Technology Yahoo Finance brings you the latest news and expert analysis of the biggest companies and trends in technology. Exxon weighs sale of Singapore fuel stations for $1 billion, Bloomberg News reports Exxon operates 59 petrol stations in Singapore under its Esso brand, according to Esso's website. A sale would allow Exxon to raise cash to deploy in other areas of higher growth potential, the report said, adding that players in the energy industry and investment funds had shown preliminary interest in the disposal. Reuters • 4 minutes ago XOM Fuel oil smuggling network rakes in $1 billion for Iran and its proxies A sophisticated fuel oil smuggling network that some experts believe generates at least $1 billion a year for Iran and its proxies has flourished in Iraq since Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani took office in 2022, five sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The operation exploits a government policy under which Iraq allocates fuel oil to asphalt plants at heavily subsidised prices and involves a network of companies, groups and individuals in Iraq, Iran and Gulf states, according to the five people and three Western intelligence reports, two from August this year and one which was undated. Biden Offers $7.5 Billion for Samsung SDI-Stellantis Hub (Bloomberg) -- A joint venture between Samsung SDI Co. and Stellantis NV to create battery manufacturing plants in Indiana is being offered $7.5 billion in financing from the Biden administration.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe conditional loan to StarPlus Energy LLC would fund as many as two lithium-ion battery cell and module manufacturing plants in Kokomo, Indiana for use in US Tightens Curbs on China’s Access to AI Memory, Chip Tools (Bloomberg) -- The US unveiled new restrictions on China’s access to vital components for chips and AI, escalating a campaign to contain Beijing’s technological ambitions but stopping short of earlier proposals that would have sanctioned more key Chinese firms.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe Department of Commerce slapped fresh curbs on the sale of high-bandwidth memory chips m HKBN Shares Jump After China Mobile Makes $882 Million Offer (Bloomberg) -- HKBN Ltd. shares jumped after China Mobile Ltd. made a takeover bid that values the Hong Kong broadband provider at about HK$6.86 billion ($882 million), pushing forward with a formal offer in an emerging bidding war.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe state-backed carrier is planning to make a general offer to buy all of HKBN’s shares for HK$5.23 each in cash, it sa Intel’s CEO Departure Opens Door to Fresh Deal Discussions (Bloomberg) -- The abrupt departure of Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger offers a fresh opportunity for the troubled company to consider potential deal options, including scenarios that he rejected during his time running the chipmaker.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe board has discussed a range of possibilities in recent months, such as private equity transactio Oil prices trade in tight range ahead of OPEC+ meeting SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices were little changed on Tuesday, trading within a narrow range, as traders awaited the outcome of an OPEC+ meeting later this week. Brent crude futures were up 14 cents, or 0.19%, at $71.97 a barrel by 0404 GMT, after a 1-cent drop in the previous session. "Investors are in wait-and-watch mode ahead of the OPEC+ meeting," ANZ analysts said in a note. Musk’s Multibillion-Dollar Tesla Payout Gutted by Delaware Judge (Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk’s record-setting Tesla Inc. pay package was struck down once again by a Delaware judge, threatening to wrest billions of dollars from the world’s richest person and one of Donald Trump’s closest confidants.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionDelaware Chancery Court Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick ruled Monday that Tesla’s board was improperly influenced by Mus Exxon talks continue on shallow-water block in Guyana auction, company says U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil and partners are continuing to negotiate with Guyana's government on the terms for developing a shallow-water oil block, an Exxon spokesperson said on Monday. Exxon, Hess and CNOOC won offshore block S8 in a bidding round launched in late 2022 by President Irfaan Ali's administration. The group remains interested in the block and talks are continuing, an Exxon Mobil spokesperson said via email. SpaceX Weighs Tender Offer at Roughly $350 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg) -- SpaceX is in discussions to sell insider shares that could boost the value of Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company to around $350 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThat would be a significant premium to a previously mulled valuation of $255 billion as reported by Bloomberg News and other