Business briefing — October 31, 2026.

Chainalysis reports customer-data exposure after attacker accessed internal systems

Chainalysis said an outside attacker accessed some customer user IDs, names, email addresses and organization role labels using what the company described as “offensive agentic techniques.” The firm said it has found no evidence that investigation content, passwords, multifactor-authentication secrets or session tokens were accessed, and it has not disclosed the number of affected users. Chainalysis said the incident was unrelated to the Binance hack and is still investigating the entry point and scope.

Why it matters Investigators and compliance staff could face more credible impersonation attempts because the exposed information connects identities and contact details with organizational roles.

What to watch next Chainalysis has promised each affected organization a record-level breakdown once its analysis is complete; the number of affected users remains undisclosed.

Kraken trading services were offline for about an hour during crypto-market turmoil

Kraken reported that its website, app, spot and derivatives trading, and API services were disrupted from 02:42 to 03:42 UTC on October 30. Some users said they could not withdraw funds or close positions, but Kraken did not confirm a platform-wide trading halt or disclose the cause or number of affected accounts. The exchange has not linked the outage to the Binance hack, and it reported no user funds lost or compromised.

What changed Kraken moved from reporting a service incident at 02:42 UTC to marking it resolved at 03:42 UTC on October 30.

Why it matters For users unable to close positions, the disruption temporarily removed a way to reduce market exposure; withdrawal complaints also indicate an interruption to access, rather than evidence of lost funds.

What to watch next The outage’s cause and the number of affected accounts remain open questions; no publication date for a root-cause analysis is reported.

Intel shares plunge 28.6% after weak fourth-quarter outlook and cash-flow warning

Intel closed at $65.76 on October 30, down 28.58%, after forecasting fourth-quarter revenue of $15 billion to $16 billion and adjusted earnings of 25 cents per share, below the cited analyst expectations of about $17.1 billion and 43 cents. The company also forecast a lower gross margin and said it did not expect positive free cash flow in 2027 as it invests in manufacturing capacity. Intel reported third-quarter revenue of $16.5 billion and adjusted earnings of 52 cents per share, while management cited PC weakness and supply constraints.

What changed Intel’s fourth-quarter guidance puts non-GAAP gross margin at 38%, down from 44.1%, signaling weaker profitability despite the reported third-quarter earnings beat.

Why it matters Intel’s growing data-center business cannot fully capitalize on demand while production inputs constrain server shipments, limiting its ability to offset PC weakness.

What to watch next AMD reports after the close on November 3, with a 5 p.m. ET call; its client outlook can provide a separate check on Intel’s PC-demand warning.

Dell and HP shares slide as Intel warns of a prolonged PC-market contraction

Dell shares fell 12.78% and HP shares 9.74% in the reported Friday trading snapshots, after Intel forecast PC unit demand declines of about 12% in 2026 and another 10% in 2027. Intel pointed to rising memory costs and availability as factors making computers less affordable, while Gartner estimated worldwide third-quarter PC shipments fell 22.4% year over year. The report notes that Dell also has exposure to enterprise servers and AI infrastructure, while HP is more concentrated in PCs.

Why it matters Budget-constrained households and businesses face less affordable replacement PCs, giving Dell and HP a demand problem that higher selling prices alone may not solve.

What to watch next The unresolved operating test is whether Dell and HP can preserve margins while reducing production and inventory for a smaller PC market.

Nvidia falls 5.3% as investors scrutinize the financial returns on AI infrastructure spending

Nvidia shares fell 5.3% on October 30 amid a wider semiconductor selloff following Intel’s weak guidance and renewed concern about the cost and returns of AI infrastructure investment. Amazon kept its approximately $220 billion 2026 capital-expenditure plan, while reporting negative $42.4 billion trailing-12-month free cash flow; Alphabet maintained its $195 billion to $205 billion annual investment range despite quarterly capital spending below analyst expectations. The report says those commitments do not establish future Nvidia orders, and identifies investor scrutiny of returns—not a confirmed cut in hyperscaler budgets—as a key factor in the market reaction.

What changed Amazon’s trailing-12-month free cash flow shifted from positive $14.8 billion a year earlier to negative $42.4 billion, while its approximately $220 billion 2026 capital-spending plan remained intact.

Why it matters For Nvidia shareholders, large hyperscaler budgets are an incomplete demand signal: infrastructure costs and competing accelerators absorb spending that need not become Nvidia revenue.

What to watch next Alphabet says further details on its expected 2027 capital-spending increase will come at a later earnings update; the report provides no date.