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VGK

Eurozone CPI for November showed a month-on-month decrease of 0.6%, which is in line with estimates. The year-on-year inflation rate is 2.4%, also matching expectations.

Portfolio Pulse from Charles Gross

December 19, 2023 | 10:02 am

F

TSLA

Sen. Joe Manchin is pushing to overturn the Treasury's exemption on EV tax credit rules, which he believes could benefit Chinese companies and increase U.S. reliance on China for EV battery and component supply chains. This could impact Ford and Tesla, as some of their EV models may not qualify for tax credits in the coming year. The Treasury's guidance restricts the use of Chinese content in batteries, with new regulations set to decrease U.S. reliance on China starting in 2024 and 2025.

Portfolio Pulse from Navdeep Yadav

December 19, 2023 | 9:42 am

TSLA

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) faces challenges in Germany as the government ends an environmental bonus, impacting electric vehicle subsidies. Tesla's Giga Berlin plant is reported to shut down from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2, 2024, potentially affecting the company's annual production target. In response to the subsidy cut, Tesla offers compensation for new Model 3/Y orders. Analyst Gordon Johnson questions Tesla's demand without government subsidies, implying overcapacity. Tesla's stock dropped slightly following the news.

Portfolio Pulse from Shanthi Rexaline

December 19, 2023 | 9:13 am

MSFT

OpenAI has introduced a 'Preparedness Framework' that allows its board of directors to veto decisions made by the leadership, including CEO Sam Altman. The framework focuses on AI safety, dividing responsibilities among three groups: Safety Systems, Preparedness, and Superalignment. The board's veto power acts as a failsafe against decisions that may compromise the company or stakeholders. The framework is still in 'beta' and will be refined over time. This change follows a recent event where Altman was briefly fired by the board and then reinstated after employee backlash.

Portfolio Pulse from Rounak Jain

December 19, 2023 | 8:53 am

NFLX

Western companies exiting Russia are facing increased scrutiny from the Kremlin, with stringent conditions and government oversight on corporate exit strategies. This policy has been in place since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Companies like McDonald's and Starbucks left early, but now exits require state donations, asset sales at discounts, and government approval. The energy sector requires President Putin's approval for asset sales. Companies such as Danone and Carlsberg have seen their operations temporarily controlled by Russia. Netflix Inc. has halted projects and acquisitions in Russia in response to sanctions.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Neuro

December 19, 2023 | 8:27 am

BLK

FNF

Jonathan Goldsmith, known as 'the most interesting man in the world', stars in an advertisement for Bitwise to promote their Bitcoin ETF. Bitwise, along with BlackRock and Fidelity, is awaiting SEC approval for a spot Bitcoin ETF. The ad highlights Bitwise's expertise in ETFs backed by crypto specialists. The crypto market is optimistic about the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs, with a decision expected between Jan. 5 to Jan. 10, 2024. Goldsmith recently joined Village Garage Distillery as Chief Storytelling Officer.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Neuro

December 19, 2023 | 8:15 am

GOOG

GOOGL

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., has agreed to a $700 million settlement in an antitrust case and will revise its Play Store policies to foster competition. The settlement includes a $630 million consumer fund and a $70 million state fund, covering purchases on Google Play from Aug. 16, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2023. Google has not admitted wrongdoing but will make it easier for users to download apps directly from developers and offer alternative in-app billing options. This follows a recent victory by Epic Games in a lawsuit against Google, which found parts of Google's app business anti-competitive.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Neuro

December 19, 2023 | 7:32 am

CD

Chindata Group has completed its transition to private ownership after merging with BCPE Chivalry. The company has requested the suspension of trading of its ADSs on Nasdaq from December 18, 2023, and will delist and deregister its securities. The deregistration will take effect 90 days post the filing of Form 25, with the SEC, or sooner if determined by the SEC. Chindata Group plans to file a Form 15 to suspend its SEC reporting obligations, which will cease its requirement to file reports such as Form 20-F and Form 6-K.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Newsdesk

December 19, 2023 | 6:56 am

AAPL

A bipartisan group of US senators and representatives have requested the DOJ to investigate Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for potential antitrust violations in its dealings with messaging app Beeper Mini. Lawmakers, including Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee, as well as Representatives Jerry Nadler and Ken Buck, have expressed concerns over Apple's alleged anti-competitive behavior, particularly after the tech giant shut down Beeper Mini's 'iMessage for Android' app on December 9, leading to an outage. The app was later restored with some limitations. The DOJ investigation could have significant implications for Apple and the broader tech industry.

Portfolio Pulse from Rounak Jain

December 19, 2023 | 6:49 am

BTCUSD

MSTR

Michael Saylor, MicroStrategy's Executive Chairman, expressed confidence in Bitcoin's future, predicting its value could reach a million dollars if it doesn't go to zero. He cited global inflation as a key driver for BTC adoption and welcomed new FASB rules for cryptocurrency accounting. MicroStrategy, which began investing in Bitcoin in August 2020, holds 174,530 BTC with an average purchase price of $30,252 each. BTC's price has risen 56% since early October and was trading at $42,926 at the time of the article.

Portfolio Pulse from Mehab Qureshi

December 19, 2023 | 6:23 am