Short Sellers’ Tesla Bonanza
Hedge fund short sellers have gained $16.2bn as Tesla’s [TSLA] stock halved over the past three months, the Financial Times reported. Since its December 17 peak, Tesla’s market cap has plunged by over $700bn, slashing more than $100bn from Elon Musk’s net worth. Musk’s support for far-right parties in Europe has impacted sales, while his federal spending cuts have sparked broader investor concerns.
Waymo Expands Reach
Waymo has secured a temporary permit to map roads at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), a key step towards launching its robotaxi service there. While the Alphabet [GOOGL] unit’s vehicles won’t yet operate autonomously, the permit signals a phased rollout, starting with mapping and eventually progressing to commercial operations. The deal comes with data-sharing requirements, TechCrunch outlined.
MSFT AI/Neuroscience Collab
Microsoft [MSFT] is partnering with Swiss start-up Inait to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model that mimics mammal brain reasoning, aiming to enhance fields from financial trading to robotics. The partnership leverages two decades of digital neuroscience research to create AI that learns from real-world experiences, rather than relying solely on data correlations.
BYD’s New Chargers: 2x Faster than Tesla’s?
BYD [BYDDY] has unveiled ultra-fast charging tech that delivers 400km of range in just five minutes. The new Super e-Platform purportedly hits peak speeds of 1,000kW — double Tesla’s upcoming V4 superchargers. BYD plans to deploy over 4,000 of these chargers across China. Read OPTO’s recent breakdown of three other Chinese electric vehicle stocks that are challenging Tesla.
What’s New with Tencent?
Tencent [TCEHY] unveiled five new AI-powered 3D content generators based on its Hunyuan3D-2.0 model, aiming to enhance gaming and digital content. The tools will be open source. Meanwhile, subsidiary Tencent Music Entertainment Group [TME] posted an 8.2% revenue jump in Q4 to RMB7.46bn, Reuters reported, beating estimates in the second straight quarter to see growth after a year-long slump.
Alphabet Splashes Out on Cybersecurity Firm
Alphabet is acquiring cyber-security start-up Wiz for $32bn in an all-cash deal, marking its largest-ever acquisition. The move, aimed at boosting Google Cloud’s competitiveness against Amazon’s [AMZN] AWS, Microsoft and Oracle [ORCL], comes after initial talks stalled over antitrust concerns. Wiz will also receive a $1bn retention bonus for employees as part of the agreement.
Where Next for US Semiconductor Stocks?
US President Donald Trump’s latest target is the US Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act, signed into law by his predecessor President Joe Biden in August 2022. The Act aims to bolster the domestic chip industry with $53bn worth of federal incentives. OPTO unpacks how different US semiconductor stocks could be impacted if Trump continues to push for the overturning of the legislation.
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