The major indices are lower at midday on Thursday. Overall, stock prices are holding steady as investors await hoped-for news about a move toward peace between the U.S, Israel, and Iran. Oil prices continue to inch lower, with crude oil below $94 per barrel. The yield on the 10-year note is at 4.35% and the VIX volatility index, the VIX, is at about 17.

The Walt Disney Co. is a global entertainment company. The company owns and leverages well-known brands, ranging from Mickey Mouse and 'Frozen' to ESPN and ABC. Disney acquired the animated movie producer Pixar Animation Studios in 2006, comic book and movie producer Marvel Entertainment in 2010, 'Star Wars' originator Lucasfilm in 2012, streaming video technology platform BAMTech (now Disney Streaming Services) in 2017, the assets of 21st Century Fox in March 2019, most of Hulu in May 2019, and the final piece of Hulu in November 2023. Disney derives 19% of its revenue from outside of the Americas.

Disney operates in three global business segments: entertainment, sports, and experiences. Entertainment and experiences both benefit from the firm’s ownership of iconic franchises and characters. Entertainment includes the ABC broadcast network, several cable television networks, and the Disney+ and Hulu streaming services. Within the segment, Disney also engages in movie and television production and distribution, with content licensed to movie theaters, other content providers, or, increasingly, kept in-house for use on Disney’s own streaming platform and television networks. The sports segment houses the ESPN family of TV networks and streaming services. Experiences contains Disney’s theme parks, cruises, and vacation destinations and also engages in merchandise licensing.

Paramount Skydance is a worldwide media entertainment company. Legacy Paramount merged into Skydance Media on August 7, 2025. The publicly held Class B shares trade under the ticker symbol PSKY, comprise 30% of the equity of Paramount Skydance, and have no voting rights. An investor consortium led by the Ellison family and private equity firm RedBird Capital hold a 70% equity interest and 100% of the voting rights in the company. Paramount produces and distributes television and cable programming over its networks, including the flagship CBS broadcast network; a stable of basic cable channels, including MTV Networks, VH1, Nickelodeon, Country Music Television, Comedy Central, and BET; a network of owned and affiliated local CBS broadcast television stations; and various digital streaming video platforms, including its flagship Paramount+ service and advertising-supported Pluto TV. Paramount also produces and distributes theatrical films through its Paramount Pictures studio and owns a minority 12.5% share in the CW network. The company's businesses and trademarks also include the Paramount+ streaming service, CBS television network, the Showtime cable network, CBS Television Distribution, and Paramount Pictures.