Bitcoin Futures Go Live at the CME, and Congress Calls for a Disney Hearing
A week after contracts on the cryptocurrency began trading at the CBOE, the much larger derivatives exchange, the CME, launches its own version. Interest in Bitcoin and other digital assets has risen exponentially this year, with prices approaching $20,000 over the weekend.
Plus days after Disney announced its $52 billion acquisition of Fox, Democratic leaders in Congress are calling for a hearing, raising antitrust concerns. The legislators saying a deal would concentrate too much box office power in one company.
And a judge made public a letter from a former Uber employee which accuses former executives of espionage and bribery. Stitch Fix is getting ready for its first earnings report since going public. We've also got earnings on tap from BlackBerry and Micron.
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
