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From Chatbots to “Do‑It‑For‑You” AI: Why Meta’s Manus $2B Deal Could Rewrite the Playbook -( $META )

Meta’s agreed purchase of AI agent startup Manus for more than $2 billion reads like a late‑cycle plot twist: the social media giant that rebranded around the metaverse is now buying an AI “do‑it‑for‑you” brain to justify all that spending. In Wall Street terms, Meta is essentially acquiring a revenue‑generating conscience for its AI ambitions—and paying well over unicorn rates to get it.

A Deal Done at AI Speed

Meta Platforms has struck a deal to acquire Manus, a Singapore‑based AI agent company with Chinese roots, in a transaction valued at more than $2 billion. People familiar with the matter say the agreement came together in roughly ten days, which, even by Silicon Valley standards, suggests the due‑diligence phase was more sprint than marathon.

Manus emerged from Beijing‑based Butterfly Effect Technology before re‑domiciling to Singapore and building a “general‑purpose” AI agent that quickly caught global attention. Its system has been pitched as a step beyond chatbots, capable of learning workflows, automating multi‑step tasks, and making decisions with minimal human supervision.

Why Meta Needed an Agent

For Meta, the acquisition plugs a conspicuous gap between massive AI spending and the rather prosaic experience of chatting with a friendly bot inside Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. Manus gives Meta a commercially tested agent that can handle research, coding, sales analysis, and even website cloning for paying customers—a far more practical story to tell investors than yet another large language model acronym.

The startup has reported more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue just eight months after launch, with a revenue run rate above $125 million when usage‑based fees are included. That makes Meta’s price tag rich but not entirely fanciful in an environment where AI growth curves are treated less like forecasts and more like wishes granted.

Operating Manual for Manus

Meta plans to continue operating and selling Manus as a stand‑alone subscription service while gradually threading its technology through Meta AI, WhatsApp, and business productivity tools. The company says Manus’s agents will ultimately serve “general‑purpose” roles across consumer and enterprise products, suggesting everything from automated research for creators to back‑office workflow bots for small businesses.

Manus’s CEO Xiao Hong has reassured customers that the platform’s functionality and decision‑making processes will remain intact, promising a “stronger, more sustainable foundation” under Meta’s ownership—a phrase that, in corporate translation, usually means more servers and fewer cash‑flow worries. All existing Manus investors, including Chinese backers such as Tencent and ZhenFund, are being bought out as part of the deal.

Politics, Profits, and a Rare East‑West Buy

The transaction stands out as a rare example of a major U.S. tech company acquiring an Asian AI firm at scale, and it lands squarely in the crosshairs of Washington’s growing scrutiny of Chinese‑linked technology. Regulators are expected to probe how a Chinese‑founded agent platform with millions of users and deep workflow access fits into Western data‑security expectations, even if the headquarters now sit in Singapore.

On Wall Street, however, the early verdict is simpler: Meta shares edged higher after the deal as investors bet that AI agents—unlike some metaverse hardware—might actually pay their own way. If Manus’s autonomous software can help turn Meta’s AI from an expense line into a profit center, $2 billion may eventually look less like exuberance and more like an unusually well‑timed line item.

The Sources


[1] Meta to Buy Manus, an AI Startup With Chinese Roots https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquire-manus-2-billion-101807601.html
[2] Meta Agrees to Buy AI Agent Manus in $2B-Plus Deal https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-agrees-buy-ai-agent-115137614.html
[3] Meta Platforms Just Plugged a Gaping $2 Billion Hole In its AI Plans https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-platforms-just-plugged-gaping-164326724.html
[4] Meta acquires AI agent startup Manus in ‘potentially transformative … https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquires-manus-expand-ai-233016223.html
[5] Meta to Buy Manus, an AI Startup With Chinese Roots – Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-29/meta-acquires-startup-manus-to-bolster-ai-business
[6] Meta acquires AI agent startup Manus in ‘potentially transformative … https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/meta-acquires-manus-to-expand-ai-agent-capabilities-4424780
[7] Meta to Acquire Chinese AI Startup Manus in $2 Billion Deal https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquire-chinese-ai-startup-134305013.html
[8] Meta acquires intelligent agent firm Manus, capping year of … – CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/30/meta-acquires-singapore-ai-agent-firm-manus-china-butterfly-effect-monicai.html
[9] Meta buys startup known for its AI task automation agents – Engadget https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-buys-startup-known-for-its-ai-task-automation-agents-140045275.html
[10] Meta buys startup Manus in latest move to advance its artificial intelligence efforts https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-buys-startup-manus-latest-160203104.html
[11] Meta buys startup Manus in latest move to advance its AI efforts https://abc11.com/post/meta-buys-startup-manus-latest-move-advance-artificial-intelligence-efforts/18333425/
[12] Manus Joins Meta for Next Era of Innovation https://manus.im/blog/manus-joins-meta-for-next-era-of-innovation
[13] Meta to buy Chinese founded startup Manus to boost advanced AI https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquire-chinese-startup-manus-233905821.html
[14] Meta Stock Is Climbing — Big Bet on AI Agents with $2 Billion Acquisition https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-stock-climbing-big-bet-170606713.html
[15] Meta to acquire AI agent company Manus https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquire-ai-agent-company-120839836.html
[16] Meta to acquire Manus in $2B deal, metal commodities rebound https://finance.yahoo.com/video/meta-acquire-manus-2b-deal-163000951.html
[17] Manus Meta https://www.manus-meta.com
[18] ManusVR Adds Arm Tracking Capabilities To Upcoming SDK https://www.uploadvr.com/manusvr-adds-arm-tracking-to-gloves/
[19] Meta to acquire AI startup Manus: There’s an ‘arms race’ in AI https://finance.yahoo.com/video/meta-acquire-ai-startup-manus-143618638.html
[20] VR Gloves for Training, Simulation & XR Applications – Manus Meta https://www.manus-meta.com/vr-xr

Santa Rally on a Short Leash: S&P Near Highs, Silver Soars, AI Titans & GLP‑1 Giant Lilly Catch Their Breath As Fed Minutes Revealed – December 30, 2025 -( $AVGO $INTC $INTG $LLY $META $OPEN $ORCL $RIO $SOAR Rise!)

In a fitting coda to 2025, Tuesday’s market looked less like a grand finale and more like a dress rehearsal for 2026: stocks near records, AI titans and GLP‑1 champions still commanding the marquee, and a supporting cast of tariffs, deficits, metals and bitcoin all jostling to decide whether the next act is a soft‑landing sequel or something with a bit more plot twist. However, at the of the trading day, U.S. stocks eased modestly today as Wall Street tried to wrap a banner year without smudging the ink, with major indexes hovering near record levels even as Fed minutes, jumpy precious metals and tired tech leaders conspired to keep the Santa rally from getting too exuberant.

S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq, Russell

The S&P 500 spent the session essentially flat to slightly lower, slipping just a few points to finish at 6,896.24, leaving the benchmark within a whisker of last week’s record and cementing an 17.25% gain for the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average drifted about 0.2% lower as weakness in heavyweight tech and AI beneficiaries offset strength in a handful of industrials and financials, illustrating how narrow 2025’s leadership has become.

The Nasdaq Composite eased about 0.24% as investors again trimmed richly valued AI names, keeping the index off its recent highs but still up strongly for the year on the strength of semiconductors and megacap platforms. The small‑cap Russell 2000 also slipped .76%, giving back a portion of its recent outperformance as higher‑beta cyclicals paused ahead of 2026 growth, tariff and rate assumptions being rewritten in real time.

Macro data, Fed minutes, yields and shutdown

On the macro front, Tuesday’s highlight was the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting, which showed officials divided over how aggressively to cut rates next year, with some fretting that too much easing could reignite inflation while others focused on softening momentum. Markets took the split personality in stride: futures continued to price a shallow cutting cycle while equity traders treated the minutes as confirmation that the Fed is easing, just not recklessly so.

Treasury trading remained subdued, with the 10‑year yield hovering near 4.1% as investors balanced slower growth signals against still‑elevated deficits and persistent policy noise from tariffs and shutdown politics. The next FOMC gathering is scheduled for January 27‑28, when policymakers are widely expected to hold rates steady and refine the glide path for 2026 rather than deliver another surprise cut.

Washington’s shutdown saga has shifted from cliffhanger to background hum: progress toward reopening has eased immediate tail risks, but negotiations over spending, tariffs and a proposed “tariff dividend” mean fiscal worries remain central to how bond and precious‑metals markets are being priced. For capital markets, that combination—less shutdown drama but more deficit anxiety—has kept risk appetite intact while nudging investors toward the comfort of longer‑dated Treasurys and bullion.

Tariffs, trade and policy cross‑currents

Tariffs stayed in the frame rather than on the front page, with investors still parsing the longer‑term growth and margin impact of President Donald Trump’s on‑again, off‑again levies even after he suspended the most aggressive proposals back in April following a sharp wobble in the Treasury market. Subsequent negotiations to lower headline tariff rates have calmed some nerves, but markets remain acutely aware that any renewed flare‑up would land directly on global supply chains, capex plans and the dollar.

In precious metals, tariff and fiscal concerns continue to act like a slow‑burn stimulus: higher real‑rate volatility, expanding deficits and the prospect of a “tariff dividend” financed by borrowing have all been cited as reasons why investors remain comfortable owning gold and especially silver at historically elevated levels. For equity strategists, the policy mix amounts to a polite reminder that 2026 earnings estimates are being drafted in pencil, not ink.

Eli Lilly: GLP‑1 king trims prices, not its crown

Eli Lilly’s LLY edged modestly higher, rising about 0.09% after the company and Novo Nordisk reduced list prices on obesity drugs in key markets, a move framed as both competitive positioning and pre‑emptive political risk management as the GLP‑1 boom attracts mounting scrutiny. The pressure was more about headline fatigue than fundamentals: Lilly remains a market darling after posting blow‑out quarterly earnings—roughly 7.02 in EPS on revenue that jumped nearly 54% year‑over‑year—and issuing robust 2025 guidance tied to Zepbound, Mounjaro and a deep metabolic pipeline.

Flows underlined that the growth story is intact even if the stock occasionally needs to catch its breath: J.L. Bainbridge & Co. recently raised its stake in LLY by more than 11,000%, making it a top‑10 holding, while analysts’ consensus price target sits north of $1,100 with a “Moderate Buy” tag. The shares spent most of Tuesday changing hands around $1,075–$1,080, roughly 40% above where they started the year, suggesting investors are still treating any GLP‑1 discounting as a margin nuance rather than a thesis‑breaker.

TSMC, Nvidia, Micron and the AI chip complex

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing TSM traded slightly softer to $299.58, mirroring the broader semiconductor space as investors locked in year‑end profits despite a still‑bullish fundamental backdrop that includes rising analyst price targets. Bernstein recently boosted its target on TSM to $330 and reiterated an “outperform” view, calling the foundry a high‑quality core holding in the AI build‑out, but even core holdings occasionally get trimmed when performance fees are on the line.

Nvidia NVDA fell about .36% to $187.54, giving back part of an extraordinary year in which its market value swelled to roughly $4.5 trillion and its AI chips became the de facto tollbooth for data‑center ambition. Micron Technology MU slipped .59% to $292.63 in sympathy after a powerful run fueled by AI‑linked memory demand, with recent screens still flagging it as one of the highest‑dollar‑volume tech names on traders’ dashboards.

Apple, Tesla, Broadcom and Meta

Apple AAPL barely budged, ending fractionally .25% lower as investors treated the iPhone maker as a high‑quality cash‑flow bond in a market otherwise busy debating how much they overpaid for growth this year. The stock remains not far from record territory after a 2025 that mixed renewed optimism about AI and services with periodic hand‑wringing over hardware saturation and regulatory risk.

Tesla TSLA fared worse, sliding around 1.13% to $454.43 as it previewed downbeat sales numbers/4Q deliveries that came in at 422,850 units globally which would be approx. a 15% y/y dip. Broadcom AVGO edged +.13% higher alongside the chip complex after a blistering AI‑infrastructure run, & continues to rank among the most heavily traded technology names and a favored way to own the plumbing of the data‑center boom.

Meta Platforms META  rose 1.10% to $665.95. The social‑media giant remains near the front of the line in the trillion‑ish‑dollar club​.

Intel, Oracle and the legacy tech cohort

Intel INTC moved 1.69% higher to $37.20. The stock remains a high‑beta way to express a view on whether traditional CPU vendors can reinvent themselves for accelerated computing at scale.

Oracle ORCL also rose .94% to $97.21 after a stellar stretch in which investors rewarded its cloud and AI tie‑ups, including high‑profile work with OpenAI that has helped recast the software stalwart as an infrastructure player rather than a purely legacy database vendor. Recent sessions have seen Oracle singled out among the AI winners whose valuations may already discount a great deal of future deal flow, a nuance that tends to matter when Fed minutes sound even mildly less dovish.

Palantir, Oklo and Opendoor: speculative tape, specific stories

Palantir Technologies PLTR edged lower by 1.81% to $180.84, but remained heavily traded, continuing a pattern in which the stock reacts to every incremental data‑platform win or government contract rumbling with outsized volatility. The name continues to show up near the top of tech watchlists thanks to its combination of AI narrative, defense adjacency and a share price path that looks more like a seismograph than a spreadsheet.

Oklo OKLO, the advanced‑nuclear upstart that went public earlier in the year, traded down 3.33% to $71.62 as the market digested both ambitious deployment timelines and a policy environment that oscillates between enthusiastic and bureaucratic. Opendoor Technologies OPEN likewise saw subdued action but traded +.17% higher to $5.84, with housing‑linked equities still contending with higher‑for‑longer mortgage rates and buyers who would like to believe in a 2026 recovery but have not yet convinced their lenders.

