Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA) – Skydance Media and Paramount Global announced a merger, with Skydance acquiring National Amusements for $2.4 billion before merging with Paramount. This union will create a company valued at $28 billion, offering $4.5 billion to shareholders and adding $1.5 billion to Paramount’s balance sheet. The deal improves offers to the Redstone family to $1.75 billion and strengthens legal protections. Class B and Class A shareholders will receive $15 and $23 per share, respectively, representing a significant premium. Paramount will have 45 days to find a superior proposal, keeping the possibilities open for an even more surprising outcome in this already tumultuous process. Meanwhile, Paramount will continue reducing its workforce and divesting some assets until the merger with Skydance Media is completed, according to a memo from the company’s co-CEOs. The stock rose 4.15% in pre-market trading.
Boeing (NYSE:BA) – Boeing agreed to plead guilty to criminal conspiracy to fraud charges and pay a $243.6 million fine to settle the U.S. Department of Justice investigation into two fatal 737 MAX crashes. The company will be marked as criminal for the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which killed 346 people. The settlement, pending court approval, also includes implementing safety and compliance programs valued at least $455 million over the next three years. Additionally, Boeing faces a three-year probation period under independent supervision to ensure compliance with the agreement. The stock rose 0.47% in pre-market trading.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) – Microsoft informed employees in China that starting in September, they would only be allowed to use iPhones for work, excluding Android devices from the corporate environment. The measure aims to ensure security with Microsoft Authenticator and Identity Pass, highlighting the differences between Chinese and foreign mobile ecosystems. The stock rose 0.23% in pre-market trading.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Apple approved Epic Games’ marketplace app in Europe for iPhones and iPads after Epic accused Apple of obstructing the creation of its game store on the devices. The latest dispute focuses on the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace and does not involve the Fortnite app. Apple faces criticism from developers and antitrust regulators for its strict control over the iOS app ecosystem. The stock rose 0.53% in pre-market trading.
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) – Margrethe Vestager of the European Union warned about a significant bottleneck in the supply of Nvidia’s AI chips, noting that regulatory investigations are still preliminary. She indicated that despite the shortage, secondary markets could foster innovation and competition, but dominant companies might face future restrictions. The stock fell 0.63% in pre-market trading.
ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) – The former CEO of ASML, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer, stated in an interview that the conflicts between the U.S. and China over chips are ideological, not fact-based, and are likely to persist. He criticized U.S. export restrictions and the lack of respect for the company’s intellectual property in China. The stock rose 1.50% in pre-market trading.
Nokia (NYSE:NOK) – Nokia signed a multi-year contract to modernize the existing network infrastructure of Portuguese telecommunications operator Meo and improve its 5G capabilities. The agreement includes replacing 2G, 4G, and 5G infrastructures to enhance performance and reliability, as well as developing 5G solutions for consumers and businesses. The stock rose 0.51% in pre-market trading.
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Talen Energy (USOTC:TLNE) – Talen Energy asked U.S. regulators to reject a challenge to its recent agreement with Amazon for a data center, arguing that the challenge, made by companies like American Electric Power and Exelon, is inaccurate. These companies claim that the agreement could increase public energy bills. Talen argues that the agreement will not affect energy costs for consumers or grid reliability. In other news, the European Commission requested more information from Amazon about its measures to comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA), particularly regarding the transparency of recommendation systems. Amazon must respond by July 26, as required by EU legislation to combat illegal and harmful content on digital platforms. Amazon’s stock rose 0.20% in pre-market trading.
Walmart (NYSE:WMT) – A U.S. judge dismissed a key charge by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Walmart, alleging that the company turned a blind eye and allowed scammers to use its money transfer services to defraud consumers of hundreds of millions of dollars. The decision prevents the FTC from seeking monetary damages but still allows for an injunction for violations of the FTC Act. The stock fell 0.21% in pre-market trading.
