North America:

  • Nvidia announced collaborations with Chinese lidar maker Hesai and expanded its partnership with Siemens, boosting optimism in tech stocks.
  • Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus for $2 billion is under review by China, while appointing C.J. Mahoney as Chief Legal Officer.
  • Eli Lilly is expanding in healthcare with the acquisition of Ventyx Biosciences for over $1 billion and partnering with Nimbus Therapeutics.
  • Warner Bros Discovery advised shareholders to reject Paramount SkyDance's tender offer, while pursuing approval for major deals.
  • Citigroup appointed Alexander Wong as Managing Director to enhance industrial and mobility sector coverage in Asia-Pacific.
  • Chevron and Quantum Energy Partners are bidding $22 billion for Lukoil's international assets.
  • GameStop introduced a $35 billion CEO compensation plan for Ryan Cohen, linked to market cap performance.
  • KKR invested nearly $2 billion in European data center platform GTR and acquired Arctos Partners for $1 billion.

Europe:

  • Shell acquired a 35% stake in two offshore Angola oil blocks from Chevron.
  • Hg Capital acquired OneStream for $6.4 billion in an all-cash transaction.
  • Volvo Cars reported a 2% increase in global sales in December, despite a sell recommendation from Citigroup.
  • Telecom Italia, Fastweb, and Vodafone entered a RAN sharing agreement to expand 5G coverage in Italy.
  • Ørsted's Sunrise Wind filed a lawsuit to challenge the suspension of its offshore wind project lease.
  • Hemnet saw financial institutions adjust target prices, with UBS raising its target to 155 SEK.
  • Accenture acquired UK AI start-up Faculty for $1 billion, highlighting AI's influence in consulting.
  • Lufthansa Group partnered with Amadeus to launch a new retail platform, leading to a share upgrade by Morgan Stanley.
  • Atlas Copco received an upgrade to outperform by Bernstein, following acquisitions to expand its compressor division.

Rest of the world:

  • Hyundai shares reached a record high due to speculation about a partnership with Nvidia.
  • Samsung faces potential price increases due to rising memory chip costs and plans a significant share buyback.
  • TPG Capital is negotiating to acquire a 30-40% stake in IIFL Capital Services, valued at ₹36-48 billion.
  • China Vanke scheduled bondholder meetings and secured a loan interest deferral to prevent default.
  • Xiaomi repurchased 3.9 million shares and launched a new electric sedan model.
  • Baidu's Apollo Go received a permit to operate fully autonomous vehicles in Dubai, with plans for a $2 billion offering.