Olivia Brooks

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW), a global leader in contract semiconductor manufacturing, has announced plans for significant expansion in the United States. This move involves a $100 billion investment aimed at building five additional chip manufacturing plants in the country. The company's CEO, C.C. Wei, highlighted these plans during a meeting with former US President Donald Trump, emphasizing the need to bolster domestic production.

Significance of Investments for the US

1. Development of Domestic Manufacturing. The $100 billion investment is geared towards reducing the US's dependency on Asian semiconductors. This decision opens up new avenues for the growth of the country's domestic production and technology sector.

2. National Security. Donald Trump stressed that ensuring chip production within the US is crucial for national security. Localizing manufacturing will mitigate vulnerabilities in supply chains.

In 2024, the Swiss National Bank $SNBN.SW reported a record annual profit of 80.7 billion Swiss francs (approximately 89.5 billion USD), marking a historic achievement facilitated by rising stock markets, a strengthening US dollar, and increased gold prices. This impressive result exceeded forecasts and restored the bank's fiscal performance after experiencing losses in 2023.

How the Swiss National Bank Achieved Record Profits

The remarkable profit was primarily driven by successful investments in foreign currency bonds, equities, and gold. In 2024, SNB achieved:

- 67.3 billion francs from its positions in foreign currency bonds and equities.

Brazilian software developer Totvs $TOTS3.SA announced on Thursday that it is withdrawing from the competitive process to acquire the Linx division of StoneCo $STNE. This decision was outlined in a securities filing, though no further details were provided by Totvs.

Overall Context of the Transaction

According to sources cited by Reuters, StoneCo, a payment services company, received six non-binding proposals for its Linx software development division. However, none of these proposals made a compelling impression on the company. This factor has played a significant role in the ongoing corporate negotiations within Brazil's competitive software market.

Earlier this year, Totvs indicated that it was still evaluating the possibility of making a binding offer for Linx. The company had previously expressed interest in acquiring Linx in 2020 before StoneCo ultimately finalized a deal.

Danone $BN.PA, the renowned consumer product giant, known for its brands like Evian, Badoit, and Activia, has unveiled the next stage of its recovery plan. After surpassing analysts' expectations in 2024 sales and cash flow, Danone is poised to reinforce its market position and drive future growth.

Robust Performance in 2024

In 2024, Danone reported sales of €27.376 billion ($28.72 billion), marking a 4.3% increase compared to the previous year and slightly above the analysts' consensus of 4.2%.

The Australian corporate regulator has once again demonstrated its commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in the business environment. On Monday, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) announced fines for two former executives of Star Entertainment $SGR.AX. This decision sends a strong message regarding executive responsibilities and corporate accountability—a matter of significant interest to industry experts and stakeholders alike.

Context and Circumstances

The recent ruling comes in connection with breaches committed during the executives’ tenure at the casino operator. The investigation revealed that:

1. Finance Director Harry Theodore failed to prevent the transmission of inaccurate information to the National Australia Bank $NAB.AX on November 7, 2019. The letter contained misleading details regarding the use of China Union Pay cards for gambling purposes at Star Entertainment’s gaming terminals.