McDonald’s, Nokia, Rio Tinto: old‑economy barometers

McDonald’s MCD was little changed to close at $308.03, continuing to serve as a pleasantly boring bellwether for global consumer demand in a year otherwise dominated by AI, tariffs and precious‑metals theatrics. The stock’s role as an inflation and wage‑pressure barometer has not gone unnoticed, but Tuesday’s quiet tape suggested investors had more urgent dramas to trade.

Nokia NOK traded down 1.06% to $6.51 as the market weighed 5G and network‑equipment demand against capex caution from carriers coping with higher funding costs and uncertain tariff spillovers into hardware pricing. Rio Tinto Group RIO ticked mildly higher by .15% to $80.52, helped by firmer copper and iron‑ore sentiment as investors bet that any 2026 industrial slowdown will be tempered by ongoing demand for electrification metals and AI‑hardware inputs.

IPOs, M&A and deal flow

The primary calendar remained subdued into year‑end, with no marquee NYSE or Nasdaq IPOs pricing on Tuesday even as bankers quietly prepare a deeper 2026 pipeline now that shutdown disruptions have eased. Earlier in December, Medline’s well‑received debut and Motive Technologies’ filing under the ticker “MTVE” illustrated that sponsors remain willing to test the market, but this week’s tape suggests a preference for January windows over late‑December experiments.

M&A headlines were similarly light, with 2025’s broader pattern still defined by tariff uncertainty, elevated rates and unpredictable regulatory sign‑offs that left dealmakers busier fine‑tuning term sheets than announcing blockbuster combinations. Strategics have favored bolt‑on technology and healthcare acquisitions over megamergers, a cautious stance that may persist until the Fed’s path, tariff regime and growth outlook look a bit less like a choose‑your‑own‑adventure novel.

Gold, silver, oil and bitcoin

Gold climbed roughly .41% to trade at the $4,361.20/oz. mark, bouncing back from recent volatility as investors sought a hedge against fiscal drift, policy uncertainty and the uncomfortable arithmetic of running deficits near 6% of GDP at this stage in the cycle. Silver, which has careened between record highs and double‑digit intraday swings this month, moved 7.85% higher after yesterday’s pullback and remains on track to finish 2025 with eye‑catching gains that have turned even jaded macro funds into reluctant metals tourists.

Oil prices ticked modestly lower to $57.94/bbl, with disciplined supply and periodic geopolitical flare‑ups into a price level that offends almost no one and delights even fewer. Bitcoin added just under 1%, changing hands in the high‑$88,000s and reminding skeptics that even after a sharp pullback from October’s six‑figure peak, the asset has quietly retained most of its 2025 gains thanks to ETF demand and a surprisingly crypto‑friendly tone from Washington.

Vista Partners Watchlist Updates

Modular Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: MODD., $.3621), a leader in innovative insulin delivery technology targeting the $3 billion adult “almost-pumpers” diabetes market with user-friendly, affordable patch pumps, announced (Dec. 10) that it had priced an underwritten public offering (the “offering”) of 12,173,000 shares of its common stock and accompanying warrants to purchase 6,086,500 shares of its common stock. Each two shares of common stock are being offered and sold together with one accompanying warrant at a combined offering at a price of $0.77, yielding an effective price of $0.38 per share and $0.01 per warrant. The warrants will have an exercise price of $0.45 per share, are exercisable immediately upon issuance and will expire five years following the date of issuance. In connection with the offering, Modular Medical has granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of common shares and/or warrants at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The over-allotment option may be elected with respect to, at the underwriter’s sole discretion, shares and warrants together, solely shares, solely warrants, or any combination thereof. Newbridge Securities Corporation is acting as the sole bookrunner for the offering. Assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, the gross proceeds to the Company from the offering are expected to be approximately $4.68 million, before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund operations and for working capital and general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures.

On Nov. 17, Modular announced Institutional Review Board (“IRB”) approval to conduct an in-house study of its next-generation Pivot™ insulin delivery system using insulin on people with diabetes (the “Study”). Pursuant to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) regulations, an IRB is a group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects. The Study will simulate real-world conditions by delivering insulin to adult participants to gather critical data on device function and usability and obtain user feedback. Modular Medical’s Pivot tubeless patch pump aims to enhance accessibility for underserved patients with diabetes and drive market penetration and expansion.

On Nov. 14, Modular Medical announced the 510(k) premarket submission of its next generation Pivot™ tubeless patch pump to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”). The Company expects to commence the commercial launch of its Pivot pump in Q1 2026. On Nov. 3, Modular Medical the successful validation of its Pivot controller line, a critical milestone in preparing for the commercial launch of its Pivot patch pump targeted for Q1 2026. The Pivot controller line validation further demonstrates manufacturing readiness for high-volume production, positioning Modular Medical to meet the growing demand in the diabetes treatment market for advanced technology.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: EPRX, $7.73, +2.38%), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging its proprietary Diffusphere™ technology to optimize local, controlled drug delivery for diseases with significant unmet need, announced (Nov. 13) the second set of 52-week follow up data from its ongoing Phase 1b/2a RESOLVE trial evaluating a single administration EP-104GI for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (“EoE”). James A. Helliwell, Chief Executive Officer of Eupraxia stated,“These data further highlight the strong durability and tolerability profile of EP-104GI, reinforcing its potential to become a convenient, once-a-year treatment that fits seamlessly into routine disease management by aligning with annual patient endoscopies. The Cohorts 5 & 6 patients – the only groups to have reached 52 weeks in the trial – are demonstrating levels of symptom relief that is durable and clinically meaningful – we are very encouraged by this outcome. We’re also pleased that our previously announced 52-week data were presented as a late-breaking presentation at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting (ACG). These new results build on that momentum. Given that current EoE therapies often struggle with long-term adherence, we believe a durable, once-yearly treatment could meaningfully improve patient outcomes and establish EP-104GI as a preferred option for both physicians and their patients.”

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX, $.1719, +1%), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multi-antigen vaccines and immunotherapies for infectious diseases and cancer, announced (Dec. 19) that it has entered into definitive securities purchase agreements with several institutional and individual investors for the purchase and sale of approximately 13.2 million units, each comprised of one share of the Company’s common stock and warrants, as described below, to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, at a price of $0.245 per unit in a public offering. The Company will issue warrants to purchase up to approximately 26.5 million shares of common stock. The warrants will have an exercise price of $0.245 per share, will be exercisable immediately following the date of issuance and will have a term of five years following the date of issuance. Roth Capital Partners is acting as the exclusive placement agent for the offering. The gross proceeds to the Company from this offering are expected to be approximately $3.2 million, before deducting the placement agent’s fees and other offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about December 22, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

GeoVax announced (Dec. 18) the publication of a peer-reviewed article in Frontiers in Immunology titled: “Multi-antigen MVA-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, GEO-CM04S1, induces cross-protective immune responses to ancestral and Omicron variants.” The study provides definitive preclinical evidence that GeoVax’s multi-antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidate, GEO-CM04S1, delivers full cross-variant protection, driven predominantly by robust T-cell responses, even in the absence of neutralizing antibodies. The findings reinforce the design philosophy behind GeoVax’s MVA-based, multi-antigen platform and provide mechanistic insight that is increasingly relevant for immunocompromised individuals, who often fail to respond optimally to the first-generation COVID-19 vaccines.

GeoVax announced (Dec. 17) the successful completion of fill-finish for the initial clinical batch of GEO-MVA, its next-generation Mpox/smallpox vaccine. The product has now entered final release evaluation, the concluding quality-control and compliance process required before shipment for clinical use, positioning the Company for Phase 3 immunobridging trial start-up activities in Q1 2026. Fill-finish – the sterile, cGMP-regulated process of filling, sealing, and packaging vaccine vials – marks the last manufacturing step before a vaccine may enter clinical study supply channels. With fill-finish complete and GEO-MVA now undergoing final release evaluation, GeoVax has moved into the final pre-clinical-deployment phase of its EMA-aligned clinical program. In June 2025, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Scientific Advice confirmed that a single Phase 3 immunobridging study demonstrating immune comparability to the approved MVA vaccine, Imvanex(R), would be sufficient to evaluate GEO-MVA’s efficacy. This provides a clear, accelerated regulatory path to licensure. This milestone coincides with increasing Mpox activity globally – including expanding Clade I outbreaks in Africa and emerging cases in the United States – exposing vulnerabilities associated with global dependence on a sole foreign MVA vaccine supplier. GEO-MVA is designed to expand supply, diversify sources, and strengthen biodefense infrastructure.

Volato Group, Inc. (NYSE American: SOAR, $.79, +16.245) and M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO, $.0739), a company specializing in the development and execution of a complete global value supply chain for critical minerals, recently announced key developments in its pending all-stock merger with M2i Global, Inc.. Volato has filed the Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), following the SEC’s completion of its review of the initial confidential submission. With the reopening of federal agencies following the recent government shutdown, both companies now anticipate closing the merger in the first quarter of 2026, pending completion of SEC review and shareholder approval.

Volato Group, Inc. today (Dec. 29) announced the appointment of Alan D. Gaines to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Gaines will also serve as Chairman of the Audit Committee.

On Dec. 23, Volato Group, Inc. announced preliminary financial guidance for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2025, reflecting continued execution against its strategic and balance sheet objectives. For the fourth quarter of 2025, Volato expects to report revenue between $27 million and $28 million. For the full year 2025, the Company anticipates total revenue between $78 million and $79 million, with net income of $6 million to $8 million. These results reflect a year of meaningful progression aligning operational performance with Volato’s long-term growth initiatives and advancing its pending merger with M2i Global, Inc. (OTC: MTWO). During 2025, Volato also made substantial progress strengthening its balance sheet. As of September 30, 2025, the Company reduced total liabilities to $9.5 million, satisfying the debt reduction condition required under its pending merger agreement with M2i Global, Inc. (OTC: MTWO). Volato expects continued improvement in its capital structure as it advances toward a targeted first-quarter 2026 closing of the transaction. “Our 2025 results reflect a year of transformation and disciplined balance sheet execution,” said Mark Heinen, Chief Financial Officer of Volato. “We made significant progress reducing liabilities while sharpening our focus on scalable, technology-driven businesses that are designed to complement and strengthen the M2i Global platform over the long term.”

On Dec. 18, Volato Group, Inc. and M2i Global, Inc. announced that they applaud the recent December 11, 2025 announcement from the U.S. Department of State whereby Pax Silica, a U.S.-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation driven silicon supply chain—from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics, was formed.

Volato Group, Inc. (NYSE American: SOAR) announced recently that it has set a preliminary date of February 26, 2026 and preliminary record date of January 17, 2026 for a special meeting of shareholders to vote on the proposed merger with M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO) and related matters. The preliminary meeting date and record date remain subject to applicable regulatory and exchange requirements, including the effectiveness of Volato’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-292132) (the “Registration Statement”) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the mailing of definitive proxy materials to shareholders. The proposed merger creates a combined company built for scale. M2i Global brings a platform focused on critical minerals and national supply chain resilience, while Volato contributes proven aviation technology, software capability, and an established track record of operational execution. Together, the companies aim to participate in a U.S. critical minerals market estimated at more than $320 billion annually.

Serina Therapeutics (NYSE American: SER, $2.011), Alabama-based biotech is betting its proprietary POZ platform and reimagined approach to apomorphine delivery may redefine the treatment paradigm for patients who have exhausted standard oral therapies. On Dec. 11, Serina announced the appointment of Joshua Thomas, Ph.D., as Vice President and Head of Chemistry. He will oversee internal and external chemistry efforts to optimize POZ-based candidates, supporting efficient translation from discovery through development.

On Dec. 10,Serina announced that it has submitted a complete response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) clinical hold letter for SER-252, the Company’s lead program for advanced Parkinson’s disease. As previously disclosed, the FDA placed the Company’s Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application for SER-252 on clinical hold pending additional information related to a commonly used formulation excipient. On November 25, 2025, the FDA issued a formal full clinical hold letter specifying the information required to permit initiation of the planned Phase 1b registrational study, SER-252-1b. The issues identified by the FDA do not relate to the apomorphine active drug substance, its mechanism of action, the use of the enFuse device (Enable Injections) or the broader 505(b)(2) NDA development pathway previously discussed with the Agency.

The InterGroup Corporation (NASDAQ: INTG, $27.38, +3.28%) reported (Nov. 17) results for the three months ended September 30, 2025. John V. Winfield, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We continue to observe signs of stabilization and recovery across the San Francisco hospitality market, including improving convention calendars, tourism indicators, and business travel activity. On the investment side, our marketable securities activity remained modest with a small net gain, consistent with our emphasis on liquidity and risk discipline.”

DoubleVerify Holdings Inc. (DV) closed at $11.50, -52%. DoubleVerify, which built its franchise on media verification and ad performance analytics, is now the first badged TikTok Marketing Partner focused specifically on attention measurement, tapping impression-level signals from the platform. Brands gain a granular view of how exposure and user interaction come together across TikTok formats, ad sets, creatives, and objectives, effectively treating every swipe as a tiny A/B test.

