Category: What I’m Reading Today

Be in the know. 16 key reads for Friday…

  1. Behind the Deal That Took Disney From AI Skeptic to OpenAI Investor (wsj)
  2. Disney: OpenAI Partnership Validates the Value of the Firm’s Characters (morningstar)
  3. Disney CEO on $1 billion investment in OpenAI: ‘This is a good investment for the company’ (youtube)
  4. Bob Iger Just Got the Better of Sam Altman (bloomberg)
  5. Cruise and other travel stocks keep climbing, with a little help from the Fed (marketwatch)
  6. The Case for a Housing Stock Comeback in 2026 (barrons)
  7. Loop Capital initiates QXO stock with Buy rating on acquisition benefits (investing)
  8. Lithium May Get Much-Needed Demand Boost From Battery Storage (bloomberg)
  9. The case for more Fed rate cuts could rest on a ‘systematic overcount’ of jobs numbers (cnbc)
  10. Trump Administration Plans to Boost Tax Break for Corporations (bloomberg)
  11. Bessent Accelerates Regulation Overhaul to Jumpstart Growth (nytimes)
  12. Deutsche Bank, Goldman See Fed Cuts Rekindling Dollar’s Slide (yahoo)
  13. OPEC Maintains Bullish Oil Demand Outlook, IEA Trims Oil Glut Forecast (zerohedge)
  14. China’s Next Play in AI Race? Faster, Easier IPOs (wsj)
  15. China Prepares as Much as $70 Billion in Chip Sector Incentives (bloomberg)
  16. Domestic Consumption Focus of Central Economic Work Conference Release (chinalastnight)

Be in the know. 23 key reads for Thursday…

  1. Treasuries Gain as Fed Cuts, Traders Wager on Two More in 2026 (bloomberg)
  2. Fed Chair Jerome Powell Says U.S. May Be Drastically Overstating Jobs Numbers (wsj)
  3. Fed to Resume Net Asset Purchases With $40 Billion in Securities This Month (wsj)
  4. Wall Street Reacts To Powell’s “More Dovish Than Expected” Rate Cut (zerohedge)
  5. Powell’s Hawkish Talk Could Just Be Talk. Why the Fed Might Not Be Done Cutting Rates. (barrons)
  6. Mortgage Rates Tick Lower After Fed Move. What It Means for Home Sales. (barrons)
  7. 10 High-Yielding Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2026 (barrons)
  8. Small-Cap Stocks May Be Ready to Outperform After Five Years of Lagging (barrons)
  9. Bigger tax refunds — up to $2,000 on average — could give stocks a boost next year (marketwatch)
  10. U.S. Investors Are Going Big on China AI Despite Concerns in Congress (wsj)
  11. AI race: Meta reported to use Alibaba’s Qwen for ‘Avocado’ model in likely win for China (scmp)
  12. China’s AI Power Play: Cheap Electricity From World’s Biggest Grid (wsj)
  13. Hong Kong set to keep its IPO crown in 2026 on mega deals and return of US capital: UBS (scmp)
  14. China Vows to Boost Domestic Demand (wsj)
  15. China Puts Rate Cuts in Play, Reaffirms Proactive Fiscal Policy (bloomberg)
  16. Oracle Shares Tumble as AI Spending Outruns Returns (wsj)
  17. Investors Turn to ‘Over Hated and Underweighted’ Energy Stocks (bloomberg)
  18. Here’s why this analyst says Boeing stock is well positioned for 2026 (streetinsider)
  19. Pfizer Is Cutting Hundreds of Jobs in Switzerland to Lower Costs (bloomberg)
  20. Pfizer stock gets Outperform rating from BMO as tucatinib shows promise (investing)
  21. Disney Exec on Media Mergers, Jimmy Kimmel and What Makes Good TV (bloomberg)
  22. EU Mulls Five-Year Reprieve for Hybrid Cars From Combustion Ban (bloomberg)
  23. Diageo Taps Into Guinness Boom With New London Tourist Hub (bloomberg)

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Wednesday…

  1. Alibaba creates new unit to push consumer use of its Qwen AI models (scmp)
  2. Exclusive: ByteDance, Alibaba keen to order Nvidia H200 chips after Trump green light, sources say (reuters)
  3. Alibaba names AI-lab leader Zhou Jingren as new group partner (scmp)
  4. How Trump’s U-Turn on Nvidia Chips Changes the Game for China’s AI (wsj)
  5. China, Hong Kong stocks set to gain nearly 20% in 2026, JPMorgan says (scmp)
  6. Boeing Books 777X Order Spree to Widen Lead Over Reeling Airbus (bloomberg)
  7. Airbus CEO says Boeing likely to win order race this year (reuters)
  8. Refinance demand for FHA loans jumps 24%, as homeowners seek the most savings they can (cnbc)
  9. Trump adviser Hassett: “plenty of room” for rate cuts (streetinsider)
  10. Trump Plans Final Interviews With Fed Chair Candidates in Coming Days (wsj)
  11. 3 Contrarian Investment Ideas for 2026 (morningstar)
  12. US Holiday Road Trips Expected to Hit Record as Gas Prices Crater (bloomberg)
  13. Disney Nominates Ex-Apple Operating Chief to Board in 2026 (bloomberg)
  14. Intel Gets About $163 Million Trimmed From EU Antitrust Fine (wsj)
  15. NextEra Sees a Golden Age for Power Demand—and Exxon Stock Could Gain (barrons)

