Something EAR-ie Is Going On

Have you heard of $EAR?

Eargo (ticker: $EAR) is a medical device company whose stock plummeted 50.67% after hours. Eargo makes hearing aids that can be shipped directly to your door. The devices are intended for moderate high-frequency hearing loss … so what’s with the price plunge? 🤯

Well, the US Department of Justice announced its criminal investigation of Eargo “related to insurance reimbursement claims the Company has submitted on behalf of its customers covered by federal employee health plans.” Just last month, the company reported revenue up 43.7% YoY. 😅

Hmm. There could be something ear-ie going on with the hearing aid device industry — after all, Congress passed a law in 2017 permitting over-the-counter sales of hearing aids in order to lower the products’ prices.

Could that have something to do with $EAR’s extraordinary dip? Maybe, but only time will tell…

In the meantime, check out $EAR’s hideous daily chart: 

Japan’s Nippon Takes Over U.S. Steel

After months of bidding, U.S. Steel finally has a buyer. However, the auction’s winner has some parties concerned. 🤔

Japan’s Nippon Steel emerged as the top bidder for the 122-year-old steelmaker, beating out offers from Cleveland-Cliffs, ArcelorMittal, and Nucor. Its $55 per share price represents a 142% premium to where $X shares were trading before Cleveland-Cliffs’ $35-per-share offer kicked off the bidding war.

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Thailand Scores Major EV Win

Thailand has been helping lead the electric vehicle (EV) push, with the second-biggest economy in Southeast Asia looking to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. ♻️

The country is known as the “Detroit of Asia,” serving as a major manufacturing hub. As part of that, it’s looking to make 30% of its car output electric by 2030 so that it doesn’t lose its leadership position in the EV transition. Its government is putting up major funds to help fund that, approving $970 million in tax cuts and subsidies to help encourage demand and boost local production. ⚡

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Musk Threatens Tesla’s AI Ambitions

The primary bull case for Tesla is that it’s not an automobile company but a technology one. Part of the reason it’s able to command such a high valuation relative to its peers is because of that technology’s potential business impact way down the line, especially as it introduces newer developments like artificial intelligence (AI).

However, that bull case is facing an unlikely opposition…from Elon Musk himself. 🤦

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Boeing Loses Altitude (Again)

If you’re an investor in airlines or airplane manufacturers, this is not the type of headline you want to wake up to. Unfortunately for Boeing and several others, the news is not great. So let’s dig into it. 👇

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