TheChek News Flow

After Hours Summary: JBHT -3.9% lower on earnings; WS +3.2% higher on news it will acquire Kloeckner & Co; UMAC +0.4% ticks higher on drone components order

After Hours Gainers:

Companies trading higher in after hours in reaction to earnings/guidance: None.

Companies trading higher in after hours in reaction to news: WS +3.2% (to acquire Kloeckner & Co), LWLG +1.1% (MOU with QPICs to accelerate the use of electro-optic polymers), COHR +0.8% (launches FieldMax Touch and FieldMax Touch Pro), SXC +0.8% (CFO to retire; names successor), GVA +0.8% (selected for $157 mln project by the City of Tucson), TRGP +0.7% (plans to increase dividend), EXK +0.5% (completes sale of Bolañitos Mine), UMAC +0.4% ($2.1 mln order for drone components), TEAM +0.3% (appoints Anil Sabharwal, Vice President of Product at Google, to Board of Directors), VZ +0.2% (receives all regulatory approvals for FYBR merger), WMT +0.2% (CEO of Walmart international to depart), CC +0.1% (to sell the remaining land at its former titanium dioxide manufacturing location in Taiwan)

After Hours Losers:

Companies trading lower in after hours in reaction to earnings/guidance: QXO -4.3% (guidance; also stock offering), JBHT -3.9%

Companies trading lower in after hours in reaction to news: WWD -1.4% (to wind down China on-highway natural gas truck business), FWDI -0.4% (update on SOL holdings)

WSJ : Two Fitness Companies Are Merging With Jared Kushner’s Backing

Two Fitness Companies Are Merging With Jared Kushner’s Backing

The parent company of ClassPass is combining with fitness-tech maker EGYM to capitalize on AI across the industry

The parent company of ClassPass, a workout booking app, is merging with fitness-tech company EGYM in a bid to create an industry leader in the fitness space with the backing of Jared Kushner’s private-equity firm.

The details

The transaction includes $785 million in new equity investments and is set to value the combined entity at $7.5 billion, including debt, executives told The Wall Street Journal.

ClassPass parent Playlist also owns Mindbody and Booker, two other firms in the fitness and wellness space. EGYM’s workout equipment and digital offerings use artificial intelligence to create personalized fitness regimens for users.

The fresh investment is led by Kushner’s Affinity Partners (already an investor in EGYM), the executives said. A consortium of the companies’ existing investors is also participating, including Vista Equity Partners, Singapore investment firm Temasek and consumer-focused private-equity firm L Catterton.

The context

Playlist and EGYM together brought in more than $800 million in net revenue last year. Both companies are also profitable, said Playlist Chief Executive Fritz Lanman.

The fresh funding will be used to invest in AI to help all of their brands engage more with consumers, said EGYM Chief Executive Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer. It will also allow the businesses to scale globally, he said, adding that EGYM is already a a significant competitor across Europe.

“The wellness industry has such strong secular tailwinds behind it,” Lanman said. “AI is only accelerating that.”

(Lanman and Roesch-Schlanderer are expected to be named co-founders of the new Playlist organization as part of the deal.)

Private-equity firm Vista acquired Mindbody—a software platform that helps gyms, studios and spas manage their businesses—in late 2018 for $1.9 billion. In October 2021, Mindbody acquired ClassPass in an all-stock deal that valued the combined entity at roughly $3 billion. Playlist, the new parent-company banner, was unveiled last year.

EGYM in 2024 raised roughly $200 million of growth capital at a more than $1 billion valuation from investors including L Catterton.

>>> Europe : Brokers Upgrades & Downgrades - 15th of January 2026 V2(+)

>>> Up

* DraftKings Raised to Overweight at Wells Fargo; PT $49

* Dell Technologies Raised to Overweight at Barclays; PT $148

* Duell Raised to Accumulate at Inderes; PT 3.20 euros (+)

* EssilorLuxottica Raised to Buy at Kepler Cheuvreux
* Frontier Developments Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank

* Greencore Group PT Raised to 325 pence from 290 pence at Davy (+)

* LondonMetric Raised to Buy at BofA (+)

* Nokia Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley; PT 6.50 euros

* Norsk Hydro Raised to Buy at Pareto Securities; PT 94 kroner

* Shurgard Raised to Buy at BofA (+)

* WH Smith Raised to Buy at Investec; PT 820 pence

>>> Down

* British Land Cut to Neutral at BofA (+)

* BW Energy Cut to Hold at Arctic Securities; PT 48 kroner

* Colonial SFL Socimi Cut to Underperform at BofA (+)

* Ekinops SAS Cut to Hold at Stifel; PT 2.20 euros

* Flutter Cut to Equal-Weight at Wells Fargo; PT $228

* GE Healthcare Cut to Sell at UBS; PT $77

* Great Portland Cut to Neutral at BofA (+)

* Jumbo Cut to Neutral at Citi; PT 27 euros
* Metsa Board Cut to Sell at UBS; PT 2 euros

* Nextensa Cut to Hold at KBC Securities; PT 50 euros (+)