The Sources

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  12. https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-bonds-crypto-tariffs-ai-539ae5ec338d19f52116e97d38300c28
  13. https://economictimes.com/news/international/us/gold-silver-and-copper-prices-surge-again-heres-the-2026-gold-silver-and-copper-outlook-amid-policy-risks-supply-deficits-and-structural-demand-header/articleshow/126259059.cms
  14. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/eli-lilly-novo-nordisk-shares-165722327.html
  15. https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/filing-eli-lilly-and-company-lly-shares-acquired-by-j-l-bainbridge-co-inc-2025-12-30/
  16. https://www.ainvest.com/news/4-stocks-key-inflection-points-meta-lly-ba-tak-2025-2512/
  17. https://seekingalpha.com/news/4535828-eli-lilly-novo-waging-price-wars-china
  18. https://robinhood.com/us/en/stocks/LLY/
  19. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/08/monday-stocks-from-analyst-calls-include-nvidia-tesla-apple-gm.html
  20. https://finance.yahoo.com/quotes/NVDA,AAPL,MSFT,AVGO,META,CDNS,AMZN,TSLA,ORCL,TSM
  21. https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/top-technology-stocks-to-follow-now-december-26th-2025-12-26/
  22. https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-stocks-tech-nvidia-openai-coke-mcdonalds-microsoft-alphabet-oracle-2025-10
  23. https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/technology-stocks-to-add-to-your-watchlist-december-28th-2025-12-28/
  24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHqy62NqmpM
  25. https://www.investors.com/news/trillion-dollar-companies-11-stocks-google-no-3-nvidia-apple-eli-lilly/
  26. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/22/monday-stocks-covered-in-analyst-calls-include-nvidia-oracle-amazon-.html
  27. https://longbridge.com/news/270925064
  28. https://www.investors.com/stock-lists/stocks-near-a-buy-zone/dow-jones-apple-stock-aapl-tesla-stock-tsla-applovin-palantir/
  29. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2025-commodity-markets-wild-ride-163212472.html
  30. https://www.marketscreener.com/news/motive-technologies-files-for-us-ipo-ce7d50d3d08fff22
  31. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/19/wall-street-deals-2025-trump-tariffs-uncertainty.html
  32. https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/asian-stocks-pulled-lower-by-tech-gold-and-silver-cool-off-4424861
  33. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/28/stock-market-today-live-updates.html
  34. https://finviz.com/news/264697/stocks-mark-3rd-straight-loss-after-fed-minutes
  35. https://www.stocktitan.net/sec-filings/LLY/form-4-eli-lilly-co-insider-trading-activity-57eda8158540.html
  36. https://www.tradingview.com/news/tradingview:10b3662065cfa:0-lilly-endowment-sells-3-593-shares-of-eli-lilly-co/
  37. https://www.sahmcapital.com/news/content/us-stocks-open-higher-on-monday-tech-stocks-in-focus-as-year-end-approaches-2025-12-22
  38. https://fintel.io/sofStockWeeklyLeaderboard
  39. https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/LLY/
  40. https://www.reddit.com/r/stocks/comments/1pzes76/rstocks_daily_discussion_technicals_tuesday_dec/

Halftime in the AI Chip Supercycle: 6 High‑Moat Semiconductor Names Targeting a $1 Trillion Payoff -( $ADI $AVGO $BAC $CDNS $KLAC $LCRX $NVDA )

Semiconductor investors are heading into 2026 with a decidedly first-class problem: how to position for a chip industry that may hit the long‑mythical $1 trillion revenue mark four years ahead of schedule, without looking like they boarded the AI train after it left the station. Bank of America’s Vivek Arya has an answer, and it reads like a VIP guest list for the data‑center decade.

Midpoint of the AI supercycle

According to Arya’s 2026 outlook, the semiconductor sector is only at the midpoint of an AI “supercycle,” with global chip sales poised to jump roughly 30% year over year and cross $1 trillion in 2026. That timeline pulls forward an industry target previously penciled in around 2030 as AI accelerators, high‑bandwidth memory, and custom silicon become non‑negotiable infrastructure rather than optional upgrades.

For Big Tech, the calculus has shifted from “Can we afford this?” to “Can we afford not to?”, as a single 1‑gigawatt AI data center can carry a $60 billion price tag, roughly half of which goes to computing hardware. The result is a multi‑year spending arc that looks less like a hype cycle and more like a capital‑intensive public works project—if public works projects threw off 70% gross margins.

The “Top 6 for ’26” leaders

Arya’s “Top 6 for ’26” centers on six franchises he argues dominate their niches with market shares often in the 70–75% range and “moats quantified by their margin structure.” His core list: Nvidia, Broadcom (AVGO), Lam Research (LCRX), KLA (KLAC), Analog Devices (ADI), and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS).

  • Nvidia (NVDA) sits at the heart of AI accelerators, with top‑shelf GPUs selling at luxury‑car prices and free cash flow projected to approach eye‑popping levels over the next several years, leaving its PEG ratio looking surprisingly modest versus the broader market once growth is factored in.
  • Broadcom is the bespoke tailor of the silicon world, designing custom AI chips for hyperscalers eager to diversify beyond off‑the‑shelf GPUs, a role that has drawn praise from Wall Street analysts who see further upside as those partnerships deepen.

In this framework, investors are not buying “semis” in the generic sense; they are effectively purchasing a shortlist of tollbooths on the AI highway.

The unsung equipment heroes

Beyond the headline chip names, Bank of America (BAC) highlights the equipment makers as the unsung beneficiaries of the second wave of AI demand. Lam Research and KLA, in particular, sit at the center of wafer fabrication equipment and process control, both critical as the industry pushes into advanced packaging and high‑bandwidth memory that border on science fiction in scale and precision.

Sales of wafer fab equipment are expected to grow at strong double‑digit rates as fabrication plants expand capacity and adopt new process technologies to keep up with AI‑driven demand. In Wall Street terms, if GPUs are the rock stars, WFE suppliers are the tour logistics teams quietly billing by the hour—and by the billion.

Moats, margins, and “choppy, still cheerful”

Arya’s note, titled “2026 Year Ahead: choppy, still cheerful,” acknowledges that the road to $1 trillion will not be a straight line; project lumpiness, regulatory scrutiny, and cyclical swings remain part of the package. Yet his central thesis is refreshingly unpretentious: line up the sector by gross margin, invest in the leaders, and the odds tilt heavily in your favor.

With the AI accelerator market alone framed as a roughly $900 billion opportunity by 2030 and data‑center investment still in the early innings, the key theme is concentration: a handful of companies control the essential machinery of the future, and they know it. For investors, the message is as clear as a semiconductor balance sheet—if this is only halftime in the AI game, sitting in the nosebleeds may be the riskiest seat in the house

The Sources


[1] These 6 stocks will lead the $1 trillion chip surge in 2026, BofA says https://finance.yahoo.com/news/these-6-stocks-will-lead-the-1-trillion-chip-surge-in-2026-bofa-says-130008431.html
[2] The Trillion-Dollar Threshold: Bank of America’s High-Stakes Bet on … https://www.ainvest.com/news/trillion-dollar-threshold-bank-america-high-stakes-bet-2026-chip-surge-2512/
[3] Bank of America: Chip sales will exceed trillion US dollars in 2026 … https://www.webull.com/news/14085483520738304
[4] These 6 stocks will lead the $1 trillion chip surge in 2026, BofA says https://x.com/dnystedt/status/2004343980050542951
[5] BofA Turns Extra Bullish on Semiconductor Boom – Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bofa-turns-extra-bullish-semiconductor-160841524.html
[6] These 6 stocks will lead the $1 trillion chip surge in 2026, BofA says https://www.reddit.com/r/NvidiaStock/comments/1putpnm/these_6_stocks_will_lead_the_1_trillion_chip/
[7] The artificial intelligence boom isn’t cooling off — it’s getting bigger … https://www.facebook.com/yahoofinance/posts/the-artificial-intelligence-boom-isnt-cooling-off-its-getting-bigger-bank-of-ame/1234956305165812/
[8] Bank of America’s $1 trillion semiconductor forecast: Which stocks … https://economictimes.com/news/international/us/which-stocks-could-drive-the-1-trillion-semiconductor-milestone-bank-of-americas-1-trillion-semiconductor-forecast-is-here/articleshow/126162525.cms
[9] This 1 Lesser-Known Stock Is Set to Dominate with Nvidia and Broadcom in 2026 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-lesser-known-stock-set-133002225.html
[10] Prediction: This AI Stock Could Be the First New $2 Trillion Company in 2026 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/prediction-ai-stock-could-first-152000439.html
[11] Stocks sit near record highs as ‘Santa Claus rally’ builds, 2026 approaches: What to watch this week https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-sit-near-record-highs-as-santa-claus-rally-builds-2026-approaches-what-to-watch-this-week-123013968.html
[12] 6 under-the-radar stocks to play the AI boom in 2026: BofA https://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-under-the-radar-stocks-to-play-the-ai-boom-in-2026-bofa-150019301.html
[13] Bank of America sets AI stocks to buy list for 2026 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-america-sets-ai-stocks-210300616.html
[14] These 6 stocks will lead the $1 trillion chip surge in 2026, BofA says https://x.com/YahooFinance/status/2003818218176106756
[15] These 6 stocks will lead the $1 trillion chip surge in 2026, BofA says https://longbridge.com/en/news/270730915
[16] These 6 stocks will lead the $1 trillion chip surge in 2026, BofA says https://www.aol.com/finance/6-stocks-lead-1-trillion-130008310.html
[17] Semiconductors Stock Performance – Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/semiconductors/
[18] Market Outlook 2026: Investment Trends and Risks to Consider https://www.privatebank.bankofamerica.com/articles/economic-market-outlook-2026.html
[19] The artificial intelligence boom isn’t cooling off – Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/DSp9gUWjTrM/
[20] From NVIDIA to Broadcom: Analyzing Bank of America’s … – NAI500 https://nai500.com/blog/2025/12/from-nvidia-to-broadcom-analyzing-bank-of-americas-top-semiconductor-picks-for-2026/

Wall Street’s Year-End Chill: Tech Titans, Gold, Silver Slip as Tariff Jitters, Yield Curves and Bitcoin Volatility Test 2025’s Rally – December 29, 2025 -( $DBRG $DV $EPRX $LLY $MTWO $PRAX Rise!)

In all, the final Monday of 2025 looked less like the start of a new narrative and more like a tidy epilogue: investors trimming winners, testing how far tariffs and higher real rates can bend the expansion without breaking it, and quietly wondering whether 2026 can possibly follow a three‑year run that Wall Street will be bragging about for some time. Yes indeed, Wall Street tiptoed into the last trading week of 2025 with the air of a holiday party that went a day too long—indexes off their highs, megacap tech on the back foot, and traders nervously guarding this year’s fat gains as if they were year-end bonuses already spent. Precious metals finally remembered that trees do not grow to the sky, even in futures markets, while bitcoin continued to discovere that gravity applies to digital assets too.

S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq, Russell

The S&P 500 slipped around 0.35% as investors trimmed richly valued tech and AI winners, a modest giveback after the benchmark notched record highs just before Christmas and locked in gains north of 17.41% for the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 0.51% after touching record territory last week, its 2025 advance still running above 13.91% as investors rotate toward more defensive blue chips into year-end. The Nasdaq Composite, ever the drama major, dropped roughly 0.5% as selling in Nvidia, Tesla and other growth leaders led the pullback, although the index remains up more than 21.56% year-to-date—a reminder that this is what a “bad” day looks like after a stellar year.

Macro data, Fed, yields, shutdown

Monday’s U.S. calendar was light, with housing data and year-end positioning doing more of the talking than any blockbuster report, leaving markets focused on how Trump-era tariffs and slower growth will shape 2026. The Treasury curve stayed inverted but eased, with the 10‑year yield hovering just above 4.1% and the 2‑year near the mid‑3% range, reflecting markets that see slower growth and at least a less aggressive Fed rather than an all‑clear boom. The Federal Reserve’s December meeting already delivered a widely expected rate cut toward a 3.50%–3.75% funds range, and investors are now waiting on this week’s release of December meeting minutes for hints about early‑2026 moves—complicated by a lingering government shutdown spat that has delayed some key economic data.

Tariffs, Washington and trade

Tariffs remain the policy that never goes out of style in Washington, with Trump’s 2025 regimen keeping effective rates on Chinese imports near the eye‑watering mid‑40% range and sparking ongoing complaints from importers and small businesses about rising costs. A summer deal with Europe that slashed EU tariffs on most U.S. industrial goods while raising U.S. duties on EU exports continues to reshape trade flows into year‑end, reinforcing the sense that 2025 will be remembered as the year tariff policy turned from “temporary pressure tactic” into a semi‑permanent fixture of the global order.

Metals, oil and bitcoin

Gold futures retreated roughly 4.31%% from last week’s record highs, trading around the mid‑$4,300’s per ounce, as investors took profits after a spectacular safe‑haven run fueled by geopolitics, tariffs and nagging inflation worries. Silver was hit even harder, falling about 6.88% and logging one of its sharpest single‑day pullbacks of the year after briefly flirting with the $80 mark, a reminder that volatility cuts both ways when “store of value” trades get crowded. Oil prices moved higher, with West Texas Intermediate climbing around 1.5%–2% toward the $57s a barrel, helped by tightening supply expectations and cross‑asset rotation, while bitcoin slipped less than 1% to the mid‑$87,000s as crypto bulls discovered that even digital gold can suffer a year‑end mark‑to‑market.

Mega‑cap tech and AI: Nvidia, TSMC, Apple, Tesla, Broadcom, Meta, Micron, Intel, Oracle

Large‑cap tech spent the session in the penalty box, with Nvidia more than 1% and Tesla dropping over 3% helping drag the Nasdaq lower as traders took profits after a powerful year‑end AI rally. Broadcom and other AI infrastructure names also softened as investors reassessed rich valuations heading into a week that features fresh updates from Oracle and other cloud and chip players, underscoring how much of 2025’s narrative has hinged on AI data‑center capex. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Micron—key barometers of the chip cycle—edged lower alongside the broader semiconductor complex as traders balanced optimism about 2026 demand with fatigue after a multi‑quarter run‑up. Apple, Meta and Intel all traded down with the tech complex, pressured more by macro and positioning than by company‑specific catalysts as investors marked‑to‑market a strong year of gains in megacap platforms and PC/server silicon. Oracle, which has become something of a high‑beta AI proxy thanks to its multiyear OpenAI cloud deal, slid again as the market continued to debate whether a massive backlog built on a single flagship customer justifies its earlier rerating.

Eli Lilly, healthcare heavyweight

Eli Lilly’s (LLY, $1,079.45, +.16%) shares held up comparatively well against the tech‑led selloff, with investors still digesting blockbuster third‑quarter results that showed revenue jumping roughly 54% year‑over‑year to about $17.6 billion on the strength of its obesity and metabolic franchise. The stock, which has climbed roughly a third this year and is closing in on the low‑$1,000s, continues to be treated as a quasi‑growth name in a value sector as Wall Street leans into the idea that Lilly is “the Nvidia of healthcare”—a title the market seems quite happy to award at a premium multiple.

