Ford in Talks with Xiaomi for U.S. Market Entry
Catch up on the weekend's top five stories with this list compiled by The Fly: 1) Ford (F) held discussions with Xiaomi (XIACF) over a partnership to help Chinese carmakers gain a foothold in the U.S., Demetri Sevastopulo, Christian Davies, Kana Inagaki, and Gloria Li of The Financial Times reports, citing four people familiar with the matter. During preliminary discussions, Ford explored forming a joint venture with Xiaomi to create EVs in the U.S., the sources added. Ford has also discussed with BYD (BYDDF) about a potential U.S. collaboration. 2) Oracle (ORCL) announced its full calendar year 2026 plan to fund the expansion of its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure business. Oracle is raising money in order to build additional capacity to meet the contracted demand from its largest Oracle Cloud Infrastructure customers. Oracle expects to raise $45 to $50 billion of gross cash proceeds during the 2026 calendar year. The company plans to achieve its funding objective by using a balanced combination of debt and equity financing to maintain a solid investment-grade balance sheet. 3) Pharming (PHAR) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has issued a Complete Response Letter, CRL, to its supplemental New Drug Application, sNDA, for Joenja, an oral, selective phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta inhibitor, as a treatment for children aged 4 to 11 years with activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta syndrome, APDS, a rare primary immunodeficiency. The FDA raised an issue with the potential for underexposure in lower weight pediatric patients. As a result, the FDA has requested additional pediatric pharmacokinetic data to reassess the proposed pediatric doses and confirm that children in the lower weight dose groups can achieve exposure levels comparable to the approved adult and adolescent regimen. The letter also identified an issue with one of the analytical methods used for production batch testing, and the FDA requested additional data and clarification on this point. 4) Carlyle (CG) has started exploratory talks with UAE investors to bring in partners should its agreement to purchase Lukoil's international assets proceed, Shadia Nasralla and Anna Hirtenstein of Reuters reports, citing three sources with knowledge of the process. 5) Bain Capital (BCSF) has finalized plans to acquire FineToday in a deal set to be worth $1.29B, Reuters reports, citing Nikkei. CVC Capital Partners intends to divest all of FineToday's shares.
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- Market Performance: The week was challenging for markets, but it concluded with a surge of optimism among investors.
- Dow 50K Discussion: The article focuses on the potential for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to reach the 50,000 mark, highlighting the factors that could contribute to this milestone.
- Investor Sentiment: Despite recent difficulties, there is a renewed sense of hope and positive sentiment in the market, suggesting a possible recovery.
- Future Outlook: Analysts are considering the implications of reaching the Dow 50K and what it could mean for the broader economy and investment strategies.
- Super Bowl Event: This Sunday, the Patriots will face the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, expected to attract a large audience and boost related advertising revenues, further solidifying the significance of sporting events in the market.
- Earnings Season Arrives: Companies like Coinbase, Ford, McDonald's, and Moderna will report earnings next week, with analysts focusing on McDonald's same-store sales, which are expected to rise due to promotional activities, reflecting consumer demand for value products.
- Economic Data Release: The delayed January jobs report will be released on Wednesday, with economists forecasting the addition of 70,000 jobs in the U.S., providing the market with the latest dynamics on the labor market.
- Inflation Indicator Focus: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be released on Friday, with the market closely monitoring this key indicator's impact on future economic outlook and Federal Reserve policy, potentially influencing interest rate decisions.
- Massive Write-Offs: Stellantis announced write-offs totaling €22.2 billion (approximately $26.5 billion) primarily due to lower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles, resulting in a 24.5% drop in stock price on Friday, indicating significant challenges in the company's EV strategy.
- Product Plan Adjustments: Of this amount, €14.7 billion relates to changes in product plans, including write-offs for underperforming models, costs for canceled future products, and payments to suppliers, which not only impact short-term financials but may also weaken long-term competitive positioning.
- Supply Chain Reductions: Stellantis is cutting €2.1 billion in planned investments for its EV supply chain, mainly in battery manufacturing, reflecting a cautious outlook on the future of the EV market and potentially diminishing its market share in this segment.
- Future Financial Outlook: The company now expects an adjusted operating loss of €1.2 billion to €1.5 billion for the second half of 2025 and has suspended dividend payments, indicating serious financial health challenges that investors should monitor closely in upcoming financial reports.
- Job Data Expectations: The U.S. is expected to add 60,000 jobs in January, up from 50,000 in December, which could influence the Fed's monetary policy direction amidst ongoing economic uncertainty.
- Inflation Metrics Analysis: The January Consumer Price Index is projected to rise by 0.29% month-over-month and 2.5% year-over-year, showing improvement but still falling short of the Fed's 2% target, potentially affecting investor rate expectations.
- Market Reaction and Risks: Recent signs of labor market weakness, including an ADP report indicating only 22,000 new private sector jobs, may heighten expectations for further Fed rate cuts, although investors remain optimistic about economic resilience.
- Stock Market Rotation Trend: A significant rotation within the stock market is underway, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising over 2% this week, reflecting confidence in economic recovery, despite ongoing weakness in tech stocks.
- Sales Performance Boost: Ford's total sales in 2025 increased by 6% year-over-year, with market share rising to 13.2%, demonstrating strong performance in the competitive automotive market, particularly in the American truck segment.
- F-Series Dominance: Ford sold 828,842 F-Series trucks in 2025, significantly outpacing Chevrolet Silverado's 587,527 units, solidifying its position as America's best-selling vehicle and enhancing brand influence.
- Cash Flow Growth: Ford's free cash flow surged by 50.3% and operating free cash flow increased by 34.5% in Q3 2025, laying a solid foundation for the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to outperform rival General Motors.
- Optimistic Market Outlook: With a 46.7% return over the past 12 months, significantly higher than the S&P 500's 14.29%, Ford is poised to potentially surpass General Motors as the largest domestic automaker in market share if it continues its sales growth.
- Market Share Decline: The global market share of U.S. legacy automakers has dropped from 21.4% in 2019 to an estimated 15.7% in 2025, indicating a severe challenge posed by the robust growth of Chinese EV manufacturers.
- Massive Loss Warning: Stellantis disclosed a $26 billion charge due to a business overhaul, resulting in a more than 20% plunge in its stock, reflecting overestimated expectations regarding the pace of the energy transition and weak market demand.
- Rise of Chinese Brands: Chinese EV sales skyrocketed from approximately 572,300 units in 2020 to 4.95 million in 2025, with a nearly 70% increase in global market share over five years, showcasing the strong expansion capabilities of Chinese brands in the global market.
- Impact of U.S. Policies: U.S. automakers have invested over $27 billion in EV development, but due to policy shifts and declining market demand, many companies are scaling back their EV plans, potentially leading to a long-term decline in competitiveness.











