Good Morning. This is the Investor Lookout with the daily digest.

Here’s what we got today:

• 🛒 Alibaba Aims for $5 Billion in Dual Currency Bond Deal

• 🍏 Apple Changes the Channel As It Considers Its Own TV Set

• 🤖 Salesforce CEO Raves About Google's Gemini Live

Alibaba Aims for $5 Billion in Dual Currency Bond Deal

Alibaba is out shopping for $5 billion. The Chinese e-commerce company reportedly plans to raise $5 billion through a multi-tranche bond deal in U.S. dollars and offshore Chinese yuan. It is set to be the most substantial corporate bond deal in the Asia-Pacific this year. The dollar tranche includes 5.5-year, 10.5-year, and 30-year bonds, while the yuan tranche offers 3.5-year, 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year bonds. Alibaba ($HK:9988) last ventured into the dollar bond market in 2021. 

• Alibaba would use the cash raised for various purposes, such as debt repayment or funding share buybacks.

• The size, interest rate, and maturity would be determined as the transaction progresses

Apple Changes the Channel As It Considers Its Own TV Set

Apple wants more of your screen time—and to add a new meaning to Apple TV. Although Apple ($AAPL) co-founder Steve Jobs expressed clearly before he died that Apple wouldn't make its own TV, the tech company is now considering the idea a decade later. The company is reportedly also considering new smart home devices, including a wall-mounted tablet or an AI assistant mounted on a robotic arm. With Apple Intelligence launching, it can be integrated into new products like a TV or a home assistant. The current Apple TV is a set-top box that brings Apple apps and streaming to a TV set.

• Former Apple reporter Yukari Iwatani Kane reported that Jobs told his employees that the company would not make a TV set

• In the biography "Steve Jobs," Jobs said to biographer Walter Isaacson that he'd "finally cracked" how to make TVs easier to use

Salesforce CEO Raves About Google's Gemini Live

Google's Gemini Live is great at 'customer relationship”, Marc Benioff is impressed! Salesforce ($CRM) CEO Marc Benioff shared on X that he's "absolutely blown away" by Google's new voice assistant, Gemini Live. The AI assistant manages natural dialogue with interruptions and topic changes. The chatbot was launched last week as an iPhone app and can communicate in 12 languages. Google's ($GOOG) CEO Sundar Pichai responded, "Glad you like it! Lots more to come:)."

• Elon Musk joined in on the conversation, writing, "AI is advancing insanely fast"

• AI tech companies are refocusing from AI chatbots to AI assistants, otherwise called agents

Markets

Headwinds hit Trump-fueled rally in US stocks. The U.S. stock market is starting to lose momentum following the rally that took place after Donald Trump's election victory. Investors are worried about a rebound in inflation and the impact of the President-elect's policies. [Read]

Why Big Oil Doesn’t Mind Big Regulation. While the new administration aims to remove barriers to oil and gas drilling, giants like ExxonMobil support strict regulations, like the methane emissions fee introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act. [Read]

China is doubling down on Latin America ties to bolster influence and trade, experts say. Beijing is ramping up its economic ties in Latin America to boost trade and expand its influence. [Read]

Business

Spirit Air Files Bankruptcy, Bondholders Set to Take Control. Spirit Airlines ($SAVE) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after facing stiff competition and financial woes following its JetBlue Airways failed acquisition ($JBLU). [Read]

Bluesky's 'acceleration is tremendous' as users flock to the new 'old Twitter.' Bluesky hit 18.3 million registrations and overtook Threads on app stores. Many users are praising the platform as being like "old Twitter." [Read]

Canva hires former Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg to run finance ahead of expected IPO. Canva has appointed Kelly Steckelberg, former CFO of Zoom ($ZM), as its new chief financial officer. Steckelberg departed from Zoom in August after seven years at the company. [Read]

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.