Alpha Coverage #106
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[News] Trump exempts smartphones, computers, chips from reciprocal tariffs
President Donald Trump's administration on Friday exempted smartphones, computers and other electronics mostly imported from China from reciprocal tariffs, providing major relief for American tech players like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Dell (NYSE:DELL).
The exemptions are applicable to popular electronics items such as smartphones, laptops, computers, computer processors, memory chips, flat panel TV displays, solar cells, hard drives.
However, President Donald Trump is set to instruct the Commerce Department to initiate an investigation that could lead to fresh tariffs on semiconductors, Politico reported Sunday, citing an unnamed White House official.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday the administration's decision to exclude some electronic items from reciprocal tariffs was just a temporary reprieve, with the items expected to come under "semiconductor tariffs" in "a month or two."
Trump on Saturday said he will provide an update on the administration's proposed semiconductor tariffs on Monday.
The President has previously suggested tariffs in the "in the neighborhood of 25%" on autos and similar duties on semiconductors and pharmaceutical imports.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 12, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 12, 2025
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[News] China suspends rare earth exports as trade war with U.S. escalates - report
China has suspended rare earth exports in retaliation to President Trump’s recent tariff hikes, The New York Times reported.
The Chinese government is drafting a new regulatory system for exports, and while the policies are being framed, the shipments of the magnets, essential for the manufacturing of almost everything ranging from cars to missiles, have been halted at many Chinese ports, according to the report.
On April 4, China imposed new restrictions on the export of six heavy rare earth elements—metals that are refined exclusively in China—as well as rare earth magnets.
Beijing produces around 90% of the world's rare earths, a group of 17 elements used across the defense, electric vehicle, energy and electronics industries.
Meanwhile, China's exports of rare earths rose 20.31% in March from a year earlier as overseas consumers booked more cargoes, amid supply disruptions from the ongoing conflict in major supplier Myanmar.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 14, 2025
[News] U.S. government informs Nvidia it requires license to export H20 hardware to China
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) received a notice from the U.S. government that it needs a special license to ship its H20 graphic processing units or related hardware to China, and such a license will be required indefinitely.
Due to this development, Nvidia expects to take a charge of $5.5B in its upcoming quarterly financial results, according to a Form 8-K it filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Nvidia shares dropped 6% during early post-market trading on Tuesday.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 15, 2025
PLTR 0.00%↑ #SpaceX #Anduril
[News] SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril emerge as frontrunners for Trump’s “Golden Dome” project - Reuters
Trump in March announced plans for the Golden Dome, similar to Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, designed to protect against inbound missile attacks. The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment was working with partner agencies to make that happen, the department of defense said at the time.
SpaceX is teaming up with software firm Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR) and drone manufacturer Anduril to bid on developing critical components of the Golden Dome project, Reuters reported citing six sources. The three companies have reportedly met with senior Trump administration officials and Pentagon leaders recently to pitch their plan.
The proposal includes deploying a constellation of 400 to over 1,000 satellites to detect and track incoming missiles around the globe, the sources said. In a second phase, a separate fleet of roughly 200 attack satellites, armed with missiles or lasers, would be used to intercept and neutralize threats, according to three of the sources. The SpaceX-led group is not expected to be involved in arming the satellites.
SpaceX has also proposed structuring its involvement in the Golden Dome project as a "subscription service," where the government would pay for access to the technology instead of owning the system outright. The subscription model could bypass certain Pentagon procurement procedures, potentially enabling a faster rollout of the system, according to two sources.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
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[News] Trump cues tit-for-tat China tariffs near end, TikTok deal may have to wait
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed reluctance to raise tariffs further, citing concerns that excessively high tariffs would discourage consumer spending in the U.S. "I don't want them to go higher because at a certain point you make it where people don't buy." Trump told reporters about tariffs at the White House.
"So, I may not want to go higher or I may not want to even go up to that level. I may want to go to less because you know you want people to buy and, at a certain point, people aren't gonna buy," he added.