* Norsk Hydro Cut to Sell at ABG; PT 75 kroner

* Persimmon Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank; PT 1,419 pence

* Repsol Cut to Underperform at RBC; PT 16 euros

* Segro Cut to Neutral at BofA (+)

* SSAB Raised to Hold at ABG; PT 73 kronor

* Strategy PT Cut to $440 from $500 at TD Cowen

* Var Energi Cut to Hold at Arctic Securities; PT 37 kroner

>>> Initiation

* Adidas Rated New Outperform at Grupo Santander; PT 212.20 euros

* AMD Rated New Sector Perform at RBC; PT $230

* Applied Materials Rated New Outperform at RBC

* ARM Holdings ADRs Rated New Outperform at RBC

* ASML ADRs Rated New Outperform at RBC

* Astera Labs Rated New Outperform at RBC

* Boliden Cut to Hold at ABG; PT 550 kronor

* Broadcom Rated New Sector Perform at RBC; PT $370
* GlobalData Reinstated at Buy at Shore Capital

* Intel Reinstated Sector Perform at RBC; PT $50

* KLA Corp Rated New Sector Perform at RBC; PT $1,550

* Lam Research Rated New Outperform at RBC

* Lattice Semi Rated New Outperform at RBC

* Marvell Technology Rated New Outperform at RBC

* Micron Rated New Outperform at RBC

* Qualcomm Rated New Sector Perform at RBC; PT $180

* Quantum Computing Rated New Buy at Rosenblatt Securities Inc

* Rigetti Computing Rated New Buy at Rosenblatt Securities Inc

* Sandisk Rated New Sector Perform at RBC; PT $400

* Shopper Park Plus Zrt Rated New Buy at Erste Group

* Silicon Labs Rated New Sector Perform at RBC; PT $160

* Skyworks Rated New Sector Perform at RBC; PT $65

* TKMS Rated New Neutral at Citi; PT 100 euros

>>> Call

* BoneSupport Sales Trending Positively, SEB Equities Upgrades

* Nokia Upgraded at Morgan Stanley, a Potential Data Center Play
* Nvidia, Micron, Marvell Are All Rated New Outperform at RBC

* TKMS Initiated Neutral at Citi, Profit Growth Seen Priced In

(BN) The Watch of the Century Is a $170,000 Deeply Human Piece of Art

(BFW) Sanofi Prepares Higher Bid for Ocular Therapeutix: La Lettre

>>> What to look at today - 15th of January 2026

Oil fell for the first time in six days after President Donald Trump signaled he may hold off on attacking Iran for now. Precious metals also slipped from their record highs. Brent crude dropped as much as 3.3% Thursday as Trump said he was reassured by sources “on the other side” that the government in Tehran would stop killing people involved in widespread protests. Even so, Iran temporarily closed airspace around its capital amid tensions with the US. Silver tumbled as much as 7.3% as Trump held off on imposing new tariffs on imports of critical minerals. Gold, platinum and palladium also declined. Asia’s benchmark share index fell from a record high, while US equity-index futures also dropped after S&P 500 Index had its first back-to-back loss for the year. While commodities retreated from their highs, the main theme in stocks was investors rotating out of richly valued technology shares. With key economic data from the US not moving expectations for a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut until the middle of the year, traders are turning their attention to how the rotation will pan out, especially since Asian shares have outpaced gains on Wall Street. Thursday’s pullback in precious metals came after the majority of commodities had powered ahead this year, extending gains from 2025. A broad metals rally sent silver and gold to fresh peaks on Wednesday, along with copper and tin, as investors turned to hard assets due to an array of geopolitical, economic and supply risks. Frenzied buying in China and the US, and a broader rotation into commodities are bolstering demand. Concerns about US tariffs on silver, along with platinum and palladium, were temporarily eased as Trump said he would negotiate bilateral agreements to ensure adequate supplies of critical minerals. He floated price floors on imports — not just percentage-based tariffs — to develop supply chains, but didn’t rule out levies in future, according to a statement late on Wednesday. Elsewhere in Asia, the South Korean won weakened after jumping Wednesday when US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent referred to excessive declines in the currency. His comments represented rare verbal support for the won as it slides toward its weakest since 2009. “Bessent’s comments can support the won in the near term, but markets may have more influence if they feel the fundamentals and politics are still in a worsening trajectory,” said Brendan McKenna, a strategist at Wells Fargo in New York. The Bank of Korea left its benchmark rate unchanged in a widely predicted policy decision. Goldman Sachs Senior Asia Economist Goohoon Kwon breaks down the reasons for the weak Korean won and explains why he is bullish on the strong fundamentals in the Korean equity market. Attention was also on Japan, where Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was expected to call a snap election early in the parliamentary session starting later this month. Equities in the country had rallied and the yen had come under pressure amid reports of a snap poll. The yen fluctuated after Bessent spoke with Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and noted the “inherent undesirability of excess exchange rate volatility.” Elsewhere, Trump told Reuters he does not plan to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell despite a Justice Department probe into the central bank’s renovation. US After Hours CVGW +13.2% higher as AVO will acquire co; RILY +30.8% higher on earnings; FUL -3% lower on earnings.

