Group 1 - GameStop continues to close more stores, having closed 590 stores in fiscal 2024 and planning to close a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025, which ends in January 2026 [1][2][7] - The company has faced financial difficulties due to the rise of digital game downloads and increased competition from online retailers and big-box chains [3][4] - GameStop's revenue declined by $39.3 million year over year, indicating ongoing struggles in its business model [4] Group 2 - The majority of GameStop's stores are located in malls, which are experiencing declining foot traffic [4] - In early 2025, GameStop revised its investment policy to allow for investments in Bitcoin, aiming to provide sufficient liquidity and optimize investment returns [2][3] - The company's market capitalization currently stands at $9 billion, with a performance-based stock option for CEO Ryan Cohen contingent on reaching a market cap of $100 billion [7][9]

Core Insights - Meta Platforms has entered into 20-year agreements to purchase power from three Vistra nuclear plants in the US and is collaborating with two companies to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) [1][4][10] Group 1: Agreements and Power Supply - The agreements will provide up to 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2035, with Meta purchasing power from Vistra's Perry and Davis-Besse plants in Ohio and Beaver Valley plant in Pennsylvania [3][7][10] - Meta's partnership with Oklo aims to develop up to 1.2 gigawatts of energy in Ohio as early as 2030, supporting early procurement and development [11] - The company will also help fund TerraPower's development of two reactors to generate up to 690 megawatts of power as early as 2032 [8] Group 2: Industry Context and Implications - The move is part of a broader strategy by Meta and other Big Tech companies to secure long-term electricity supplies as demand from artificial intelligence and data centers rises for the first time in two decades [3][4] - Meta's agreements, along with a previous deal with Constellation to keep an Illinois reactor operating for 20 years, position the company as a significant corporate purchaser of nuclear energy in American history [5] - Critics express concerns that SMRs may struggle to achieve economies of scale similar to current large reactors, and there are currently no US SMRs in commercial operation [5][7]

Core Insights - The December job report indicates a muted hiring environment, with only 50,000 jobs added, falling short of the expected 73,000 and below the average monthly gain of 55,000 for the first 11 months of 2025 [1][3] - The unemployment rate decreased to 4.4% from 4.6% in November, which was the highest rate since 2021, suggesting underlying strain in the labor market [3] Labor Market Analysis - The revisions to previous months' data revealed a weaker labor market, with nonfarm payroll employment for October and November revised down by a total of 76,000 jobs [3] - The December report is the first on-schedule release since September, following a significant government shutdown, which may have impacted data accuracy [4] - Fed Chairman Jerome Powell cautioned that the figures should be interpreted with skepticism due to potential data gaps, indicating that normalization of reports may take an additional month or two [4]

Pot Inc. is gearing up to lobby the Trump administration – and press its case that the president’s executive order declaring marijuana a drug useful for medical purposes is being thwarted by Wall Street, On The Money has learned.As reported by The Post, people at big banks – JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citigroup – have said the Trump executive order “reclassifying” pot from its previous heroin-like Schedule 1 level to a so-called Schedule 3 drug like Tylenol with codeine stops short of giving them the aut ...

Core Viewpoint - Paramount Skydance believes it has an advantage over Netflix in acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), citing issues with Netflix's deal as a contributing factor to its confidence [1]. Group 1: Paramount's Position - Paramount and CBS's leadership, David and Larry Ellison, reaffirmed their commitment to a merger with WBD, offering a "hostile" bid of $30 per share, totaling $78 billion [2]. - The Ellisons argue that WBD is facing self-inflicted challenges, which have led to the rejection of their offer [2][11]. - Paramount's all-cash bid remains unchanged despite ongoing negotiations, with some investors, including Mario Gabelli, expressing preference for cash offers [12]. Group 2: WBD's Challenges - WBD criticized the Ellison's deal for relying on $85 billion in debt, labeling it a "leveraged buyout" and demanding personal guarantees from Larry Ellison [3][11]. - WBD's channels are under pressure due to cord-cutting trends, which have negatively impacted their market position [6][15]. - The launch of Versant, a spinoff from Comcast, has seen its stock drop nearly 30%, indicating market volatility in the sector [6]. Group 3: Netflix's Deal Dynamics - Netflix's offer includes $27.75 per share in cash and stock, with an additional promise of $3 per share from the planned sale of WBD's cable properties [5]. - Netflix's stock has lost over $150 billion in value recently, raising concerns among investors about the company's strategic direction [9]. - The potential merger of Netflix with WBD's HBO Max raises antitrust concerns, particularly given the relationship between Larry Ellison and regulatory figures [10].