The legal deadline for China-based ByteDance to sell the U.S. assets of the TikTok platform, used by 170 million Americans, has been repeatedly extended by Trump. He said a spin-off deal would likely wait until the trade issue is settled. "We have a deal for TikTok, but it'll be subject to China so we'll just delay the deal 'til this thing works out one way or the other," Trump said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 18, 2025
[YouTube/TCAF] End of an Empire | TCAF 188
On episode 188 of The Compound and Friends, Michael Batnick and Downtown Josh Brown are joined by Warren Pies of 3Fourteen Research to discuss: what earnings look like after stock market corrections, Trump's next trade war moves, money leaving the USA, recession indicators, and much more!
Link to Full Video (01:08 Hours) - April 18, 2025
News, Facts, Analyst & Market Commentary - Short Reads:
[Newsletter Exclusive] Apple's iPhone production in India rises 60%: report
Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone production in India rose 60% in the 12 months through March to $22B, Bloomberg reported late Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the company now produces 20% of its iPhones in the country, the people said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 13, 2025
NFLX 0.00%↑ #OpenAI
[Newsletter Exclusive] Netflix is testing OpenAI-powered search: report
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) has begun testing new search technology that is powered by OpenAI, Bloomberg reported Friday.
The OpenAI-powered search engine enables users to search for shows using far more specific terms, such as the customer's mood, the report said. The feature will allow subscribers to make queries that go beyond genres or actors' names.
The new search engine is already available to some customers in Australia and New Zealand on iOS devices, with it expected to expand to several markets, including the U.S., the report said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 13, 2025
MP Materials surges as Trump plans order to stockpile deep-sea critical metals
MP Materials (NYSE:MP) +14.3% pre-market Monday after the Financial Times reported that President Trump is set to issue an executive order allowing the stockpiling of critical metals from the Pacific Ocean seabed.
A broader push to fast-track deep-sea mining applications under U.S. law and the stockpile of the metals, including traces of rare earth minerals, is being considered as part the effort, according to the report.
Trump already has invoked emergency powers to boost the ability of the U.S. to produce critical minerals as part of a broad effort to ramp up the development of domestic natural resources to reduce reliance on imports from China and elsewhere.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 14, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Nvidia ticks up as company says it will manufacture and test chips in US
In a post on its website, Nvidia said it had commissioned more than a million square feet of manufacturing space to build and test NVIDIA Blackwell chips in Arizona and AI supercomputers in Texas.
Nvidia added that its Blackwell line of GPUs have already started production at Taiwan Semiconductor's (TSM) fabs in Phoenix. Additionally, it is working with manufacturing partner Foxconn to build supercomputer manufacturing plants in Houston, and with another partner, Wistron, in Dallas.
Mass production at both plants is expected to ramp up in the next 12 to 15 months, Nvidia added.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 14, 2025
Palantir pops after landing deal to supply NATO with AI-powered battle system
Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR) and the NATO Communications and Information Agency finalized the acquisition to deploy Palantir's Maven Smart System into NATO's Allied Command Operations, which will utilize artificial intelligence applications to bolster battle capabilities.
NATO's Allied Command Operations are expected to deploy the new system within the next 30 days.
The Maven Smart System is already being utilized across all the U.S. military branches, including the Army, Air Force, Space Force, Navy and US Marine Corps.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 14, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 14, 2025
Rocket Lab selected for multi-billion dollar U.S. and U.K. defense contracts
Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ:RKLB) on Monday said it has been selected to provide hypersonic test launch capability with its HASTE launch vehicle, engineering expertise, and other services through its participation in two multi-billion dollar government development programs for the United States and the United Kingdom.
Rocket Lab has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to participate within its Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC), a $46 billion indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract designed for the rapid acquisition of innovative technologies, engineering services, and technical solutions that develop the Air Force’s new capabilities.
The program has a contracting period through to 2031.
Further, Rocket Lab has also been selected by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (UK MOD) for its Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF), a ~$1.3 billion (£1 billion) framework to rapidly develop advanced hypersonic capabilities for the United Kingdom.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 14, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Netflix aiming for $1T market cap by 2030: report
According to the Journal, executives shared the revenue, ad sales, and operating income goals for the 2030 target at an annual business review meeting last month, people who attended the meeting said.