media outlets just last Airlines not switching quickly enough to green jet fuel, study says Most of the world's airlines are not doing enough to switch to sustainable jet fuel, according to a study by Brussels-based advocacy group Transport and Environment, which also found too little investment by oil producers in the transition. "Unfortunately, airlines at the moment are not on the trajectory to have meaningful emissions reduction because they're not buying enough sustainable aviation fuel," Transport and Environment aviation policy manager Francesco Catte said. As it stands, SAF makes up about 1% of aviation fuel use on the global market, which needs to increase for airlines to meet carbon emission reduction targets. Microchip Says It Will Shut Arizona Plant, Updates Outlook (Bloomberg) -- Microchip Technology Inc., a maker of chips for cars, consumer devices and other products, said it would close a plant in Tempe, Arizona, affecting about 500 employees.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe company also said that orders have been slower than anticipated and it was revising the December quarter’s outlook to near the low end of its original forecast of ab Intel CEO Forced Out by Board Frustrated With Slow Progress (Bloomberg) -- Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger was forced out after the board lost confidence in his plans to turn around the iconic chipmaker, adding to turmoil at one of the pioneers of the technology industry.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe clash came to a head last week when Gelsinger met with the board about the company’s progress on winning back market s Amazon is giving its data centers a facelift for the generative AI age Amazon is redesigning its data centers for the AI age. US LNG exports to Europe surge in November on higher prices U.S. LNG exports to Europe surged in November as the world's largest producer of the superchilled gas sent more cargoes to the continent and fewer to Asia and Latin America, according to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG. European natural gas prices climbed in November to their highest levels in two years on fears remaining Russian pipeline supplies to Europe will be halted or face further curtailment. European natural gas prices averaged $12.90 per mmbtu in November, more than a dollar higher than $11.79 in October and higher than $12.32 in September, with the benchmark front-month contract at the Dutch TTF hub reaching 49.03 euros per megawatt hour on Nov. 22, equivalent to $14.97 ... Fidelity Fund Boosts Value of Elon Musk’s X Social Network (Bloomberg) -- A Fidelity Investments mutual fund increased the value of its equity stake in Elon Musk’s X by more than 32% in October, its largest monthly increase since making the investment in late 2022. Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionFidelity’s Blue Chip Growth Fund valued its stake in X Holdings Corp., the parent of the social network, at $5.53 million at the end of October, Better drugs through AI? Insitro CEO on what machine learning can teach Big Pharma Artificial intelligence is changing the way companies do business — helping programmers write code and fielding customer service calls with chatbots. Founded in 2018, Insitro is part of a growing field of AI companies promising to accelerate drug discovery by using machine learning to analyze huge datasets of chemical and biological markers. The South San Francisco-based company has signed deals with drugmakers like Eli Lilly and Bristol Myers Squibb to help develop medicines for metabolic diseases, neurological conditions and degenerative disorders. Duke pauses assessment of US energy loan program ahead of Trump administration Duke Energy is pausing its assessment of certain U.S. energy infrastructure improvement loans, citing uncertainty over the future of funding under the Trump administration, according to a filing from last week. The electric utility told North Carolina regulators in a letter on Nov. 27 that it would put on hold its work to determine the costs and benefits of tapping into the federal Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program. "It is in the best interest of customers to pause any further efforts or expenditures until February, following the appointment of the new administration to gain clarity on the future of the EIR Program," Duke said in its filing with the North Carolina Utilities Commission. MicroStrategy Is Halfway Through Share Sales to Buy Bitcoin (Bloomberg) -- Just over a month after announcing plans to raise $21 billion through stock sales to help fund additional purchases of Bitcoin, MicroStrategy Inc. is already almost halfway to its goal.