Core Viewpoint - General Motors (GM) is taking a $6 billion charge to unwind some electric vehicle (EV) investments due to changing market conditions and the impact of the Trump administration's policies on demand for EVs [1] Group 1: Financial Impact - The majority of GM's writedown, amounting to a $4.2 billion cash charge, is associated with contract cancellations and settlements with suppliers who had anticipated higher production volumes [2][4] - The charge will be recorded as a special item in GM's fourth-quarter earnings report, with expectations of additional charges in 2026, although these are anticipated to be lower than the 2025 EV charges [5] Group 2: Production and Offerings - Despite the writedown, GM stated that it will not affect its US lineup of approximately a dozen EV models, which is noted as the industry's broadest offering of battery-powered vehicles [4]

Beijing officials plan to approve some Nvidia imports as soon as this quarter after they forced Chinese firms to pause their orders for the Silicon Valley firm’s H200 chips, according to reports.China is preparing to allow local tech firms to buy the H200 chip for select commercial use, though it will still be banned from the military, government agencies and state-owned enterprises over national security concerns, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.The planned approval still represents a major ...

Core Argument - Paramount Skydance has defended its revised $78 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery after the latter rejected the offer in favor of a deal with Netflix [1][4] Bid Details - Paramount argues that Comcast's recent unsuccessful spinoff of NBCUniversal cable assets into a new company, Versant, serves as a warning, as Netflix's deal relies on a similar spinoff of WBD's cable assets, including CNN [1][2] - Paramount claims it has addressed all concerns raised by WBD regarding its initial offer and has included a personal guarantee of $40.4 billion in equity financing from billionaire Larry Ellison [2][7] Value Proposition - David Ellison stated that the offer provides WBD investors with greater value and a more certain, expedited path to completion [3][6] - Paramount emphasizes its commitment to engaging with WBD shareholders and advancing the regulatory review process [6]

Core Viewpoint - Hilton is facing a potential boycott after a hotel in Minneapolis allegedly canceled reservations for ICE agents, leading to backlash from conservative influencers and supporters [1][10]. Group 1: Boycott Calls and Reactions - Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson called for a boycott of Hilton, claiming the company lied about its actions regarding ICE agents [2]. - Trump supporters are sharing images of Hilton brands and urging followers to stop supporting the company [3]. - A social media account with 1.4 million followers encouraged a boycott of Hilton Hotels [4]. Group 2: Incident Details - The Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota, was accused of denying reservations to DHS and ICE officials, which Hilton later confirmed led to the termination of the hotel's franchise agreement [2][5]. - A video by conservative influencer Nick Sortor showed a hotel clerk stating that reservations for immigration agents were not allowed, which garnered nearly 2 million views [5]. Group 3: Broader Context - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused the hotel staff of launching a coordinated campaign to refuse service to law enforcement, stating that reservations were maliciously canceled [10]. - The ICE has recently focused on the Twin Cities due to a billion-dollar human services fraud scandal involving Somali-run daycare centers, deploying about 1,500 officers to the area [8].

President Trump said Wednesday he will seek to ban large investors from buying and then renting out single-family homes – in a bold attempt to tackle the US housing crisis.Trump did not say exactly how his plan would work, but it represents a major new initiative to lower the cost of homeownership after roughly a decade of large investors and private-equity firms buying up hundreds of thousands of single-family homes. 4 Trump spoke to the House GOP retreat on January 6, 2026. AFP via Getty Images“For a ve ...