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The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index – as tracked by the Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ – extended its relentless climb this week, setting new record highs and nearing the 22,000-point milestone, fueled by strong investor optimism in the Magnificent Seven tech giants and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. Year-to-date, the index has posted a robust 30% gain, on track to outperform the S&P 500 for the ninth time in the last decade. Since the start of 2023, the Nasdaq 100 is on track to double, nearing a 100% gain – a performance last achieved in 2019-2020 with a 102% rise and previously hit during the dot-com boom of 1998-1999. Notably, five out of the seven Magnificent Seven stocks— Apple Inc. AAPL , Amazon.com Inc. AMZN , Alphabet Inc. GOOGL , Meta Platforms Inc. META , and Tesla Inc. TSLA — achieved fresh record highs this week. The combined market capitalization of the group exceeded $18 trillion, surpassing China's gross domestic product at the end of 2023. Broadcom Inc . AVGO emerged as the week's standout performer, soaring after a strong quarterly earnings beat and delivering upbeat AI-driven guidance for the coming year. The rally propelled the chipmaker into the exclusive $1 trillion market-cap club, making it the eighth-largest publicly traded company. Inflation data released during the week raised some red flags. Consumer inflation rose 2.7% year-over-year in November, in line with expectations, but producer inflation jumped to 3% year-over-year, exceeding estimates of 2.6%. This marked the sharpest increase since February 2023, raising concerns about potential cost pass-throughs to consumers. Investors are fully pricing in a 25-basis-point interest rate cut at the Federal Reserve’s Dec. 18 meeting. Yet policymakers may signal fewer rate cuts for 2025 — potentially just three — while leaving open the possibility of a pause as early as January. You may have missed... Trump Rings NYSE President-elect Donald Trump rang the New York Stock Exchange opening bell on Thursday, expressing confidence in a strong U.S. economy. Trump was named TIME Person of the Year for the second time. GM Robotaxi Exit General Motors Co . GM plans to abandon its robotaxi ambitions, aiming to save $1 billion annually and potentially license Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology, says analyst Gary Black. Google’s Quantum Leap Alphabet's new Willow quantum chip showcases cutting-edge innovation. Analysts praise Google for advancing technology leadership, signaling potential breakthroughs in computing power and commercial applications. Read now: Fed’s December Meeting Could Crush Rate Cut Optimism For 2025 © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Amsterdam-based startup CarbonX has secured €4mn to industrialise a new anode material that could help Europe reduce its reliance on China for graphite, a substance which makes up half the weight of a typical lithium-ion battery. Netherlands-based VC Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam led the round. It’s an extension on CarbonX’s €10mn capital injection announced in February, capping off the funding round at a cosy €14mn. Graphite is the go-to material for lithium-ion battery anodes, which is the negative electrode responsible for storing and releasing electrons during the charging and discharging process . Its found in batteries that power everything from EVs to smartphones. The EU imports almost 100% of its graphite from China, which recently imposed restrictions on exports of the carbon-based material amid rising political tensions between Bejing and the West. The 💜 of EU tech The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! “A resilient battery supply chain is crucial for global electrification,” said CarbonX’s co-founder Rutger van Raalten. “Yet, we don’t see sufficient alternatives for locally sourcing critical raw materials such as graphite.” CarbonX wants to offer European and American battery makers a way to source a graphite alternative that is not just locally-made, but greener and better performing. Spun out from Delft University of Technology in 2014, the company has developed an “emulsion feedstock” technology that takes carbon black — a fine, black powder made mostly of pure carbon — and processes it into a material with a complex 3D porous structure. Similar to graphite, this hexagonal formation creates spaces where lithium ions can insert themselves during charging. However, CarbonX says that its material has even more little crevices for the lithium ions to hide. That equals faster charging and longer-lasting batteries. “CarbonX’s unique 3D porous network structure improves electron and lithium-ion transfer, while it is still highly compressible to achieve high energy densities,” explained Daniela Sordi, CTO and co-founder of CarbonX. CarbonX’s feedstock technology purportedly consumes much less energy compared to synthetic or natural graphite production. This equals lower costs and less carbon emissions, it said. The company’s carbon anode material is currently undergoing “late-stage qualifications” with “several top 10 global battery cell manufacturers.” It expects to secure its first offtake agreements halfway into 2025. Graphite demand is expected to rise by 20-25 times between 2020 to 2040, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). To cater to this “enormous market pull,” CarbonX plans to scale up quickly. CarbonX is currently planning its first high-capacity facility at an existing carbon black factory in the Port of Rotterdam. Its tech can “plug-in” to existing carbon black factories, using their current equipment, so there’s no need to build new plants. The company is also undergoing a feasibility study for a 20,000 ton per annum production line in both Europe and US, it said. “The founders of CarbonX found an answer to the developing Chinese export ban on graphite,” commented Jesse In ‘t Velt, investment manager of Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam.