Koss Corporation (NASDAQ:KOSS) – Koss shares surged for the second consecutive day on Friday, closing at $13.35 after reaching $18.50. Over the past 7 days, the stock has risen 199%. Social media speculations suggested that Keith Gill, known as ‘Roaring Kitty,’ might be interested in the company after he posted enigmatic images with a microphone and the U.S. flag. Followers on Reddit speculated that Gill would buy Koss shares around July 4th, U.S. Independence Day. The stock fell 6.37% in pre-market trading.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) – On Friday, Tesla shares rose for the eighth consecutive session, closing up 2.1% at $251.52. Tesla has gained 38% during this period. The stock is down 1.24% in pre-market trading.
Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) – On June 17, Exxon Mobil director Maria Jelescu Dreyfus purchased 18,310 Exxon Mobil shares for $2 million at an average price of $109.25 each. With this voluntary purchase, she now owns a total of 35,757 company shares, demonstrating her commitment and confidence in Exxon Mobil. Exxon Mobil’s performance has aligned with the S&P 500 in 2024, despite being 8% below its previous high. The stock fell 0.22% in pre-market trading.
SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) – On Friday, shares of the solar energy company faced a decline of more than 20% following the resignation of its accountant due to allegations of misconduct by senior executives. The company is also under scrutiny by the SEC for revenue recognition practices, financial reviews, leadership changes, and challenges in the residential solar market. The stock fell 2.40% in pre-market trading.
Visa (NYSE:V), Mastercard (NYSE:MA) – Visa and Mastercard agreed to extend the caps on tourist card fees in the EU, established in 2019 to avoid fines from an antitrust investigation, for another five years. The caps of 0.2% for debit and 0.3% for credit will remain until 2029, ensuring market stability. Visa’s stock fell 0.11% in pre-market trading, while Mastercard’s stock remained stable.
HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) – Mark Tucker, HSBC’s chairman, is leading the search for a new CEO following the unexpected announcement of Noel Quinn’s departure. Tucker, who has outlasted several CEOs during his tenure, has significant influence over the bank and aims to leave his mark before his own succession in 2026. The stock rose 0.41% in pre-market trading.
Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB) – Deutsche Bank hired Victor Jiang as co-head of technology, media, and telecommunications for Asia-Pacific, in another high-profile hire by the German bank. Previously at China International Capital Corp., Jiang is known for his close relationships with tech companies like Alibaba, Baidu, and NetEase. The stock fell 0.06% in pre-market trading.
Ameriprise Financial (NYSE:AMP), LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) – A federal judge granted Ameriprise Financial a temporary restraining order against LPL Financial in a dispute involving the solicitation of clients by a team of advisors who left Ameriprise to join LPL. The decision allows LPL to continue serving existing clients but restricts new solicitations.
Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:CG), Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) – Carlyle Group is in exclusive talks to acquire Vantive, the renal care unit of Baxter International, for more than $4 billion, including debt. Exclusive negotiations began in late June, potentially resulting in an agreement in the coming weeks.
Ideaya Biosciences (NASDAQ:IDYA) – Ideaya Biosciences announced that it would present an update today on clinical data from its phase 2 IDE397 study, focusing on the monotherapy dose expansion in patients with MTAP-deleted urothelial and non-small cell lung cancers. The stock increased 18.2% in pre-market trading.
Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) – Novo Nordisk received a reprimand from UK regulators for failing to disclose about $9.97 million in fees and expenses paid to individuals and organizations in the UK between 2020 and 2022. The failure was due to human errors in categorizing payments, voluntarily admitted by the company in 2023. The stock rose 0.04% in pre-market trading.
Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) – Led by Novo Holdings, the investment arm of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, along with Abingworth LLP, and with participation from Eli Lilly, the UK biotech spin-off Myricx Pharma Ltd raised £90 million ($115 million) to develop its cancer drugs. Myricx Bio focuses on anticancer drug conjugates, aiming to address tumor resistance and recurrence with promising new payloads.
Annovis Bio (NYSE:ANVS) – Annovis Bio saw its shares jump nearly 30% on Friday after reporting encouraging results from its Phase III study of buntanetap in treating Parkinson’s disease. The drug showed significant improvements in motor, cognitive, and non-motor skills, offering potential to modify disease progression. The stock fell 4.50% in pre-market trading.