Monetary Policy - Boston Fed President Susan Collins advocates holding interest rates steady due to persistent high inflation and data scarcity caused by the government shutdown [1] Regulatory Scrutiny - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis for potential antitrust violations related to their influence on shareholder votes [2] Mergers and Acquisitions - Packaging giant Sealed Air's shares are surging in pre-market trading amid reports of buyout talks with Clayton Dublier and Rice to go private [3] - Before the pre-market surge, Sealed Air shares were up approximately 10% year-to-date [3] Technology - BYU is introducing new AI processors and supercomputing products, emphasizing domestically controlled computing power [2]

We got some news literally as you were just speaking. Results from Disney. Here's what's going on.We got adjusted earnings of A11 per share. That's 6 cents better than estimates. Revenue coming in at $22.5% billion.Now, that was slow s slightly below expectations. Uh entertainment revenue was $10.2% billion. Experiences generated $8.8% billion.Both of those metrics were also slightly below Wall Street consensus. Sports revenue was nearly $4 billion and that was roughly in line. Now, Disney Plus paid subscri ...

Government & Policy - US government reopens after a 43-day shutdown following President Trump signing a funding bill [1] - Economic data missed due to the shutdown, including the October CPI and jobs report, may never be released [1] - Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on January 21st regarding President Trump's authority to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook [2] Technology & AI - Alibaba is reportedly preparing to overhaul its flagship AI apps to be more like OpenAI's ChatGPT, aiming for fully functioning AI agents [2] Economy & Finance - US is ending the production of the penny after more than 230 years [2]

Market Performance & Trends - S&P futures and NASDAQ are slightly up, with NASDAQ up by approximately six points [1] - The Dow Jones Industrial Average has reached new record highs, closing above 48,000 [1] - NASDAQ is just over 2% away from its all-time high [2] - The market exhibits a tendency to trend upwards, with new highs often leading to further highs [3] Earnings & Profitability - With 90% of results in, companies have demonstrated an average topline growth of 8% and bottom line growth of 12%, indicating increased profitability [6] - Earnings growth was widespread across 10 of 11 sectors [6] Hyperscaler Leverage & Debt - Hyperscalers are generally underlevered and have the flexibility to increase debt on their balance sheets [7][8] - Some hyperscalers are borrowing at rates close to the US government rate, indicating market support for their debt [9] Risks & Vulnerabilities - The interconnectedness of deals and the syndication of debt among a focused number of companies pose a potential vulnerability for the markets [11] - It is difficult to discern who will bear the risk if deals do not perform as expected, requiring close monitoring of escape clauses in private contracts [11][12][13]

Welcome back to Spotbox. A sports betting player FanDuel partnering with derivatives marketplace CME Group in a predictions market platform that's now set to be released next month. It's going to allow users to bet on financial metrics and sports outcomes even in places where sports gambling is illegal.Now, prediction markets are federally regulated and considered trading platforms, not gambling platforms. the CEO of FanDuel's parent company, telling Jim Kramer that the sports prediction product won't be av ...

We got the president uh signing that bill upon the government ending what is now the longest shutdown in US history. Emily Wilkins joins us in Washington with the latest. Good morning. >> Hey Andrew. Well, yeah. After 43 days, the government shutdown is now over, longest in history. So that vote last night, you saw all but two House Republicans voting to reopen the government. You saw six Democrats that crossed the aisle to join them. And then of course as you're seeing there, Donald Trump signing that bill ...

Now, let's talk about the predictions market, which is a market I can candidly I am fascinated by, but I was always hoping someone would actually have a partner from our world, not just a partner from, say, Vegas. You've got the CME, whom I regard as the foremost arbiter of this kind of activity, as your partner, which to me legitimizes something that I felt, frankly, is a little bit uh that I was a little sheepest to be involved in. >> We we've been operating in this space for a long time, right.We have th ...

An analyst meeting right here in New York City. You never know what you're going to get from these analysts events. I mean, sometimes they're snooze fest, sometimes there's a big deal.This one was a huge deal, which is why AMD's stock shot up 9% today. Now, AMD's already had a phenomenal run with the stock catching fire last month when they announced a massive deal with open AI. They're selling open AI six gigawatts worth of GPUs as part of a multi-year agreement.Now, we don't have specific numbers, but Mad ...

Market Overview & Strategy - The market demonstrates strength with rotation into reasonably priced stocks outside the AI space, indicating a broader base beyond data center spending [2][3][4] - A rotation into undervalued companies that could catch fire is happening, defying the bears [4] - Growth investing in non-tech style is making a comeback [22][26] Travel & Leisure Sector - Travel stocks, including airline stocks like United and Delta, and Expedia, are recovering as the government shutdown ends [5] - Cruise lines and hotels are expected to experience similar gains as travel stocks [5] - Analysts are anticipated to turn positive on travel stocks, including Marriott and Wynn Resorts, as the government reopens and China's economy strengthens [6][7] Restaurant Sector - Restaurants like Brinker (parent of Chili's), Texas Roadhouse, and Chipotle are showing signs of recovery [11] - Brinker reported a terrific quarter, while Texas Roadhouse was impacted by beef inflation [11][12] - Starbucks' last quarter was positive, and Darden (Olive Garden) is a buy due to consumer confidence [13][14] Retail Sector - Retail owners are encouraged to promote usual suspects, especially with the collapse of oil prices [14] - On Holdings reported a remarkable quarter with no planned holiday discounts [15] - Retailers like Urban Outfitters, Macy's, and Costco are highlighted as potentially undervalued [16][17] Financial Sector - Bank stocks are considered absurdly cheap compared to the rest of the market [18] - A surge in IPO filings is expected from Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, JP Morgan, and Wells Fargo [19] Healthcare Sector - Amgen announced a breakthrough in Repatha, an injection to prevent heart attacks [20] - Pfizer is suggested as a potential buy to enter the lucrative weight loss business [20] Company Specific - Celsius had a bad miss in the last quarter, and it's recommended to wait another quarter [23][24] - Deere is expected to benefit from farmers receiving checks [25] - Flood Entertainment is on the move after reporting good earnings [27] - AMG soared 9% on the heels of its Analyst Day [27]

It's starting to dawn on people. A market that only goes higher because of data center spending is a polish market and we don't like that. Increasingly I feel like there are better places to hunt for winners than the AI space where many not all but many feel picked over.And that's why today the Dow jumped 327 points. The S&P advanced 006% but the NASDAQ declined.26%. It feels like the revenge of the nerds people with the nerds this time being reasonably priced stocks of companies that don't need trillions o ...