>>> US Gapping up

Gapping up
In reaction to strong earnings/guidance: N/A.

M&A news: ANAD +3.5% (announces that a competing bidder has made a further amended offer to acquire the co at $0.68/share, previous offer was $0.58/share)ALU +3.1% (Nokia (NOK) gains 80% control of Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) through exchange offer), NOK +2.3%, ACHC +0.9% (to acquire Priory Group for $1.89 bln in cash plus 5.363 mln shares, or ~$2.2 bln)

Select metals/mining stocks trading higher: HMY +10.9%, AUY +3.2%, AG +3.1%, AU +2.4%, AEM +2.2%, ABX +2%, GG +2%, NEM +1.6%, GDX +1.5%, GLD +1.2%, GOLD +1%, SLV +1%

Other news: UNIS +97.9% (enters into an exclusivity agreement with Amgen (AMGN)), BXLT +4.5% (Baxalta and Symphogen establish strategic collaboration to accelerate immuno-oncology), BSI +3.7% (to postpone upcoming payment of principal and interest on the Series C Debentures from January 15, 2016 until February 29, 2016)

Analyst comments: N/A

>>> US Gapping down

Gapping down
In reaction to disappointing earnings/guidance: NYMX -0.9%, (filed Q3 and restated Q2 financial statements; restatement resulted in material net reduction in loss)

Select China related names showing weakness after Shanghai closed down ~7% overnight: KNDI -11.6%, JKS -10%, JMEI -9.5%, VIPS -6.5%, WBAI -5.6%, JD -5.2%, RENN -4.6%, BABA -4.5%, BIDU -4.4%, CMCM -4.2%, CTRP -3.4%, YNDX -2.5%, CMRX -1.5%

Select metal producers trading lower: BBL -4.1%, FCX -4%, MT -3.8%, VALE -3.6%, X -3.5%, RIO -2.9%, BHP -2.8%

Other news: QTWW -11% (receives non-compliance from Nasdaq relating to the minimum bid price requirement, has until June 27 to regain compliance), PLUG -7.1% (cont volatility), WTW -6.9% (pulling back following recent strength last week), QUNR -6.4% (appoints Zhenyu Chen as CEO; announces additional mgmt changes), CSIQ -5.9% (files mixed securities shelf offering), SHAK -5.3% (still checking), TTM -5% (reports Dec sales), P -4.2% (Barron's profiles cautious view), FIT -4.2% (still checking), TSLA -4% (reports Q4 deliveries at lower end of guidance), WYNN -3.9% (Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported December gross gaming rev -21.2% YoY), VRX -3.8% (Pershing Square in amended 13D filing discloses it cuts stake in VRX to 8.5% from 9.9% prior), DB -3.5% (still checking), SUNE -3.5% (still checking), TWTR -3.2% (still checking), LVS -2.8% (Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported December gross gaming rev -21.2% YoY), MU -2.8% (President Mark Adams will resign for personal health reasons on February 1)

Analyst comments: LEI -13% (downgraded to Sell at Euro Pacific Capital; $1 tgt), JOY -4.8% (downgraded to Sell from Neutral at UBS), NFLX -4.3% (downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Robert W. Baird), IRBT -4% (downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Piper Jaffray), CMG -3.1% (downgraded to Perform at Oppenheimer), PYPL -3% (downgraded to Sell at Monness Crespi & Hardt),MDRX -2.8% (downgraded to Mkt Perform from Outperform at Raymond James), AMZN -2.3% (downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Monness Crespi & Hardt), ABT -2.2% (downgraded to Equal-Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley), CHK -1.8% (downgraded to Underperform at Raymond James), CL -1.7% (downgraded to Sector Perform at RBC Capital Mkts), LMT -1.4% (removed from Conviction Buy List at Goldman)

(The Verge) Lyft beats Uber to become first ride-hailing app allowed at LAX

Lyft beats Uber to become first ride-hailing app allowed at LAX

It's a gig economy Christmas miracle

Starting Wednesday at 8AM, Lyft will become the first ride-hailing company approved to pick up and drop off passengers at Los Angeles International Airport, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today. The ride-hailing company with the pink mustache beat its much bigger rival, Uber, to the airport, which handled around 70 million passengers in 2014 and is the world's fifth busiest.

"Tomorrow, we will have ‘Lyft-off' at LAX, giving our passengers what they have been asking for, another safe and convenient way to get to and from the airport," Garcetti said in a statement. He noted that LAX's terminals were undergoing a makeover, which includes a rail link, but in the meantime "passengers deserve access to all available options to ensure they have an excellent experience."

