The intersection of the Oval Office and Wall Street just got more complicated. New financial disclosures reveal that President Donald Trump purchased approximately $100 million in municipal and corporate bonds between mid-November and late December. While the bulk was in municipal debt, the specific corporate picks have raised immediate conflict of interest questions. 📉 THE...
The retail M&A freeze is officially thawing. According to insights from the ICR Conference in Orlando—gathering 3,000+ CEOs and bankers—the sector is pivoting from “Tariff Paralysis” to an IPO super-cycle. After U.S. tariff announcements sidelined deals in early 2025, confidence has returned, driven by a backlog of exits and renewed corporate clarity. 🔔 THE IPO...
The intersection of Data Privacy and Immigration Policy is becoming a major governance issue for big retail. A group of investors led by Zevin Asset Management (managing >$7M in HD stock) has filed a shareholder proposal asking Home Depot to review its partnership with surveillance vendor Flock Safety. The core concern: Is corporate surveillance data...
The race to own the “AI Infrastructure” layer is heating up, and real-time analytics is the new battleground. ClickHouse, the open-source database management giant, has secured a $15 billion valuation following a $400 million Series D round led by Dragoneer Investment Group. 💰 THE RAISE: 🤝 THE STRATEGIC ACQUISITION: ClickHouse isn’t just raising cash; they...
The biggest consumer merger of the decade just cleared its most critical hurdle. Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has recommended that shareholders vote FOR the ~$40 billion merger between Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Kenvue (KVUE). The vote is scheduled for January 29. ⚖️ THE ISS RATIONALE: Despite significant market skepticism, ISS concluded that “on balance, support for...
The White House is opening a new front in the battle for housing affordability: your retirement account. Economic adviser Kevin Hassett confirmed today that the Trump administration plans to unveil a proposal at Davos next week that would allow Americans to use 401(k) funds for home down payments without the current punitive penalties. 🔓 THE...