Transportation Stocks Making Moves

Transportation stocks are often on the move, but today, they were especially frisky. So, let’s recap some of the biggest movers from the day. 👇

First up is electric vehicle (EV) maker Rivian Automotive, which fell 23% to 3-month lows. Although the company expects third-quarter revenue to align with Wall Street expectations of $1.29 to $1.33 billion, it surprised investors with a plan to offer $1.5 billion in convertible notes. 

The company issued $1.3 billion of convertible notes in March as part of its efforts to slow spending and bolster its balance sheet. But clearly, it still feels the need to raise more cash to compete in the increasingly competitive EV space. 💸

Hyundai and Kia are the latest automakers to adopt Tesla’s EV charging standard beginning in 2024. It joins Ford, General Motors, Nissan, and others who have adopted Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) as Musk’s alternative inches closer to becoming the official industry standard. 🔌

After days of a stalemate, negotiators for the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Ford have narrowed their differences on pay increases as “really active” talks continue. As the strike continues, its downstream effects are being felt as GM furloughs more workers due to a lack of parts. 📝

Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast Auto caught a slight bid today after reporting a 159% YoY jump in quarterly revenue. However, about 60% of its third-quarter sales went to a single Vietnam fleet operator, and its net loss widened to $623 million as it continued to invest in expansion. And relatedly, China’s Nio was in the news for reportedly losing $35,000 per car it sells. 😮

Meanwhile, French train manufacturer Alstom fell 38% to fresh all-time lows after slashing its cash flow guidance. Its worst trading day in history erased several billion dollars in value from its market capitalization, as its first-half cash flow plunged from negative 45 million euros to negative 1.15 billion euros. It now expects full-year free cash flow in the range of negative 500 to 750 million euros, down from a “significantly positive” forecast earlier in the year. 🚄

Apple Drains EV Resources For AI

After ten years of research and development, Tim Apple is finally pulling the plug on Apple’s electric vehicle (EV) project. Because as we all know, EVs have lost their luster and given way to the business world’s new savior…artificial intelligence (AI). 😇

Bloomberg broke the news today, saying the tech giant disclosed the strategy shift internally and surprised the nearly 2,000 employees working on the project. Executives told staffers the project would begin winding down and that many of the car team’s employees would be shifted to its artificial intelligence division, focused on generative AI. 

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Biotech Buyout Spree Continues

It may be the last week of the year, but many companies are rushing to get deals done before year-end. Two significant transactions in the biotech space were announced today, so let’s dive in. 👇

The first deal involves RayzeBio, which raised $358 million via an initial public offering (IPO) just three months ago. However, its time as a public company is being cut short by Bristol Myers Squibb, which is acquiring the radiopharmaceutical therapeutics company for $62.50 per share in cash. 💰

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PayPal Pops Ahead Of Key Event

It’s been a rough few years for payment giant PayPal, with shares falling 85% peak-to-trough. Recently, the stock has begun to rebound with other beaten-down tech names but remains about 80% below all-time highs. In other words, it would need to nearly 5x its share price to reach those levels again. 📈

While that may seem a ways off, investors have recently pushed shares to their best three-day run since the end of 2022. That’s because the company promised to roll out new “customer-backed innovation” at an event next Thursday, with its new CEO Alex Chriss saying, “It is very clear what we need to do.”

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Chinese Smartphone Maker Unveils EV

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi is entering the highly competitive electric vehicle (EV) market, revealing its first electric car this weekend. 👀

The consumer electronics company unveiled its SU7 sedan, which it says it spent more than $1.4 billion to develop. The vehicle is set to roll out in China next year and is attempting to do something Faraday Future and other competitors have failed to do: create a software-focused vehicle that matches the technology people find in their phones to what’s happening in their cars. 

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