🚀 1.17M Americans laid off in 2025

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Market Overview
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Year To Date Performances:

1. U.S. layoff announcements have surged to 1.17 million so far this year, the highest since the pandemic, as companies cite restructuring, AI-driven efficiencies, tariffs, and broader economic pressures for deep cuts across industries. November alone saw more than 71,000 planned layoffs, pushed upward by Verizon’s 13,000-job reduction and ongoing tech-sector trimming tied to artificial intelligence, which is responsible for over 54,000 cuts in 2025. While hiring plans have fallen sharply and private payrolls dropped by 32,000 last month, official jobless claims remain surprisingly low, a disconnect partly explained by holiday-related reporting quirks. Overall, the data paints a labor market under mounting strain despite headline indicators that have yet to fully catch up.

2. Bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery is heating up, with Paramount-Skydance, Comcast, and Netflix submitting offers for all or part of the company as WBD moves to finalize a sale by mid-December. Each suitor sees different value in WBD’s vast library — from DC superheroes to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones — along with HBO Max and networks like CNN and TNT. Comcast wants the film, TV, and streaming assets to bolster Peacock and its theme parks but has no interest in cable networks; Netflix is eyeing WBD’s studio and streaming properties to deepen its franchise slate, though industry insiders worry about how the streamer would handle traditional theatrical releases; and the newly merged Paramount-Skydance wants the entire company, including cable channels, to supercharge its film pipeline, boost news and sports coverage, and strengthen its bid to become a top-tier media powerhouse.

3. Nvidia is swimming in cash, $60.6 billion as of October, and its surging free cash flow has fueled a spending spree that includes stakes in Synopsys, Nokia, and Intel, as well as a massive yet-to-be-finalized $100 billion commitment to buy OpenAI shares. The chipmaker, now the most valuable U.S. company, is using its balance-sheet heft to reassure suppliers, lock in long-term chip orders, and deepen the CUDA ecosystem through strategic investments rather than blockbuster acquisitions, which regulators have made nearly impossible after the failed Arm deal. While some analysts argue Nvidia should funnel more of its expected $576 billion in free cash flow over the next three years into stock buybacks, CEO Jensen Huang says the priority is ensuring enough capital to deliver next-generation products and support manufacturing partners — even as Nvidia repurchases tens of billions in shares.

   Headlines

   1. Russia is fighting back against the EU’s plan to seize $105B in Russian assets currently frozen on the continent as part of the sanctions against the country.

   2. Adam Aron will continue as AMC’s CEO despite suffering a minor stroke.