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe company sold 3.7 million shares over the past week and used the proceeds to buy another $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin, the fourth consecutive weekly PG&E shares fall after launching $2.4 billion equity capital raise Shares of PG&E Corp fell about 7% on Monday after the power and natural gas company announced that it planned to raise $2.4 billion from investors via a stock offering. PG&E said it had launched a $1.2 billion common stock offering and a $1.2 billion mandatory convertible preferred stock offering, according to a regulatory filing on Monday. The company plans to use the proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, which includes funding its five-year capital investment plan, the filing said. Super Micro Finds No Evidence of Fraud; Will Replace CFO (Bloomberg) -- Super Micro Computer Inc. said an independent review of its business found no evidence of misconduct but recommended that the server maker appoint new top financial and legal leadership.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionA review by a special board committee, alongside attorneys from Cooley LLP and forensic accounting firm Secretariat Advisors, found “no evidence of mis Tesla investors, analysts have questions on the potential of robotaxis and self-driving President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning federal regulations for self-driving vehicles, and Tesla investors, analysts, and legal experts are mixed on the outlook. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger pushed out following tumultuous tenure leading the chip giant Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger retired over the holiday weekend, leaving the tech giant with new leadership amid the pivotal AI transition. Prosus Swings to Profit in First Half After Asset Sales (Bloomberg) -- Prosus NV reported a first-half profit as the technology investor sold stakes in online businesses in China and South Africa.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionGroup adjusted earnings before interest and taxes totaled $60 million in the six months through end-September from a loss a year earlier, the Amsterdam-based company said in a statement Monday. The group sold mor Trump's low oil price promise is a risk and a boon for emerging markets Donald Trump has promised to "drill, baby, drill" to halve energy costs, a plan that sends shivers through the governments of emerging market oil producers anxious about dollar earnings and fills poorer importing countries with hope. In practical terms, Trump, the incoming president of the world's biggest oil producer, cannot fully control prices. The United States has limited influence over producer group OPEC+, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, and it does not have a state oil company Trump can order to increase output. Exclusive-Bangladesh halves power buying from India's Adani amid payment dispute Bangladesh has halved the power it buys from neighbouring India's Adani Power, citing lower winter demand, government officials told Reuters on Monday, amid disagreements over dues running into hundreds of millions of dollars. Adani, whose founder has been accused by U.S. authorities of being involved in a bribery scheme in India, charges which he has denied, halved supply to Bangladesh on Oct. 31 over payment delays as the country battles a foreign exchange shortage. Subsequently Bangladesh told Adani to keep supplying only half the power for now, officials said, although it will keep paying its old dues. Morning Bid: Dollar flexes on Trump swipe, French politics, yuan slide While the trade threat seems notional, it contained some heft in markets who had assumed a second Trump presidency would be overtly behind weakening the dollar's value. Reserve status and exchange rate value are two different things, of course, but the comments seemed to bolster the currency nonetheless. France's far-right National Rally will likely back a no-confidence motion against the government unless there's a "last-minute miracle", with lawmaker Marine Le Pen giving Prime Minister Michel Barnier until Monday to yield to RN's demands as a part of protracted horse trading over the annual budget plan. Bezos Backs AI Chipmaker Vying With Nvidia at $2.6 Billion Value (Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos joined Samsung in a $700 million bet on Tenstorrent, valuing the AI chip startup with ambitions of taking on Nvidia Corp. at about $2.6 billion.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionTenstorrent, which hopes to create a chip to try and break Nvidia’s stranglehold on the AI business, raised capital in a funding round led by South Korea’s AF New US solar tariffs on Southeast Asia to raise prices, cut profit margins A new round of U.S. solar panel import tariffs on Southeast Asian producers is expected to raise consumer prices and cut into producer profit margins, but was largely anticipated by industry, analysts said. The new duties announced on Friday by the Commerce Department extend the United States' anti-dumping regime in Southeast Asia to solar cells, from just finished modules previously. Trump’s pick to run FCC is an ominous sign for Big Tech The country’s tech titans might need to start fortifying defenses against the agenda of incoming Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr. Saudi