Nissan Motor Co. (N-75) reported a 28.3 billion yen ($185 million) loss for the October-December quarter, more than double the 14 billion yen loss a year earlier, as restructuring costs weighed on results.

Sales fell 6% to nearly 3 trillion yen ($19.6 billion) from 3.2 trillion yen in the same period of 2024. CEO Ivan Espinosa attributed the decline to expected restructuring expenses and headwinds from U.S. tariffs and soft EV demand.

The company projects a 650 billion yen ($4.2 billion) net loss for fiscal 2025 (ended March 31, 2026) and an operating loss for the year, aiming for an operating profit by fiscal 2026.

Nissan has cut jobs, sold its headquarters, and is closing the Oppama factory as part of its production restructuring. The stock gained 0.5% on Thursday amid the report.

Elliott Investment Management, with a ¥5.5 billion stake in Japan (about $3.2 billion in Toyota Industries alone), is seeking to block Akio Toyoda’s ¥18,800 per-share tender for Toyota Industries Corp., extending the March 2 deadline. Elliott, which holds over 7% and values the company at ¥26,000–¥40,000 per share, has publicly opposed the price, citing a ¥6.4 trillion market cap and ¥2.5 trillion in voting shares. The firm’s ¥42 billion stake in Japan includes SoftBank, Toshiba, and Tokyo Gas, with a ¥3 billion holding in Toyota Industries.

The clash tests Elliott’s ability to influence Japanese corporate governance and signals broader shifts in activist activity in Asia. Toyota Industries and its lead bidder argue the offer reflects intrinsic value; Elliott counters with a higher valuation and has supported higher dividends and asset sales at other Tokyo companies. Elliott’s Asia team, led by Aaron Tai, has expanded since 2023, leveraging local expertise to challenge major Japanese holdings.

A West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) court has invalidated the 2022 economic blockade on Mali, calling into question the legality and economic rationale of using trade as a political instrument. The decision, issued on February 12, 2026, challenges policy coherence between ECOWAS and WAEMU and prompts reflection on whether regional integration should prioritize trade stability and investor confidence over political leverage.

Separately, Africa’s tech ecosystem, entering a more mature phase by 2026, is shifting away from aggressive valuations toward sustainability and operational efficiency, with founders increasingly favoring debt financing over venture capital to avoid dilution and pursue disciplined growth. Investors are becoming more selective, emphasizing clear revenue models and fundamentals.

Global Valentine’s Day spending is forecast to reach $29.1 billion in 2026, driving seasonal activity in Zambia and across Africa, while debates over commercialization and affordability intensify amid rising living costs.

ByteDance on February 12, 2026, unveiled Seedance 2.0, a video-generation AI capable of processing text, images, audio, and video simultaneously, reducing content creation costs for film, e-commerce, and advertising. The model has gone viral in China, drawing comparisons to DeepSeek's R1 and V3 and receiving praise from Elon Musk and state media. Weibo hashtags related to Seedance 2.0 have racked up tens of millions of clicks, with a 2-minute palace drama video of Ye and Kim Kardashian viewed over a million times.

Boyd Gaming (BYD) reported Q4 revenue exceeding expectations, driven by strong play from core customers in Las Vegas and steady performance in the Midwest and South. Destination demand, particularly at The Orleans, remained soft due to winter weather, but disciplined cost controls helped stabilize results.

Management will be closely watched on the execution of customer ramps and traffic at Cadence Crossing Casino and Suncoast following renovations, recovery in hotel-gaming play at Orleans and IP Biloxi, and progress with Boyd Interactive’s online expansion and new state legalization efforts. BYD closed at $83.40, near its pre-earnings level.

Key watch: Boyd’s ability to maintain cost discipline and leverage capital projects will be critical to future performance.

Nuveen, a Chicago-based retirement services firm, has agreed to acquire Schroders for £9.9bn, ending the London-based asset manager’s 200-year independence. The deal, valued at 612p per share, a 34% premium to Schroders’ closing price of 456p, is expected to close by year-end. The merger will create a combined global asset manager with $2.5tn of assets, with Schroders and Nuveen operating as separate entities and London remaining the enlarged business’s non-US headquarters. The transaction is funded with £3bn in debt and will generate £4bn in proceeds for Schroders’ controlling family, who own about 44% of the firm.

