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| Solar Energy Firm Glows From New Tariffs, Earns 20% |
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| | Good Afternoon! | Hey, everyone. It's Adam from Elite Trade Club. Here’s what moved the market today. |
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| | | | Markets 📈 | U.S. equities were mixed on Friday, but the overall tone remained bullish. The tech sector was the big winner, driven by Alphabet’s better-than-expected Q1 results and the announced $70 billion buyback. The Nasdaq added over 1%. | DJIA [+0.05%] S&P 500 [+0.74%]
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| Nasdaq [+1.26%] Russell 2K [-0.03%]
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| | Market-Moving News 📈 | Energy | Exxon Looks to Exit Singapore Retail Fuels in $1B Station Sale | | Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) is taking formal bids next month for its 58 petrol stations in Singapore. The sites are valued at about $1 billion, though early offers have reportedly surpassed that mark. Barclays is running the sale. | Aster Chemicals and Energy, the venture that acquired Shell's refining complex on nearby Bukom Island, plans to participate in the auction. | Update: AI-powered trade alerts, straight to your phone—join thousands of smart traders (ad) | This move would complete Exxon's exit from Singapore's retail fuel segment just as the city aims to reduce road-transport emissions and shift drivers toward electric vehicles (EVs). The company took a similar step last year, selling its Thai station network for $603 million. | Offloading mature filling stations in markets tilting hard toward electrification feels logical. The cash can be reinvested in higher-return upstream or low-carbon projects, thereby sparing Exxon's future capital expenditures on chargers and forecourt upgrades. | The dollar figure is small for investors next to Exxon's balance sheet, yet the direction matters. Streaming out non-core downstream assets frees up capital and demonstrates that the company is comfortable letting local retailers handle pump sales while focusing on larger-scale opportunities. | Binding offers are due in May, and Exxon can still decide to keep the assets if pricing disappoints. |
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| | | | Banking & Regulation | U.S. Regulators Ease Crypto Restrictions for Banks, Signaling a Shift | | Top U.S. bank regulators have dismantled a series of restrictions that limited federally supervised lenders’ engagement with cryptocurrencies. | The Federal Reserve has withdrawn two supervisory letters requiring banks to seek approval before handling stablecoins or other digital-asset activities. Concurrently, the Fed, FDIC, and OCC jointly rescinded two 2023 statements that emphasized caution around crypto-related risks. | You might like: Gold just hit a record—find out why it may be your best defense today (ad) | Under the now-abolished guidance, banks were required to demonstrate a thorough understanding of volatility, legal uncertainties, and liquidity challenges before engaging with crypto firms or launching related services. Industry insiders described these requirements as a bureaucratic hurdle, short of a ban, but a significant delay in progress. | Regulators are not stepping back entirely. The Fed indicated it will evaluate the need for new guidance “to support innovation,” suggesting a future framework that prioritizes flexibility over rigid constraints. | The immediate impact is clear: banks no longer need prior approval to explore crypto offerings, potentially accelerating projects like custody services, payment systems, or tokenization efforts that have been in development. | What comes next hinges on the forthcoming regulatory framework, which regulators have signaled they are actively developing. We’ll be watching closely to see how quickly banks capitalize on this newfound freedom and how the new rules shape their approach to digital assets. |
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| | | | Consumer | Kimberly-Clark Nears Bid Deadline for $4B Global Tissue Sale | | Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) has shortlisted three bidders for its international tissue division, with binding offers expected by mid-May. Southeast Asia’s Royal Golden Eagle, Indonesia-based Asia Pulp & Paper, and Brazil’s Suzano are reviewing data to prepare their final proposals. | The division produces tissue brands outside North America, generating approximately $500 million in annual EBITDA. Advisers Goldman Sachs and Centerview Partners have suggested a valuation of nearly $4 billion, although early bids reportedly came in below that mark. | ICYMI: The perfect crypto storm is here—top hedge funds are preparing, are you? (ad) | This potential sale builds on last year’s efforts to streamline operations and bolster margins. The divestiture would provide cash for debt reduction or share repurchases while reducing exposure to volatile overseas markets, where trade tensions continue to disrupt costs. | The unit offers established distribution networks for buyers in emerging markets, where growing household incomes sustain demand for tissue products. | For a pulp producer like Suzano, securing downstream volume aligns with long-term goals; for Kimberly-Clark, offloading lower-margin regions frees up resources to prioritize higher-growth personal-care brands in North America. | Kimberly-Clark has remained silent on valuation details and may retain the division if offers fall short of its expectations. The upcoming formal bids will determine whether the company secures divestment proceeds this year or holds onto the tissue business for now. |
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| | Top Winners and Losers 🔥 | | | Canadian Solar Inc [CSIQ] $11.15 (+20.15%) | Canadian Solar jumped after the Trump Administration imposed new tariffs of up to 3,521% on Southeast Asian solar imports, boosting prospects for North American manufacturers. | Coursera Inc [COUR] $8.75 (+13.64%) | Coursera rallied after posting better-than-expected earnings and revenue growth in Q1, beating analyst estimates for the fourth consecutive quarter. | Sensient Technologies Corporation [SXT] $90.99 (+13.54%) | Sensient Technologies climbed after reporting strong Q1 results. Also, the FDA is about to ban synthetic food dyes, boosting demand for its natural color products. |
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| | | | | | Coeptis Therapeutics Holdings [COEP] $7.70 (-38.25%) | Coeptis Therapeutics tumbled to its lowest since October as investors weren’t impressed by its plans to merge with a Dogecoin mining company. Meanwhile, a law firm is investigating whether the merger is fair to Coeptis shareholders. | Saia Inc [SAIA] $245.63 (-30.66%) | Saia shares sank after the company missed revenue and earnings expectations for Q1, with profits falling sharply below analyst forecasts due to trade uncertainty. | AppFolio Inc [APPF] $192.02 (-18.17%) | AppFolio declined after falling short of analysts’ earnings and revenue estimates for Q1, despite posting year-over-year growth. |
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| | | | That's it for today! Please, write us back, and let us know what you think of the Closing Bell Roundup. We're always eager to hear feedback! | Thanks for reading. I'll see you at the next open! | Best Regards,
— Adam G.
Elite Trade Club |
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