The Los Angeles City Council approved the license agreement earlier this year, paving the way for transportation network company pick-ups at LAX, as long as they pay the airport $4 per trip. Garcetti's office said that ride-hailing companies that complete the application can being servicing LAX, but a spokesperson for Uber would not say what the status of its application. In the meantime, Lyft is offering $5 to all customers both to and from the airport until New Year's Day.

This isn't the first time Lyft has beaten Uber to a fare-rich airport. In October, the company announced it had become the first ride-hailing company to strike a deal with Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport. Uber won approval there weeks later.

Airports, in general, have proven to be inhospitable places to companies like Uber and Lyft, with their myriad of regulations and special interests. Regular taxi owners have also lobbied to prevent startups from encroaching on their turf. Forty-nine of the 100 busiest airports in the US prohibit private ride-sharing, according to a survey by Blacklane, a Berlin-based limo service

>>> GM Plans to Work With Lyft to Develop System for Self-Driving Cars

GM Plans to Work With Lyft to Develop System for Self-Driving Cars 

Lyft, Inc. ("Lyft") today announced that it is closing $1 billion with a $500 million investment from General Motors. GM will also have a seat on Lyft's board. Kingdom Holding Company invested $100 million making the total investment of Kingdom Holding and its affiliates approximately $250 million. Several new and existing Lyft investors were also in the round including Janus Capital Management, Rakuten, Didi Kuaidi and Alibaba. Following this latest round, Lyft is valued at $5.5 billion, post money.

(NY Post) Volkswagen hopes to shock CES crowd with electric bus unveiling

Nothing like hippie nostalgia to sweep away the bad vibes from that epic emissions scandal.

That, at least, appears to be the thinking behind a new, all-electric Volkswagen Microbus that, according to reports, has a prototype slated to be unveiled at CES, formerly called the Consumer Electronics Show.

VW has kept mum about the rumored new “camper,” whose lithium-ion battery packs will boast a range of up to 310 miles, according to a report from UK-based Autocar.

Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumer Technology Association — the sponsor of the show — says the new car will be a “groundbreaking electric vehicle that will further illustrate the synergy between the Internet of Things and the automotive industry.”

Elsewhere, Ford reportedly is set to announce at CES a joint venture to make self-driving cars with Google, according to Yahoo! Autos. The idea is for Google to save on the time and expense of ramping up a manufacturing facility of its own, Elon Musk-style.

The Google-Ford deal also is reportedly nonexclusive, setting up what could be an Android-style model for its tech to power cars from a variety of traditional car makers.

These of course, would be pitted against Tesla, whose vertical operation is aiming for an iPhone-like status in the electric-car market.

Other automakers slated to demo smart tech at CES include BMW, Mercedes, Chrysler and Toyota.

Last but not least, there’s Faraday Future — a secretive Chinese-backed startup run by ex-Tesla employees. So far, Faraday hasn’t given much more than a 10-second video with glimpses of a racy-looking wheel well.

(NY Post) Hedgies decide to lay low over the holidays

Hedgies decide to lay low over the holidays

Our St. Barts spies this time of year noticed a distinct absence of hedge fund regulars, who we hear spent the holidays with their tails between their legs instead.

Celebrities such as Roman Abramovich, the Russian financier whose famous New Year’s Eve bash is the talk of the island, and Candice Swanepoel, as well as media titans, were all there in force — but a large swath of the hedge fund community spent time at their snow houses despite the bare slopes.

Evidently, the steep losses on energy or pharma bets incurred by many of the high-profile hedgies influenced their decision to lie low and enjoy a second-home staycation over the holidays.

Said one insider, “You do not want to be seen having a giant Methuselah of Dom Perignon brought over to your table at [St. Barts hot spot] Le Ti, complete with sparklers and waitresses in skimpy outfits, when you have lost a quarter of the money of your investor sitting at a table next to you.”

>>> US Early premarket gappers

Early premarket gappers

Gapping up: UNIS +144.4%, HMY +13%, BXLT +6.2%, ALU +3.4%, AG +3.4%, ABX +2.7%, AU +2.4%, NOK +2.3%, AEM +2.2%, GG +2.1%, SLW +1.6%, GDX +1.6%, GLD +1.2%, GOLD +0.8%, SLV +0.8%

Gapping down: KNDI -11.6%, JKS -8.6%, QUNR -8.1%, VIPS -7%, SHAK -6.3%, WU -6.2%, JMEI -6.1%, CMRX -5.7%, FCX -5.5%, WTW -5.4%, MT -5.2%, NFLX -5.1%, CTRP -5%, TSLA -4.8%, YNDX -4.6%, BABA -4.6%, CMCM -4.2%, BBL -4.1%, X -4%, BIDU -3.9%, DB -3.9%, CHK -3.8%, TWTR -2.8%, SUNE -2.8%