Core Viewpoint - The upcoming expiration of over $7.1 trillion in options contracts on Wall Street is expected to create significant market volatility, marking a historic event known as "quadruple witching" [1][2]. Group 1: Record Option Expiration - This week's expiration is unprecedented in scale, with over $7.1 trillion in nominal risk exposure set to expire, surpassing all previous records [2]. - Approximately $5 trillion of this exposure is linked to the S&P 500 index, while an additional $880 billion is associated with individual stocks [1]. Group 2: Market Dynamics on Quadruple Witching Day - Quadruple witching occurs four times a year, leading to heightened trading activity as traders and market makers engage in significant closing, rolling, or hedging operations [4]. - The trading volume of zero-day-to-expiration options related to the S&P 500 has reached a historical high, accounting for over 62% of total options trading volume, further complicating the market dynamics [4]. Group 3: Potential Market Impacts - The massive options expiration could lead to increased market volatility, with expectations of trading volumes exceeding normal levels as traders settle their positions [5]. - Conversely, there is a possibility of a "pin" effect, where stock prices stabilize around heavily traded strike prices due to market makers' hedging activities [6]. Group 4: Technical Levels and Market Sentiment - The S&P 500 index is currently in a "negative gamma" zone between 6700 and 6900 points, indicating a tendency for amplified volatility [7]. - The 6800-point level is identified as a critical "risk pivot," with potential implications for market direction depending on whether the index can maintain above or falls below this threshold [7].

Group 1 - China's Hainan Free Trade Port officially launched its zero-tariff operation on December 18, expanding the range of zero-tariff goods to over 6,600 items, enhancing consumer experience for travel and shopping [2] - The Ministry of Commerce has reintroduced export license management for steel for the first time in 16 years to strengthen monitoring and analysis of steel product exports [2] - A giant underwater gold mine has been discovered in Shandong Province, with proven gold reserves of over 3,900 tons, accounting for approximately 26% of the national total [2] Group 2 - The State Administration for Market Regulation emphasizes the need to strengthen the construction of a unified national market and promote fair competition [3] - The U.S. has initiated a military sale to Taiwan valued at approximately $11 billion, marking one of the largest military sales [3] - The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission has issued guidelines for holding central enterprises accountable for investment violations, effective from January 1, 2026 [3] Group 3 - The China Securities Regulatory Commission is advancing the "14th Five-Year" plan for the capital market, focusing on comprehensive reforms and high-level opening-up [4] - A-share indices showed divergence, with the Shanghai Composite Index closing up 0.16% while the Shenzhen Component Index and ChiNext Index fell by 1.29% and 2.17%, respectively [4] - The Hong Kong stock market is undergoing a narrow consolidation, with the Hang Seng Index closing up 0.12% [4] Group 4 - Morgan Stanley predicts that chip stocks will remain one of the best-performing sectors in the U.S. stock market next year, highlighting Nvidia, Broadcom, and Astera Labs as top picks [5] - Insurance asset management institutions have registered 83 asset-backed plans this year, totaling approximately 344.56 billion yuan [5] - Domestic GPU companies, Moore Threads and Muxi Co., have recently listed on the STAR Market, attracting significant investment from insurance funds [5] Group 5 - A wave of IPOs is expected in the Hong Kong capital market, with several companies starting public offerings on December 18 [6] - The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that the photovoltaic industry will enter a critical phase in 2026, focusing on capacity regulation [8] Group 6 - The State Council has issued guidelines to strengthen electronic cigarette regulation and combat illegal tobacco-related activities [9] - The upcoming New Year's holiday is projected to significantly boost the domestic tourism market, with flight bookings increasing by approximately 46% year-on-year [9] - The total scale of bank wealth management products reached a historical high of about 34 trillion yuan by the end of November [9] Group 7 - The People's Bank of China will issue 40 billion yuan in central bank bills in Hong Kong on December 22, with a maturity of six months [18] - The U.S. Treasury Department reported an increase in Japan's holdings of U.S. Treasury securities to $1.2 trillion in October [18]

For Gen Z, the entry-level career ladder is getting steeper by the month—and there’s no sign of it letting up. Unemployment among recent grads has climbed to 5.8% (the highest since 2013, excluding the pandemic) as companies rethink hiring amid AI-driven productivity gains. The pressure is already forcing young people to rethink what it takes to stand out—especially in fields where six-figure pay once felt like a given. But for those aiming for Wall Street, one Goldman Sachs executive has a blunt message ...

