CONGRESS FROM OWNING OR TRADING INDIVIDUAL STOCKS. THEY'VE COMMITTED TO DO THAT. WE'LL SEE WHETHER THEY ACTUALLY DO.BECKY, QUICK. >> WE HAVE SOME BREAKING NEWS ON THE RACE FOR THE FED CHAIR JOB. OUR SENIOR ECONOMICS REPORTER, STEVE LIESMAN JOINS US WITH THE DETAILS.>> REALLY GOOD MORNING BECKY. SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS TELLING CNBC THAT FED GOVERNOR CHRIS WALLER HAD A, QUOTE, STRONG INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP IN WHICH THE TWO DISCUSSED THE LABOR MARKET IN DEPTH AND HOW TO JUMPSTART JOB CREATION. ...

College Sports Valuations and Trends - College sports valuations are surging due to bigger media deals, expanded playoffs, and conference realignment [1] - The top 75 athletic programs are now worth a total of $512 billion, up 24% from 2024 [1][2] - The University of Texas at Austin is the most valuable athletic program, valued at almost $148 billion [2] - Increased media rights deals, such as the Big 12 doubling its agreement, are driving valuations [3] - The College Football Playoffs' new deal with ESPN will increase its value to $13 billion starting next year [4] Factors Influencing Valuation - Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights and a pro sports business model are shaping the college landscape [1] - NIL money is becoming a significant factor and will be on the balance sheet starting next year [9] - Donor money, such as that used for stadium renovations, can cause year-to-year fluctuations in revenue [6][7] - Private equity is increasingly looking at college programs and conferences as investment opportunities [10][11] Concerns and Future Implications - There are concerns about the impact of professionalization on student athletes and less popular sports [12][17] - The increasing player movement and coach turnover reflect a shift towards a professional sports model [13] - Lockouts in sports like the WNBA could pose risks to valuations, especially with emerging competitors [19][21][22]

Financial Performance - FedEx's fiscal second quarter beat expectations, leading to a raise in guidance, but the entirety of the raise was a result of this beat [3] - Freight business margins declined year-over-year by 300 basis points [6] - FedEx took a $150 million charge [9] Operational Challenges and Strategies - FedEx faces costs associated with grounding MD11 planes [3] - Higher incentive compensation for employees is weighing on second-half earnings [4] - Industrial weakness is impacting FedEx's freight segment [4] - FedEx is preparing for a freight spin-off planned for June 2026, incurring costs related to hiring a salesforce and IT expenses [8] - Weak demand environment from a freight perspective, especially for heavy oversized goods, is impacting margins [9] - FedEx's US ground home delivery volumes are up 8%, and pricing is up 5% [10] - FedEx is winning business on its express side due to good pricing, revenue mix, and business wins [11] - FedEx is making progress on improving margins and driving efficiencies through network 20, integrating express and ground networks [12] Market and Industry Outlook - The transport sector has been rallying recently [14] - CH Robinson is seen as an AI play due to its technology-driven freight matching [15] - Restrictions on non-domiciled CDLs are pushing up freight rates [16] - The setup for 2026 is expected to be better for transports [16]

Good morning. So, you just lowered your price target after this earnings, but you kept an overweight rating. Explain the rationale there.Lowering the price target, but keeping the rating. >> Uh yeah. No, good morning and uh thanks for having me.Great to be here. Uh listen, quoting, you know, Elliot Hill himself, uh this is not a turnaround that's linear, you know, by any means. uh they never are, you know, especially in a competitive consumer space and especially in this athletic space uh which is an extrem ...

Well, Frank, I what I think is interesting is the reaction of the Chinese government or the non-reaction because officially the foreign ministry dodged a question. They didn't actually go into anything other than a boilerplate statement which was that uh Beijing Beijing's position on Tik Tok is consistent and clear. But uh the state media reaction has been interesting in that it's been quoting a probe Beijing professor on the Tik Tok deal.And there that professor is saying that this deal is in line with Chi ...

We got some news on Nike today. Uh Nike shares down sharply. Uh really on China weakness, also some soft guest guidance.Joining us right now is Kevin McCarthy. His Newberger Burman, a senior research analyst. The stock off about 10% right now.Kevin, uh you heard what we heard from Nike about all this. Do you say to yourself this is a dip worth buying. Do you say that there there's more to go.What what are your feelings here. >> Yeah, good morning, Andrew. Um, you know, I I think clearly the market is going ...

Market Trends & Investment Opportunities - The discussion revolves around the attractiveness of Japanese bond yields for investors, particularly in comparison to US Treasury yields [1][2] - The benchmark rate for Japan is at 75 basis points (0.75%), compared to the US rate of 350 to 375 basis points (3.50% to 3.75%), and the Japanese 10-year bond yield is around 2% versus the US 10-year bond yield over 4% [2] - A weaker dollar is considered beneficial for US companies, especially exporters of services, enhancing their competitiveness [4] - Central banks globally are competing against the dollar, partly driven by gold purchases [6] - US advantages include innovation, accountability, transparency, and governance, attracting private investors and corporations to US assets [6] - Global diversification of portfolios is returning, after a period of concentration in US assets [6] Potential Risks & Volatility - Concerns exist about potential rate cuts in the US leading to a weaker dollar, which could deter foreign investment and hedging activities [5] - Quadruple witching day, with $7 trillion in notional option exposure expiring, including $5 trillion tied to the S&P, raises concerns about market volatility [7] - Despite potential trepidation, the US market has demonstrated a remarkable ability to digest witching Fridays due to its liquidity and opportunities [8]

Welcome back to Squawkbox. OpenAI is reportedly looking to raise as much as a hundred billion dollars for its expansion plans, which could value the company as high as, you ready for this. 830 billion.So, we're getting close to the trillion dollar mark. The Wall Street Journal saying that the earliest fundraising round would be completed at the end of the first quarter of this coming year. Then, opening eye expected to draw in financing from sovereign wealth funds as well.Earlier in the week, the informatio ...

Christmas is less than a week away and joining us right now with some tips on what to serve on the table this year is Ray Isle, our old friend who's here from executive, he's the executive wine editor at Food and Wine. And uh Ray, you do this for us every year. >> I love doing this. This is great. Thanks for having me. I'm trying to get us, you know, a little tipsy at 6:20 in the morning. >> It's my job. It's what I It's what I do do for the world. >> I was actually thinking about it. How do you do your job ...

Five things to know ahead of the opening bell this morning. Japan's central bank raising its short-term interest rates to a three decade high of 75% that helped lift the country's 10-year Treasury yield past 2%. And the Bank of Japan also signaling readiness to tighten further.Meanwhile, data center deals hitting a record $61 billion in 2025. That's according to the S&P Global. European Union leaders agreeing to loan Ukraine more than hundred billion dollars to help the country defend itself from Russia for ...