OKLO, Palantir, Opendoor and the rest of the story

In the more speculative corners of the market, nuclear micro‑reactor developer Oklo ($74.09, -3.68%) remains a favorite of high‑octane growth investors after a torrid 2025 that saw the stock trade in the $70s and beyond, even as some analysts warn that consensus price targets now sit notably below the current quote. Palantir (PLTR, $184.18, -2.40%), long a bellwether for data‑driven defense and government AI contracts, traded weaker in sympathy with other AI‑adjacent names, as investors balanced enthusiasm over long‑term government and commercial wins against the near‑term reality of slower spending in a tariff‑hit economy. Opendoor’s (OPEN, $5.83, -3%) shares remained sensitive to any whispers on housing data and mortgage‑rate expectations, with the stock shadowing broader concerns that even a modestly lower‑rate environment may not fully offset structural affordability challenges in the U.S. housing market.

McDonald’s, Rio Tinto, Nokia and old‑economy signals

Defensive stalwart McDonald’s traded slightly lower with the Dow, though the stock still looks like a 2025 winner as investors have used the Golden Arches as a proxy for global consumer resilience in a year of tariffs and elevated prices. Rio Tinto (RIO, $80.40, -2.24%) eased with other cyclicals as metals prices came off the boil and recession probabilities tied to the inverted yield curve lingered, reminding investors that the commodity supercycle can occasionally pause for macro reality. Nokia (NOK, $6.58, -.60%) still grinding through its multi‑year reinvention in networks and 5G infrastructure, moved largely with the broader international tech tape, offering more evidence that this market continues to reward pure‑play AI and software far more generously than old‑line telecom hardware.

M&A, IPOs and primary markets

The year‑end calendar remained relatively quiet on blockbuster mergers or buyouts Monday, with dealmakers largely focused on closing existing transactions rather than announcing new trophy acquisitions in the final holiday‑shortened week of the year. However, we did discover that SoftBank Group Corp. (TSE: 9984, “SoftBank Group”) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG, “DigitalBridge”), a leading global alternative asset manager dedicated to investing in digital infrastructure, including data centers, cell towers, fiber networks, and edge infrastructure, for a total enterprise value of approximately $4.0B.

Note that in the IPO market, 2025 will already go down as a boom year with roughly 347 U.S. deals priced so far—about 55% more than by this point in 2024—while this week’s calendar features a smattering of smaller offerings and SPAC‑style vehicles on the NYSE and Nasdaq rather than marquee household names.

Vista Partners Watchlist Updates

Modular Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: MODD., $.3903, -1.59%), a leader in innovative insulin delivery technology targeting the $3 billion adult “almost-pumpers” diabetes market with user-friendly, affordable patch pumps, announced (Dec. 10) that it had priced an underwritten public offering (the “offering”) of 12,173,000 shares of its common stock and accompanying warrants to purchase 6,086,500 shares of its common stock. Each two shares of common stock are being offered and sold together with one accompanying warrant at a combined offering at a price of $0.77, yielding an effective price of $0.38 per share and $0.01 per warrant. The warrants will have an exercise price of $0.45 per share, are exercisable immediately upon issuance and will expire five years following the date of issuance. In connection with the offering, Modular Medical has granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of common shares and/or warrants at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The over-allotment option may be elected with respect to, at the underwriter’s sole discretion, shares and warrants together, solely shares, solely warrants, or any combination thereof. Newbridge Securities Corporation is acting as the sole bookrunner for the offering. Assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, the gross proceeds to the Company from the offering are expected to be approximately $4.68 million, before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund operations and for working capital and general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures.

On Nov. 17, Modular announced Institutional Review Board (“IRB”) approval to conduct an in-house study of its next-generation Pivot™ insulin delivery system using insulin on people with diabetes (the “Study”). Pursuant to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) regulations, an IRB is a group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects. The Study will simulate real-world conditions by delivering insulin to adult participants to gather critical data on device function and usability and obtain user feedback. Modular Medical’s Pivot tubeless patch pump aims to enhance accessibility for underserved patients with diabetes and drive market penetration and expansion.

On Nov. 14, Modular Medical announced the 510(k) premarket submission of its next generation Pivot™ tubeless patch pump to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”). The Company expects to commence the commercial launch of its Pivot pump in Q1 2026. On Nov. 3, Modular Medical the successful validation of its Pivot controller line, a critical milestone in preparing for the commercial launch of its Pivot patch pump targeted for Q1 2026. The Pivot controller line validation further demonstrates manufacturing readiness for high-volume production, positioning Modular Medical to meet the growing demand in the diabetes treatment market for advanced technology.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: EPRX, $7.73, +2.38%), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging its proprietary Diffusphere™ technology to optimize local, controlled drug delivery for diseases with significant unmet need, announced (Nov. 13) the second set of 52-week follow up data from its ongoing Phase 1b/2a RESOLVE trial evaluating a single administration EP-104GI for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (“EoE”). James A. Helliwell, Chief Executive Officer of Eupraxia stated,“These data further highlight the strong durability and tolerability profile of EP-104GI, reinforcing its potential to become a convenient, once-a-year treatment that fits seamlessly into routine disease management by aligning with annual patient endoscopies. The Cohorts 5 & 6 patients – the only groups to have reached 52 weeks in the trial – are demonstrating levels of symptom relief that is durable and clinically meaningful – we are very encouraged by this outcome. We’re also pleased that our previously announced 52-week data were presented as a late-breaking presentation at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting (ACG). These new results build on that momentum. Given that current EoE therapies often struggle with long-term adherence, we believe a durable, once-yearly treatment could meaningfully improve patient outcomes and establish EP-104GI as a preferred option for both physicians and their patients.”

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX, $.1702, -5.97%), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multi-antigen vaccines and immunotherapies for infectious diseases and cancer, announced (Dec. 19) that it has entered into definitive securities purchase agreements with several institutional and individual investors for the purchase and sale of approximately 13.2 million units, each comprised of one share of the Company’s common stock and warrants, as described below, to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, at a price of $0.245 per unit in a public offering. The Company will issue warrants to purchase up to approximately 26.5 million shares of common stock. The warrants will have an exercise price of $0.245 per share, will be exercisable immediately following the date of issuance and will have a term of five years following the date of issuance. Roth Capital Partners is acting as the exclusive placement agent for the offering. The gross proceeds to the Company from this offering are expected to be approximately $3.2 million, before deducting the placement agent’s fees and other offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about December 22, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

GeoVax announced (Dec. 18) the publication of a peer-reviewed article in Frontiers in Immunology titled: “Multi-antigen MVA-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, GEO-CM04S1, induces cross-protective immune responses to ancestral and Omicron variants.” The study provides definitive preclinical evidence that GeoVax’s multi-antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidate, GEO-CM04S1, delivers full cross-variant protection, driven predominantly by robust T-cell responses, even in the absence of neutralizing antibodies. The findings reinforce the design philosophy behind GeoVax’s MVA-based, multi-antigen platform and provide mechanistic insight that is increasingly relevant for immunocompromised individuals, who often fail to respond optimally to the first-generation COVID-19 vaccines.

GeoVax announced (Dec. 17) the successful completion of fill-finish for the initial clinical batch of GEO-MVA, its next-generation Mpox/smallpox vaccine. The product has now entered final release evaluation, the concluding quality-control and compliance process required before shipment for clinical use, positioning the Company for Phase 3 immunobridging trial start-up activities in Q1 2026. Fill-finish – the sterile, cGMP-regulated process of filling, sealing, and packaging vaccine vials – marks the last manufacturing step before a vaccine may enter clinical study supply channels. With fill-finish complete and GEO-MVA now undergoing final release evaluation, GeoVax has moved into the final pre-clinical-deployment phase of its EMA-aligned clinical program. In June 2025, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Scientific Advice confirmed that a single Phase 3 immunobridging study demonstrating immune comparability to the approved MVA vaccine, Imvanex(R), would be sufficient to evaluate GEO-MVA’s efficacy. This provides a clear, accelerated regulatory path to licensure. This milestone coincides with increasing Mpox activity globally – including expanding Clade I outbreaks in Africa and emerging cases in the United States – exposing vulnerabilities associated with global dependence on a sole foreign MVA vaccine supplier. GEO-MVA is designed to expand supply, diversify sources, and strengthen biodefense infrastructure.

Volato Group, Inc. (NYSE American: SOAR, $.6796) and M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO, $.0795, +.76%), a company specializing in the development and execution of a complete global value supply chain for critical minerals, recently announced key developments in its pending all-stock merger with M2i Global, Inc.. Volato has filed the Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), following the SEC’s completion of its review of the initial confidential submission. With the reopening of federal agencies following the recent government shutdown, both companies now anticipate closing the merger in the first quarter of 2026, pending completion of SEC review and shareholder approval.

Volato Group, Inc. today (Dec. 29) announced the appointment of Alan D. Gaines to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Gaines will also serve as Chairman of the Audit Committee.

On Dec. 23, Volato Group, Inc. announced preliminary financial guidance for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2025, reflecting continued execution against its strategic and balance sheet objectives. For the fourth quarter of 2025, Volato expects to report revenue between $27 million and $28 million. For the full year 2025, the Company anticipates total revenue between $78 million and $79 million, with net income of $6 million to $8 million. These results reflect a year of meaningful progression aligning operational performance with Volato’s long-term growth initiatives and advancing its pending merger with M2i Global, Inc. (OTC: MTWO). During 2025, Volato also made substantial progress strengthening its balance sheet. As of September 30, 2025, the Company reduced total liabilities to $9.5 million, satisfying the debt reduction condition required under its pending merger agreement with M2i Global, Inc. (OTC: MTWO). Volato expects continued improvement in its capital structure as it advances toward a targeted first-quarter 2026 closing of the transaction. “Our 2025 results reflect a year of transformation and disciplined balance sheet execution,” said Mark Heinen, Chief Financial Officer of Volato. “We made significant progress reducing liabilities while sharpening our focus on scalable, technology-driven businesses that are designed to complement and strengthen the M2i Global platform over the long term.”

On Dec. 18, Volato Group, Inc. and M2i Global, Inc. announced that they applaud the recent December 11, 2025 announcement from the U.S. Department of State whereby Pax Silica, a U.S.-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation driven silicon supply chain—from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics, was formed.

Volato Group, Inc. (NYSE American: SOAR) announced recently that it has set a preliminary date of February 26, 2026 and preliminary record date of January 17, 2026 for a special meeting of shareholders to vote on the proposed merger with M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO) and related matters. The preliminary meeting date and record date remain subject to applicable regulatory and exchange requirements, including the effectiveness of Volato’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-292132) (the “Registration Statement”) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the mailing of definitive proxy materials to shareholders. The proposed merger creates a combined company built for scale. M2i Global brings a platform focused on critical minerals and national supply chain resilience, while Volato contributes proven aviation technology, software capability, and an established track record of operational execution. Together, the companies aim to participate in a U.S. critical minerals market estimated at more than $320 billion annually.

Serina Therapeutics (NYSE American: SER, $2.30), Alabama-based biotech is betting its proprietary POZ platform and reimagined approach to apomorphine delivery may redefine the treatment paradigm for patients who have exhausted standard oral therapies. On Dec. 11, Serina announced the appointment of Joshua Thomas, Ph.D., as Vice President and Head of Chemistry. He will oversee internal and external chemistry efforts to optimize POZ-based candidates, supporting efficient translation from discovery through development.

On Dec. 10,Serina announced that it has submitted a complete response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) clinical hold letter for SER-252, the Company’s lead program for advanced Parkinson’s disease. As previously disclosed, the FDA placed the Company’s Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application for SER-252 on clinical hold pending additional information related to a commonly used formulation excipient. On November 25, 2025, the FDA issued a formal full clinical hold letter specifying the information required to permit initiation of the planned Phase 1b registrational study, SER-252-1b. The issues identified by the FDA do not relate to the apomorphine active drug substance, its mechanism of action, the use of the enFuse device (Enable Injections) or the broader 505(b)(2) NDA development pathway previously discussed with the Agency.

The InterGroup Corporation (NASDAQ: INTG, $26.68) reported (Nov. 17) results for the three months ended September 30, 2025. John V. Winfield, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We continue to observe signs of stabilization and recovery across the San Francisco hospitality market, including improving convention calendars, tourism indicators, and business travel activity. On the investment side, our marketable securities activity remained modest with a small net gain, consistent with our emphasis on liquidity and risk discipline.”

DoubleVerify Holdings Inc. (DV) closed at $11.56, +.52%. DoubleVerify, which built its franchise on media verification and ad performance analytics, is now the first badged TikTok Marketing Partner focused specifically on attention measurement, tapping impression-level signals from the platform. Brands gain a granular view of how exposure and user interaction come together across TikTok formats, ad sets, creatives, and objectives, effectively treating every swipe as a tiny A/B test.

Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAX, $304.58, +13.25%), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company translating genetic insights into the development of therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders characterized by neuronal excitation-inhibition imbalance, today (Dec. 29) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) for ulixacaltamide, a differentiated and highly selective small molecule inhibitor of T-type calcium channels, for the treatment of patients with essential tremor (ET).

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Doomsday Glacier Nears Collapse: How a Giant Wall of Ice Became the World’s Riskiest Long‑Term Asset -( $SPY $QQQ $DIA $GLD $SLV)

The “Doomsday Glacier” is edging closer to a dangerous tipping point, but the story is less asteroid-strike apocalypse and more slow‑motion bond crisis: the numbers are sobering, the timeline is long, and there is still room for adults in the room to act. Thwaites Glacier’s fractures are racing ahead, its underbelly is being chewed by warm ocean “storms,” and yet scientists stress that while catastrophic collapse is unlikely in the next few decades, the trajectory through this century and the next will be shaped by decisions made in the here and now.

