Airline Merger Talks, Qualcomm's AI Leap, and Verizon's Upbeat Guidance

Market News
1. United Airlines confirmed an approach for a potential merger with American Airlines, a move that could significantly reshape the U.S. aviation industry.
2. Qualcomm (QCOM) shares surged after an analyst revealed the company is collaborating with OpenAI to develop an AI-powered smartphone processor.
3. Verizon (VZ) raised its annual profit forecast and reported strong subscriber growth, sending its shares up 3% in premarket trading.