Nikkei -0.85% Hang Seng -0.51% CSI -0.14% Shanghai Shenzen

Eur$ 1.1638 CNH 6.9679 CNY 6.9700 JPY 158.41 GBP 1.3431 CHF 0.8008 RUB 78.4885 TRY 43.1925 WTI$ 60.01 -3.21% Gold 4,604 -0.46% BTC 96,385 -1.11% ETH 3,313 -1.56% SOL 144.52 -1.43%

S&P +0.15% Nasdaq 0.35%% EuroStoxx +0.60%% FTSE +0.53% Dax +0.15% SMI +0.77%

Macro :

- Bitcoin ETFs See Biggest Inflow Since October’s Crypto Crash

- Iran Closes Tehran Airspace to Flights as Tensions With US Mount
- Standard Chartered Lifts Taiwan 2026 Growth Forecast to 3.8%

- Senate Committee to Postpone Meeting on Crypto Market Structure

- It’s Not Time to ‘Sell America’, Just the Dollar: Macro View

- Bessent’s Comments Should Temper Won Weakness, Strategists Say

- Venezuelan Dark Fleet Emerges After Maduro’s Capture by US

- IMF Chief Georgieva Arrives in Kyiv For High-Level Talks: Rtrs

Keep an eye on :

- AlpiTour IPO : Alpitour Could Consider IPO in Early 2027, Messaggero Reports

- ALV GY : Pimco Diversifies From US Assets on Unpredictable Trump Term: FT

- BABA US : Alibaba Takes Major Step to Link Taobao Shopping to Main AI App

- BitGo IPO : Crypto Wallet Firm BitGo’s IPO Is Said to Be Well Oversubscribed

- BRK/A US : Berkshire-Backed BNSF Warns Rail Megamerger Risks Higher Prices

- BONEX SS : BoneSupport Sales Trending Positively, SEB Equities Upgrades

- BOSN SW : Bossard 4Q Sales Beat Estimates

- BBIO US : BridgeBio Said to Offer Up to 1.25% Coupon on Convertible Bonds

- CBRS US : OpenAI Forges Multibillion-Dollar Computing Partnership With Cerebras -- WSJ

- CBK GY : UniCredit CEO, Delfin Chair Could Meet Over Paschi Stake: Sole

- FAST NA : Fastned 4Q Revenue Related to Charging EU38.1M

- FNMA US : Fannie, Freddie Shares Slip as Investors Eye Trump Policy Moves

- GEBN SW : Geberit 4Q Sales Meet Estimates

- G IM : Generali’s Terzariol Assumes Role of Group Deputy CEO

- IMPN SW : Implenia Wins ~€350m in Bridge and Tunnel Construction Contracts

- INS GY : Instone Group Prelim. 2025 Sales Volume Rises More Than 50% Y/y

- JNJ US : J&J Reports Positive Phase 3 Data for Tecvayli Monotherapy

- FUL US : HB Fuller Falls After 2026 EPS Forecast Trails at Midpoint (1)

- LHA GY : German Ruling SPD Chides Lufthansa for Deal With Musk’s Starlink

- LHA GY : Lufthansa Skirts Iran, Iraq Airspace Amid Rising Turmoil

- BMPS IM : UniCredit CEO, Delfin Chair Could Meet Over Paschi Stake: Sole

- NOVOB DC : Strive Compounding Pharmacy Files Suit Against Lilly, Novo

- NVDA US : Nvidia Should Sell No H200 Chips to China Under New Rule: Warren

- OMV AV : OMV 4Q Production Misses Estimates; Flags Impairment
- OXB LN : Oxford Biomedica In Preliminary Talks on Possible EQT Proposal

- PGHN SW : Partners Group Assets Under Management $184.9B

- CFR SW : Richemont 3Q Sales at Constant Exchange Rates Beat Estimates

- SHCO US : Soho House Sets $200m in Alternative Merger Funding Plans

- TIP IM : Alpitour Could Consider IPO in Early 2027, Messaggero Reports

- TEMN SW : Temenos Prelim 4Q Non-IFRS Ebit Margin Beats Estimates

- TSLA US : Tesla Target Boosted as UBS Sees Market Continuing to Buy

- HO FP : Thales Offering by Holder Prices at €254.55/Share, Terms Show

- TKA GY : Jindal Push May Endanger 3,000 More Thyssenkrupp Steel Jobs: RP

- 2330 TT : AI Optimism Facing Crucial Test in TSMC Capex Plans

- UCG IM : UniCredit CEO, Delfin Chair Could Meet Over Paschi Stake: Sole

- VACN SW : VAT Prelim FY Net Sales About CHF1.07B

- VKTX US : Viking, Obesity Peers Climb as Novo to Go ‘Very Big’ in Deals

- VOW GY : Buyout Firms Are Said to Circle VW’s €6 Billion Everllence Unit

- FHZN SW : Zurich Airport Dec. Passenger Traffic +7.3%

>>> Europe : Brokers Upgrades & Downgrades - 15th of January 2026