Meet Wall Street’s Worst Iceberg Risk

Thwaites Glacier, the so‑called Doomsday Glacier in West Antarctica, is roughly the size of Britain or Florida and currently accounts for around 4 percent of global sea level rise as it spills billions of tons of ice into the ocean each year. If it were to fully collapse, it holds enough water to raise global sea levels by about 65 centimeters, or a bit over 2 feet on its own, with the potential to unlock a broader West Antarctic ice retreat that could ultimately deliver several meters—10 feet or more—of sea level rise over time.

Scientists have watched its retreat “accelerate considerably over the past 40 years,” a chart any equity analyst would recognize as the kind you don’t want to see without a hedging strategy. The glacier’s position acts like a cork in the neck of the West Antarctic ice sheet, meaning if Thwaites goes, neighboring glaciers may follow, much like a line of highly leveraged funds discovering what “correlated risk” really means.

Cracks in the Ice, Cracks in the Model

A new study from the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration and University of Manitoba researchers examined two decades of satellite data and found that the network of fractures along a key shear zone has more than doubled in total length since 2002, from about 100 miles to over 200 miles. Interestingly, the average fracture length has shrunk, suggesting a transition from a few large structural weaknesses to a dense field of smaller cracks—less “one big default,” more “systemic stress everywhere you look.”

Underwater, the news is equally bracing: recent work shows warm ocean eddies and tidal “storms” are slipping beneath the ice shelves, melting them from below in patterns that can change over days rather than decades, undermining the buttresses that slow Thwaites’ slide into the sea. Robotic surveys and ocean models indicate that complex melt channels and intrusions of seawater at the grounding line—the point where glacier meets seabed—are accelerating ice loss in ways earlier, smoother models largely missed.

Doom, With a Footnote of Hope

For all the apocalyptic branding, the latest research injects nuance that would make even a dour credit rating agency add an asterisk. Several studies suggest that one feared failure mode—marine ice cliff instability, a domino‑style collapse of tall ice cliffs—may be less likely or at least more constrained than first thought, implying that a truly sudden, Hollywood‑grade disintegration this century is not the base case.

Instead, Thwaites looks set for a prolonged retreat through the 21st and 22nd centuries, with the pace highly sensitive to future greenhouse gas emissions and ocean warming—akin to a long‑duration liability whose final bill depends on whether policymakers choose a discount rate closer to “urgent action” or “pray for miracles.” The latest ITGC synthesis notes that while a full collapse within a few decades is unlikely, continued rapid retreat is expected, meaning coastal risk is not a question of if but how fast and how prepared.

Coastal Real Estate, Meet Climate VaR

For coastal cities, Thwaites is the ultimate long‑term counterparty, promising to pay out in inches and feet of water rather than coupons. Even its standalone potential—roughly 2 feet of sea level contribution, plus the knock‑on risk of several additional meters if West Antarctica’s wider ice system destabilizes—translates into trillions of dollars in exposed infrastructure, from New York and Miami to Kolkata and Shanghai.

Urban planners now speak the language of climate Value‑at‑Risk: higher storm surges on a raised baseline, saltwater intrusion into groundwater, chronic flooding that turns “once in a century” events into line items in annual budgets. Insurance markets are already edging away from some high‑risk coastlines, effectively marking down assets long before the water actually arrives, a reminder that financial markets front‑run physical reality when the models look credible enough.

A Slow‑Motion Margin Call on Carbon

The policy takeaway is refreshingly unsensational: there is no big red button to “save” Thwaites, but cutting emissions sharply and fast can still limit how much and how quickly sea level rises, turning an existential cliff into a steep but navigable slope. Geoengineering ideas—from reflecting sunlight to attempting to influence ocean circulation—have entered the chat, though most scientists warn these are at best speculative backstops, not substitutes for the dull, proven work of decarbonizing energy, transport, and industry.

If Thwaites is the world’s icy, over‑leveraged asset, then the global economy is the risk committee that finally read the footnotes—late, but not yet too late to tighten exposure. The glacier’s message to markets and policymakers is unnervingly clear: the margin call on carbon is coming; whether it arrives as a managed transition or a forced liquidation of coastal comfort is, for the moment, still a choice.

The Sources


[1] Doomsday Glacier Approaching Catastrophic Collapse https://futurism.com/science-energy/doomsday-glacier-approaching-catastrophic-collapse
[2] Antarctica’s ‘doomsday’ glacier is heading for catastrophic collapse https://www.newscientist.com/article/2448793-antarcticas-doomsday-glacier-is-heading-for-catastrophic-collapse/
[3] Underwater ‘storms’ are eating away at the Doomsday Glacier … – CNN https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/climate/underwater-storms-melt-doomsday-pine-island-glaciers-antarctica
[4] New research offers hope on sea-level rise, although risks remain https://thwaitesglacier.org/news/research-offers-hope-sea-level-rise-risks-remain
[5] [PDF] Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier and sea-level rise https://thwaitesglacier.org/findings
[6] Bound for Antarctica: A Trip to Study the Thwaites Glacier Is Underway https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/climate/antarctica-thwaites-glacier.html
[7] Thwaites Glacier Facts https://thwaitesglacier.org/about/facts
[8] Measuring how – and where – Antarctic ice is cracking with new … https://www.psu.edu/news/earth-and-mineral-sciences/story/measuring-how-and-where-antarctic-ice-cracking-new-data-tool
[9] The ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is rapidly melting. Scientists now … – CNN https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/26/climate/doomsday-glacier-antarctic-ice-melt-climate-intl
[10] Scientists Send Robot Under Doomsday Glacier, Alarmed by What It … https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-robot-doomsday-glacier-alarmed
[11] New research from Dartmouth shows how underwater ‘storms’ may … https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025-12-26/dartmouth-glacier-research-melting-climate-change
[12] ‘Doomsday’ Antarctic Glacier Melting Faster Than Expected, Fueling … https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2024/10/30/doomsday-antarctic-glacier-melting-faster-than-expected-fueling-calls-for-geoengineering/
[13] ‘Doomsday Glacier’ may be more stable than initially feared https://news.engin.umich.edu/2021/06/doomsday-glacier-may-be-more-stable-than-initially-feared/
[14] The Doomsday Glacier Is Getting Closer and Closer to Irreversible Collapse https://www.wired.com/story/the-doomsday-glacier-is-getting-closer-and-closer-to-irreversible-collapse/
[15] Doomsday Glacier’s Rapid Collapse Exposes Urgent Climate Challenges, Impacting Coastal Communities Worldwide https://www.sustainability-times.com/climate/doomsday-glaciers-rapid-collapse-exposes-urgent-climate-challenges-impacting-coastal-communities-worldwide/
[16] Two Times Journalists Join an Expedition to Antartica https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/climate/thwaites-glacier-expedition-antarctica.html
[17] “The final judgment” – scientists warn after detecting hundreds of earthquakes beneath this glacier that could cause a catastrophe – how it affects us https://unionrayo.com/en/earthquakes-glacier-antarctica/
[18] Doomsday Glacier Approaching Catastrophic Collapse – Yahoo https://nz.news.yahoo.com/doomsday-glacier-approaching-catastrophic-collapse-120000518.html
[19] Scientists Horrified by What They Found Under the Doomsday Glacier https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-horrified-doomsday-glacier
[20] Doomsday Glacier Approaching Catastrophic Collapse (Futurism) https://x.com/MarkKepes/status/2005282034734784972

How 2026 Turns Savers Into Shoppers in the New Banking Economy For Gen Z & Beyond

The coming year in banking looks surprisingly upbeat for savers who are willing to click, compare, and occasionally break up with their branch. Even as the Federal Reserve tiptoes through rate cuts, banks are poised to court deposits with a mix of still-attractive yields and much sharper digital experiences.

The Year Banks Start Chasing You

For most of the last decade, consumers chased yield the way New Yorkers chase cabs in the rain; 2026 is shaping up as the year banks do the running. With big banks exiting 2025 at or near record stock-price highs and looking for fresh growth, deposits have suddenly become something worth pitching again, not merely warehousing.

Regional and community institutions, armed with more capital and lighter-touch regulation, are also under pressure to grow, which tends to translate into more aggressive offers on savings, CDs, and bundled services. The net result is that rate-shopping, once a niche hobby, is edging toward a mainstream financial sport.

Goodbye Rate Hikes, Hello Strategy

The days of “just wait, the Fed will raise again” are over; the new game is “optimize what’s left.” After several cuts, benchmark rates have drifted off their peaks, and CD yields have begun a controlled descent rather than a crash, with many top offers still hovering around the 4% zone.

That environment rewards savers who think like portfolio managers: mixing high-yield savings for flexibility with CD ladders to lock in yields before they slide further. The trade-off is no longer between “something” and “nothing,” but between good and slightly less good—an unusually pleasant dilemma by recent historical standards.

Digital Branches Become the Real Headquarters

If 2020 was the year everyone downloaded a banking app, 2026 is the year the app becomes the bank. Consumers overwhelmingly prefer digital channels for everyday transactions, and institutions are responding by turning mobile interfaces into command centers for budgeting, forecasting, and even basic financial advice.

Banks have learned that once a customer’s financial life—paychecks, bills, goals, and side hustles—lives inside their digital ecosystem, loyalty is less about the logo on the debit card and more about the tools on the dashboard. In practical terms, that means more account aggregation, more personalized nudges, and fewer reasons for customers to wander off in search of a marginally better rate.

The Return of the Old-School CD, With a Gen Z Twist

Certificates of deposit, long considered the sensible shoes of personal finance, are having something of a fashion moment. With headline CD rates still materially higher than standard savings accounts, more consumers—including younger ones—are using them to lock in returns before the rate cycle winds down.

Surveys show Gen Z savers discovering CDs as a way to separate “future rent money” from “late-night impulse buying,” often alongside high-yield savings and money-market accounts. Ladders, bump-up CDs, and no-penalty options are turning what used to be a set-it-and-forget-it product into something closer to a strategy game.

Savers Get the Last Word

The underlying theme of the new banking landscape is that retail customers finally have leverage—and they know it. With digital account opening just a few taps away and comparison sites broadcasting real-time rates, inertia is no longer a bank’s best friend.

For households, the practical playbook is simple: keep cash mobile, stay digitally fluent, and treat every bank pitch as negotiable. For banks, the message is equally clear: in 2026, loyalty has a new definition—deliver value, or watch it walk down the street, phone in hand, to a competitor offering 25 basis points more and an app that actually loads.

The Sources


[1] Banking predictions for 2026: 5 ways the industry will evolve next year https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/banking/article/banking-predictions-140039465.html
[2] 4 Ways Banking Will Change in 2025 – Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/news/4-ways-banking-change-2025-210021530.html
[3] CD Rate Forecast: Are CD Rates Going Up in 2026? – NerdWallet https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/news/cd-rates-forecast
[4] Beyond the Rate Cut: Why Digital CX Is the New Deposit Strategy https://thefinancialbrand.com/news/customer-experience-banking/beyond-the-rate-cut-why-digital-experience-is-the-new-deposit-strategy-193383
[5] Divisions at the Fed that defined 2025 are expected to carry into 2026 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/divisions-at-the-fed-that-defined-2025-are-expected-to-carry-into-2026-182017036.html
[6] Big Banks end 2025 at highs: Regional banks could pick up in 2026 https://finance.yahoo.com/video/big-banks-end-2025-highs-151631330.html
[7] Big Banks poised to end year at record highs, wider goals for 2026 https://finance.yahoo.com/video/big-banks-poised-end-record-214702799.html
[8] McKinsey’s Global Banking Annual Review 2025 https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/global-banking-annual-review
[9] America’s biggest banks are ending 2025 on top with big growth … https://finance.yahoo.com/news/americas-biggest-banks-are-ending-2025-on-top-with-big-growth-goals-and-markets-wide-open-070002408.html
[10] Outlook 2025: Industry Trends and the Challenges Ahead https://www.aba.com/news-research/analysis-guides/outlook-2025
[11] Best high-yield savings interest rates today, December 18, 2025 (top … https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/banking/article/best-high-yield-savings-interest-rates-today-thursday-december-18-2025-110017197.html
[12] Digital Banking: 2025 Market Overview, Trends & Insights https://sdk.finance/blog/what-is-digital-banking/
[13] Best CD Rates Of December 2025: Up To 4.10% APY – Forbes https://www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/cds/best-cd-rates/
[14] Best CD Rates Of December 2025 – Up to 4.20% – Bankrate https://www.bankrate.com/banking/cds/cd-rates/
[15] Today’s CD Rates for December 24, 2025: Highest APYs Range … https://www.wsj.com/buyside/personal-finance/banking/cd-rates-today-12-24-2025
[16] Global Banking Consumer Study 2025 | Accenture https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/banking/consumer-study-banking-advocacy-powering-growth
[17] Gen Z Achieving Success in Saving, Showing Interest in CDs to … https://www.santanderus.com/news_press_article/gen-z-achieving-success-in-saving-showing-interest-in-cds-to-accelerate-growth-santander-bank-survey-finds/
[18] Spending and Saving Better in the New Year: Americans will spend … https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spending-saving-better-americans-spend-120000005.html
[19] Your money in 2026: What to expect in banking, mortgages, credit … https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/banking/article/financial-forecast-what-to-expect-165315797.html
[20] How the ‘No Buy 2025’ trend could help you get your budget on track … https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/banking/article/no-buy-2025-154420096.html

Nvidia Drops a $20 Billion Groq Bomb: Inside the AI Chip King’s Biggest Bet Yet -( $NVDA $SPY )

Nvidia’s (NVDA) $20 billion deal with Groq is less a moonshot than a balance‑sheet flex, underscoring how the chip giant is turning raw cash into an even wider moat around the AI data center kingdom. In classic Nvidia fashion, the company managed to hire the rival’s brain trust, license its technology, and still insist it is not actually buying the rival, a distinction that lawyers appreciate and regulators will no doubt read twice. Groq is the AI chip hardware company that designs high-performance AI accelerator chips (Language Processing Units, or LPUs).