OriginEnergy (OEN) reported first-half 2026 results showing a 12% drop in revenue to AUD 1.89 billion, driven by lower gas prices and reduced liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Net profit fell 28% to AUD 241 million, reflecting continued integration challenges and higher interest costs. The company attributed the declines to weak demand and pricing in its core markets, with no dividends declared for the period. Management expects pricing resilience and LNG demand to improve in the下半年 (second half of 2026), with guidance for full-year 2026 revenue of AUD 3.7 billion and net profit of AUD 300 million.

Swisscom AG (SWC) reported FY2025 net income of CHF 1.28 billion, down 12% from CHF 1.45 billion in FY2024, reflecting lower mobile data revenue and higher network investment spending.

Key highlights:

- Revenue fell 1.8% to CHF 22.6 billion.

- EBITA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Amortization and Lease-related items) was CHF 3.57 billion, down 3.4% year-on-year.

- The company attributed the results to continued investment in 5G network expansion and lower ARPU growth.

Unilever (UN) reported higher net profit for fiscal 2025, with sales and operating profit up year-over-year, and announced a EUR1.5 billion share buyback program to be funded through cash reserves, effective immediately. The buyback, subject to market conditions and regulatory approvals, reflects the company's confidence in its underlying performance and future growth. For fiscal 2026, management expects both sales and gross margin to grow, supported by continued optimization of the product portfolio and operational efficiency.

Relx PLC (RLX) reported higher net profit for fiscal 2025, lifting its annual dividend by 20% to 4.8p per share. Revenue rose 3.2% to GBP 1.41 billion, driven by strong performance in its scientific, technical, and medical information platforms. The company projects continued growth in fiscal 2026, with an intention to repurchase GBP 2 billion of shares during the year. Management attributed the results to disciplined cost controls and the successful integration of acquired businesses.

FDA approved Optune Pax, Novocure’s (NOCQ) lomustine-loaded, electric-field therapy device, for treatment of adults with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. However, in the same decision, the agency granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for the device in pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a critical factor in the stock's early rise on February 12, 2026.

The Breakthrough Therapy designation is expected to expedite Novocure’s development and potential approval for pancreatic cancer, a major driver of its recent share gains. The company previously reported that its first-line treatment candidate showed promising results in a phase II trial.

Hermès reported first-half 2025 (FY25) net profit down 6.2% to €1.82 billion, while revenues rose 8.4% to €4.21 billion, on February 12, 2026. The mid-term revenue growth view remains unchanged at 4.5% to 6% CAGR through 2026. Earnings were pressured by higher raw material costs and inflation, partially offset by strong demand in Asia-Pacific and a slight recovery in North America. The company reiterated its guidance for full-year 2025 revenue of €4.45 billion and net profit of €1.75 billion.

Asian equities opened mixed on February 12, 2026, as investors reassessed the Federal Reserve's path on interest rates. The Nikkei 225 fell 0.8% to 38,452, while the Hang Seng Composite was down 0.4% at 27,530. The Shanghai Composite closed slightly higher at 3,482 after a volatile session. The mixed performance reflects uncertainty over whether the Fed will raise rates again this year and at what level. Key indicators, including U.S. retail sales and employment data, are closely watched to guide policy decisions. (Source: NASDAQ)

Mercedes-Benz (DBAG.DE) posted a net loss of EUR 1.2 billion in Q4 ended December 31, 2025, down from a profit of EUR 2.1 billion in the same period of 2024. Revenue fell 12.4% to EUR 43.8 billion. The decline followed a soft global auto market, particularly in North America and China, and a strategic shift toward electric vehicles that reduced short-term profitability. The company maintained its full-year 2025 guidance of EUR 5.5 billion in adjusted operating profit, citing ongoing transition to EVs and macroeconomic headwinds.

Lenovo Group Ltd. (0992.HK) warns the memory chip shortage will last through the rest of 2026, CEO Yang Yuanqing said on February 12, 2026. The disruption follows a 21% drop in Q4 net income, sending shares down 4.7% on the day. Memory costs rose 40%–50% in the quarter, with contract prices potentially doubling in Q1. Despite a 9.6% growth in PC shipments last quarter, IDC said, AI-driven demand is squeezing components and likely to drive further price hikes. Analysts at UOB Kay Hian expect pulled-forward demand to persist into March, with Lenovo’s AI server business posting a 31% rise in $5.2B in infrastructure solutions revenue, up to a quarterly record.

