Top Midday Stories: OpenAI Nearing $70 Billion in Recurring Annual Revenue; Oura Postpones IPO Due to Market Uncertainty

11:44 AM EDT, 09/29/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down, while the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 Index were roughly flat in late-morning trading Tuesday as the latest consumer confidence figure of 81.9 came in below expectations for a reading of 89.0. In company news, Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI's annual recurring revenue is nearing $70 billion, as enterprise sales more than doubled since July, Axios reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the financials. Separately, OpenAI said late Monday it opted to hold off on releasing its GPT-6.1 Astra model after determining that it did not meet the company's safety and alignment standards. Microsoft shares were down 0.2% around midday. Oura said Tuesday it is postponing its previously announced initial public offering due to uncertainty in the IPO market. The smart ring maker had applied to list its common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "OURA," and its registration statement has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but hasn't been declared effective. Oura said it remains profitable and expects fiscal 2026 revenue to grow 90% year over year. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said late Monday on X that VantageScore will join the existing Fair Isaac (FICO) classic mortgage pricing grid. Vantage Score is operated by VantageScore Solutions, a private joint venture owned by Equifax (EFX), Experian and TransUnion (TRU). FICO shares were down 29.2%, while Equifax and TransUnion shares were down 5.0% and 6.6%, respectively. Piper Sandler (PIPR) has been in talks to acquire Perella Weinberg Partners (PWP) in a deal that could be finalized soon, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Discussions are underway, but a deal is not guaranteed, and the talks could still fall apart, the report said, citing the people. Piper Sandler shares were down 4.7%, while Perella Weinberg shares were up 14.9%. Paramount Skydance (PSKY) has commenced its investment-grade bond sale from which it seeks to raise about $32 billion to help fund its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Paramount is offering first-lien dollar-denominated bonds in eight ranches, with maturities ranging from two to 40 years, the report said. Initial price indications for the longest-dated note are for a spread of about 3.5 percentage points above Treasuries, the report said. Paramount shares were down 2.4%, while Warner Bros. shares were down 0.1%. Carnival (CCL) reported fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings Tuesday of $1.43 per diluted share, unchanged from a year earlier but above the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of $1.35. Fiscal Q3 revenue was $8.44 billion, up from $8.15 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $8.39 billion. For fiscal Q4, the company expects adjusted EPS of about $0.20, below the FactSet consensus of $0.24. For the full year, Carnival expects adjusted EPS of about $2.24, up from its previous guidance of $2.22 but below the FactSet consensus of $2.25. Carnival shares were up 12.2%. AT&T (T) and Corning (GLW) agreed to a multi-year deal worth over $3 billion for Corning to provide fiber and cable to support AT&T's network expansion, the companies said Tuesday. AT&T shares were down 0.8%, while Corning shares were up 4.0%. New Apple (AAPL) Chief Executive John Ternus has discussed plans internally with colleagues to accelerate product development, broaden its range of device offerings and place a heavier emphasis on engineering within a leaner organization, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the discussions. Specifically, Ternus has discussed eliminating some middle-management positions as well as relying less on traditional fall and spring product releases, the report said, citing the people. Apple shares were down 2.0%. Price: 599.03, Change: -241.86, Percent Change: -28.76