A $20 Billion Rounding Error

Nvidia is reportedly paying roughly $20 billion in cash for Groq’s inference technology and related assets, marking the largest transaction in the company’s history. Thanks to an AI boom that has stuffed its coffers with around $60 billion in cash and short‑term investments, Nvidia can write this check without so much as smudging existing shareholders via stock dilution.

For a startup that was valued at about $6.9 billion just months ago, Groq’s investors are graduating from “promising bet” to “case study in multiple expansion,” helped along by more than $500 million in prior funding and a market suddenly obsessed with AI inference speed. Wall Street, for its part, treated the announcement like a holiday bonus, nudging Nvidia shares higher as investors did the back‑of‑the‑envelope math on monetizing another layer of the AI stack.

Buying Speed, Not Just Silicon

Groq built its reputation on ultra‑low‑latency chips tuned for inference—the phase where models actually answer questions, generate content, and power real‑time applications. By licensing Groq’s architecture and pulling its top engineers in‑house, Nvidia is effectively grafting a purpose‑built inference engine onto its already dominant GPU empire.

The plan is to weave Groq’s technology into Nvidia’s broader “AI factory” architecture, broadening the menu of workloads it can serve and smoothing over some of the GPU’s pain points in latency‑sensitive tasks. In practice, that means hyperscalers and enterprises can keep defaulting to Nvidia for everything from training frontier models to serving chatbots, instead of stitching together a patchwork of niche silicon suppliers.

A Rival Neutralized, With a Wink

On paper, Groq remains an independent company, with a new CEO and a pledge that its GroqCloud services will continue operating uninterrupted. In reality, when your founder, president, and key technologists decamp to the world’s most valuable chip designer to “help integrate the licensed technology,” independence starts to look more philosophical than practical.

Nvidia’s own messaging has been carefully calibrated: it is acquiring assets and licensing IP, not “acquiring Groq as a company,” language that has the welcome side effect of lowering the temperature with antitrust regulators already wary of its outsize power in AI hardware. Observers note that this asset‑plus‑license structure gives Nvidia functional control over Groq’s key capabilities while presenting a friendlier profile to watchdogs who remember the abandoned Arm acquisition.

The Balance Sheet as Moat

This deal underscores how Nvidia’s most underappreciated product may be its cash. With tens of billions piling up from GPU sales into AI data centers, the company can treat strategically important startups less as threats and more as optionality—targets to license, hire, or absorb when the timing is right.

By paying all cash, Nvidia avoids the signaling risk of issuing stock while reinforcing the message that it is willing to spend aggressively to control critical technologies in inference, networking, and systems design. For competitors hoping custom accelerators or alternative architectures would chip away at its lead, the Groq pact is an unwelcome reminder that they are not just up against Nvidia’s engineers, but Nvidia’s balance sheet.

What It Signals to the AI Market

For customers, the Groq partnership promises more choice inside the same ecosystem: a broader catalog of accelerators, lower latency for real‑time inference, and the comfort of dealing with a single dominant vendor. For startups, it sends a different message—that in the current AI land rush, the fastest path from “disruptor” to “line item on a tech giant’s capex budget” may be measured in funding rounds, not decades.

And for investors, the transaction serves as a reminder that Nvidia still sees its AI leadership as something to defend proactively, even at a premium price. In the AI gold rush, the company selling the shovels has now decided to buy part of a rival shovel factory—paying up, in cash, to ensure that the line to its own store stays the longest.

The Sources


[1] Nvidia’s Groq deal underscores how the AI chip giant uses its massive balance sheet to ‘maintain dominance’ https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidias-groq-deal-underscores-how-the-ai-chip-giant-uses-its-massive-balance-sheet-to-maintain-dominance-183347248.html
[2] Nvidia makes its biggest purchase ever https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-makes-biggest-purchase-ever-060700557.html
[3] Nvidia buying AI chip startup Groq’s assets for about $20 billion in its largest deal on record https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/24/nvidia-buying-ai-chip-startup-groq-for-about-20-billion-biggest-deal.html
[4] Nvidia’s $20B Groq Deal: Strategy, LPU Tech & Antitrust | IntuitionLabs https://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/nvidia-groq-ai-inference-deal
[5] Nvidia makes its biggest purchase ever https://www.thestreet.com/investing/nvidia-makes-its-biggest-purchase-ever
[6] Nvidia’s Groq Megadeal. A $20B Inference Pivot To Stay King (NASDAQ:NVDA) https://seekingalpha.com/article/4855988-nvidias-groq-megadeal-20b-inference-pivot-to-stay-king
[7] Stock Market Today, Dec. 26: Nvidia Rises on $20 Billion Groq Licensing Deal https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock-market-today-dec-26-231227775.html
[8] Nvidia Deal With Groq Called ‘Strategic’ Amid Rise Of Custom AI Chips https://www.investors.com/news/technology/nvidia-stock-groq-ai-tech-licensing-deal/
[9] A Deal With Groq Is Lifting Nvidia’s Stock as 2025 Approaches https://www.investopedia.com/a-deal-with-groq-is-lifting-nvidia-s-stock-as-the-end-of-2025-approaches-nvda-11876295
[10] Nvidia Reportedly Shells Out $20.6 Billion For Groq, CEO Jonathan Ross Says He’s Joining Rival Chip Giant Along With The Team https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-reportedly-shells-20-6-193106357.html
[11] Nvidia: What Should Investors Make Of The Groq Deal (Rating Upgrade) (NASDAQ:NVDA) https://seekingalpha.com/article/4855749-nvidia-what-should-investors-make-of-groq-deal-rating-upgrade
[12] Nvidia Licenses Groq’s AI Technology as Demand for Cutting-Edge Chips Grows https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/nvidia-licenses-ai-inference-technology-from-chip-startup-groq-0a405adb
[13] Nvidia’s Groq deal rattled Silicon Valley. Here are 5 other AI startups split apart in Big Tech’s new deals. https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-groq-deals-silicon-valley-2025-12
[14] Nvidia Signs Licensing Deal With AI Chip Startup Groq https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-signs-licensing-deal-ai-130659643.html
[15] Nvidia to License Groq Technology in $20 Billion AI Chip Deal https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-license-groq-technology-20-123939149.html
[16] Nvidia makes a deal with Groq, investing resolutions for 2026 https://finance.yahoo.com/video/nvidia-makes-deal-groq-investing-152656686.html
[17] Gold & silver hit new highs, Nvidia’s big Groq deal – Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/video/gold-silver-hit-highs-nvidias-141128178.html
[18] Nvidia Licenses Groq’s AI Chip Tech, Grabs Top Execs In Not-Quite Takeover https://www.investors.com/news/technology/nvidia-buying-ai-chip-startup-groq-in-record-20-billion-deal/
[19] What the Nvidia-Groq deal means for the AI trade, plus … – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llVq-TIiB3w
[20] Target rises on report of activist investor, Nvidia’s Groq deal https://finance.yahoo.com/video/target-rises-report-activist-investor-205727494.html

Gold and Silver Storm Higher: Why 2025’s Precious‑Metal Rally Has Bulls Talking New Highs -( $AEM $GLD $SIL $WPM )

Gold and silver have turned 2025 into a full‑metal bull market, with bullion, miners, and ETFs all behaving as if the 1970s called and wants its rally back. GLD and SIL are riding that wave, and the NYSE’s big gold‑and‑silver producers are suddenly discovering what life looks like when investors stop ignoring their balance sheets.

A Year When Metals Stole the Show

Gold prices have surged to record territory above 4,500 dollars an ounce, delivering roughly 40–70 percent type gains year to date depending on the reference series and methodology. Silver has done what silver traditionally does in late‑cycle metal manias: lagged quietly and then sprinted, with prices pushing into record territory in the mid‑70s to high‑70s per ounce zone by December.

The move has not been a slow grind so much as an accelerating repricing of safe‑haven assets as investors look beyond cash and Treasurys. Gold and silver are on track for their strongest annual advances since the late 1970s, a period that old‑timers still reference the way hockey fans talk about Gretzky.

GLD and SIL: ETF Frontlines

SPDR Gold Shares, the GLD ETF, has captured the bullion story in one tidy ticker, with 2025 total returns in the neighborhood of 60–70 percent and a price now hovering just north of 410 dollars. GLD’s assets have swelled into the roughly 140‑billion‑dollar range, turning it into one of the cleaner macro barometers for how worried global investors are about currencies, deficits, and political risk.

On the silver side, the Global X Silver Miners ETF, SIL, has morphed from niche vehicle into performance hero, with reports of YTD gains that have more than doubled amid a 50–160 percent type range of trailing returns depending on the cut of the data. That kind of run has a way of turning obscure mid‑cap miners into cocktail‑party talking points, at least at the kind of cocktail parties where people casually drop the phrase “all‑in sustaining cost.”

Miners: From Wallflowers to Headliners

At the company level, the NYSE’s largest gold and silver producers have finally started to look like they actually mine something other than shareholder patience. Newmont, the world’s largest gold producer, has seen its shares more than double this year, as record free cash flow and the integration of the Newcrest acquisition met a once‑in‑a‑generation bullion backdrop.

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM), long the quiet cost‑discipline champion, is benefiting from low‑risk Canadian exposure and sub‑industry all‑in sustaining costs that look unusually attractive when spot gold is north of 4,000 dollars. In the silver‑heavy camp, Pan American Silver (PAAS) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) have leveraged the metal’s surge into outsized margin expansion, with Wheaton’s streaming model spitting out profit margins north of fifty percent as it clips royalties instead of wrestling directly with mine‑site inflation.

Why Prices Climbed – And Why They Might Not Be Done

Several forces have conspired to push precious metals higher:

  • Monetary and currency anxiety
  • Expectations for easier global monetary policy and rate‑cut hopes have pushed real yields lower, reviving the so‑called “debasement trade” as investors seek shelter from swelling government debt and softer fiat currencies.
  • A weaker U.S. dollar and persistent talk of fiscal hangovers have helped turn gold and silver into the asset‑class equivalent of a fire escape: seldom used in good times, suddenly indispensable when someone smells smoke.
  • Geopolitical and macro risk
  • Ongoing conflicts, trade frictions, and tariff volleys have kept risk premia elevated, driving incremental flows into metals that carry no counterparty risk.
  • Central banks have continued to add gold to reserves, reinforcing the idea that if you are worried about your neighbors, it helps to have your own metal in the basement.
  • Supply constraints and industrial demand
  • In silver, a structural supply deficit has collided with booming industrial use from solar panels, electronics, and broader energy‑transition demand, while mine supply has struggled to keep pace.
  • Silver’s elevation to “critical mineral” status in policy circles has further tightened the narrative, if not always the physical market, making each new high less of a spike and more of a regime shift for planners.

Looking forward, many strategists argue that as long as real rates remain contained, fiscal math stays uncomfortable, and geopolitical risks fail to politely exit stage left, the backdrop for precious metals remains constructive. For miners, the key swing factor will be whether they can keep all‑in sustaining costs from rising as fast as spot prices, preserving the kind of operating leverage that turns cyclical rallies into full‑fledged reratings.

The Metal Bulls’ Quiet Luxury Moment

For now, gold and silver have become the quiet‑luxury trade of 2025 — understated, unfussy, and suddenly everywhere. GLD and SIL have provided liquid, exchange‑traded on‑ramps, while NYSE‑listed producers in both metals have dusted off old projects, refinanced on better terms, and rediscovered that investors do, in fact, read cash‑flow statements when the numbers get big enough.

Whether the rally ultimately ends with a gentle plateau or a climactic blow‑off is unknown, but for now, the message from the tape is clear: in a world full of promises, owning something that has no one’s liability attached is having a very good year.

