🚀 AstraZeneca listing in the US

Market Overview
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Year To Date Performances:

1. AstraZeneca is performing a high-stakes geopolitical dance as it prepares for its direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange this Monday, a move that officially harmonizes its presence across London, Stockholm, and the Big Board. This financial pivot follows a massive $15 billion commitment to China and a potential $18.5 billion partnership with CSPC Pharmaceuticals for "next-generation" obesity treatments, notably the clinical-ready asset SYH2082. While the 10.2% drop in CSPC’s stock likely reflects short-term profit-taking, the broader strategy is one of calculated survival; CEO Pascal Soriot is utilizing a $50 billion U.S. investment to insulate the company from aggressive trade tariffs while simultaneously sourcing the innovation needed to bypass the "patent cliff" from the East. By positioning itself as a "bridge" between the fractured economies of the West and the rapid-fire R&D of the East, AstraZeneca is betting that it can remain the largest foreign pharma player in China while securing its status as a staple of American healthcare.

2. The Southeastern United States, recently dubbed the "Battery Belt" for its massive influx of green energy capital, is currently the epicentre of a painful industrial pivot as the electric vehicle (EV) market enters a significantly frostier era. Following the passage of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" in mid-2025, which abruptly terminated federal tax credits for new and used EVs as of September 30, 2025, automakers have been forced to reconcile their ambitious 2030 goals with a stark 46% plunge in fourth-quarter sales. This legislative shift has left billions of dollars in specialized infrastructure stranded, prompting industry titans like Ford to take staggering write-downs of $19.5 billion, while General Motors follows suit with a $7.6 billion charge. In states like Georgia and South Carolina, the strategy has shifted from pure electrification to "flexible" survival, with Hyundai injecting an additional $2.7 billion into its massive Metaplant to ensure it can churn out hybrids alongside EVs, and suppliers like Bosch quietly reassigning their electric motor teams to produce internal combustion safety systems. The irony remains that the vast majority of these investments—nearly 84% of battery plant capital—were anchored in Republican districts that are now seeing the very federal incentives that lured them there systematically dismantled.

3. The United States government is currently navigating its second day of a partial shutdown as House Speaker Mike Johnson attempts to bridge a contentious divide between partisan demands and the logistical reality of a January snowstorm. While the Speaker expressed optimism during a Sunday appearance on "Meet the Press" that a resolution could be reached by Tuesday, the path forward remains fraught with tension following the Senate’s decision to strip Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding from a broader spending package. This sudden pivot was largely driven by a national outcry over "Operation Metro Surge" in Minnesota, where fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents turned a standard budget debate into a volatile referendum on immigration enforcement tactics. Johnson’s immediate challenge is now a race against time and the elements, as he works to gather enough Republican members back in Washington to pass the amended six-bill package without relying on Democratic support, effectively betting the government's reopening on a strict party-line vote.

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