Luigi Mangione could be facing an uphill legal battle as a suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson due to the mounting evidence against him, according to a Baltimore attorney with ties to the family. A retrieved firearm and alleged manifesto contribute to what criminal defense attorney Tomas J. Maronick describes as “very strong” evidence against Mangione. Maronick, who runs the Baltimore firm Maronick Law LLC, hosted the "Tom Moore Show," a weekend politics, legal issues and entertainment program, for the Mangione family-owned WCBM-AM radio station for 20 years from 2003 until 2023. During that time, Maronick knew several members of the family, including patriarch Nick Mangione Sr., and Maryland delegate Nino Mangione, who was the web content director at the time. While Maronick does not recall if he met Luigi Mangione, he said he was shocked when he heard the news about the shooting. “When I saw the name, and they said ‘Mangione,’ I said, ‘This can’t be,’” Maronick said. “’This can’t be the same family I worked with for 20 years.’ It turns out it was. I was shocked like anyone else. It’s the last family name you would suspect being associated with something like this.” New York prosecutors have charged Mangione with one count of murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was denied bail during a court appearance Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Mangione is also fighting extradition and will remain at Huntingdon State Correctional Institution until prosecutors obtain a governor’s warrant to take him back to New York to face charges. Maronick acknowledged that Mangione faces a tough legal battle to be cleared of the charges. In addition, multiple reports surfaced Wednesday stating that Mangione’s fingerprints were found at the scene of the shooting. “The evidence in this case looks very strong,” Maronick said. “You have a firearm that matches the kind that appears to have been used in the commission of the crime in his possession. You have a manifesto that appears to provide a motive for this. Then, you have a detachment from the family.” Maronick expects that Mangione’s defense attorney might request a competency evaluation, which is mental health assessment to determine whether a criminal defendant is able to understand and participate in the legal process, after Mangione had an outburst while being led by police for an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania, yelling to reporters: “This is completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience.” Bradley S. Shepherd, a defense attorney with Posner & Cord LLC in Maryland, said this case has already been sensationalized in the media with a public investigation. The outburst only added to the controversy. “The most basic piece of advice that any criminal defense attorney can give to a client or a prospective client is don’t say anything to the police or press or anyone,” Shepherd said. University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law professor Doug Colbert does not think a competency hearing will be needed due to Mangione’s educational background and academic prowess. Colbert said Mangione likely understands the gravity of the case against him. Another challenge facing both defense attorneys and prosecutors is finding an unbiased jury pool. The current state of the health care industry with increased prices and denied care has polarized society, underscored by the support of Mangione on social media. “The jury pool is going to be one where you really ask questions about health care,” Maronick said. “You want to ask what people’s views are and if they have ever been denied a claim. What is their experience with health care companies? Do they have a favorable impression? Have they had bad experiences? Have they had claims denied? Both sides are going to want to have those questions asked.” Shepherd is confident the system will find an effective jury. He noted that while the criminal trial of President-elect Donald Trump earlier this year was difficult to find able jurors and the selection lasted a week, the court was able to effectively complete the process. “To my knowledge, in the history of United States jurisprudence, we have never failed to find 12 jurors who are fit for the job,” Shepherd said. “I’d be interested to read a book where that was not the case.” The Mangione case has reached far beyond Maryland and is now an international story. Maronick has done interviews about the case with the BBC, which broadcasts across Europe. As a result, he said he doesn’t see any reason a judge would move the case from New York . “I don’t think a motion to change venues is going to do much when it does get to New York because this is a national, and I would even say an international, case,” Maronick said. “It’s gotten so much publicity. I don’t think you would have a better or worse jury somewhere else. It’s been reported everywhere.” However, according to Maronick, the crimes does not tarnish the reputation of the Mangione family. “It’s such an esteemed, classy family,” Maronick said. “They are people who were not only incredibly supportive of my career at WCBM, but everyone else, with charity and how they donated money and have their name on the aquatic center at Loyola University Maryland.” ©2024 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Alex Jones keeps Infowars for now after judge rejects The Onion's winning auction bid

Zoom Communications Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025

Londoner whose wallet was stolen from their unlocked car serves as cautionary tale

