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| Here's your daily business briefing. - 🍕 Domino's Pizza beats U.S. sales expectations
- 🔍 Deep Dive: Expedia boosts Vrbo to challenge Airbnb
- 💻 Microsoft partners with Mistral AI
Thanks for reading! Shriram
p/Shriram | |
| 1 | | Domino's Pizza Inc. ($DPZ) experienced a surge in its shares following the report of fourth-quarter U.S. comparable sales that exceeded expectations, with a 2.8% increase in domestic comparable sales, surpassing analysts' anticipated 2.2% rise. Domino's shares soared up to 9.6% during Monday's trading in New York, marking the most significant increase since July. More: - The company said that its "emergency pizza" promotion, which increased order totals and loyalty program sign-ups, was partially responsible for the sales gain.
- Expanding advertising and improving operations are examples of ongoing growth initiatives.
- In the U.S., Domino's successfully launched a third-party ordering service nationwide in partnership with Uber Technologies Inc.
- Despite the domestic gain, Domino's foreign comparable sales growth of 0.1% lagged behind the 3.2% projection published by Bloomberg.
- The leading causes of the decline in Domino's business outside the U.S. were geopolitical concerns in the Middle East and weakness in Europe.
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What the numbers say: ASML Holding NV, Europe's top tech firm, experienced a notable stock surge in late January, driven by a robust fourth-quarter order intake. The increased demand for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, essential for modern chip manufacturing and AI infrastructure, is behind the heightened spending commitments from memory chip manufacturers. Relevance: ASML's resurgence reflects its vital role in the semiconductor industry's response to the artificial intelligence boom, driven by the demand for specialized chips. Despite concerns about sales to Chinese chipmakers, the company's optimistic 2025 outlook signals confidence in sustained growth and continued relevance in the AI chip market. More data: ASML's partnership with Nvidia in AI chip technology highlights its crucial role in advancing AI capabilities. The company's growth trajectory is contingent on the chip industry's recovery pace and the adoption of advanced technologies, with stock valuations expected to align with historical levels by 2025, indicating strong growth prospects. | | | |
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| 3 | | Microsoft ($MSFT) has partnered with French AI startup Mistral in a "multiyear partnership" involving an undisclosed financial investment. The collaboration aims to develop AI applications for European governments and address public sector-specific needs, with Mistral becoming the second company to offer commercial language models on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. More: - Microsoft highlights that it will continue to support proprietary AI models like those from OpenAI in addition to open-source ones.
- In a recent funding round, Mistral — founded by former researchers at Meta and Google — secured a $2.17B valuation.
- Along with the Mistral alliance, Microsoft announced additional AI data center investments totaling $5.6B in Germany and Spain.
- The American multinational technology corporation responds to regulators' worries by upholding principles that encourage AI innovation and competition.
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| 4 | | Zoom Video Communications Inc. ($ZM) exceeded analysts' expectations with quarterly sales of $1.15B and a profit, excluding some items, of $1.42 per share, surpassing the average estimate of $1.15 per share. The company has introduced a $1.5B share repurchase plan, succeeding a $1B authorization from 2022 that recently expired. More: - The San Jose-based company had 220,400 corporate clients at the end of the quarter, and its enterprise revenue increased to $667.3M.
- Revenue from corporate clients rose by 4.9% to $667M.
- The number of contact center licenses has increased threefold in the last year, with over 10,000 active users across 95 phone customers.
- Online sales, mainly from individual consumers and small businesses, slightly declined to $479.2M.
- Zoom predicted sales for the fiscal year ending in January 2025 of roughly $4.6B, which was a little less than $4.66B as predicted by experts.
- On Monday, the shares increased by more than 10%.
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| 5 | | Alcoa's ($AA) $2.2B acquisition of Australia's Alumina enhances its role in bauxite and alumina production. Alumina, previously resistant to bids, now recommends shareholders vote in favor, aligning with Alcoa's strategy to secure its supply chain and reduce dependence on external sources amid commodity price fluctuations. More: - Despite economic uncertainties in China and potential U.S. electric vehicle sales slowdowns, the acquisition is deemed strategic amidst a global mining sector surge.
- Alumina holds a 40% stake in Alcoa World Alumina & Chemicals (AWAC), a global joint venture with Alcoa involved in bauxite mining, alumina refining, and aluminum smelting.
- By acquiring Alumina, Alcoa would have a larger stake in significant alumina refineries and bauxite mines outside China.
- Alcoa offers to buy every Alumina share out for 0.02854 of its shares, which is 13% more than Alumina's Friday closing share price.
- The Pennsylvania-based firm's agreement with fund manager Allan Gray Australia enables it to acquire up to 19.9% of Alumina, potentially enhancing the prospects of a successful takeover.
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| 6 | | Last month, Amazon's ($AMZN) introduction of a $2.99/month Prime Video ad tier, unique in its ad-free accessibility for all users, was designed to boost revenue and fortify its advertising services business. In Q4, the advertising services segment witnessed a substantial 26% YoY growth, reaching $14.65B, representing nearly 14% of Amazon's total sales. More: - The launch of advertisements on Prime Video is consistent with a larger pattern of retailers enhancing their digital ad operations.
- Advertisers have a unique advantage because of Amazon's ownership of Prime Video and its extensive consumer data.
- Users spend an hour a day on Netflix but just 20 minutes on Prime Video on average, which is a lag in engagement.
- Amazon can improve ad revenue and viewer engagement with its sports content strategy, including exclusive NFL streaming rights.
Zoom Out: | | | |
| 7 | | Quick Hits: - Discover the trends shaping 2024 and learn how trust will be the key to business success. Shape your strategy and get ahead with this latest report.*
- Altice USA shares surged by 36% on news of Charter's potential acquisition, with the latter reportedly engaging financial advisors to assess the feasibility of the purchase, according to Bloomberg.
- Big Lots has finalized the purchase of Hearthsong, obtaining an inventory valued at over $22M, featuring more than 500 new SKUs, including indoor and outdoor toys, inflatables, and other items.
- Adbri has agreed to a $1.4B takeover by CRH and Barro, with the company's directors unanimously recommending shareholders accept CRH's cash offer of $2.10 per share.
- Expedia plans to cut its workforce by 9% as part of transformative initiatives, anticipating pretax charges and cash expenditures of up to $100M.
- Visa and Mastercard have come to a historic $5B settlement, marking a pivotal moment for small business owners. If your business accepts Visa/MC, claim your share today.*
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 | Freelance Writer | | Shriram is pursuing Master’s in Business with Marketing at Warwick Business School. He worked as a Senior Consultant in Tech and Political Consultancies before his Masters. He is passionate about Tech, Marketing, Strategy, Anthropology and Politics. He is also the Postgraduate Ambassador for Warwick Business School. | | This newsletter was edited by Aaron Crutchfield | |
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