Netflix’s current market cap is around $398.3B.
The people reportedly said the streamer is aiming to double last year’s $39B in revenue by 2030 and to reach $9B in global ad sales by then. Netflix doesn’t release ad sales figures.
Executives are aiming to triple the company’s $10B in operating operating income in 2024 by 2030, one of the people was quoted as saying.
Netflix had 301.6M subscribers worldwide at the end of 2024, and it wants that to rise to 410M by the close of 2030, that person reportedly said.
Netflix staff have been told by executives that they intend to focus on attracting subscribers overseas, especially in markets that have high broadband penetration, including Brazil and India, The Journal reported, citing some of the people.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 14, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] South Korea raises chip aid package to $23B amid US tariff concerns - report
South Korea increased its aid package for the semiconductor industry to 33T won (about $23.25B) from the 26T won package introduced last year, Reuters reported.
The move comes after calls to the government to boost support at a time of growing policy uncertainty under the new U.S. administration and intense competition from Chinese competitors, the report added, citing a statement from the Asian country's government.
The country's decision to pour more funds into its vital chip sector is aimed at helping companies cope with heavier costs as they compete worldwide.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 15, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] AMD to make CPU chips at TSMC's Arizona plant
The chips AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) plans to manufacture are the next-generation AMD EPYC processor, codenamed “Venice,” the HPC product to be taped out and brought up on the TSMC (NYSE:TSM) advanced 2nm (N2) process technology. 'Venice' is on track to launch next year, the company said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 15, 2025
UBER 0.00%↑ #Waymo
[Newsletter Exclusive] Uber prepares to launch Waymo robotaxi commercial service in Atlanta
Uber is now looking to see how many of its customers in the city are interested in a Waymo robotaxi service.
The two companies said in September 2024 that they were looking to launch in Atlanta and Austin, Texas in early 2025. Waymo services started on Uber in Austin in March.
Uber and Waymo have most recently said their partnership will launch in Atlanta in the summer.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 15, 2025
Aurora Innovation lands bull rating from Needham ahead of autonomous trucking breakthroughs
Analyst Chris Pierce from Needham said Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ:AUR) is an industry leader in autonomous mobility, noting the company looks set to leverage the Aurora Driver platform and industry partnerships to create the market for autonomous trucking on U.S. highways.
Crucially, Aurora Innovation (AUR) is seen winning share in a $1 trillion market and generating revenue on a per-mile driven basis, while also solving for industry pain points and allowing for faster, cheaper transportation of goods.
Needham's has a price target of $10 on Aurora Innovation.
Oppenheimer also upgraded Aurora Innovation (AUR) to Outperform last month and assigned a price target of $15.
Goldman Sachs too bumped the stock to Neutral from Sell last week.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 15, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 10, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Mar. 27, 2025
META 0.00%↑ #OpenAI
[Newsletter Exclusive] OpenAI said to be working on building a social network: The Verge
The project is still in the early stages, but an internal prototype includes a social feed that is focused on ChatGPT’s image generation, the news outlet added, citing sources familiar with the matter.
It's unclear if OpenAI would release the social network as a separate app or as part of ChatGPT, which is used by roughly 10% of the planet, Chief Executive Sam Altman said recently.
Entering the social media market also puts OpenAI on more of a collision course with Meta, which we’re told is planning to add a social feed to its coming standalone app for its AI assistant.
When reports of Meta building a rival to the ChatGPT app first surfaced a couple of months ago, Altman shot back on X again by saying, “ok fine maybe we’ll do a social app.”
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 15, 2025
Link to The Verge News Article - Apr. 15, 2025
Gemini users can create videos using Veo 2 video model, Google says
Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) said on Tuesday that users of Gemini Advanced can now start creating videos using the tech titan's Veo 2 video model.
"Veo 2 represents a leap forward in video generation, designed to produce high-resolution, detailed videos with cinematic realism,” Google said on its blog. “By better understanding real-world physics and human motion, it delivers fluid character movement, lifelike scenes and finer visual details across diverse subjects and styles.”
