BEFORE THE OPEN

MARKETS:

• Stock futures near flatline overnight after strong 2023 rally.

• S&P 500 futures down 0.03%, Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.08%, Dow futures slip 0.04%.

• FedEx drops 9% in extended trading due to disappointing outlook.

• During regular trading, S&P 500 gains 0.59%, Nasdaq crosses 15,000, Dow advances 0.68%.

• All three major averages set for a winning December and 2023.

• S&P 500 up 4.4% for the month, Dow up 4.5%, Nasdaq up 5.5%.

• Today: consumer confidence data and existing home sales for November.

EARNINGS

What we’re watching:

• Thursday: 

  • Nike (NKE) - expected: $.84 per share (-.1.2% YoY) on $13.4 billion revenue (+0.8% YoY)

Full earnings calendar here

Wall Street's Stock-Market Optimism Isn't Stopping

Shippers Diverted About $35 Billion in Cargo From the Red Sea Amid Fears of Attacks

• Wall Street’s dramatic year ends with flat bonuses for traders (more)

• Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Trump from 2024 ballot (more)

• IRS to waive $1 billion in penalties for people and firms owing back taxes (more)

• Asia stocks to track Wall Street’s year-end rally (more)

• Key Japan yield falls to August low as BOJ keeps market guessing (more)

• Citi suit raises #MeToo claims at Wall Street’s top levels (more)

• U.S. Bank to pay $36 million for illegal pandemic conduct (more)

• Google to pay $700 million to U.S. consumers, states in Play store settlement (more)

• Southwest Airlines, pilots’ union reach labor deal after contentious talks (more)

• Toshiba to be delisted after 74 years, faces future with new owners (more)

• Porsche, Volkswagen, and Audi finally say they will use Tesla's EV charging plug (more)

• Tesla drivers had highest accident rate, BMW drivers most DUIs study finds (more)

• Goldman Sachs overhaul and what it could mean for David Solomon and John Waldron (more)

• Media and telecom companies unlikely to usher in good tidings for 2024 (more)

• GM has cut its Buick dealership network in half through buyouts (more)

• Target blamed theft and violence for 9 closures. Crime is higher at stores it kept open nearby (more)

• As golden age for private capital ends, 2024 heralds more consolidation (more)

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM BEHIND THE MARKETS

The buck stops here.

Dear Fellow Investor,

China just deployed six warships near Israel.

China's presence could easily escalate this regional conflict into a direct confrontation with the US.

This would be a nightmare scenario for us.

We lost 18 straight simulated war games with China.

The good news is, the US military has a plan to upgrade our weapons to win wars in the 21st century.

And early investors could see 35,960% returns with the small defense contractor who won this groundbreaking contract to upgrade our weapons.

Here's the Ticker >>>

"The Buck Stops Here."

Dylan Jovine

DEALFLOW

M & A | INVESTMENTS:

• Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) acquired IPVideo, a creator of the HALO Smart Sensor that detects real-time health and safety threats (more)

• ADM to buy UK-based firm to boost nutrition business (more)

• EQT Private Equity, an investment firm, acquired Zeus, a supplier of custom polymer components (more)

• BryteBridge Group, a provider of outsourced compliance, legal, and filing services to nonprofit organizations, received an investment from RFE Investment Partners IX and Knox Capital (more)

• VideoVerse, a provider of a SaaS platform that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) models, computer vision, and Machine Learning (ML), received an investment from Bluestone Equity Partners (more)

VC

• Lightmatter, a company specializing in photonics-enabled technologies, raised $155M in Series C-2 at a $1.2 million valuation (more)

• Employer Direct Healthcare (EDH), a specialty healthcare network solution provider, raised an investment of $92M from Insight Partners; at $1 billion valuation (more)

• SimSpace, a company specializing in military-grade cybersecurity, raised $45M in funding (more)

• Halcyon, a platform designed to defeat ransomware, closed a $40M Series B funding round (more)

• Unnatural Products, a biotech company pairing AI with chemistry for molecularly targeted therapeutics, raised $32M in Series A funding (more)

• ImpriMed, a precision medicine startup focused on leveraging artificial intelligence to improve cancer treatment, raised $23M in Series A funding (more)

• Agtonomy, a software and services company specializing in advanced autonomous and AI solutions for agriculture, raised $22.5M in Series A funding (more)

• TuMeke, a provider of a computer vision platform that automatically assesses injury risk in manufacturing facilities, raised $10M in Series A funding (more)

• Backer, a fintech company focused on tax-advantaged 529 Savings Plans, raised $9.5M in funding (more)

• Salt Labs, a loyalty and financial technology company for employers and employees, raised additional $8M in funding (more)

• Future, a climate-positive fintech company, raised $6.5M in additional funding (more)

• Turngate, a provider of a cybersecurity solution offering IT and cybersecurity professionals insights into user activity, raised $5M in Seed funding (more)

• Excarta, a company commercializing AI for business-targeted weather forecasting, raised $2.5M in Seed funding (more)

• Iris&Romeo, a clean beauty brand, raised an undisclosed amount in Series A funding (more)

FUNDRAISING:

• Argonaut Private Equity, a private equity firm focused on investing in Middle America, closed Argonaut Private Equity Fund V, with $500 million in capital commitments (more)

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CRYPTO

• Access to Binance's law enforcement request panel is for sale for $10K (more)

• Bitcoin mania is relentless with ETF upstart touting carbon credits (more)

BULLISH BITES

🚫 Don’t speak: Jeff Bezos describes his perfect meeting.

⏎ Back at it: Why Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen took his company back.

📈 Big bets: Where to invest in future trends.

🔮 Age of AI: 8 predictions for AI in 2024.

💰 War chest: In the last 90 days, Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz, and the Winklevoss twins among others have funded crypto super-PACs to the tune of $78 million.

DAILY SHARES

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