Chinese EV giant BYD Co. Ltd. (OTC:BYDDY) (OTC:BYDDF) has reached breakthroughs in its Sodium-ion, as well as solid-state battery pursuits. 10,000 Charging Cycles The automaker shared in an investor note that its sodium-ion batteries would be capable of 10,000 cycles, CnEVPost reported on Sunday. The company also shared that its sodium-ion battery research platform had reached its third generation, the report suggests. Typically, current batteries are capable of anywhere between 1,500 and 3,000 cycles. ...

No matter what people say, only two companies—Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Waymo and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA)—are fighting for supremacy in the completely self-driving car industry. (This excludes China.) So, Waymo just put $16 billion into its war chest. By some measures, it already has a lead over its rival. 24/7 Wall St. Key Points According to The New York Times, the new Waymo funding came from Alphabet, Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital. The fact that investors outside ...

Group 1 - The article discusses a potential merger between Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, following a post by Elon Musk from last year that hints at possible collaborations among his companies [1][2] - Musk's previous statement indicated that his companies are trending towards convergence, raising speculation about whether he was hinting at a merger [2] - SpaceX is reportedly preparing for an IPO this year, with discussions about its public listing emerging since Musk's comments at the Tesla annual shareholder meeting last November [3][4] Group 2 - SpaceX's IPO is anticipated to occur in June this year, coinciding with a rare cosmic event and Musk's birthday, with a projected valuation of around $1.5 trillion [4] - Tesla's recent fourth-quarter earnings call highlighted a strategic shift towards autonomous vehicles, including the discontinuation of the Model S and Model X, and an emphasis on in-house chipbuilding efforts [6]

Market Overview - U.S. stock futures declined on Monday following a mixed close on Friday, with major benchmark indices showing lower futures [1] - Investors are focused on upcoming earnings reports from companies such as UnitedHealth Group, General Motors, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Tesla, and Starbucks [1] - The Federal Open Market Committee's interest rate decision is anticipated on Wednesday [1] Treasury Yields - The 10-year Treasury bond yield is at 4.21%, while the two-year bond yield stands at 3.59% [2] - Market projections indicate a 97.2% likelihood that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged in January [2] Index Performance - Dow Jones decreased by 0.12%, S&P 500 by 0.24%, Nasdaq 100 by 0.44%, and Russell 2000 by 0.29% [3] - SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) fell by 0.22% to $687.69, and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) declined by 0.43% to $620.04 [3] Stocks in Focus - Baker Hughes Co. reported a 3.74% increase in premarket trading after posting adjusted earnings of 78 cents per share, exceeding estimates of 67 cents [7] - Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. saw a 6.72% rise following the completion of a confirmatory trial for its PMO therapies and third-quarter results [7] - Nucor Corp. is projected to report quarterly earnings of $1.91 per share on revenue of $7.87 billion [7] - WR Berkley Corp. is expected to report earnings of $1.13 per share on revenue of $3.66 billion [15] - Brand Engagement Network Inc. surged by 221.60% due to a strategic partnership with Valio Technologies [15] Analyst Insights - Mohamed El-Erian notes a "2025 Paradox" where financial markets remain resilient despite geopolitical tensions, with U.S. economic activity appearing robust [11] - El-Erian anticipates the Federal Reserve will maintain interest rates, with a focus on corporate earnings from tech giants and political issues surrounding trade tariffs [12] - The stock market has retraced losses from geopolitical tensions, but there is a notable surge in precious metals as a counter-narrative [11] Upcoming Economic Data - Key economic data releases include durable-goods orders, consumer confidence, and the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision [17]