The Sources


[1] Gold, Silver, and Copper Are All Hitting Record Highs—Here’s What’s Driving the Frenzy https://www.investopedia.com/gold-silver-and-copper-are-all-hitting-record-highs-here-s-what-s-driving-the-frenzy-11874277
[2] GLD Stock Chart (Dividends Reinvested, Inflation Adjusted) https://totalrealreturns.com/s/GLD
[3] Gold – Price – Chart – Historical Data – News – Trading Economics https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/gold
[4] Precious Metals Surge to Unprecedented Peaks: Gold and Silver … http://markets.chroniclejournal.com/chroniclejournal/article/marketminute-2025-12-26-precious-metals-surge-to-unprecedented-peaks-gold-and-silver-redefine-market-safe-havens-in-2025
[5] GLD Performance Report for Gold SPDR ETF – Barchart.com https://www.barchart.com/etfs-funds/quotes/GLD/performance
[6] Gold spot price: historical performance from 1978 to 2025 – Curvo https://curvo.eu/backtest/en/market-index/gold-bullion
[7] Three Mining Stocks To Buy As Silver Hits All-Time High https://www.investors.com/news/silver-prices-gold-newmont-pan-american-wheaton-mining/
[8] Why silver price is rising and will it continue to move upward in coming weeks? Here’s what investors shou https://economictimes.com/news/international/us/why-silver-price-is-rising-and-will-it-continue-to-move-upward-in-coming-weeks-heres-what-investors-should-do-now/articleshow/126189776.cms
[9] Gold and Silver Smash Records Again as Rally Gathers Momentum https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-25/silver-rises-to-record-gold-near-all-time-high-as-risks-persist
[10] Silver hit record highs in 2025 — here’s why the ‘Devil’s metal’ could have further to run https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/29/silver-hit-record-highs-in-2025-and-still-has-further-to-run.html
[11] Gold price predictions from J.P. Morgan Global Research https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/global-research/commodities/gold-prices
[12] Gold Price Charts & Historical Data – GoldPrice.org https://goldprice.org
[13] Gold prices just reached a record high. Here’s what’s behind the surge. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gold-price-silver-whats-behind-the-surge/
[14] Why are gold and silver prices hitting record highs? https://abcnews.go.com/Business/gold-silver-prices-hitting-record-highs/story?id=128616073
[15] Gold and silver hit records as investors hunt for safety https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd74ldr2zryo
[16] GLD: SPDR® Gold Shares – State Street Global Advisors https://www.ssga.com/us/en/intermediary/etfs/spdr-gold-shares-gld
[17] SPDR Gold Shares ETF – GLD Stock Price – Investing.com https://www.investing.com/etfs/spdr-gold-trust
[18] SIL ETF Stock Price & Overview https://stockanalysis.com/etf/sil/
[19] SIL Stock Price | Global X Silver Miners ETF – Investing.com https://www.investing.com/etfs/silver-miners
[20] Global X Silver Miners ETF (SIL) Performance History – Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SIL/performance/
[21] SIL | Global X Silver Miners ETF Overview – MarketWatch https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/fund/sil
[22] Global X Silver Miners ETF SIL Performance – Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/xmex/sil/performance
[23] Silver and Gold are On the Rise. Should Precious Metals ETF … https://finance.yahoo.com/news/silver-gold-rise-precious-metals-153401633.html
[24] Gold Stock Performance – Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/basic-materials/gold/
[25] Largest gold mining companies by Market Cap https://companiesmarketcap.com/gold-mining/largest-gold-mining-companies-by-market-cap/
[26] Silver Stocks: 5 Biggest Companies in 2025 – Investing News Network https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/precious-metals-investing/silver-investing/best-silver-stocks/
[27] Precious Metal Price Forecasts 2025: Gold, Silver and more https://www.bullionvault.com/gold-news/infographics/ai-gold-precious-metal-price-forecasts
[28] Why is silver outperforming gold? What to know before you invest. https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/investing/article/why-is-silver-outperforming-gold-what-to-know-before-you-invest-231615030.html
[29] Gold and silver price today, prediction and forecast: Why precious metals rates are rising and should you https://economictimes.com/news/international/us/gold-and-silver-price-today-prediction-and-forecast-why-precious-metals-rates-are-rising-and-should-you-buy-or-wait-for-now-heres-full-analysis-platinum-palladium/articleshow/126188987.cms
[30] SPDR Gold Shares Overview – GLD – MarketWatch https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/fund/gld
[31] Perplexity Finance – Quotes, Forecasts, News, Charts, and More https://www.perplexity.ai/finance/GLD
[32] Publicly Traded Gold And Silver Mining Companies – SIC Code 104 https://fintel.io/industry/list/gold-and-silver-ores
[33] American Gold & Silver Mining Companies – BullionStar U.S. https://www.bullionstar.us/bullion-directory/gold-silver-mining-companies
[34] Global X Silver Miners ETF (SIL) – Stocks – Robinhood https://robinhood.com/stocks/SIL
[35] Largest silver mining companies by Market Cap https://companiesmarketcap.com/silver-mining/largest-silver-mining-companies-by-market-cap/
[36] 10 Biggest Silver Mining Companies – Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/022516/worlds-top-5-silver-mining-companies.asp
[37] SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) Performance History – Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GLD/performance/
[38] Performance > USA > SPDR Gold Shares (GLD). Bringing the gold … https://www.spdrgoldshares.com/usa/performance/
[39] SPDR® Gold Shares GLD Performance – Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/arcx/gld/performance
[40] Silver and Gold are On the Rise. Should Precious Metals ETF … https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/silver-and-gold-are-rise-should-precious-metals-etf-investors-pick-gdx-or-sil
[41] Gold Dec 2025 Overview – GCZ25 – MarketWatch https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/future/gcz25

Santa Rally in Silk Gloves: Wall Street Ends The Week With Tech, Tariffs and +$4,500 Gold in an Uneasy Waltz – December 26, 2025 -( $AVGO $BMRN $DV $EPRX $FOLD $MODD $MU $NVDA $ORCL $RIO $TSM Rise!)

Wall Street tiptoed into the final holiday stretch with a Santa Claus rally that felt more like a well‑tailored cashmere sweater than an ugly Christmas jumper: comfortable but not euphoric. Major U.S. indexes ground higher over the week ending Friday, December 26, 2025, as investors balanced cooler inflation, a recently more dovish Federal Reserve, and a noisy backdrop of tariffs, shutdown politics, and record‑setting precious metals.

Indexes and Macro Backdrop

The S&P 500 closed at 6,926.94, +2.29% & spent the holiday‑shortened week edging back toward its December record, turning slightly positive for the week after Friday’s gains and finishing less than 1% below all‑time highs as growth and semiconductor names led the tape again. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 48,710.97, +1.58% tagged along with more measured gains closed at , helped by megacap cyclicals and select tech, while the Nasdaq Composite closed at 23,593.10, +2.55% extended its run as the preferred vehicle for the AI trade, rising roughly 0.5% on Monday alone as part of a broader rebound into Christmas. The Russell 2000 closed at 2,534.35, +1.06% underscoring renewed appetite for small‑caps in a falling‑rate narrative.

Macroeconomic fireworks were largely postponed until after the holidays; the U.S. calendar between Christmas and New Year carries no major releases, with markets instead digesting earlier soft‑landing data and focusing on third‑quarter GDP and consumer confidence prints mid‑week.

Fed, Yields, Tariffs and the Curve

The Federal Reserve entered the final week of the year in post‑decision quiet, having cut its policy rate to a 3.50%–3.75% target range at the December 9–10 FOMC meeting and signaled a slower, more cautious easing path ahead. Futures markets spent the week calibrating the odds of additional 2026 cuts, but there were no new Fed announcements on the calendar and the next key communications are expected with the release of the December meeting minutes and the January FOMC gathering. In the bond market, the 10‑year Treasury yield hovered just above 4.1%–4.2%, leaving the curve modestly positively sloped again, with the 10‑year minus 2‑year spread around 0.7 percentage point and the 10‑year minus 3‑month spread near 0.5 percentage point—an inversion that has quietly gone into reverse, giving recession worriers less to point at and equity bulls a fresh talking point.

Trade policy, by contrast, remained anything but quiet. Trump’s 2025 tariff offensive, which has pushed effective U.S. tariff rates sharply higher, continued to ripple through corporate guidance and investor psychology, even as the White House selectively trimmed levies on items like beef and fruit to tame inflation while pressing ahead with sector‑specific duties, including 25% tariffs on some furniture and cabinet imports. The administration also continued to float the notion of a kind of tariff‑funded “dividend” to households—up to $2,000 per person in some rhetoric—though markets treated that promise with the same skepticism usually reserved for long‑dated SPAC projections.

Commodities, Bitcoin and the “Great Rotation”

If equities enjoyed a polite Santa rally, gold and silver threw a New Year’s Eve party. Spot gold spent the week trading above the $4,500 level closing at $4,562, marking unprecedented territory as investors rotated out of high‑beta trades and into old‑fashioned refuge, while silver surged toward the $80 mark closing at $79.675/oz. after gaining more than 168.97% year‑to‑date on the back of macro hedging flows and voracious industrial demand from AI‑linked electronics. Bitcoin, which had flirted with an October high near $126,000, continued to stumble below the $90,000 threshold during the thin holiday liquidity and trading near $87,825 on Friday, reinforcing the sense that, for now, crypto behaves less like “digital gold” and more like a speculative growth stock with a marketing problem. Oil prices drifted rather than surged closing at $56.93/bbl, caught between geopolitical tension and softer growth concerns, leaving energy equities to play supporting rather than starring roles in year‑end performance tables.

Deals, IPOs and Corporate Actions

In M&A, BioMarin (BMRN, $59.95,+15.40% over the last 5-days) gave the rare‑disease space an early holiday gift bow by agreeing to buy Amicus Therapeutics (FOLD, $14.25, +30.85% over the last 5-days) in a $4.8 billion all‑cash deal at $14.50 per share, a roughly 33% premium to Amicus’s pre‑deal close and about 58% above its 60‑day average. The acquisition, announced Friday and expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, would add Galafold and Pombiliti + Opfolda to BioMarin’s portfolio, broaden its rare‑disease footprint, and, according to management, accelerate revenue growth and become materially accretive to earnings after 2027.

On the new‑issue front, the U.S. IPO market continued to show signs of life rather than exuberance. Listings scheduled and priced around the week included micro‑cap and SPAC‑style deals such as ELC Group and other small offerings on Nasdaq, along with special‑purpose vehicles like TGE Value Creative Solutions on the NYSE, while data providers tallied roughly 347 U.S. IPOs for 2025—about 56% more than at this point in 2024, but still far from the froth of the last cycle. The calendar heading into New Year’s week featured additional small‑cap and blank‑check vehicles, underscoring that while bankers are working, investor enthusiasm remains highly selective.

Big‑Cap Tech, Select Names and Sector Color

AI‑linked megacaps again did much of the heavy lifting. Nvidia (NVDA, $190.53, +9.41% over the last 5-days) attracted renewed buying interest, with brokers such as Stifel reiterating bullish views on its role at the center of AI infrastructure, and traders eyeing fresh upside as forecasts pointed to stronger networking and data‑center demand into 2026. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM, $302.84, +6.38% over the last 5-days), a structural beneficiary of that same AI and high‑performance‑computing wave, remained a favored upstream proxy, while Intel inched along its turnaround narrative as a domestic foundry champion, trading in the slipstream of the broader semiconductor rally even as the competitive gap with TSMC remains an ongoing debate. Micron Technology (MU, $284.79, +14.58% over theist 5-days) joined the party, climbing roughly 2.5% on Monday as investors leaned into the cyclical memory upturn and its positioning in high‑bandwidth DRAM for AI servers.

Apple (AAPL, $273.40, +.44%) shares moved with the broader large‑cap tech complex, benefiting from the renewed risk appetite but still under the microscope for iPhone replacement cycles and services growth, while Meta Platforms (META, $663.29) continued to trade as a barbell between strong advertising fundamentals and heavy investment in Reality Labs and AI. Broadcom (AVGO, $352.13, +6.74%) remained tethered to the AI narrative as well, with options activity reflecting expectations for continued data‑center and networking demand, even as valuation left little room for missteps. Palantir Technologies (PLTR, $188.71, +1.63%) stayed a darling of the options market, featuring prominently in hot‑options flow tied to AI, defense and government‑analytics themes, suggesting that speculative capital has not taken the holidays off.

Tesla (TSLA, $475.19) spent the week oscillating around key technical levels, with bulls encouraged by momentum into year‑end and bears still pointing to margin pressure and intensifying EV competition, while derivatives markets remained highly active in the name. Opendoor (OPEN, $6.01), a bellwether for housing‑adjacent risk sentiment, continued to trade as a high‑beta proxy on U.S. real estate and rates, its shares sensitive to every tick in long‑term yields and to any hint that consumer demand might normalize in 2026. OKLO ($76.92, -1.03% over the last 5-days), part of the new generation of advanced nuclear power hopefuls, rode the thematic tailwind of the energy transition and interest in small modular reactors, though volumes remained relatively thin, underscoring that the story is still more about optionality than cash flow.

Old Economy, Blue Chips and Global Miners

McDonald’s (MCD, $310.68) a reliable defensive name in a year of macro noise, traded with the consumer‑staples and quick‑service cohort, benefiting from its value positioning and global footprint even as currency and wage pressures kept analysts busy in their models. Oracle (ORCL, $197,99, +9.98% over the last 5days) drew fresh attention after Wells Fargo argued that pessimism around the stock had gone too far, highlighting cloud and database positives that, in the bank’s view, are underappreciated at current valuations; the stock responded with a more than 2% pop early in the week as investors reconsidered its role in the enterprise AI stack. Nokia (NOK, $6.62, +3.76% over the last 5-days) remained part of the quieter corner of the 5G and network‑equipment trade, overshadowed by higher‑beta semiconductor and AI names but still relevant for investors looking at European value and telecom infrastructure exposure.

Rio Tinto (RIO, $82.24, +13.91% over the last 5-days), the global mining heavyweight, navigated the cross‑currents of a nascent commodities super‑cycle built on metals for electrification and AI hardware, with sentiment tied as much to Chinese demand and iron ore pricing as to the excitement in gold and silver. Meanwhile, the broader yield‑sensitive equity cohort—from utilities to REITs—benefited modestly from the stabilizing Treasury backdrop, even if the real excitement remained clearly clustered in growth, semiconductors, and the extraordinary sprint in precious metals.

Vista Partners Watchlist Updates

Modular Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: MODD., $.3966, +11.72% over the last 5-days), a leader in innovative insulin delivery technology targeting the $3 billion adult “almost-pumpers” diabetes market with user-friendly, affordable patch pumps, announced (Dec. 10) that it had priced an underwritten public offering (the “offering”) of 12,173,000 shares of its common stock and accompanying warrants to purchase 6,086,500 shares of its common stock. Each two shares of common stock are being offered and sold together with one accompanying warrant at a combined offering at a price of $0.77, yielding an effective price of $0.38 per share and $0.01 per warrant. The warrants will have an exercise price of $0.45 per share, are exercisable immediately upon issuance and will expire five years following the date of issuance. In connection with the offering, Modular Medical has granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of common shares and/or warrants at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The over-allotment option may be elected with respect to, at the underwriter’s sole discretion, shares and warrants together, solely shares, solely warrants, or any combination thereof. Newbridge Securities Corporation is acting as the sole bookrunner for the offering. Assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, the gross proceeds to the Company from the offering are expected to be approximately $4.68 million, before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund operations and for working capital and general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures.

On Nov. 17, Modular announced Institutional Review Board (“IRB”) approval to conduct an in-house study of its next-generation Pivot™ insulin delivery system using insulin on people with diabetes (the “Study”). Pursuant to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) regulations, an IRB is a group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects. The Study will simulate real-world conditions by delivering insulin to adult participants to gather critical data on device function and usability and obtain user feedback. Modular Medical’s Pivot tubeless patch pump aims to enhance accessibility for underserved patients with diabetes and drive market penetration and expansion.

