North America:

  • Nvidia criticized the Biden administration's plan to impose new export restrictions on AI chips.
  • Kroger to pay $110 million to settle Kentucky lawsuit over opioid epidemic.
  • Clear Channel Outdoor sells its Europe-North segment to Bauer Media for $625 million.
  • Tammy Romo, CFO of Southwest Airlines, retires on April 1.
  • Tilray Brands reported a wider net loss in Q2 with sales of US$210.95 million, despite increased revenue in its beverage, international cannabis, and wellness segments, and announced a US$25 million synergy plan for its beverage business while reaffirming its fiscal year 2025 guidance.
  • Elon Musk is suing OpenAI over its for-profit shift, while Tesla launches a redesigned Model Y in Asia and China and recalls 239,000 vehicles due to rear-view camera issues.
  • Shell and Chevron have commenced oil production at the Whale floating production facility in the Gulf of Mexico, which is expected to reach a peak output of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
  • Bank of America, involved in various financial activities, has been appointed alongside UBS by Japan's NTT for a $1 billion data center REIT IPO in Singapore slated for the second half of 2025, while also planning to increase investment banker bonuses by 10% in 2024 and overseeing consumer investments exceeding $500 billion.
  • Constellation Brands reported a modest rise in non-GAAP EPS foBerenberg predicts a slow start for Airbus in Q1 after a robust December, despite the company delivering 766 aircraft in 2024 and securing the top position in the global aviation market, albeit missing delivery targets due to supply-chain bottlenecks.
  • The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Global bond yields have stabilized, however, emerging markets are experiencing increasingly tight financial conditions.
  • Westpac Banking has bought back 131,167 shares under its AU$3.5 billion share buyback program.
  • Block (ASX:SQ2) will change its ticker code on the Australian Securities Exchange to 'XYZ'.r fiscal Q3, though its net sales of $2.46 billion fell below the expected $2.53 billion.
  • Constellation Energy acquired Calpine Corp. in a deal valued at $26.6 billion, although one report mistakenly cited the purchase price as $16.4 billion.
  • Mersana Therapeutics' lead candidate, emiltatug ledadotin, demonstrated clinical activity in multiple tumor types in a phase 1 study, while their breast cancer treatment XMT-1660 received positive study results and additional FDA Fast Track designations, leading to a rise in the company's shares.
  • Walgreens Boots Alliance surpassed Q1 earnings estimates with $0.51 per share, outperforming the expected $0.36, despite a fall in adjusted net earnings, while maintaining their annual forecast.
  • BlackRock is leaving the Net-Zero Asset Managers initiative due to legal inquiries, confusion over practices, and pressure from Republican politicians, while also seeking to extend the FDIC bank oversight deadline to March.
    Today's main earnings reports: Constellation Brands, Delta Air Lines, Walgreens Boots...

Europe and Asia:

  • Mercedes-Benz experienced a sales decline of up to 4% across its vehicle range, primarily due to reduced demand for luxury and electric vehicles in key markets like China and Europe, despite a slight increase in stock price from optimistic future margin projections.
  • Group AG Financial stocks declined in premarket trading on Friday, amid news of GCash's potential $1.5 billion IPO.
  • J Sainsbury's announced plans to increase hourly wages by 2025, confirmed expected sales and profits, reported its biggest ever Christmas.
  • Holcim has announced its future board of directors for its North American spin-off planned for 2025, appointing Jan Jenisch as CEO and proposing Kim Fausing, currently CEO of Danfoss, as the new chairman.
  • In December 2024, the C WorldWide Global Equities Ethical 1C fund and the C WorldWide Nordic 1C fund experienced declines of 1.9% and 2.7% respectively, with the former underperforming its benchmark index.
  • UniCredit is internalizing its securities services in Germany and Italy, creating 200 new jobs, and has issued two senior non-preferred bonds totaling EUR2 billion.
  • AB Peab, a Swedish construction company, has won contracts to build a school in Ulricehamn for 255 million SEK and new barracks in Visby for 207 million SEK.
  • Volkswagen's market share in France reached 7%, its best in eight years, while planning to shift Audi's Q4 e-tron production to the US and reduce personnel costs by 6% starting 2027, amidst new US rules aiming to restrict Chinese vehicle imports.
  • TotalEnergies has begun constructing the ArtawiGas25 gas processing facility in Iraq's Ratawi oil field and agreed to pay $5 million to settle U.S. allegations of gas market manipulation without admitting liability.
  • Samsung Display is set to mass-produce rollable OLED screens for Lenovo's upcoming ThinkBook Plus G6 Rollable, while its affiliate Harman International introduces new automotive solutions at CES 2025, and Nvidia confirms Samsung as a key supplier for its GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs.
  • Saudi Aramco has reduced January's liquefied petroleum gas prices due to decreased demand and plans to cut crude oil deliveries to China in February.
  • Zijin Mining Group is negotiating with the top shareholders of Zangge Mining to potentially acquire a controlling stake, aiming to consolidate ownership of the Julong copper project in Tibet.
  • Tata Consultancy Services reported a rise in its consolidated profit to 123.8 billion Indian rupees for the fiscal third quarter ended December 31, 2024, and its stock jumped 6% due to signals of potential demand revival and optimistic comments from the CEO, boosting sentiment in the IT sector.
  • LG Energy Solution announced a Q4 operating loss and is partnering with Aptera Motors and CTNS to supply batteries for solar-powered electric vehicles.
  • Apollo Global Management is contemplating investing up to $9.5 billion in preferred equity for a potential buyout of Japanese convenience store operator Seven & i Holdings by the founding Ito family.