Core Insights - Neural Concept has raised $100 million in Series C funding led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, highlighting the growing demand for enterprise AI in engineering [1][3][6] - The company is focused on redefining engineering workflows through CAD-native AI, enabling faster product development and reducing costly late-stage changes [2][5] - Neural Concept's technology is positioned as a leader in AI-native engineering, with significant growth across various industries including automotive, aerospace, and energy [3][4][9] Company Overview - Founded in 2019, Neural Concept provides an AI-first engineering platform that integrates AI into design and simulation workflows, significantly compressing development cycles [7][8] - The platform has demonstrated the ability to save customers $50 million annually, reduce late-stage redesigns by 30-50%, and accelerate time to market by up to two years [9] - The company has experienced a fourfold increase in enterprise revenue over the past 18 months and serves over 50 global companies, including major players like General Motors and General Electric [9] Future Plans - The new funding will be utilized to accelerate product development, including the launch of a generative CAD capability in early 2026, and to expand global go-to-market teams [5][6] - Neural Concept aims to deepen partnerships with industry leaders such as Nvidia, Siemens, and Microsoft, reinforcing its position as the intelligence layer across engineering systems [5][6]

Goldman Sachs has been around for 155 years and there's been a lot said about Goldman Sachs's culture and Goldman Sachs's culture is unique. But I would also say it's constantly changing >> and you better be working at defining what you want it to be and constantly reshaping it and amplifying what you think really matters. The general ethos of the firm is if you build trust with clients, if you take a long-term view, if you do the right thing, good things will happen. And I I've watched that in my career an ...

However, the study in question came from the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA), an advocacy group whose representation of U.S. manufacturers gives it a clear reason to favor protectionist trade policies. The World Trade Institute, an academic research group, said the CPA study used "highly unusual and empirically unsupported" methods to generate the result the authors desired. In other words, the study lacks credibility.In February, the White House published a "fact sheet" crafted to ease concerns ab ...

Core Viewpoint - Goldman Sachs plans to acquire a portion of loans from Hong Kong developer New World [1] Group 1 - The acquisition is part of Goldman Sachs' strategy to strengthen its position in the Asian real estate market [1] - New World has been facing financial challenges, making its loans an attractive target for investment [1] - This move reflects a broader trend of investment banks seeking opportunities in distressed assets amid market fluctuations [1]

格隆汇12月18日｜据路透，知情人士透露，高盛集团已聘请精品科技投资银行Qatalyst Partners的联合创 始人Brian Cayne担任其软件投资银行业务的全球联席主管。Cayne预计将于明年1月正式加入高盛。 Cayne将常驻旧金山，与现任联席主管Joe Porter和Jason Rowe共同领导软件银行业务。 ...

Group 1 - Goldman Sachs has hired Brian Cayne as a global co-head of its software investment banking group, indicating a strategic move to enhance its advisory capabilities in the software sector [1][2][3] - Cayne will start in January and will co-lead the software banking practice with existing co-heads Joe Porter and Jason Rowe, reporting to Barry O'Brien and Jung Min [2][3] - The hire reflects Goldman's ambition to strengthen its position in the competitive software market, particularly in light of growth trends such as artificial intelligence [3][5] Group 2 - Goldman Sachs ranked No. 1 in global technology M&A in 2025 by deal value, advising on transactions totaling $337.8 billion, which represents a 42.5% market share [4] - Major deals this year included a $56.5 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts and a $32 billion acquisition of cloud security firm Wiz by Alphabet [4] - The bank is undergoing a reorganization of its TMT investment banking division, focusing on infrastructure deals and AI, which includes the formation of new groups from its telecom and CoreTech teams [5][6]

Core Insights - Goldman Sachs Group has appointed Brian Cayne as a global co-head of its software investment banking group, indicating a strategic move to enhance its capabilities in the technology sector [1] Company Developments - The hiring of Brian Cayne, a co-founder of Qatalyst Partners, reflects Goldman Sachs' commitment to strengthening its software investment banking division [1] - This appointment may lead to increased deal flow and advisory opportunities in the technology sector, particularly in software [1] Industry Implications - The addition of experienced professionals like Cayne could position Goldman Sachs more competitively within the tech investment banking landscape [1] - This move may signal a broader trend of investment banks focusing on specialized sectors, such as software, to capture growth opportunities in the technology market [1]