Market Overview - U.S. stock futures declined on Monday following a mixed close on Friday, with major benchmark indices showing lower futures [1] - Investors are focused on upcoming earnings reports from companies such as UnitedHealth Group, General Motors, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Tesla, and Starbucks [1] - The Federal Open Market Committee's interest rate decision is anticipated on Wednesday [1] Treasury Yields - The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond is at 4.21%, while the two-year bond yield stands at 3.59% [2] - Market projections indicate a 97.2% likelihood that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged in January [2] Index Performance - Dow Jones decreased by 0.12%, S&P 500 fell by 0.24%, Nasdaq 100 dropped by 0.44%, and Russell 2000 declined by 0.29% [3] - SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.22% at $687.69, and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) declined 0.43% to $620.04 in premarket trading [3] Stocks in Focus - Baker Hughes Co. reported a 3.74% increase in premarket trading after posting adjusted earnings of 78 cents per share, exceeding estimates of 67 cents [7] - Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. saw a 6.72% rise after completing a trial commitment for its PMO therapies and releasing third-quarter results [7] - Nucor Corp. is projected to report quarterly earnings of $1.91 per share on revenue of $7.87 billion [7] - WR Berkley Corp. is expected to report earnings of $1.13 per share on revenue of $3.66 billion, with a weaker price trend according to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings [15] Analyst Insights - Mohamed El-Erian notes a "2025 Paradox" where financial markets remain resilient despite geopolitical tensions, with U.S. economic activity appearing robust [11] - El-Erian anticipates the Federal Reserve will maintain interest rates, with a focus on corporate earnings from tech giants and political issues affecting market stability [12][13] Upcoming Economic Data - Key economic reports to watch include durable-goods orders, consumer confidence data, and the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision [17]

Core Viewpoint - BYD Co. has met its full-year sales target and is likely to surpass Tesla to become the world's largest electric vehicle maker by 2025, despite facing a challenging outlook for the Chinese auto market in the upcoming year [1] Sales Performance - BYD delivered a total of 4.6 million vehicles in 2025, marking a 7.7% increase from 2024, aligning with the company's revised full-year goal set in September [2] - The company sold approximately 2.26 million fully electric vehicles, nearly matching its plug-in hybrid sales [2] Competitive Landscape - Tesla is expected to report around 440,900 vehicle deliveries in Q4, reflecting an 11% decline year-over-year, leading to an estimated total of 1.66 million cars sold for the year, marking its second consecutive annual drop [3] - BYD faces increasing competition from Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. and Xiaomi Corp., which are gaining consumer interest through new models and innovations [5] Market Challenges - The Chinese EV market is expected to experience pressure as the government reduces incentives for EV purchases, and an influx of new models intensifies domestic competition [4] - Trade barriers are also posing challenges for BYD's ambitions to expand internationally [4] Technological Advancements - BYD's CEO Wang Chuanfu indicated that the company's previous technological advantages have diminished, impacting domestic sales, but expressed confidence in upcoming technological breakthroughs due to a strong engineering team [6] International Sales Growth - A positive development for BYD has been its overseas sales, which reached 1.05 million in 2025, surpassing the high-end estimate of 1 million, helping to mitigate the decline in its core market [7] - However, passenger EV and hybrid sales in China fell for the eighth consecutive month, with a 37.7% drop in December [7] - Morgan Stanley anticipates a more significant domestic recovery for BYD following the launch of several major facelifts in early 2026 [7]

Core Insights - Elon Musk reignited discussions about Bill Gates' wealth and potential net worth had he not followed conventional wealth planning advice [1] - Gates could have been the world's first trillionaire, with a net worth of $1.5 trillion if he had retained his Microsoft shares [2][3] Group 1: Bill Gates' Wealth and Decisions - Bill Gates was once the wealthiest person globally, ranked by Forbes for 18 of 24 years from 1995 to 2017 [2] - Gates sold his Microsoft shares based on advice from Warren Buffett to diversify his investments, which has been questioned in light of Microsoft's current market capitalization of $3.6 trillion [3][4] - If Gates had not sold his shares and continued his philanthropic efforts, his net worth would have been significantly higher [3] Group 2: Elon Musk's Comments and Tesla's Performance - Musk highlighted that Gates has held a short position against Tesla, which he claims has cost Gates approximately $10 billion as Tesla's stock price increased [5] - Tesla shares experienced a decline of 4.62% on a recent trading day, closing at $467.26, while Microsoft shares were down 0.05% at $476.12 [6]

