Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Market Performance & Earnings
Technology stocks investing.com are now almost as cheap as consumer staples as Wall Street dumps software companies over AI disruption fears, while retail traders rush to buy the dip. Dell investing.com shares surged on record fourth-quarter results driven by AI server demand, contrasting with Core Weave investing.com shares falling 4% after missing profit estimates. Block investing.com slashed its workforce by 40% to embrace an AI-native future, with shares gaining on the restructuring news. Zscaler investing.com beat Q2 estimates but shares still fell amid cautious guidance, while Autodesk investing.com shares rose 7% after Q4 and outlook beat expectations. Intuit investing.com topped earnings estimates but shares fell on soft FQ3 outlook.
Sports Betting & Entertainment
Flutter Entertainment wsj.com posted results that largely missed Wall Street expectations as customer and betting growth slowed due to improved competitor products, with market share declining in the fourth quarter. Caesars Entertainment investing.com stock surged 18% on reports of takeover interest, following Las Vegas casino group Caesars Entertainment ft.com weighing potential acquisition offers after shares fell to five-year lows. The results underscore investor fears that prediction markets are eating into the $14 billion US sports gambling sector.
Mergers, Acquisitions & IPOs
Barnes & Noble owner Elliott bloomberg.com is said to seek London IPO pitches, inviting investment banks to pitch for roles on an initial public offering of the book retailers. Victory Capital ft.com sparked a bidding war with an offer for Janus Henderson, aiming to trump an agreed deal led by Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management. Lazard veteran bloomberg.com is launching a hedge fund for EM bets at Bramshill, with Arif Joshi joining to help launch a fund focused on developing world opportunities.
Banking & Financial Services
Barclays and Apollo's Atlas bloomberg.com are among lenders to failed UK firm MFS, having helped arrange more than £2 billion of loans to a UK mortgage-finance company that unraveled amid allegations of fraud. Swiss bank MBaer bloomberg.com faces being cut off from the US financial system over alleged links to Iran and Russia. State Farm bloomberg.com will pay a record $5 billion dividend to auto clients after posting strong underwriting profits.
Private Credit & Investment Management
Private credit's great divide bloomberg.com has reached new heights, with skeptics and true believers clashing after high-profile blowups. FS KKR Private Credit Fund bloomberg.com plunged to a 2020 low as bad loans bite, cutting its dividend more than forecast amid lower interest rates and troubled investments. FS KKR Private Credit Fund bloomberg.com is selling $477 million of assets at 94% value as industry worries continue, highlighting concerns about the $1.8 trillion market.
Technology & AI Developments
Nvidia CEO finance.yahoo.com declared the company is now the "largest networking company in the world" as AI spending booms. Salesforce finance.yahoo.com eased AI fears with a strong outlook and big buybacks, while Wise Tech investing.com jumped on upbeat HY earnings and AI-driven job cuts. C3.ai finance.yahoo.com slashed 26% of staff as the CEO admitted failure to deliver and "burning too much money." A startup aiming to break Nvidia's stranglehold on AI data center workloads raised $10.25 million.
International Markets & Policy
South Korea's KOSPI bloomberg.com surge has almost no precedent, with the equity market passing France to become the ninth-largest in the world, propelled by gains in technology shares riding the global AI boom. European and UK stocks bloomberg.com hit records powered by banks and miners, while European investment banks ft.com capitalized on volatility in 2025 with Barclays and Deutsche Bank leading the pack. Emerging currencies bloomberg.com shook off early rout as the dollar retreated, with most developing-world currencies reversing early losses.
Regulatory & Legal Developments
The IRS yahoo.com broke the law by disclosing confidential information to ICE 42,695 times, a judge ruled. Walmart wsj.com agreed to a $100 million FTC settlement over driver pay after the agency alleged the retailer deceived drivers about earnings potential. Vanguard ft.com reached a settlement with Texas in a key case on ESG investing after Republican-led states accused the US's largest index fund managers of conspiring to reduce coal emissions.
Energy & Commodities
BP bloomberg.com goes big on shale oil drilling as many rivals flatline output, aggressively expanding shale drilling to reverse years of anemic production. Copper manufacturer Revere Copper Products bloomberg.com is ramping up US investment as tariffs and surging demand from data centers lift earnings at America's oldest copper manufacturer. LNG supply wave bloomberg.com to hit prices but demand remains firm, according to Australia's biggest LNG producer.
Real Estate & Infrastructure
Arla Foods bloomberg.com makes a record investment with a $350 million cheese bet, spending about €300 million to expand cheese production. Nuclear fusion start-up Proxima Fusion ft.com won Bavarian state backing for a €2 billion test plant, aiming to build Europe's first commercial plant by the end of the next decade.