Arabia may slash January crude prices for Asia Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is expected to slash crude prices for Asian buyers in January to the lowest in years, largely tracking a slump in Middle East benchmark prices last month, traders said on Monday. The January official selling price (OSP) for flagship Arab Light may fall by 70 to 90 cents a barrel from December to at least a four-year low, six sources at Asian refineries said in a Reuters survey. The price cuts come after the gap between front and third-month Dubai prices narrowed in backwardation by 86 cents in November from the month before, Reuters data showed, despite TotalEnergies snapping up as much as 15.5 million barrels of crude on the S&P Global Platts window. Japan’s Kioxia Sets IPO Price Range for ¥126 Billion Listing (Bloomberg) -- Japanese memory maker Kioxia Holdings Corp. has set a tentative price range for its initial public offering that’s in line with its earlier indication.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe price range was set at ¥1,390 ($9.23) to ¥1,520, compared with the indicative price of ¥1,390 per share, according to its filing. Calculation based on the upper range suggests that w Adani Power says no indication of Bangladesh reviewing power deal Adani Power said on Monday it has no indication that the Bangladesh government is reviewing a power purchase agreement with the company, a day after Reuters reported that the country is looking to renegotiate the deal. Reuters reported on Sunday that Bangladesh wants to sharply lower prices under the deal with Adani Group, unless it is cancelled by a court that has called for an investigation into the 25-year deal. The High Court ordered a committee of experts last week to examine the contract under which Adani supplies power from a $2 billion coal-fired plant in eastern India. I Squared Is Said to Make HKBN Offer in Possible Bidding War (Bloomberg) -- I Squared Capital made a rival non-binding offer for HKBN Ltd., people familiar with the matter said, potentially setting up a bidding war for the Hong Kong-listed broadband provider.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionThe infrastructure-focused investor submitted a preliminary proposal for HKBN that’s slightly higher than one by China Mobile last month, the people said, Oil steady, traders hopeful on China demand but worried about Fed HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices were little changed on Monday, as hopes of stronger demand stemming from higher factory activity in China was largely offset by concerns that the U.S. Federal Reserve will not cut interest rates again at its December meeting. Brent crude futures settled 1 cent lower at $71.83 a barrel. A private sector survey showed China's factory activity expanded in November at the fastest pace in five months, boosting Chinese business optimism just as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has ramped up trade threats. Amazon Cyber Monday deals: The best sales on Kindles, Echo speakers, Ring doorbells and more Amazon Cyber Monday deals have brought the prices of all of the company's in-house made devices down, including Kindles, Echo speakers, Fire TVs and more. Exclusive-Bangladesh wants to renegotiate Adani power deal unless court cancels Bangladesh wants to sharply lower prices under a power purchase deal with India's embattled Adani Group unless it is cancelled by a court, which has called for an investigation into the 25-year deal, its de facto energy minister told Reuters on Sunday. Adani Group founder Gautam Adani is already facing allegations by U.S. authorities that he was part of a $265 million bribery scheme in India, charges he has denied, even as one Indian state reviews a power deal with the group and France's TotalEnergies pauses its investments. In Bangladesh, based on an appeal by a lawyer demanding the power deal's potential cancellation, the High Court last week ordered a committee of experts to examine the contract under which Adani supplies power from a $2 billion coal-fired plant in eastern India. Cathie Wood Welcomes Looser Regulation Heralded by Trump Return (Bloomberg) -- Ark Investment Management LLC’s Cathie Wood said she welcomes an expected era of looser regulation once Donald Trump is inaugurated as president, notably on technology, cryptocurrencies and digital assets.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban Destruction“The US almost lost our footing in the cryptocurrency world,” the Ark founder and chief executive officer said, citing “too much reg Musk Urges Court to Block ‘Illegal’ OpenAI For-Profit Conversion (Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk asked a federal court to block OpenAI from pursuing an “illegal” conversion to a for-profit business, saying that a pause on the ChatGPT maker’s accelerating dominance is urgently needed to protect his own artificial intelligence startup as well as the public. Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionIn his latest court filing, Musk continued his months-long attack Tesla's Elon Musk may not be the only one cashing in on humanoid robots The race to cash in on humanoid robots is well underway. Baidu Wins First License to Test Self-Driving Car in Hong Kong (Bloomberg) -- Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc. has won Hong Kong’s first license to test autonomous vehicles in the city as the company seeks to expand its driverless technology beyond mainland China. Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionBaidu’s Apollo International unit will be allowed to conduct a trial of 10 autonomous vehicles in the North Lantau area, according to Hong Kong’s Transpo Gautam Adani breaks silence on US allegations to say his group is committed to compliance NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Adani Group founder Gautam Adani responded for the first time on Saturday to allegations by U.S. authorities that he was part of a $265 million bribery scheme, saying that his ports-to-power conglomerate was committed to world class regulatory compliance. The indictment is the second major crisis to hit Adani in just two years, sending shockwaves across India and beyond. One Indian state is reviewing a power deal with the group, France's TotalEnergies decided to pause its investments and political rows over Adani have disrupted India's parliament. Checkr Triples Revenue as Background-Check Firm Courts Large Enterprise Clients (Bloomberg) -- Checkr Group Inc., the background-check vendor that got its start screening couriers and rideshare drivers, has boosted revenue by increasing its customer base to include more large enterprises.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionRevenue exceeded $700 million in 2023, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Yanisse said in an interview. That was roughly double the level in 2021, OpenAI Sued by Top Canadian News Publishers Over Copyright (Bloomberg) -- Five Canadian news media publishers have sued OpenAI Inc. for breaching copyright by scraping content to train artificial intelligence products like ChatGPT — opening another front against the $157 billion startup.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionTorstar Corp., Postmedia Network Canada Corp., Globe and Mail Inc., the Canadian Press and CBC/Radio-Canada filed the actio Alleged Snowflake Hacker ‘Danger’ to the Public, Canada Says (Bloomberg) -- The man accused of carrying out cyberattacks against dozens of Snowflake Inc. customers will face an extradition hearing later this year, after Canadian officials accused him of cybercrimes and being “a risk of danger to the public, police and himself.”Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionConnor Riley Moucka appeared at assignment court in Kitchener, Ontario on Friday, wh Learn how to use Apple Intelligence’s ‘Image Playground’ Here’s what you need to know about the Apple Intelligence feature, including what it is, how to use it, and when it launches. What is Image Playground? Image Playground is part of Apple Intelligence, a range of AI-driven tools from Apple. Microsoft FTC probe 'not a complete shocker,' analyst says Microsoft stock was lagging behind its tech peers on Friday as investors reacted to news the company is facing a broad inquiry from the FTC. Volkswagen brushes off union's cost savings proposals Volkswagen, under pressure by high costs and Chinese competition, brushed off union proposals for cost savings on Friday, just days ahead of planned walkouts meant to avoid unprecedented plant closures. "Although there may also be positive effects in the short term, the measures will not lead to any sustainable financial relief for the company in the coming years", the company said in a statement, adding it would remain in contact with labour representatives. Germany's powerful IG Metall union this month proposed 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in cost savings, including forgoing bonuses for 2025 and 2026. These alternatives to popular apps can help reclaim your online life from billionaires and surveillance As ownership and governance of apps and online services consolidate, it's understandable if you want to consider your options when it comes to where you store your private data and records of your everyday activities. Why you should care: It's not just your private messages and calls that Signal keeps encrypted from prying eyes and ears, but Signal also crucially scrambles who you contact and communicate with, and when, which can also be incredibly revealing about a person's life. Crypto’s ‘Middle Child’ Ethereum Flounders as Rivals Gain Ground (Bloomberg) -- Ethereum faces pressing questions over its direction as a rejigged user experience saps activity and fees, stoking uncertainty about whether the blockchain will continue to underpin commerce in crypto.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionCritics point to a growing reliance on so-called Layer-2 blockchains, built on top of Ethereum to improve otherwise clunky and costly tr