Gemini Advanced costs $19.99 per month and is also available in the Google One AI Premium plan.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 15, 2025
Trump tariffs threaten Tesla's Cybercab and Semi electric truck production plans - Reuters
The EV giant (NASDAQ:TSLA) was initially ready to absorb 34% levies but could not take the tariffs as it scaled further, leaving the company's shipping plans suspended.
The subsequent increases—to 84%, then 125%, and now 145%—made it financially unviable to source from China. The heavy tariffs threaten Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) ability to deliver on its highly anticipated models that CEO Elon Musk has promoted as key growth drivers for the company.
The company was expected to begin receiving component shipments in the coming months, with plans for trial production of the two models in October and mass production in 2026. The Cybercab is to be produced in Texas, while Semi in Nevada. It is unclear how long the suspension would last, the report said.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), like many US automakers, relies on a global supply chain, with a significant portion of parts sourced from China, Mexico, Canada, and other places.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 16, 2025
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Google sued for $6.6B in UK lawsuit for abusing search engine dominance
Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google is being sued for over £5 billion or ~$6.6 billion, with a major class action lawsuit in the UK, over allegations that it abused its "near-total dominance" in the search market and drove prices higher.
The lawsuit alleges that Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) used its dominant position in the search engine market to restrict competitors and has established itself as the sole option for viable online search advertising.
It claims that Google (GOOG) paid Apple (AAPL) billions to make Google the default search engine on its Safari browser and has entered deals with other smartphone makers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome on Android devices.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 16, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] bluebird bio confirms Ayrmid has not delivered binding offer, shares dive 9%
bluebird bio (NASDAQ:BLUE) said Ayrmid has not submitted a binding proposal to acquire bluebird and has not obtained necessary financing.
The company's shares fell over 9% in premarket trading.
“Ayrmid’s proposal remains highly conditional, despite an extension to the previously agreed-upon timeline to complete confirmatory diligence and submit a binding offer,” said Mark Vachon, chairman of the bluebird bio Board of Directors.
“bluebird has engaged with Ayrmid on two separate occasions—neither of which has resulted in a binding or fully-financed offer."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 16, 2025
China max tariff of 245% applies to combined new and previous tariffs (update)
The number was earlier included as part of a fact sheet released on April 15 in connection with an administration probe of critical minerals.
"China now faces up to a 245% tariff on imports to the United States as a result of its retaliatory actions," a bullet point said.
The White House clarified that a maximum China tariff rate of 245% included in a recent fact sheet referred to some goods and combined new fentanyl and reciprocal tariffs with existing 301 tariffs from the previous two administrations.
Examples of China exports facing the 245% top rate are electric vehicles and syringes.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 16, 2025
Advanced Micro Devices expects $800M charge due to new U.S. export controls
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) expects new licensing requirements to export its MI308 artificial intelligence chips to China may result in charges of up to $800M.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 16, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Tesla loses traction in California with registrations down for sixth straight quarter
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) registrations in California fell for the sixth consecutive quarter, dropping 15.1% year-over-year, even as overall new car registrations in the state rose 8.3%, according to Experian Automotive data.
With registrations down, Tesla’s market share was down by 11.6% at the end of Q1 to 43.9%, now holding less than half of the California Zero Emission Vehicle (“ZEV”) market for the year. This weighed on overall ZEV sales momentum, with a second quarterly decline in registrations at just 20.8% of the total market share, down from 22% a year ago.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 16, 2025
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CBP says $500 million collected in reciprocal tariffs since April 5
The US Customs and Border Protection has collected $500 million in reciprocal tariffs since April 5, it said, contradicting President Donald Trump’s claim of taking in $2 billion per day from tariffs.
“Since April 5, CBP has collected over $500 million under the new reciprocal tariffs, contributing to more than $21 billion in total tariff revenue from 15 presidential trade actions implemented since Jan 20, 2025,” the agency said in a statement to CNBC.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Taiwan Semi rises after AI demand boosts sales; tariff woes linger; quashes venture speculations
Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM) rose about 5% on Thursday after the global foundry reported fourth-quarter results, and the company noted that it is not in discussions to form a venture or share its technology with any company.
TSM Chief Executive C.C Wei said on the company's earnings call that "we understand there are uncertainties and risks from the potential impact of tariff policies, however, we have not seen any change from our customers behaviour we have so far. Therefore we continue to expect our full year 2025 revenue to increase by close to mid-20s percent in U.S. dollar terms. We might get a better picture in the next few months, and we will continue to closely monitor the potential impact to the end market demand and manage our business prudently."
"We continue to observe robust AI related demand from our customers throughout 2025. We reaffirm our revenue from AI accelerators to double in 2025," said Wei on the earnings call.
The company also sees CoWoS, or Chip on Wafer on Substrate, capacity doubling this year.
"I would also to mention that TSMC is not engaged in any discussion with other companies regarding any joint venture, technology licensing or technology transfer and sharing," said Wei.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Intel (INTC) and TSM reached a preliminary agreement to form a joint venture to operate some of Intel's foundry facilities. This followed a report from March that said TSM had proposed a joint venture, in which it would operate Intel's factory, to several major U.S. chip manufacturers, including Nvidia (NVDA), AMD (AMD), and Broadcom (AVGO).
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Eli Lilly jumps as oral GLP-1 drug succeeds in Phase 3 trial
Citing topline data from its ACHIEVE-1 clinical trial for a key secondary endpoint, the Indiana-based pharma giant said that the once-daily pill reduced weight by ~8% on average (16.0 lbs) at the highest dose in the 40-week trial.
"As a convenient once-daily pill, orforglipron may provide a new option and, if approved, could be readily manufactured and launched at scale for use by people around the world,” CEO David Ricks said.
The global trial, first of seven Phase 3 studies for orforglipron, involved 559 patients with type 2 diabetes who had inadequate glycemic control from diet and exercise alone.
In ACHIEVE-1’s main goal, orforglipron lowered a key diabetes biomarker called A1C by 1.3%–1.6% from a baseline of 8.0% across 3mg, 12 mg, and 36 mg doses in the per-protocol study population, while those on placebo witnessed 0.1% of A1C reduction.
Noting that those on 36mg of orforglipron achieved a weight reduction of 7.9% on average, the company said patients had more room to lose weight as they hadn’t reached a weight plateau at the time of the analysis.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
Tesla slims Cybertruck production targets, moves staff to Model Y lines - report
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has lowered production targets for several Cybertruck lines in recent months, also thinned out a handful of production teams, and certain lines are now operating at a small fraction of their former capacity, Business Insider reported, citing two workers with knowledge of the targets.
"It feels a lot like they're filtering people out," one of the workers said. "The parking lot keeps getting emptier."
The automaker has been shifting certain employees from the Cybertruck line, which is produced at its Gigafactory in Texas, to the Model Y line since January, four workers said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
Archer Aviation plans for New York City air taxi service with United Airlines as a key partner
Using its piloted Midnight aircraft, which accommodates four passengers and a pilot, Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR) intends to offer flights from key Manhattan heliports to John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty International airports, as well as other regional airports. The flights are expected to take between five and fifteen minutes, a significant improvement over the one-to-two-hour car journeys often required due to heavy city traffic.
Archer (ACHR) is manufacturing the aircraft in the United States and is working with the FAA to secure Type Certification, having already received its FAA Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator Certificate in June 2024.
United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL), a long-time investor, has placed significant orders for the Midnight aircraft and will integrate the service as a complement to traditional airline travel, allowing passengers to book air taxi flights as part of their overall journey.
Archer (ACHR) plans to begin operations in 2025, with New York City positioned as a leading market for the new mode of advanced air mobility.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Judge rules that Google has illegally monopolized online ad space
Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has been dealt a blow after a judge overseeing a Department of Justice antitrust case ruled that the tech giant has held monopoly in online advertising technology in at least two markets.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, has found that Google broke the law by dominating ad spaces all over the internet by having an illegal stronghold in markets for publisher ad servers and the market for ad exchanges.