Core Viewpoint - Ford Motor Co. is experiencing a significant pullback in its electric vehicle (EV) strategy, which may have implications for competitors like Tesla Inc. [2][4] Group 1: Investor Insights - Gene Munster believes Ford's retreat from EVs could be advantageous for Tesla, suggesting that Ford's challenges in developing autonomous vehicles from hybrid powertrains may leave it behind in the autonomous vehicle sector [2] - Gary Black argues that Ford's shift towards hybrids signifies an acknowledgment that the company cannot profit from merely extending its EV brand with existing popular models like the F-150 Lightning [3] Group 2: Production Changes - Ford has announced the cessation of production for the F-150 Lightning EV Pickup truck, which was previously the best-selling EV pickup in the U.S., and is pivoting to an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) that offers up to 700 miles of range [4] Group 3: Regulatory Context - The pullback in Ford's EV strategy coincides with President Donald Trump's announcement of relaxed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards, which Ford CEO Jim Farley has praised as beneficial for producing American-made products [5] - Farley had previously predicted that EV adoption in the U.S. would reach only 5% [5] Group 4: Market Performance - Ford's stock declined by 0.80% to $13.65 at market close but rebounded by 1.11% to $13.80 in after-hours trading, indicating some market volatility [6]

Core Insights - State Street Corp. has seen its fundamental "Quality" ranking drop into the bottom decile, indicating a significant decline in operational efficiency and financial health [1][2][3] Group 1: Quality Score and Rankings - State Street's quality score decreased from 10.26 to 9.73 week-on-week, placing it in the bottom 10% of its peers [2] - The quality score is a percentile-based metric, suggesting that State Street ranks lower than approximately 90% of its peers in terms of operational efficiency and financial health [3] - The decline into single digits indicates that while the stock price may be performing well, the underlying fundamental efficiency is lagging [3] Group 2: Stock Performance - Despite the drop in quality ranking, State Street's stock price performance remains strong, with a momentum score of 78.34, indicating robust relative strength based on price movement [4] - Year-to-date, shares of State Street have risen by 26.67%, outperforming the S&P 500 index, which gained 16.66% in the same period [7] - The stock closed at $124.07, reflecting a 0.37% increase, and has gained 24.78% over the year and 25.50% in the last six months [7] Group 3: Regulatory Environment - The decline in fundamental scoring coincides with potential regulatory changes being considered by the Trump administration, which may limit the voting power of major index fund managers like State Street [5][6] - Proposed executive orders could require index funds to align their votes with client preferences rather than centralized decisions, following criticism from notable figures in the industry [6]

Core Insights - The US auto industry is facing significant challenges that threaten the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), including policy changes, tariffs, and supply chain disruptions [1] - The discontinuation of the $7,500 tax credit for new EVs has led to a substantial decline in EV sales, with a nearly 49% drop reported in October [2][3] - Automakers are adopting conservative strategies, including layoffs and withdrawing electric models from the US market, in response to slowing demand and ongoing supply chain issues [4][5] Industry Response - Major automakers like General Motors and Rivian have announced layoffs due to decreased demand for EVs [4] - The global auto industry is still dealing with supply chain disruptions, including a chip shortage and issues with a key aluminum supplier [4] - Some automakers are completely withdrawing electric models from the US market as a reaction to the current challenges [5] Company Resilience - Despite the difficulties, Tesla has shown resilience, experiencing a smaller decline in sales compared to competitors and launching lower-cost versions of popular vehicles [6][8] - Tesla's optimism suggests that the company believes it can navigate through the current "EV winter" [8] Market Implications - The current "EV winter" poses a significant obstacle to the US auto industry's transition to electric vehicles, potentially delaying widespread adoption, which is a critical goal for many automakers and environmental advocates [7]