Be in the know. 18 key reads for Wednesday…

  1. Diageo’s New CEO Wants Distiller to Get Back to Serving Drinkers (bloomberg)
  2. Diageo Cuts Guidance as New CEO Targets Portfolio Growth (wsj)
  3. Payments Processor Stripe Expresses Interest in PayPal (bloomberg)
  4. Stripe May Be Looking to Buy PayPal. What It Means for the Stock. (barrons)
  5. Pfizer wins full FDA approval for Braftovi in colon cancer (investing)
  6. Dentsply Sirona adds two directors with healthcare finance experience (investing)
  7. US Mortgage Rates Reach Lowest Since 2022, Boosting Refinancing (bloomberg)
  8. U.S. Home-Price Growth Slows In December (wsj)
  9. Lowe’s Sales Rise on Pro Builder Business Growth (wsj)
  10. Alibaba Pushes Deeper Into AI Coding Tools With Low-Cost Access (bloomberg)
  11. US investors increase buying of Hong Kong, mainland Chinese stocks despite trade tensions (scmp)
  12. These Are the Winners and Losers From Hong Kong’s 2026 Budget (bloomberg)
  13. Trump makes little mention of China in the longest State of the Union speech (cnbc)
  14. Trump’s Tariff Goes Into Effect at 10 Percent, Not the 15 Threatened (nytimes)
  15. The Anti-AI Trade Is Red Hot. Here’s What’s Beating Artificial-Intelligence Stocks. (barrons)
  16. A Turning Point Approaches for Big Tech Spending (zerohedge)
  17. Private Equity Was Headed for a Correction, Even Without AI Gloom (wsj)
  18. Why 2026 will be a blockbuster year for biotech M&A (ft)