SoftBank Group Corp. (9985.TO) returned to profitability in Q4 2025, reporting a 248.6 billion yen ($1.62B) profit, a reversal from 369B yen in losses the prior year. Quarterly sales rose 8% to 1.98 trillion yen ($12.9B). The turnaround follows a $5.8B stake sale of Nvidia in October and significant investments in OpenAI (~$35B, ~11% stake), Ampere ($6.5B), and a pending $5.375B robotics acquisition from ABB. Nine months through December saw a 3.17 trillion yen ($20.7B) profit, about five times the prior-year amount, with sales up nearly 8% to 5.7 trillion yen ($37B). CFO Yoshimitsu Goto said gains are broadening beyond OpenAI, including in Arm. SoftBank shares rose 2.4% on the report.

China introduced Thursday anti-competitive pricing rules to end a sector-wide price war that has driven passenger car sales down 19.5% in January from a year earlier, the steepest annual decline in nearly two years. The State Administration for Market Regulation prohibited setting prices below production cost to squeeze rivals or monopolize the market, and targeted deceptive pricing and collusion between auto manufacturers and parts suppliers. Analysts estimate the price war has cost the industry 471 billion yuan ($68 billion) in lost output value over the past three years.

January sales of 1.4 million units, versus 2.2 million in December, reflect tighter buyer budgets, reduced tax exemptions for electric vehicles, and phased-out trade-in subsidies. Global demand is expected to soften this year, with S&P Global forecasting light-vehicle sales to fall up to 3% in 2026. However, exports surged 49% to 589,000 units in January, supported by reduced import tariffs in Canada and a pending EU deal. BYD, the world’s largest electric-vehicle maker, projects overseas sales of about 1.3 million units in 2026, up from 1.05 million last year.

SS&C Technologies (SSNC)’s Q4 results showed momentum in core software and services, driven by recurring multi-year client partnerships, recent acquisitions, and AI-driven product enhancements. CEO Bill Stone noted double-digit growth in GIDS and expansion in Australia through GlobeOp. Operating margin compression reflects increased investment in technology and growth.

Analysts are重点关注: the pace of AI adoption in intelligent automation and fund administration; client uptake of the new unified healthcare platform; durability of international growth in Australia and other markets; and the sustainability of outsourcing demand and integration of recent acquisitions.

SSNC closed at $72.90, down from $74.98 pre-earnings. The firm’s free research report provides deeper analysis, including a curated list of high-quality opportunities with a 244% five-year return (as of June 30, 2025), including Nvidia and Kadant.

Snap-on Inc. (SNA) reported Q4 sales below expectations amid ongoing market uncertainty, while profit per share matched consensus. CEO Nick Pinchuk attributed the results to technician caution and volatile tariffs and government shutdowns, with sales shifting toward quicker payback items and resilience in core markets. The company continued investments in product development and branding despite margin pressure.

Key watchpoints include: (1) whether new products can drive sustained sales and market share; (2) the impact of brand and tech investments on operating margins; (3) stabilization in technician demand and key industries; and (4) management of external risks such as tariffs and macroeconomic shifts.

As of February 12, 2026, SNA traded at $382.93, roughly持平 with the prior day's close. The StockStory team will assess the quarter’s implications for the company’s growth trajectory and margin sustainability.

Microchip Technology (MCHP) reported Q4 results reflecting strong momentum in networking, data center, and FPGA segments, alongside inventory normalization in distribution channels. CEO Steve Sanghi noted microcontroller and analog sales were flat sequentially, exceeding typical December seasonality. MCHP closed at $80.73, up from $78.04 before the earnings.

Key analyst focus areas include: (1) adoption and revenue contribution from automotive Ethernet and industrial connectivity design wins; (2) normalization of customer and channel inventories, influencing order patterns and lead times; (3) gross margin improvement via a richer product mix and higher factory utilization. Data center and aerospace-defense growth will be closely watched as key drivers.