Progress is progress! 455.1 K-> 455.2 K This was my 2nd day of really tough comps, so any progress I was happy with! I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

BREAKING $GRAB | (Reuters) - Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission said on Wednesday it had blocked Grab's GRAB.O purchase of Delivery Hero's DHER.DE Foodpanda delivery business in Taiwan, citing competition concerns. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) today blocked Grab Holdings Ltd’s proposed acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda operations in Taiwan, citing concerns that the deal would negatively impact competition in Taiwan’s food delivery market. Uber, the parent company of Taiwan’s leading food delivery platform Uber Eats, holds about 13.1 percent of Grab’s shares and has close ties with the company in other markets, the FTC said. Grab’s ties with Uber, shared board members and past business partnerships would make Grab less willing to compete with Uber Eats in Taiwan, reducing market competition, the commission said. Three of the five commissioners voted to block the deal, one voted to allow it and one abstained. Taiwan’s food delivery market is dominated by Foodpanda and Uber Eats, but the deal would have allowed Grab to enter the market and become Uber Eats’ major competitor, the commission said. As Uber owns a stake in Grab, it benefits when Grab makes more money, it said. If Uber Eats cut prices or offered discounts to compete with Grab, it would boost its own sales, but hurt Grab’s profits, affecting Uber’s investment returns, it added. Although Grab limits Uber’s voting rights to 3.9 percent, Uber’s stake in Grab could still affect how the two companies interact and make Grab less likely to compete aggressively, the FTC said. In addition, years of working together in other markets have given Grab and Uber a good understanding of each other’s business practices, making it easier to anticipate each other’s moves and increasing the risk that they would coordinate rather than compete, it said. Furthermore, Taiwan’s food delivery market has high barriers to entry, as new platforms need substantial investment and must attract enough restaurants, delivery workers and customers to compete, the FTC said. Restaurants and consumers also lack the bargaining power to counter major platforms, leaving little to prevent Grab and Uber from coordinating rather than competing, it added. Uber would need to significantly reduce its stake in Grab or even sell all its shares to reduce the risk of Grab and Uber Eats coordinating after the merger, it said. Grab proposed reducing Uber’s stake, restricting Uber personnel from serving on its board and limiting the exchange of sensitive business information, but these measures would be difficult to enforce and insufficient to address competition concerns, the commission said. The disadvantages from competition restraint outweigh the overall economic benefits in the case of this merger, the FTC said, blocking it under Article 13 of the Fair Trade Act => My take: Grab will have to enter Taiwan physically from scratch, if they want. Source: taipeitimes.com/News/front/a…

I’m not sure I can justify buying $NFLX here - Revenue growth is continuing to slow - Issuing debt for buybacks (I hate that) - Ads business guidance cut - Engagement continues to be a problem - YouTube taking market share It’s not looking great

BREAKING: Citadel founder Ken Griffin says AI is "almost certainly" a bubble, noting that companies are struggling to turn AI spending into productivity gains. However, Griffin says he is bullish on AI's long-term potential.

They should start a dividend to attract a different type of investors. The hyper growth is done I think.

JUST IN: 🇬🇧 UK considers requiring citizens to pay for a TV license to watch YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming platforms.