Options Trading Report

Elliott builds $1.5 billion stake in Aspen, opposes Emerson deal

February 7, 2025

(Reuters) -Activist investor Elliott Management said on Friday it has invested more than $1.5 billion in Aspen Technology, opposing the company’s decision to accept Emerson Electric’s $7.2 billion tender offer. Elliott argues that Emerson’s per-share offer of $265 for Aspen undervalues the company, adding that it will not tender its shares at the current price. Aspen’s shares rose about 3%, while those of Emerson fell 2%. Emerson, which currently owns 57% of Aspen, agreed to … Read more…

ISS urges Apple investors to vote against scrapping diversity policies

February 7, 2025

(Reuters) -Influential proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services recommended on Friday that Apple investors vote against a proposal to consider eliminating the iPhone maker’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Apple’s disclosures offer shareholders sufficient information about its DEI policies and there have been no controversies or signs of discrimination against employee groups, ISS said. The company’s board has urged shareholders to reject the anti-DEI proposal, arguing it already has a compliance program in place and … Read more…

News outlets reject Trump accusations of USAID media ‘payoff’

February 7, 2025

By Lydia Morrish (Reuters) – Several major news outlets including Politico and the Associated Press have rejected unsubstantiated accusations by President Donald Trump and right-wing influencers that the U.S. Agency for International Development paid millions of taxpayer dollars to newsrooms in exchange for coverage favoring the Democratic Party. Trump wrote on social media on Thursday: “LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLLEN AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE … Read more…

Amazon cuts diversity reference from annual report as firms roll back DEI

February 7, 2025

(Reuters) -Amazon.com eliminated a reference to “inclusion and diversity” in its annual report filed on Thursday, after telling employees in December that it was winding down diversity programs as part of corporate America’s broader retreat from such policies. Some of the biggest U.S. businesses have been scaling back their diversity initiatives, years after pushing for more inclusive policies in the wake of protests against the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in … Read more…

The Revenge Game – by Justin Vaughn

February 7, 2025

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Even though bad news seemed to overtake good news, the exchanges finished the month with gains. Stocks were positive for the first half, then slowly backed off with bad news piling up. Fears of President Trump’s institution of massive tariffs, the release of China’s DeepSeek chip innovation have rattled the market. As President Trump has backtracted on tariffs aimed at Mexico and Canada, he is moving forward on Chinese … Read more…

Porsche warns of $830 million profit hit in 2025

February 6, 2025

(Reuters) -Porsche AG said on Thursday that expenses for vehicle development and battery activities in its units will impact the company’s operating profit and automotive net cash flow by up to 800 million euros ($830.80 million) in 2025. The German carmaker said it expects 2025 sales revenue of 39 billion to 40 billion euros and automotive net cash flow margin between 7% and 9% due to the expenditures and market conditions. To strengthen the company’s … Read more…

Trump Media files to trademark investment products targeting bitcoin, US industries

February 6, 2025

(Reuters) – Trump Media and Technology Group said on Thursday it has applied to trademark six investment products that track bitcoin and the U.S. manufacturing and energy sectors. The trademarks include Truth.Fi Bitcoin Plus ETF, Truth.Fi Made in America ETF, and Truth.Fi U.S. Energy Independence ETF. Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) is yet to file for all six products with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. TMTG is also looking to launch three separately … Read more…

OpenAI’s Stargate AI venture is scouting for US data center sites

February 6, 2025

By Anna Tong, Akash Sriram SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Thursday that it is evaluating U.S. states as potential artificial intelligence data center locations for its massive Stargate venture, framing the project as a matter of urgency for the United States to beat China in the global AI race. “As news emerged about DeepSeek, it makes it clear this is a very real competition and the stakes could not be bigger,” said … Read more…

Boston Fed maps out inflation response to Trump trade tariffs

February 6, 2025

By Michael S. Derby NEW YORK (Reuters) – The full suite of tariffs sought by the Trump administration would have created notable upward pressure for already high levels of inflation, a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston released on Thursday said. The 25% tariffs Trump was to impose on Mexico and Canada, joined with a 10% tariff on China, would have pushed up underlying price pressures by as much as 0.8 percentage point, … Read more…

BlackRock prepares to launch bitcoin exchange-traded product in Europe, source says

February 5, 2025

By Iain Withers LONDON (Reuters) – BlackRock is gearing up to launch a bitcoin exchange-traded product in Europe within weeks, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, amid growing demand for exposure to cryptocurrencies from both money managers and consumers. The product will likely be domiciled in Switzerland, the source added. The Wall Street giant has incorporated a Zurich-based company focused on digital assets – iShares Digital Assets AG – in recent months, according … Read more…