Financial Markets
SEC Opens the Door to Spot Bitcoin ETFs, Ushering Crypto onto Wall Street
After a court loss, the SEC approved 11 spot bitcoin ETFs, sparking record trading and reshaping bitcoin ownership, risks and regulation.
Finance
Markets, economy, and industry.
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Industry
Nike’s sales held steady this winter, but profits fell 35% as tariffs and China weakness squeezed margins
Nike posted flat quarterly revenue but a 35% profit drop, citing higher tariffs, weaker China demand and a shift back toward wholesale sales.
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Industry
Beyond Meat Posts First Annual Profit—But Only After a $549 Million Debt-Restructuring Gain
Beyond Meat reported its first yearly profit, driven by a one-time debt-restructuring gain, as revenue fell, losses widened and factories closed.
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Financial Markets
Strategy keeps STRC preferred dividend at 11.5%, reinforcing high-yield funding for its bitcoin bet
Strategy maintained an 11.5% dividend on its STRC preferred shares, with payouts expected to be treated as return of capital, as it continues funding bitcoin buys.
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Financial Markets
Exxon quietly sells $169 million bond maturing in 2076, tailored to niche tax buyers
Exxon issued $169.3M floating-rate notes due 2076, tied to SOFR minus 0.45%, with call/put features and provisions aimed at ESOP tax planning.
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Industry
Conagra’s sales return to growth, but profit drops as costs bite
Conagra posted 2.4% organic sales growth in its latest quarter, but adjusted EPS fell 24% as inflation, tariffs and weaker margins weighed.
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Economy
U.S. Job Openings Fall Below 7 Million as Hiring Hits Post-Pandemic Low, JOLTS Shows
Job openings slipped to 6.9 million in February and hiring fell to its slowest pace since April 2020, signaling a cooling U.S. labor market.
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Financial Markets
AI’s Power Hunger Fuels a K‑Shaped M&A Boom as Megadeals Dominate Early 2026
Global M&A hit $813B by early March as a handful of megadeals—spanning shale, data centers and software—track the race to build AI infrastructure.
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Industry
Utah’s only operating uranium mill begins producing terbium, a key rare earth for EVs and defense
Energy Fuels says it produced its first terbium oxide at Utah’s White Mesa Mill, advancing U.S. rare-earth ambitions and renewing Ute concerns.
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Economy
ECB Holds Rates as Middle East Energy Shock Lifts Inflation Outlook, Weakens Growth
The ECB kept interest rates unchanged, warning that a Middle East-driven energy shock has pushed inflation risks higher even as eurozone growth slows.
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Financial Markets
Morgan Stanley Moves to Launch In-House Spot Bitcoin ETF, Filing Signals Approval Near
Morgan Stanley has filed an amended registration for a spot bitcoin ETF, positioning it to become the first major U.S. bank to sponsor one.
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Economy
Cooling Inflation Meets a New Oil Shock as Gas Prices Surge Toward $4
February CPI showed inflation near the Fed’s target. Then Middle East conflict jolted oil markets, pushing U.S. gas prices sharply higher.
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Industry
Michigan approves massive DTE battery build-out to back AI data center and coal retirements
Regulators OK 1,332 MW of DTE battery storage—part for a planned 1.4‑GW Oracle-linked AI data center—raising questions about costs and oversight.
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Industry
White-Collar Workers Strike at Bath Iron Works, Ratify New Four-Year Contract
More than 600 designers and technicians at Bath Iron Works staged a rare strike amid wartime shipbuilding demands, then approved a new deal.
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Industry
Nearly 3,800 workers strike at Colorado JBS beef plant in rare U.S. slaughterhouse walkout
Workers at JBS’s Greeley, Colo., beef plant launched a rare unfair labor practice strike over pay, safety and health costs, testing supplies.
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Economy
Fed Holds Rates, but Markets Start Pricing a New Risk: the Next Move Could Be a Hike
After the Fed held steady, an Iran-linked oil shock pushed futures markets to price fewer cuts—and a rising chance the next rate move is up.
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Economy
China Sets Lowest Growth Target in Decades, Plans Record Bond Issuance to Steady Economy
Beijing targets 4.5%–5% GDP growth for 2026 and unveils record bond sales and spending, signaling slower, state-managed expansion.
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Industry
Paramount Skydance to Buy Warner Bros. Discovery in $110 Billion Deal, Creating New Hollywood Powerhouse
Paramount Skydance agreed to an all-cash $110B takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, merging major studios, news and sports as regulators weigh antitrust risks.
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Industry
DOJ Clears Allegiant’s $1.5 Billion Sun Country Deal, Paving Way for Budget-Airline Shakeup
Justice Department ends antitrust waiting period for Allegiant’s Sun Country buyout, setting up a 2026 close and closer scrutiny from DOT.
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Economy
IMF lifts 2026 global growth forecast on AI investment, warns of debt and market risks
The IMF nudged its 2026 global growth forecast up to 3.3% on AI-driven investment, but warns high debt, frothy markets and aid cuts leave economies fragile.