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Tuesday…

  1. Boeing Completes Acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, a Major Supplier (nytimes)
  2. IATA chief Walsh says Boeing delivery performance improving, confidence in Airbus lags (reuters)
  3. ‘Baseload Power’ Will Be Big in 2026. 5 Stocks Can Win. (barrons)
  4. U.S. Tech Stocks May Not Be So Exceptional in 2026 (barrons)
  5. Ed Yardeni on why he’s underweight ‘Magnificent Seven’ stocks (youtube)
  6. Trump Clears Sale of More Powerful Nvidia A.I. Chips to China (nytimes)
  7. Trump’s pivot on Nvidia chips gives China a leg up over the U.S. in AI race, analysts say (cnbc)
  8. China’s open-source AI is a national advantage (ft)
  9. China’s open-source models make up 30% of global AI usage, led by Qwen and DeepSeek (scmp)
  10. Xi & Central Committee Confirm Domestic Consumption Focus (chinalastnight)
  11. Almost Half of China’s First-Time Car Buyers Want an EV, BI Says (bloomberg)
  12. Ford Teams Up With Renault on Producing Budget EVs in Europe (bloomberg)
  13. Pfizer partners with YaoPharma for obesity drug in $2.1 billion deal (investing)
  14. 2 Companies Poised to Capitalize on the Rise of GLP-1 Drugs (morningstar)
  15. An Unusually Divided Fed Is Expected to Deliver a Rate Cut (wsj)

Be in the know. 12 key reads for Monday…

  1. The power crunch threatening America’s AI ambitions (ft)
  2. America’s AI dominance depends on winning the ‘power race’ against China, energy expert warns (foxbusiness)
  3. JPMorgan upgrades Generac stock to Overweight on data center potential (investing)
  4. BlackRock bets on ‘pick and shovel’ trade, singling out clear winners in AI spending spree (cnbc)
  5. Bessent says U.S. will finish the year with 3% GDP growth, sees ‘very strong’ holiday season (cnbc)
  6. Ad Spend to Grow More Than Expected in 2025 as Tariffs Sting Less and AI Gives a Leg Up (wsj)
  7. Research Veteran Yardeni Ends 15-Year Tech Bet With Underweight Mag 7 Call (bloomberg)
  8. Stock Market’s 2025 Laggards See Revival in Year’s Final Stretch (bloomberg)
  9. China Politburo Makes Boosting Domestic Demand Top Goal in 2026 (bloomberg)
  10. Disney’s Next $1 Billion Movie Surprised Everyone (movieweb)
  11. Trump Tasks Top Advisers With Finding Way to Lower Soaring Beef Prices (wsj)
  12. Former NY Fed Repo Guru: Powell Will Announce $45 Billion In Bill Purchases On Wednesday (zerohedge)

Be in the know. 12 key reads for Sunday…

  1. The North Face, Skims to Launch Second Winterwear Collection (wwd)
  2. Hormel Foods leans into protein trend as portfolio trimming planned (yahoo)
  3. Energy storage industry set aggressive goals for 2025 — and already crushed them (techcrunch)
  4. Hyundai’s Betting $817 Million on a Battery-Powered Future: TDS (thedrive)
  5. The Gas That Wouldn’t Die (allstarcharts)
  6. Starter-Home Sales Climb 5%, But Prices Stay in Check as Inventory Hits 9-Year High (redfin)
  7. Brad Jacobs on Embracing Imperfection & Human Mistakes (youtube)
  8. Europe is going on a huge military spending spree (economist)
  9. Boeing says Trump’s equity stake plan doesn’t apply to big US defense firms (investing)
  10. Why Nvidia and Other AI Stocks Have Lost Their ‘Quality’ Status (wsj)
  11. Wall Street Bets Chinese Stocks Will Extend $2.4 Trillion Rally (bloomberg)
  12. Max Levchin Breaks Down How Buy Now, Pay Later Really Works (bloomberg)