“For over a decade, Google has tied its publisher ad server and ad exchange together through contractual policies and technological integration, which enabled the company to establish and protect its monopoly power in these two markets," Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
OXY 0.00%↑ NEE 0.00%↑ TAN 0.00%↑ FAN 0.00%↑
DoE preparing $10B clean energy funding cuts which could hurt Occidental, Exxon projects - WSJ
The U.S. Department of Energy is preparing dramatic cuts that could halt nearly $10B in federal funding for clean energy projects including hydrogen, carbon capture, long-duration energy storage and other technologies, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Among government contracts at risk of losing DoE funding are those with Exxon Mobil (XOM) to use hydrogen for fuel at a large ethylene plant, Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) for carbon capture in south Texas, and NextEra Energy (NEE) for long duration storage, according to the report.
The DoE also is said to be considering withdrawing funding from four regional hydrogen hubs, largely in Democratic-leaning regions, while continuing to help fund three hydrogen hubs in largely Republican areas, and more than 250 projects tied to electric vehicle charging, wave energy, battery recycling, solar, wind and other technologies also are reportedly at risk.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
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[Newsletter Exclusive] Trump said to have privately discussed terminating Fed chair Trump has spoken with former Fed governor Kevin Warsh in meetings at his Mar-a-Lago residence about potentially firing Powell before his term ends and possibly appointing Warsh as his replacement, WSJ said, citing the people.
Warsh has advised against firing Powell and has argued that the Fed chair be allowed to complete his term without interference, WSJ said, citing the people familiar with the matter. The conversations with Warsh carried into February, while others close to Trump have spoken to the President about firing Powell as recently as early March, the people said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Key takeaways from Netflix's first-quarter earnings, as stock gains
Co-CEO Greg Peters highlighted that Netflix's revenue surpassed $40 billion with over 300 million paid households and an audience of over 700 million individuals. Management emphasized significant growth opportunities, noting Netflix represents less than 10% of TV hours globally and only 6% of consumer spending in ad revenue markets.
Peters emphasized plans to double advertising revenue in 2025 by leveraging their proprietary ad-tech platform, which has already been rolled out in Canada and the U.S. The platform aims to enhance advertiser flexibility and targeting capabilities.
On April 1, the company rolled out its in-house first-party ad-tech platform, the Netflix Ads Suite, in the United States -- and it will bring it to other markets in the coming months.
"In Q1, we launched programmatic in EMEA, and now offer programmatic capability in UCAN, EMEA and LATAM, with a full APAC launch coming in Q2," the company said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Ukraine and U.S. ink memorandum of intent, paving way for critical minerals deal
"We are happy to announce the signing, with our American partners, of a Memorandum of Intent, which paves the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement and the establishment of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine," said Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's economy minister.
Details of the pact were not disclosed. The text of the agreement needs to be finalized, signed, and then ratified by the countries' lawmakers.
At a press event on Thursday alongside Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trump said a deal would be signed soon. "We have a minerals deal, which I guess is going to be signed next Thursday (April 24)? Soon. I assume they're (Ukraine) going to live up to the deal."
"We're still working on the details," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clarified, adding that the deal is substantially what was agreed upon previously. "We're shooting for around April 26."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 18, 2025
Tesla said to have delayed U.S. production of cheaper Model Y
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has publicly said it is on track to launch more affordable cars in H1 2025. However, according to the sources, global production of the cheaper Model Y in the U.S. will now start at least a few months later than the public plan. The sources offered several revised targets ranging from Q3 to early next year.
According to Reuters, two of the sources said the company is aiming to produce 250K of the cheaper Model Ys in the U.S. in 2026.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 18, 2025
Charts & Technicals:
Taiwan Semiconductor in charts: 3nm, 5nm, 7nm, 16nm and 28nm chips power Q1 revenue growth
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Apr. 17, 2025
Disclosure: We own positions in some/all of the tickers mentioned in this article.
