Hello Capitalists,
Here is everything you should be following today:
Warner Bros deal with Netflix just went south because of Paramount
US Steel fires up its dormant blast furnace as production amps up
2025 made a whole lot of new billionaires
ChatGPT growth slows as rivals start to challenge the AI king
Georgia plans massive power upgrades for AI but residents are concerned
The Middle East is the new “Silicon Valley of Capitalists”
Today’s markets + assets:
🔴 DOW: 47754.91 (⬇️ 0.42%)
🔴 S&P: 6844.20 (⬇️ 0.38%)
🔴 NASDAQ: 23522.46 (⬇️ 0.24%)
⚠️✅CBOE VIX Volatility Index: 15.47 (⬆️ 1.96%)
🔴 Gold: $4217.70 (⬇️ 0.04%)
🔴 Silver: $58.42 (⬇️ 1.07%)
🔴 Bitcoin: $90,145.00 (⬇️ 1.17%)
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Paramount’s $108B hostile bid shocks Hollywood!
Paramount Skydance launched a massive $108.4 billion all-cash hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday, aiming to derail Netflix’s recently agreed $72 billion deal for the company’s studio and streaming assets just days earlier.
Hostile Tender Launched: Paramount’s new deal aims to tempt shareholders with a $30-per-share all-cash offer after a previous bid was rejected.
Superior Value Claimed: The bid provides $18 billion more in cash than Netflix’s mixed cash-stock offer and includes the entire company, avoiding a leveraged spinoff of cable networks.
Previous Efforts Failed: Paramount’s earlier attempts, including a $58 billion offer in October, were turned down during WBD’s open bidding process.
Market Reactions Mixed: WBD shares rose up to 7% on the news, while Paramount emphasized quicker closure and less regulatory risk compared to Netflix’s tentative deal.
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U.S. Steel blast furnace roars back as dormant factory sparks to life?
U.S. Steel announced it will restart a long-idled blast furnace at its Granite City Works plant in southern Illinois, resuming steel slab production shut down two years ago, citing rebounding customer demand amid a strengthening domestic market.
Hiring Boosts Local Jobs: The company plans to hire and train about 400 workers, part of the 500 needed to fully operate the facility, bringing relief to the region.
Production Targets 2026 Demand: CEO David Burritt emphasized confidence in safely and profitably meeting anticipated 2026 needs in the cyclical steel industry.
Nippon Deal Shapes Future: Following Nippon Steel’s recent $14.9 billion acquisition, commitments include $14 billion in U.S. investments and government oversight on production decisions.
Industry Shows Strong Growth: Domestic steel shipments rose 9% in October year-over-year, with year-to-date figures up 5%, supported by tariffs and recovering sectors like auto and construction.
2025 minted 287 new billionaires, 92 of them were American
Rising stock markets and a resurgence in IPOs propelled the creation of 287 new billionaires this year, pushing global billionaire wealth to a record $15.8 trillion and the total number of billionaires past 2,900.
U.S. Dominates New Wealth: America added 92 self-made billionaires worth $180 billion, with total U.S. billionaire wealth surging 18% to $17.5 trillion.
Diverse Industries Fuel Gains: New fortunes emerged beyond tech, in sectors like genetics (Colossal’s Ben Lamm), infrastructure (Stonepeak’s Michael Dorrell), and natural gas (Venture Global founders).
Inheritances Boost Billionaire Ranks: 91 people became billionaires via inheritance, transferring nearly $300 billion, with $5.9 trillion expected over the next 15 years.
Billionaires Bullish on Stocks: 43% plan to increase public equity investments in the coming year, while diversifying away from the overheated U.S. markets toward Europe and China.
ChatGPT growth hits a wall as rivals seeking the crown of AI King rev up
New data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower reveals ChatGPT’s global monthly active users grew just 6% from August to November 2025, reaching about 810 million, signaling potential market saturation for OpenAI’s leading AI chatbot.
Google Gemini Gains Ground: Gemini’s monthly active users surged 30% in the same period, boosted by its new Nano Banana image generation model, outpacing ChatGPT in key growth metrics.
OpenAI Sounds Internal Alarm: CEO Sam Altman’s memo earlier this month urged staff to prioritize improvements in personalization, reliability, and image generation amid rising competition.
Rivals Explode in Growth: Perplexity’s users jumped 370% year-over-year in 2025, while Claude rose 190%, challenging ChatGPT’s current market dominance.
Android Edge Boosts Gemini: Twice as many U.S. Android users access Gemini via the OS than its standalone app, giving Google a global market advantage.
AI boom triggers massive Georgia power expansion plans, but who is going to pay?
Georgia Power is pushing for a $15 billion-plus buildup to boost electricity capacity by 50% over six years, largely to fuel exploding demand from AI-driven data centers flooding into the state, regulators said Friday amid fears of higher customer bills.
Demand Driven by AI: Utility forecasts 80% of the needed 10,000 megawatts will power data centers, citing contracts and interest from tech firms to support national AI leadership.
Economic Growth Argument: Company officials argue the expansion will drive Georgia’s economy and position it as a key player in the global digital and artificial intelligence landscape.
Potential Bill Impacts: Georgia’s Public Service Commission staff estimate $3.4 billion in annual revenue will be needed by Georgia Power by 2031 to fund its build out, potentially adding $20 monthly to residential bills if approved. A claim that Georgia Power disputes.
Political Backlash Rising: Voters recently ousted two Republican commissioners over recent rate hikes and opponents worry regular ratepayers could end up subsidizing a build out that will only benefit tech giants.
The Middle East is becoming the “Silicon Valley of Capitalists”
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio declared Monday that the Middle East is rapidly emerging as a global AI hub, likening it to a “Silicon Valley of capitalists” fueled by massive sovereign investments and an influx of top talent in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Massive AI Investments Surge: UAE and Saudi Arabia have both launched multibillion-dollar projects, including data centers and cloud infrastructure, backed by sovereign wealth funds.
Tech Giants Partner Up: Deals include a $10 billion Google Cloud-Saudi PIF agreement for an AI hub and a Stargate campus with OpenAI, Nvidia, Oracle, and Cisco.
Global Bubble Warnings Issued: Dalio described markets as in a bubble similar to 2000, with cracks in private equity, venture capital, and refinanced debt staring to appear.
Precarious Future Ahead Looms: Dalio sees the next one to two years as being crucial as the world faces heightened risks from converging debt cycles, U.S. political conflicts, and simmering geopolitical situations.
Good news.
Netflix needs to decide what its business really is!