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This Sunday’s full moon, or “big cheese,” as it’s sometimes called, comes with a side of queso and chips. Fast-casual restaurant chain Qdoba is offering stargazers a free 4-ounce serving of its signature 3-Cheese Queso or Queso Diablo and chips all day on February 1, according to a press release. The deal is available for Qdoba Rewards members with the purchase of a full-size entrée in-restaurant, online at Qdoba.com, and through the Qdoba mobile app. No telescope is required. The moon may not really be made of cheese, but we think a free side of our creamy, cheesy queso and tortilla chipsseasoned with salt and limeis the next best thing,” Qdoba’s chief marketing officer Jon Burke said. Even better news: Qdoba is offering the deal on the day of each full moon in 2026. Those days are: March 3, April 1, May 1, May 31, June 29, July 29, August 28, September 26, October 26, November 24, and December 23. This weekend’s full moon, on February 1, is also dubbed the “snow” moon. Here’s what to know about it. What is the ‘snow’ moon? The second full moon of 2026 is called the Snow Moon, because it comes during a period of heavy snowfall in the northern hemisphere. (For those in the Northeast, you just have to look outside to see how fitting this is.) And this moon comes with a special treat: It will appear with “one of the most beautiful open star clusters in the night sky . . . in the Leo constellation,” according to Live Science. When can I see the February 2026 full moon? The best time to view the February full moon is at “moonrise” at 5:09 p.m. EST on February 1. It will also appear full and still be bright the following night, on Monday, February 2. The best way to view this full moon is to stand at an elevated point or an open space, looking toward the eastern horizon with binoculars or a telescope, though you’ll be able to see it with just your own eyes too, per Live Science.
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E-Commerce
It’s shaping up to be a busy year for initial public offerings from some of the most closely watched companies. Rumors have been floating around for a while now that SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space company, and Anthropic, the artificial intelligence startup behind Claude, could make their market debuts in the summer and by the end of 2026, respectively. And now, a report says that OpenAIAnthropics main competitor, and the owner of ChatGPTcould go public before the end of the year, too. Heres what you need to know about OpenAIs rumored IPO plans. OpenAI may go public in 2026 A report from the Wall Street Journal yesterday has investors buzzing: ChatGPT owner OpenAI is reportedly considering an initial public offering before the year closes. According to the report, OpenAI is in informal talks with banks on Wall Street about a potential IPO. The artificial intelligence company is also reportedly staffing up in preparation for an IPO. The WSJ says OpenAI recently hired a new chief accounting officer and a new business finance officer, the latter of whom will oversee OpenAIs investor relations department. The report cited anonymous sources. Fast Company reached out to OpenAI for comment. Pressure and financial need may be driving OpenAIs 2026 IPO ambitions In the past, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hasnt spoken enthusiastically about one day running a public company. As a private company currently, OpenAI doesnt have to answer to Wall Street or retail investors, giving it much more freedom in how it chooses to run its businesswhich is currently operating at a major loss. But as a public company, Altman and OpenAI would have to take investors desires and expectations for returns on investment into account. This would make Altman, who is currently answerable to very few, answerable to legions of shareholders. So why go public sooner rather than later? The Journals report says that there are two main factors driving OpenAIs exploration of a 2026 IPO. The first is Anthropic, one of OpenAIs biggest competitors. OpenAI executives have expressed concerns about Anthropic listing first, WSJ reports. There is massive pent-up demand from retail investors who want to get in on the latest spate of AI companies. If Anthropic were to go public first, it could potentially dampen demand for OpenAI shares. The second factor driving OpenAI to explore a potential 2026 IPO reportedly has to do with the companys finances. Current investors are concerned about the companys cash flow as it continues to spend billions training its models and building out its AI infrastructure. Despite ChatGPTs popularity and cultural cache, loss-making OpenAI is burning through piles of cash. Most analysts dont expect OpenAI to turn a profit until at least 2030. By going public, OpenAI would receive a massive injection of cash from its share sale. This could help alleviate current investor concerns over how the company can come up with the hundreds of billions of dollars it needs to keep expanding in the years before it starts to turn a profit. When is OpenAIs IPO date? As of now, OpenAI has not announced an initial public offering. There are only reports that the company will do so by the end of this year. Whether that 2026 timeframe actually comes to pass remains to be seen. How much will OpenAI shares cost? Until OpenAI announces its IPO and how many shares it will offer, it is impossible to know what its IPO share price will be. How much is OpenAI worth? As a private company, its impossible to put an exact figure on OpenAIs value. But most analysts currently value the company at around $500 billion, based on the amount of investment it has received so far. However, the Journal notes that OpenAI is currently in the middle of seeking additional fundraising, perhaps up to $100 billion more. If it achieves this, OpenAI could be valued at around $830 billion.
Category:
E-Commerce
The European economy recorded modest growth at the end of last year, pushing past turmoil over higher U.S. tariffs. Now the economy faces another hurdle: a stronger euro against the dollar that could weigh on exports. Growth in the 21 countries that use the shared euro currency came in at 0.3% for the last three months of 2025, matching the figure from the third quarter, the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Friday. Growth compared with the fourth quarter of 2024 was 1.3%. Moderate growth has defied recession fears from earlier in the year, when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs to levels that could have devastated trade. Talks settled on a 15% cap on U.S. tariffs, or import taxes, on goods from the European Union. The higher tax isnt great for business but the certainty resulting from the deal let companies at least go ahead and plan. That assurance was dented after the quarter ended when Trump on Jan. 17 threatened EU member countries with higher tariffs for supporting Greenland against his calls for a U.S. takeover. Trump later withdrew the threat. European services businesses a broad category ranging from hairdressers to medical treatment have shown moderate growth according to the S&P Global survey of purchasing managers. Exports have tanked and the industry continues to lag but showed improvement toward the end of 2025. Lower inflation of 1.9% in December after a painful spike in 2022-2023 and rising wages have left consumers with more purchasing power and willingness to spend. The latest threat is the dollars steep fall against the euro. It is at its weakest for 4 1/2 years, which makes European exports less competitive on price in a key foreign market. The dollar has weakened due to fears that Trumps tariffs will slow growth and that his attacks on U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will undermine the U.S. central banks role as an inflation fighter and protector of the dollars worth. The euro has risen 14.4% against the dollar in the past 12 months and traded at $1.19 on Friday. Analysts are saying that if the dollars weakness against the euro continues, the European Central Bank may cut interest rates later this year to stimulate growth. The ECB holds a rate-setting meeting on Thursday but is not expected to change rates then. Germany showed improved growth at 0.3% in the quarter, its best quarterly performance in three years, but still faces serious short- and long-term headwinds. The eurozones largest economy is still waiting for infrastructure and defense spending set in motion by Chancellor Friedrich Merz to show its effects through increased growth. Germany grew 0.2% last year, its first year of growth after two years of declining output. The government on Wednesday cut its growth outlook for this year to 1% from 1.3% previously. Germany has struggled with a raft of troubles: higher energy prices after the loss of Russian natural gas due to the war against Ukraine, a shortage of skilled labor, increasing Chinese competition in key export sectors such as autos and industrial machinery, years of underinvestment in growth-promoting infrastructure, and too much red tape. Growth for the broader 27-country European Union also came in at 0.3% for the fourth quarter of 2025 and 1.4% compared with the year-earlier quarter. Not all EU members have moved to join the euro, which gained its 21st member in January when Bulgaria joined. David McHugh, AP business writer
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E-Commerce
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