In the past week:
- The 10-year treasury yield neared 5% then pulled back. December’s consumer price index showed sticky inflation. But small business optimism jumped to a multiyear high.
- JPMorgan posted another record annual profit. Bank of America and Goldman Sachs profits surged as well. UnitedHealth posted a record profit too.
- New restrictions on AI chip exports were announced. The U.S. banned smartcars with Chinese or Russian tech. China’s EV sales surged in 2024. China weighed selling TikTok to Elon Musk. The SEC sued Musk for securities violations. And a SpaceX rocket exploded.
- Google’s search market share dropped to a decade low. Meta announced layoffs.
- Walmart unveiled a new logo. Target said holiday sales were better than expected. Kohl’s announced store closures. Starbucks unveiled a customer code of conduct.
- U.S. Steel received new takeover bids. Rio Tinto and Glencore held merger talks. Johnson & Johnson looked to acquire biotech Intra-Cellular. Bill Ackman made a bid for Howard Hughes.
- Boeing deliveries tumbled in 2024. The Transportation Department sued Southwest Airlines over delayed flights.
- Power companies were accused of involvement in the LA wildfires. BP announced layoffs.
- America’s egg shortage continued. The FDA banned red dye 3 in food and drinks, and it sought to limit nicotine in cigarettes.
Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller made enormous profits in the most recent quarter but also sold out of 22 positions, including Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT). See why he is currently loading up on KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY), U.S. Steel Corp. (NYSE: X), and more.
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR) co-founder Peter Thiel is among the billionaire investors who have been selling the stock. Does this selling activity from an insider suggest that now is the time for retail investors to follow Thiel to the key holding he is adding to in large quantities?
Despite Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang’s conservative outlook on quantum computing, investors may want to see the type of breakthroughs that may be possible within the next few years and how Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and another stock may benefit.
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