Apple’s iconic Fifth Avenue store is illuminated with iOS 18 colors as the new iPhone 16 series sale kicks off, in New York on Sept. 20, 2024.
Fatih Aktas | Anadolu | Getty Images
Our top 10 things to watch Monday, Dec. 23
1. Stocks are slightly higher to start the final full trading week of the year as the dollar strengthens and oil and gold pull back. We have one big question heading into the holidays: Was Friday’s double dose of good news a market turning point?
2. Bloomberg reported that Apple is looking into smart doorbell and lock devices to bolster its home security offering and better compete against Amazon’s Ring and other rivals. Meanwhile, Wedbush reaffirmed its view that Apple Intelligence will bolster demand for new devices. “In our view, Apple could sell north of 240 million iPhone units in FY25 as this AI-driven upgrade cycle takes hold and this will be the highest iPhone unit sales year in Apple’s history.”
3. Bristol-Myers Squibb said that the European Commission has approved Opdivo plus Yervoy, two drugs that can be used in combination for treating certain kinds of cancer.
4. Thousands of Amazon workers at a Staten Island warehouse walked off the job, joining the tens of thousands of employees in other states on strike to protest unfair labor practices. Meanwhile, Starbucks workers expanded their strike to New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
5. Reuters reported that President-elect Donald Trump indicated over the weekend that he might be open to some solutions to allow TikTok to keep operating in the U.S. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Jan. 10 as the social media company tries halt a federal ban that would start on Jan. 19, one day before Trump re-enters the White House. While a ban would likely prove positive for engagement on other social media platforms offered by Meta and Alphabet, we still like those Club names even if TikTok successfully challenges the ban.
6. The Financial Times reported that Meta Platforms is looking to add displays to its line of smart glasses, possibly as soon as next year.
7. Honda and Nissan officially began merger talks, with the two signing a memorandum of understanding to consider a business integration. A second memorandum of understanding was also signed that offers Nissan’s strategic partner Mitsubishi the chance to join the new company.
8. Xerox will acquire Lexmark, a Chinese-owned printer and printing software maker, in a $1.5 billion deal expected to close in the second half of 2025.
9. A U.S. federal court jury sided with Qualcomm in its chips trial against Arm Holdings, Reuters reported. The jury found that Qualcomm did not breach its licensing agreements with Arm.
10. Two Club stocks received price target bumps. Citi raised BlackRock to $1,200 from $1,150, noting that the company remains its favorite pick among traditional asset managers. Loop Capital raised Microsoft’s PT to $550 from $500. The analysts said Microsoft shares should fetch a larger premium than its large-cap software peers
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