Be in the know. 12 key reads for Saturday…

  1. Albemarle Jumps as UBS Says It’s Time to Buy on Lithium Recovery (bloomberg)
  2. Albemarle Stock Soars. The Reason Is Easy to See. (barrons)
  3. Biggest NatGas Quarterly Spike In Decades As Deep Freeze Slams U.S. East (zerohedge)
  4. Qatar Says AI Demand, Underinvestment May Drive LNG Shortage (bloomberg)
  5. Fed’s preferred inflation gauge gives Jerome Powell green light to cut rates after prices barely budge (nypost)
  6. BofA says markets may soon price a January Fed cut more aggressively (streetinsider)
  7. Investors Look Ahead to Rate Cuts, Lifting Stocks Near Records (wsj)
  8. Why Home Buyers See Some Hope in 2026 (barrons)
  9. Analysts see strong luxury market in 2026 (thestreet)
  10. Zootopia 2 fueling IP shopping bonanza (chinadaily)
  11. Why China is going all-in to win its version of the AI race (investing)
  12. Boeing deal with Spirit Aero could close as early as Monday, notice says (reuters)

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Friday…

  1. Estée Lauder driving growth with new brands, global focus (reuters)
  2. The one thing people are still buying? Beauty products, and Ulta just proved it. (marketwatch)
  3. Luxury Stocks Set for Revival in 2026 After Rollercoaster Year (bloomberg)
  4. Fidelity Sees Emerging Markets Gaining From Weak Dollar in 2026 (bloomberg)
  5. Stellantis CEO says hybrids are a top priority for the US market (reuters)
  6. Making Cars More Affordable Again (wsj)
  7. Here’s How Much Trump’s CAFE Standards Rollback Could Save You on Your Next Car (barrons)
  8. Once a Gamble in the Desert, Electric Grid Batteries Are Everywhere (nytimes)
  9. Albemarle stock rating upgraded by UBS on lithium market deficit forecast (investing)
  10. US Plans More Stakes in Minerals Companies, Trump Official Says (bloomberg)
  11. Citadel’s Apex Said to Buy US Gas Assets from Comstock, Azul (bloomberg)
  12. Intel’s Turnaround Earns Our 1st ‘Chart of the Week’ Spotlight (barrons)
  13. The Biotech Industry Is Healthier Than Investors Think. These Are the Stocks to Watch. (barrons)
  14. China’s AI Awakening: A Coiled Market Ready to Rip (zerohedge)
  15. OpenAI Faces $140 Billion In Losses Before It Turns $1 In Profit (zerohedge)

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Thursday…

  1. Hormel Expects Better Earnings Next Year (wsj)
  2. Prospect of Rate Cut Lifts Shares of Smaller Companies (wsj)
  3. Lower interest rates would likely eliminate the need for 50-year mortgage, US Treasury adviser says (reuters)
  4. Layoff announcements this year top 1.1 million, the most since 2020 when pandemic hit, Challenger says (cnbc)
  5. US private payrolls post largest drop in more than 2-1/2 years in November (reuters)
  6. Trump Administration Lowers Fuel-Economy Rules for Carmakers (wsj)
  7. G.M. Will Still Make Efficient Motors Despite Weaker Rules, C.E.O. Says (nytimes)
  8. Trump’s South Korea tariff cuts are major boost for Hyundai and GM (cnbc)
  9. Polar Vortex Threat Sends US NatGas Futs To Highest Level Since 2022 (zerohedge)
  10. US Data Center Power Demand Could Reach 106 GW By 2035 (zerohedge)
  11. Intel Shelves Plans to Sell Networking Division After Review (bloomberg)
  12. Boeing looks to close Spirit AeroSystems merger this year as FTC orders divestitures (reuters)
  13. Stanley Black & Decker names new chief global supply chain officer (investing)
  14. Meet the New AI Winners: Alphabet, Tesla and Even Big Pharma and Biotech (barrons)
  15. China Optimism Lifts Emerging-Market Stocks Toward Two-Week High (bloomberg)

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Wednesday…

  1. Vans Launches a ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Sneaker Collection Featuring Its Signature Styles (wwd)
  2. Record shoppers, online sales surge signal strong US holiday season momentum (reuters)
  3. Holiday shopping turnout jumps to 202.9 million people during Thanksgiving weekend, NRF says (cnbc)
  4. Boeing stock jumps 10% as CFO says company expects higher 737, 787 deliveries next year (cnbc)
  5. Boeing On Track to Generate Billions in Cash Next Year (bloomberg)
  6. Airbus Woes While Boeing Rebounds Show How Quickly the Script Can Flip (bloomberg)
  7. US Eyes Diesel Generators to Meet Growing AI Power Demand (bloomberg)
  8. US NatGas Hits Three-Year High As Forecasts Point To “Long, Cold Winter” (zerohedge)
  9. Alibaba’s Qwen app becomes the world’s fastest growing AI app as MAUs surge 149% (scmp)
  10. General Motors invests $550 million to boost SUV and pickup production (usatoday)
  11. Trump to Ease Mileage Rules in Bid to Curb Rising Car Prices (bloomberg)
  12. Why Albemarle Stock Just Got Upgraded (barrons)
  13. Trump’s Aides Cancel Fed Chair Interviews as President Homes In On Pick (wsj)
  14. Market Minnows Expected to Lift Earnings Fuels Latest Rally (bloomberg)
  15. Morgan Stanley flags emerging opportunity in this sector (streetinsider)