On Nov. 14, Modular Medical announced the 510(k) premarket submission of its next generation Pivot™ tubeless patch pump to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”). The Company expects to commence the commercial launch of its Pivot pump in Q1 2026. On Nov. 3, Modular Medical the successful validation of its Pivot controller line, a critical milestone in preparing for the commercial launch of its Pivot patch pump targeted for Q1 2026. The Pivot controller line validation further demonstrates manufacturing readiness for high-volume production, positioning Modular Medical to meet the growing demand in the diabetes treatment market for advanced technology.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: EPRX, $7.55, +20.80% over theist 5-days), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging its proprietary Diffusphere™ technology to optimize local, controlled drug delivery for diseases with significant unmet need, announced (Nov. 13) the second set of 52-week follow up data from its ongoing Phase 1b/2a RESOLVE trial evaluating a single administration EP-104GI for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (“EoE”). James A. Helliwell, Chief Executive Officer of Eupraxia stated,“These data further highlight the strong durability and tolerability profile of EP-104GI, reinforcing its potential to become a convenient, once-a-year treatment that fits seamlessly into routine disease management by aligning with annual patient endoscopies. The Cohorts 5 & 6 patients – the only groups to have reached 52 weeks in the trial – are demonstrating levels of symptom relief that is durable and clinically meaningful – we are very encouraged by this outcome. We’re also pleased that our previously announced 52-week data were presented as a late-breaking presentation at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting (ACG). These new results build on that momentum. Given that current EoE therapies often struggle with long-term adherence, we believe a durable, once-yearly treatment could meaningfully improve patient outcomes and establish EP-104GI as a preferred option for both physicians and their patients.”

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX, $.1810), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multi-antigen vaccines and immunotherapies for infectious diseases and cancer, announced (Dec. 19) that it has entered into definitive securities purchase agreements with several institutional and individual investors for the purchase and sale of approximately 13.2 million units, each comprised of one share of the Company’s common stock and warrants, as described below, to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, at a price of $0.245 per unit in a public offering. The Company will issue warrants to purchase up to approximately 26.5 million shares of common stock. The warrants will have an exercise price of $0.245 per share, will be exercisable immediately following the date of issuance and will have a term of five years following the date of issuance. Roth Capital Partners is acting as the exclusive placement agent for the offering. The gross proceeds to the Company from this offering are expected to be approximately $3.2 million, before deducting the placement agent’s fees and other offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about December 22, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

GeoVax announced (Dec. 18) the publication of a peer-reviewed article in Frontiers in Immunology titled: “Multi-antigen MVA-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, GEO-CM04S1, induces cross-protective immune responses to ancestral and Omicron variants.” The study provides definitive preclinical evidence that GeoVax’s multi-antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidate, GEO-CM04S1, delivers full cross-variant protection, driven predominantly by robust T-cell responses, even in the absence of neutralizing antibodies. The findings reinforce the design philosophy behind GeoVax’s MVA-based, multi-antigen platform and provide mechanistic insight that is increasingly relevant for immunocompromised individuals, who often fail to respond optimally to the first-generation COVID-19 vaccines.

GeoVax announced (Dec. 17) the successful completion of fill-finish for the initial clinical batch of GEO-MVA, its next-generation Mpox/smallpox vaccine. The product has now entered final release evaluation, the concluding quality-control and compliance process required before shipment for clinical use, positioning the Company for Phase 3 immunobridging trial start-up activities in Q1 2026. Fill-finish – the sterile, cGMP-regulated process of filling, sealing, and packaging vaccine vials – marks the last manufacturing step before a vaccine may enter clinical study supply channels. With fill-finish complete and GEO-MVA now undergoing final release evaluation, GeoVax has moved into the final pre-clinical-deployment phase of its EMA-aligned clinical program. In June 2025, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Scientific Advice confirmed that a single Phase 3 immunobridging study demonstrating immune comparability to the approved MVA vaccine, Imvanex(R), would be sufficient to evaluate GEO-MVA’s efficacy. This provides a clear, accelerated regulatory path to licensure. This milestone coincides with increasing Mpox activity globally – including expanding Clade I outbreaks in Africa and emerging cases in the United States – exposing vulnerabilities associated with global dependence on a sole foreign MVA vaccine supplier. GEO-MVA is designed to expand supply, diversify sources, and strengthen biodefense infrastructure.

Volato Group, Inc. (NYSE American: SOAR, $.9431) and M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO, $.072), a company specializing in the development and execution of a complete global value supply chain for critical minerals, today announced key developments in its pending all-stock merger with M2i Global, Inc.. Volato has filed the Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), following the SEC’s completion of its review of the initial confidential submission. With the reopening of federal agencies following the recent government shutdown, both companies now anticipate closing the merger in the first quarter of 2026, pending completion of SEC review and shareholder approval.

On Dec. 23, Volato Group, Inc. announced preliminary financial guidance for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2025, reflecting continued execution against its strategic and balance sheet objectives. For the fourth quarter of 2025, Volato expects to report revenue between $27 million and $28 million. For the full year 2025, the Company anticipates total revenue between $78 million and $79 million, with net income of $6 million to $8 million. These results reflect a year of meaningful progression aligning operational performance with Volato’s long-term growth initiatives and advancing its pending merger with M2i Global, Inc. (OTC: MTWO). During 2025, Volato also made substantial progress strengthening its balance sheet. As of September 30, 2025, the Company reduced total liabilities to $9.5 million, satisfying the debt reduction condition required under its pending merger agreement with M2i Global, Inc. (OTC: MTWO). Volato expects continued improvement in its capital structure as it advances toward a targeted first-quarter 2026 closing of the transaction. “Our 2025 results reflect a year of transformation and disciplined balance sheet execution,” said Mark Heinen, Chief Financial Officer of Volato. “We made significant progress reducing liabilities while sharpening our focus on scalable, technology-driven businesses that are designed to complement and strengthen the M2i Global platform over the long term.”

On Dec. 18, Volato Group, Inc. and M2i Global, Inc. announced that they applaud the recent December 11, 2025 announcement from the U.S. Department of State whereby Pax Silica, a U.S.-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation driven silicon supply chain—from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics, was formed.

Volato Group, Inc. (NYSE American: SOAR) announced recently that it has set a preliminary date of February 26, 2026 and preliminary record date of January 17, 2026 for a special meeting of shareholders to vote on the proposed merger with M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO) and related matters. The preliminary meeting date and record date remain subject to applicable regulatory and exchange requirements, including the effectiveness of Volato’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-292132) (the “Registration Statement”) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the mailing of definitive proxy materials to shareholders. The proposed merger creates a combined company built for scale. M2i Global brings a platform focused on critical minerals and national supply chain resilience, while Volato contributes proven aviation technology, software capability, and an established track record of operational execution. Together, the companies aim to participate in a U.S. critical minerals market estimated at more than $320 billion annually.

Serina Therapeutics (NYSE American: SER, $2.66), Alabama-based biotech is betting its proprietary POZ platform and reimagined approach to apomorphine delivery may redefine the treatment paradigm for patients who have exhausted standard oral therapies. On Dec. 11, Serina announced the appointment of Joshua Thomas, Ph.D., as Vice President and Head of Chemistry. He will oversee internal and external chemistry efforts to optimize POZ-based candidates, supporting efficient translation from discovery through development.

On Dec. 10,Serina announced that it has submitted a complete response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) clinical hold letter for SER-252, the Company’s lead program for advanced Parkinson’s disease. As previously disclosed, the FDA placed the Company’s Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application for SER-252 on clinical hold pending additional information related to a commonly used formulation excipient. On November 25, 2025, the FDA issued a formal full clinical hold letter specifying the information required to permit initiation of the planned Phase 1b registrational study, SER-252-1b. The issues identified by the FDA do not relate to the apomorphine active drug substance, its mechanism of action, the use of the enFuse device (Enable Injections) or the broader 505(b)(2) NDA development pathway previously discussed with the Agency.

The InterGroup Corporation (NASDAQ: INTG, $27.28) reported (Nov. 17) results for the three months ended September 30, 2025. John V. Winfield, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We continue to observe signs of stabilization and recovery across the San Francisco hospitality market, including improving convention calendars, tourism indicators, and business travel activity. On the investment side, our marketable securities activity remained modest with a small net gain, consistent with our emphasis on liquidity and risk discipline.”

DoubleVerify Holdings Inc. (DV) closed at $11.50, +1.50% over the last 5-days. DoubleVerify, which built its franchise on media verification and ad performance analytics, is now the first badged TikTok Marketing Partner focused specifically on attention measurement, tapping impression-level signals from the platform. Brands gain a granular view of how exposure and user interaction come together across TikTok formats, ad sets, creatives, and objectives, effectively treating every swipe as a tiny A/B test.

Sources

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AI Unicorns, Record Capex and 50 New Billionaires: Inside 2025’s Artificial Intelligence Gold Rush

Artificial intelligence turned 2025 into a wealth factory, minting more than 50 new billionaires and reshaping the upper decks of the three‑comma club with the efficiency of a well‑tuned recommendation algorithm. The AI boom didn’t just pad existing fortunes—it drafted a new roster of founders, executives, and infrastructure kingmakers into global billionaire ranks. For a technology once accused of taking jobs, AI seems to have started at the top.

Record activity across AI models, infrastructure, and real-world applications pushed dozens of entrepreneurs and corporate insiders over the billion‑dollar line. These new fortunes came from nearly every layer of the AI value chain—from the labs training frontier models to the chipmakers supplying the compute to the startups teaching machines to flirt convincingly in code.

Forbes’ global tally shows 288 new billionaires this year, with more than 50 of them directly tied to AI’s meteoric rise. Many joined the list not via old-fashioned bootstrapping but through that very modern ritual known as the “late-stage valuation leap.” Call it the IPO effect, without the IPO.


Where the New Fortunes Were Forged

The geography of wealth creation mirrored the geography of silicon.

  • U.S. and European founders behind model labs, AI developer tools, and cloud infrastructure saw their wealth explode as mega‑rounds fueled valuations with heatmap intensity.
  • Corporate insiders at hyperscalers and chip suppliers collected windfalls from the surge in AI demand—creating what analysts jokingly dubbed a “closed-loop economy,” where AI companies invest in the same suppliers driving their own stock prices higher.
  • Application-layer entrepreneurs behind coding copilots, customer‑service chatbots, and creative AI software turned venture‑backed prototypes into billion‑dollar empires seemingly overnight.

“AI‑adjacent” became the new “platform shift,” and markets responded in kind.


The AI Economy in Motion

By year-end 2025, the AI wealth engine had achieved multiple milestones:

  • Global AI unicorns crossed nearly 500 companies, collectively valued above $2.7 trillion.
  • Enterprise spending on generative AI tripled from the prior year, surpassing $30 billion as cost‑cutting gave way to productivity chasing.
  • Venture investors poured over $200 billion into AI startups, amounting to nearly half of global VC funding.
  • Hyperscaler capital expenditures surged to record highs—about $400 billion—as data centers grew into the century’s new oilfields.
  • Meanwhile, 20 established billionaires added roughly $500 billion in cumulative wealth from AI investments alone.

In short, AI didn’t just eat the world—it rewired its income statement.


The Old Guard Levels Up

While the new blood dominated headlines, the familiar faces quietly fattened their ledgers. Tech titans leveraged AI to expand already vast empires, injecting capital into model developers, data-infrastructure ventures, and AI‑powered consumer apps. Twenty legacy billionaires collectively amassed half a trillion dollars from AI‑driven stock and equity gains.

Public‑market investors joined the ride as chipmakers, software giants, and data‑center landlords made up the bulk of market‑cap growth in 2025. For them, AI wasn’t just disruption—it was dividend yield with better branding.

AI has effectively become a new asset class. It behaves like a venture bet but trades like a blue chip—except when it goes full meme.


The Punchline No One Can Backtest

Behind the champagne bubbles, there’s still a spreadsheet of caveats. Economists point out that AI’s capex boom rests on a foundation of corporate borrowing, with more than $200 billion in new AI‑linked debt issued this year. Policy experts, meanwhile, caution that AI’s impressive productivity numbers remain more promise than proof.

If the technology ultimately delivers, it could lift long‑term global output and even reduce fiscal deficits. But for now, what’s measurable is momentum.

AI has turned 2025 into a live‑fire experiment in accelerated wealth creation—compressing decades of tech‑cycle gains into fiscal quarters. The next great test may not be how many billionaires it mints, but whether prosperity eventually trickles beyond the silicon corridor.


Sources

  1. AI Minted More Than 50 New Billionaires In 2025 (Forbes)[1]
  2. Forbes (homepage / AI & wealth coverage hub)[2]
  3. 20 Billionaires Who Gained Combined $460B Through AI Investments in 2025 (Nasdaq)[3]
  4. AI is Creating New Billionaires at a Record Pace (CNBC)[4]
  5. 20 Billionaires Who Gained Combined $460B Through AI Investments in 2025 (Yahoo Finance)[5]
  6. A Huge Chunk of U.S. GDP Growth Is Being Kept Alive by AI Capex (Fortune)[6]
  7. The AI Billionaire Boom: How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping Wealth in 2025 (LinkedIn)[7]
  8. 2025: The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise (Menlo Ventures)[8]
  9. Top 30 AI Billionaires in the World 2025: Rankings and Net Worth (Global Biz Outlook)[9]
  10. The Projected Impact of Generative AI on Future Productivity Growth (Penn Wharton Budget Model)[10]
  11. AI Boom Billionaires: These Tech Moguls Joined The Forbes List In 2025 (Forbes)[11]
  12. There Are Now 498 AI Unicorns—and They’re Worth $2.7 Trillion (Fortune)[12]
  13. The State of AI in 2025: Agents, Innovation, and Transformation (McKinsey)[13]
  14. Forbes Billionaires List 2025: 288 New Billionaires Were Minted In 2025 (Forbes)[14]
  15. How to Write Headlines Like The Wall Street Journal (Ragan Consulting)[15]
  16. Winning Headline Strategies from News SEO Experts – “WTF is SEO?”[16]

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