Latest Business News
Alphabet overtakes Apple as world’s most valuable company amid AI-driven tech reshuffle
Alphabet has surpassed Apple in market value, reflecting investors’ shift toward companies most leveraged to generative AI and cloud growth. Chipmakers and memory producers are also rallying on expectations of sustained AI infrastructure demand, while solar and some clean-tech names lag on margin and policy concerns.
This leadership change underscores how AI monetization prospects are reshaping Big Tech rankings and broader equity flows.
European stock indices hit records as January rally lifts key sectors
Major European equity benchmarks have started the year with strong momentum, with Germany’s flagship index reaching record highs. Historically modest January seasonality has been amplified by gains in industrials, defence, IT services and life sciences, with names like Rheinmetall, Sartorius, Sopra Steria and Accor showing outsized early-year performance.
The rally reflects improving sentiment on Europe’s growth and earnings outlook.
Wall Street prepares for another blockbuster year of mega-mergers after record 2025
Global M&A dealmakers are coming off a 2025 surge that saw a record 68 transactions above $10 billion, signaling a robust appetite for scale and consolidation. Bankers expect another strong year as lower financing costs and strategic repositioning in tech, media, healthcare and energy keep the pipeline of mega-deals elevated.
The trend is setting up intense antitrust scrutiny and complex integration challenges for acquirers.
Glencore–Rio Tinto talks signal potential $200–260 billion mining super-merger
Glencore is pursuing a proposed $200–260 billion merger with Rio Tinto that would create the world’s largest mining group focused on energy-transition metals. The combined company would dominate copper, cobalt, iron ore and aluminum at a time when electrification and AI data centers are driving copper demand forecasts 40–50% higher by 2035.
The deal faces major ESG concerns and regulatory hurdles, and a February deadline for a formal Rio Tinto response adds pressure to negotiations.
Merck doubles down on oncology M&A to offset Keytruda patent cliff
Merck is executing a $41.2 billion acquisition strategy centered on oncology to prepare for the loss of Keytruda exclusivity. Recent deals include buying Cidara and pursuing Revolution Medicines for its RAS(ON) inhibitor daraxonrasib, aiming to secure next-generation cancer therapies and diversify revenue.
The push highlights how big pharma is using M&A to manage looming patent expiries and sustain growth.
CrowdStrike expands AI cybersecurity footprint with $740 million SGNL acquisition
CrowdStrike is acquiring identity security startup SGNL for about $740 million to strengthen its AI-driven threat and identity-management platform. The deal is expected to boost CrowdStrike’s identity-related annual recurring revenue to roughly $435 million by the second quarter of 2026, reinforcing its position in a consolidating cybersecurity market.
This reflects broader sector dynamics where AI, identity, and cloud security are converging through acquisitions.
Mobileye to buy humanoid robot startup Mentee Robotics for $900 million
At CES 2026, autonomous-driving leader Mobileye announced it will acquire humanoid robotics startup Mentee Robotics in a $900 million deal. The combination aims to merge Mobileye’s computer vision and mapping expertise with Mentee’s bipedal robots for logistics, industrial, and potentially consumer applications.
The move underlines how automotive AI players are expanding into broader robotics and automation markets.
Warner Bros. Discovery sale process reshapes global media consolidation landscape
Warner Bros. Discovery has attracted competing bids from Netflix, Paramount–Skydance and Comcast, as the company explores strategic options following industry-wide streaming pressures. Multiple suitors submitted bids in late 2025, and subsequent rounds of negotiations are expected to determine control over a vast portfolio that includes HBO, CNN, and major sports and entertainment assets.
The outcome could significantly alter bargaining power in streaming, sports rights, and studio production.
Franchise sector sees wave of private equity and brand consolidation through 2025
Franchising experienced a busy 2025 for mergers, acquisitions and private-equity investments across food, fitness, home services and other consumer concepts. Month-by-month deal activity shows sponsors targeting scalable franchise platforms for roll-ups and cross-brand synergies.
This consolidation is reshaping competitive dynamics in everyday consumer services and could continue as investors search for asset-light, cash-generative models.
Seasonal stock patterns highlight European winners as investors look for tactical gains
Analysis of historical performance identifies several European names—Rheinmetall, Sartorius, Sopra Steria, and Accor—as consistent January outperformers over the past two decades. For example, Sartorius gained an average of 5.85% in January and jumped more than 30% in January 2025, while Accor has posted positive January returns in four consecutive years.
Such seasonality is drawing tactical interest even as analysts caution that past patterns do not guarantee future performance.