DAMASCUS (AP) — Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad , gathering in the capital's historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule. The newly installed interim prime minister delivered the sermon at the Umayyad Mosque, declaring that a new era of “freedom, dignity and justice” was dawning for Syria. The gatherings illustrated the dramatic changes that have swept over Syria less than a week after insurgents marched into Damascus and toppled Assad. Amid the jubilation, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with allies around the region and called for an “inclusive and non-sectarian” interim government. Blinken arrived in Iraq on a previously unannounced stop after talks in Jordan and Turkey, which backs some of the Syrian insurgent factions. So far, U.S. officials have not talked of direct meetings with Syria's new rulers. The main insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has worked to establish security and start a political transition after seizing Damascus early Sunday. The group has tried to reassure a public both stunned by Assad's fall and concerned about extremist jihadis among the rebels. Insurgent leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past, though HTS is still labeled a terrorist group by the United States and European countries. HTS's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in a video message Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.” “I invite them to head to the squares to show their happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people,” he said. “And then after, we will work to build this country, and as I said in the beginning, we will be victorious by the help of God.” Huge crowds, including some insurgents, packed the historic Umayyad Mosque in the capital's old city, many waving the rebel opposition flag — with its three red stars — which has swiftly replaced the Assad-era flag with with its two green stars. Syrian state television reported that the sermon was delivered by Mohammed al-Bashir, the interim prime minister installed by HTS this week. The scene resonated on multiple levels. The mosque, one of the world's oldest dating back some 1,200 years, is a beloved symbol of Syria, and sermons there like all mosque sermons across Syria were tightly controlled under Assad's rule. Also, in the early days of the anti-government uprising in 2011, protesters would leave Friday prayers to march in rallies against Assad before he launched a brutal crackdown that turned the uprising into a long and bloody civil war. “I didn’t step foot in Umayyad Mosque since 2011," because of the tight security controls around it, said one worshipper, Ibrahim al-Araby. “Since 11 or 12 years, I haven’t been this happy.” Another worshipper, Khair Taha, said there was “fear and trepidation for what’s to come. But there is also a lot of hope that now we have a say and we can try to build.” Blocks away in Damascus' biggest roundabout, named Umayyad Square, thousands gathered, including many families with small children — a sign of how, so far at least, the country's transformation has not caused violent instability. “Unified Syria to build Syria,” the crowd chanted. Some shouted slurs against Assad and his late father, calling them pigs, an insult that would have previously led to offenders being hauled off to one of the feared detention centers of Assad’s security forces. One man in the crowd, 51-year-old Khaled Abu Chahine — originally from the southern province of Daraa, where the 2011 uprising first erupted — said he hoped for “freedom and coexistence between all Syrians, Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze.” The interim prime minister, al-Bashir, had been the head of a de facto administration created by HTS in Idlib, the opposition's enclave in northwest Syria. The rebels were bottled up in Idlib for years before fighters broke out in a shock offensive and marched across Syria in 10 days. Similar scenes of joy unfolded in other major cities, including in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Raqqa. Al-Sharaa, HTS' leader, has promised to bring a pluralistic government to Syria, seeking to dispel fears among many Syrians — especially its many minority communities — that the insurgents will impose a hard-line, extremist rule. Another key factor will be winning international recognition for a new government in a country where multiple foreign powers have their hands in the mix. The Sunni Arab insurgents who overthrew Assad did so with vital help from Turkey, a longtime foe of the U.S.-backed Kurds . Turkey controls a strip of Syrian territory along the shared border and backs an insurgent faction uneasily allied to HTS — and is deeply opposed to any gains by Syria's Kurds. In other developments, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey’s Embassy in Damascus would reopen Saturday for the first time since 2012, when it closed due to the Syrian civil war. The U.S. has troops in eastern Syria to combat remnants of the Islamic State group and supports Kurdish-led fighters who rule most of the east. Since Assad's fall, Israel has bombed sites all over Syria, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. It has also seized a swath of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, calling it a buffer zone. After talks with Fidan, Blinken said there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the U.S. on what they would like to see in Syria. That starts with an "interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said. Fidan said the priority was “establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant” — referring to the Islamic State group and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Ankara considers the PKK within Turkey's borders a terrorist group, as it does the Kurdish-backed forces in Syria backed by the U.S. A U.S. official said that in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fidan both told Blinken that Kurdish attacks on Turkish positions would require a response. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic talks. The U.S. has been trying to limit such incidents in recent days and had helped organize an agreement to prevent confrontations around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, which was taken by Turkey-backed opposition fighters from the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces earlier this week. In Baghdad, Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, saying both countries wanted to ensure the Islamic State group — also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh — doesn't exploit Syria's transition to re-emerge. “Having put Daesh back in its box, we can’t let it out, and we’re determined to make sure that that doesn’t happen," Blinken said. The U.S. official who briefed reporters said that Blinken had impressed upon al-Sudani the importance of Iraq exercising its full sovereignty over its territory and airspace to stop Iran from transporting weapons and equipment to Syria, either for Assad supporters or onward to the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Lee reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.A disgraced Pennsylvania judge sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for accepting money to send young offenders to privately run juvenile detention centers is now a free man. On Thursday, President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of former Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Conahan, one of two judges convicted for their roles in the shocking bribery scheme known as “Kids for Cash.” Conahan, 72, and fellow Luzerne County Judge Mark Arthur Ciavarella Jr., 74, shut down a county-run juvenile detention facility and accepted $2.8 million in kickbacks from the builder and co-owner of two for-profit lockups in Pennsylvania. The former judges then sent children as young as 8 years old to the privately run facilities. Some of the young offenders had been charged with misdemeanors, including making fun of an assistant principal on social media. The scheme has often been described as the worst judicial scandal in Pennsylvania history. Conahan pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges. He was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison in September 2011, but was sent to home confinement in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, Conahan became one of nearly 1,500 people who had their convictions commuted by Biden , which the White House described as the biggest single-day act of clemency in the nation’s history. “America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” the president said in a statement, adding he’s had “the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation.” Biden’s announcement came as a shock to some of the victims affected by the scandal, who saw the president’s move as “deeply painful.” “It’s a big slap in the face for us once again,” Amanda Lorah, one of the thousands of kids wrongfully imprisoned as part of the scheme, told local NBC affiliate WBRE. Sandy Fonzo, whose son died by suicide in 2010 after he was placed in juvenile detention, said she was “shocked and hurt.” “Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son‘s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power,” Fonzo told the Citizen Voice. “ This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer . Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back.” Ciavarella, the other judge in the scheme, was sentenced in 2011 to 28 years behind bars . In 2021, he filed a motion seeking compassionate release citing health issues, but that request was denied.The Detroit Lions are facing a Chicago Bears team that are coming off of another tough loss. Related Articles Detroit Lions | Grading the Lions’ Week 12 win, as the defense smothers the Colts Detroit Lions | Lions rush for 3 scores and use stingy defense to beat Colts 24-6 for 9th straight win Detroit Lions | Takeaways as Lions cruise past Colts, 24-6, despite injuries piling up Detroit Lions | Photo gallery from the Lions’ 24-6 road win over the Colts Detroit Lions | Lions place Ennis Rakestraw on IR, activate Emmanuel Moseley Despite tying the game late, the Bears went on to lose to the Vikings in overtime, 30-27, dropping their fifth consecutive game and dipping their record to 4-7. For Dan Campbell’s squad, three key contributors may not be available, especially with the upcoming game occurring just four days after a 24-6 win against the Indianapolis Colts. Detroit’s fourth-year head coach expressed, “It’s going to come down to the wire with a number of them. That’s the challenge with the short week. The good news is, I think most of these are not some long-term thing, but the problem is three days to turn around and play. That’s where it becomes a bit of an issue. So, if we can’t, we’re prepare like we always are. Next man up. You got to hold the line, do your job and go compete.” When asked specifically about which three players are the toughest to decide upon, Campbell noted three key players who have helped the team win nine consecutive games may not suit up. “Right now, I mean, Decker, CD (Carlton Davis), Leaf (Kalif Raymond). Saint’s (Amon-Ra St. Brown) a little banged up. We’ll see how he recovers.” For the Lions, the message this week is about healing up and preparing mentally for another NFC North matchup. Detroit has not won on Thanksgiving since back in 2016. Quarterback Jared Goff expressed postgame the seven-game losing streak is one the current team would like to end. “Message is really recovery. Rest, recovery and the mental work,” said Campbell. “It’s how fast can you recover, get your body right, get your mind focused on the job at hand, because you’re not going to get the physical. Block out all the distractions. That’s one thing, the distractions are on us, not on them. We got all our family here, friends, all that. You got to block it out, tell them you love them, and you’ll see them him after the game. “That’s kind of the challenge with all this,” Campbell continued. “This team’s been in, they’ve lost a couple of heartbreakers in the last two weeks. But they’ve been in a bunch of these tight races, and they just keep coming back for more. So they’re hungry for a win. We got our hands full.” This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions