Big Business This Week is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
BINANCE BITCOIN FALLOUT
Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, agreed to a nearly $4 billion settlement over violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and apparent sanctions programs violations. On top of that, founder Changpeng Zhao stepped down as CEO after he pleaded guilty to failing to prevent money laundering. The fallout was immediate for Bitcoin, which fell 5 percent on Tuesday. It clawed back the losses by the end of the week, ending the week up nearly 1 percent. Bitcoin is up nearly 128 percent from where it was a year ago.
BIG EGG SCRAMBLED
A jury found this week that some of the biggest U.S. egg producers were engaged in price-fixing that drove up costs for years. While the price of eggs has made headlines since the pandemic, the complaint was actually filed by manufacturers back in 2011 and the jury found the price-fixing was happening from 2004-2008. Companies like Kraft Foods Global and The Kellogg Company had accused the egg companies of limiting supply in order to drive prices up. Damages will be determined next week. While several of the named organizations are not publicly traded, Cal-Maine Foods' stock dropped on the news, ending the week down 4 percent.
BEST BUY
Even though Black Friday sales have been going on for weeks, the holiday shopping season began in earnest on Friday. Shoppers often head to Best Buy to purchase popular electronics for their loved ones, but this year the retailer doesn't expect a banner season. During its earnings call on Monday, it announced shoppers are pulling back, a trend seen in a number of retailers. The stock dropped off on the news, but came back strong, ending the week up 3 percent.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BIG 3
While the deals struck for autoworkers after a six-week strike will change the lives of thousands of workers, we're beginning to see the repercussions for the companies. GM announced that for the first time in four years it will not advertise during the Super Bowl as it tries to rein in fixed expenses. This week Ford announced it will scale back plans for an electric battery vehicle plant in Michigan due to a change in market conditions. Building was put on hold during the strike.
You'll just have to wait for interest rates (and prices) to go down. Plus, this deal's a steel, the big carmaker wedding is off, and bribery is back, baby!
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
William Falcon, CEO and Founder of Lightning AI, discusses the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and how everyday people can use AI in their lives.
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger toug
The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down the agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. Russell Vought is the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought directed the CFPB in a Saturday night email to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama created it following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Jeff Benedict, author of 'The Dynasty,' weighs in on the Kansas City Chiefs being the next big dynasty, who he thinks will win Super Bowl LIX and more. Watch!