A drone view shows a sign for Paramount in front of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, California on December 8, 2025.
Daniel Cole | Reuters
Paramount Skydance launched a hostile takeover bid on Monday Discovery Warner Bros.following those of Netflix announced last week that it had reached a deal to buy out HBO’s owner.
The company is “here to finish what we started,” CEO David Ellison told CNBC, upping the ante with a $30 per share, all-cash offer compared to Netflix’s $27.75 per share, cash and stock offer for WBD’s streaming and studio assets.
Investors were certainly happy, sending Paramount shares up 9% and WBD shares up 4.4%.
Another development that traders have welcomed is the authorization from US President Donald Trump. Nvidia to export its more advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips to “approved customers” in China and other countries – provided some of that money comes back to the United States. Nvidia shares were up about 2% in extended trading.
Major US indices fell overnight, however, as investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s final rate-setting meeting of the year on Wednesday. Markets expect a near 90% chance of a quarter-point decline, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
Hopes of lower rates supported stocks. “The market action that you’ve seen over the last one or two weeks basically points to a very high probability of a 25 basis point decline,” said Stephen Kolano, chief investment officer at Integrated Partners.
But that means the potential downsides will be more severe if things don’t go as planned.
“For some very unlikely reason, if they don’t cut, forget it. I think the markets are down 2-3%,” Kolano added.
In this case, investors will be looking forward to the Fed meeting next year – hoping for a more satisfactory conclusion.
What you need to know today
US stocks fell on Monday. Major indexes closed lower, although tech stocks, such as Broadcom, Confluence And Oraclehad a good performance. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed flat, but defense stocks rose overall.
Paramount Skydance Makes Hostile Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. The company launched a $30 per share, all-cash tender offer to WBD shareholders, following the Netflix acquisition deal. Here’s what to expect from Paramount and Netflix as competition heats up.
Trump authorizes Nvidia to sell H200 chip to China. But that’s only if the United States gets a 25 percent cut in sales, the White House leader said Monday in a Truth Social article. Trump added that Chinese President Xi Jinping had “responded positively” to the proposal.
Management reshuffle at Berkshire Hathaway. Geico investment manager and CEO Todd Combs will leave for JPMorgan Chase, while Berkshire County will add a general counsel and president overseeing consumer, service and retail units.
[PRO] Ray Dalio’s take on the market. The founder of Bridgewater Associates told CNBC he would bet on AI – but in a different way.
And finally…
A cargo ship loaded with containers leaves Qingdao Port in Qingdao city, Shandong province, China, 4 December 2025.
Cost photo | Nuphoto | Getty Images
China’s trade surplus exceeds $1 trillion despite Trump’s efforts to contain it. Here’s what it means
China’s trade surplus surpassed $1 trillion in November for the first time, despite the ongoing global trade war that has led to a sharp decline in exports to the United States. In the first 11 months of this year, China’s overall exports increased by 5.4% compared to the same period in 2024, while imports fell by 0.6%.
The rebound in export growth would help ease the drag caused by weak domestic demand, putting the economy on track to meet the growth target of “around 5 percent” this year, said Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist of Pinpoint Asset Management.
—Anniek Bao and Jeff Cox
