applications using separate security systems, CertiK’s senior director of digital assets security, Peiyu Wang, told Cointelegraph. “Major browser blocks substantially reduce the risk for clients that receive and enforce them,” Wang said. “Some applications outside the browser ecosystem do not enforce Certificate Transparency or receive the same revocation protections.”Wang stressed that crypto services are not inherently more susceptible to the flaw than other industries, but attackers could exploit compromised certificates to impersonate the HTTPS connections used by exchanges, wallet interfaces and APIs. Attackers could specifically impersonate crypto services and replace deposit addresses or trick users into approving malicious transactions, Wang said.

After more than $200 million dollars worth of crypto was stolen in recent months from tampered Ledgers, and Coldcards where the seed generated wasn’t truly random, faith in hardware wallets has been shaken to the core. These Bitcoin and crypto holders did everything right. They bought the products from official sources, correctly stored their seed phrases and they trusted in the phrase “not your keys, not your coins”, but they lost out any way. The thefts suggest that even the most diligent crypto holder using a hardware wallet faces risks beyond their control. With the number of physical attacks on crypto holders rising — there’s been a $5 wrench attack in France every 2.5 days this year — the drawbacks of storing crypto on a hardware wallet are becoming clearer. And that’s even before you consider how many crypto owners have lost wallets and seed phrases over the years — “boating accidents” for tax purposes excluded. There are plenty of drawbacks with all of the alternative methods of holding crypto however, so spreading your stack across different addresses and via different methods will at least minimize the damage if any one method is compromised.

Open this photo in gallery:Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, pictured during a First Ministers meeting in Charlottetown this summer, will meet on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday. Darren Calabrese/The Canadian PressPrime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are expected to unveil a new suite of supports for the steel and auto sectors hit by U. S. tariffs. Carney’s itinerary says he will meet with Ford on Parliament Hill today, with a joint announcement to follow. A source with knowledge of the announcement but not authorized to speak publicly about the details, says support for critical minerals is also on the table. Carney and Ford’s respective finance ministers are also expected to be on hand. On Tuesday, federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the Carney government will deliver its second budget on Nov. 5. Carney is set to depart for Ankara, Turkey later today.

EBay EBAY-Q will lay off about 9 per cent of its work force as the online marketplace looks to simplify operations and shift resources to its fastest-growing areas, CEO Jamie Iannone told staff in a memo that was reviewed by Reuters. A spokesperson for eBay confirmed the layoffs to Reuters on Wednesday. The move will eliminate around 1,100 jobs, based on the 12,300 employees eBay had at the end of last year. The company also let go about 6 per cent of its work force, or 800 employees, in February as part of efforts to streamline operations. Qualcomm to cut jobs globally in ‘performance-focused’ layoffs, internal memo showsEBay has set itself apart from rivals by pushing into authenticated luxury goods, collectibles and refurbished products, which draw enthusiasts willing to pay more for valuable items. That has helped its shares rise nearly 40 per cent this year, outperforming the benchmark S&P 500’s around 12 per cent gain. “Our strategy is working,” Iannone said in the memo, adding that “continuing to capture the significant opportunity ahead requires us to make thoughtful choices about where we focus and invest.”He said affected staff would be informed in the coming days.

Open this photo in gallery:YMCA members celebrate and encourage one another following a YMCA Arriba group fitness class. SuppliedLesley Davidson is the president and chief executive officer at the YMCA of Greater TorontoRecently, I watched a group of YMCA members linger in the hall after a fitness class ended. The workout was over but the conversations were just beginning. People swapped stories about their week, laughed about a misstep during class and checked in about their families. What struck me wasn’t simply their participation in the program. It was the connection that happened afterward. In a world where we can connect with almost anyone instantly electronically, opportunities for genuine in-person human connection can feel increasingly rare. And it’s not just affecting hybrid workers who lost access to their daily impromptu “water cooler” conversations. Our second annual YMCA Connections Snapshot showed only three in 10 Canadians say they feel a sense of belonging or connection. In-person connection remains incredibly important for everyone. It contributes to well-being and that’s not just good for individuals but the organizations they work for as well.