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Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted in the USA for an alleged bribery scandal involving 265 million US dollars. He and other defendants are accused of bribing Indian officials to secure contracts for solar power plants and mislead investors. Adani's companies deny the allegations. US investigators have issued arrest warrants for Adani and his nephew. The scandal led to a collapse in the share price of Adani's companies, causing the group to lose 28 billion US dollars in market value. Indian authorities have not yet responded to the allegations.

Nvidia, the leading manufacturer of AI chips, reported its slowest sales growth in seven quarters for the fourth quarter. Despite high demand for AI chips, the sales forecast of USD 37.5 billion is below the expectations of some investors. Shares fell by 2.5% in after-hours trading. The reasons for the slower growth are supply bottlenecks and lower production capacity at partner TSMC. Nvidia presented the new “Blackwell” chip family, whose margins are expected to be lower at the beginning but should increase in the long term. Analysts continue to see great potential, but the high expectations are making it increasingly difficult for Nvidia to exceed them.

The USA has reopened its embassy in Kiev after it was temporarily closed due to an imminent air attack warning. This happened one day after the deployment of US ATACMS missiles by Ukraine on a target in Russia. Moscow described the attack as an escalation and threatened to take countermeasures against NATO countries that enable such attacks. Ukraine warned against Russian disinformation campaigns and emphasized the need to take air strikes seriously. President Selensky thanked the USA for a new military aid package. Tensions remain high as Russia continues to attack Ukrainian infrastructure and the momentum of the war escalates.

Howard Lutnick, a prominent investment banker and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, has come under increased criticism following his nomination by US President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative. Lutnick's ties to China, particularly through joint ventures and his role in promoting Chinese companies in the US, raise questions about potential conflicts of interest.

Shipping companies such as Maersk and CMA CGM are investing in dual-fuel ships to reduce emissions and prepare for uncertain fuel standards. These ships can use fossil and green fuels such as LNG, methanol or ammonia. The transition will cost over 100 billion US dollars a year, could double fuel prices and is complicated by scarce biodiesel resources. LNG reduces emissions, but has methane leakages. The industry is calling for clear global rules, deadlines for fossil fuels and government incentives to achieve decarbonization by 2050.

Since the introduction of the Citizen's Income 2023, the number of recipients has risen moderately, but not by leaps and bounds. Critics feared mass redundancies, but this has not yet been confirmed. The number of jobs taken up by recipients of the citizen's allowance fell by 6% in the first year, partly due to relaxed sanctions. Although these encourage job acceptance, they can lead to poorer working conditions. Long-term effects, for example on stable jobs or qualifications, are still unclear. Experts are calling for more support and further training for sustainable integration into the labor market.

A Chinese freighter, the “Yi Peng 3”, is suspected of having damaged data cables in the Baltic Sea. The freighter was in the vicinity of the damaged cables and was behaving unusually, which attracted the attention of Swedish investigators. While Danish military vessels are monitoring the freighter, politicians suspect sabotage, possibly as part of hybrid warfare. The damaged cables connected Rostock to Finland and Sweden to Lithuania. The incident has further inflamed tensions in the Baltic Sea, a strategically important area, as Russia and China are also suspected. Protecting such underwater infrastructure is considered extremely difficult.

The appointment of the new EU Commission was characterized by an intense power struggle between the political groups. After days of negotiations, the leaders of the EU political groups were able to reach an agreement so that the Commission can take up its work at the beginning of December. Particularly controversial was the appointment of high-ranking posts, such as Raffaele Fitto from Italy and the Hungarian candidate OIivér Várhelyi, who met with resistance. The Spanish minister Teresa Ribera also came under criticism due to her role in the flood disaster in Valencia. Despite the opposition, a cooperation agreement was reached between the political groups covering key issues such as the rule of law, migration policy and a pro-European stance. The Greens criticize the agreement as insufficient, but the new Commission can now begin its work.

The US government is demanding in court that Google divest itself of the Chrome web browser in order to end its dominant market position. In addition, Google deals that secure the pre-installation of the Google search engine are to be stopped. Google has already been convicted of illegal monopolization by the search engine and plans to appeal the ruling. These demands mark a change of course by the US authorities towards tech companies. The decision could be influenced by Donald Trump's presidency.

The European Central Bank (ECB) warns of increasing risks for the eurozone due to weak growth, high debt and political uncertainty. Highly indebted countries such as France and Italy, whose interest payments could rise to up to 6% of GDP by 2034, are particularly affected. In addition, expensive refinancing and market risks, such as dependence on US tech stocks, are increasing the burden. Companies and households are under pressure from rising interest rates and a weak economy, which could lead to more loan defaults. The ECB is calling for greater fiscal discipline and growth initiatives to ensure stability.

Rent control: on the brink of extinction The rent control will expire in the federal states by the end of 2025. Following the break-up of the traffic light government, an extension is becoming increasingly unlikely. Tenants' associations and those affected are sounding the alarm. (TAG)

AI in the office: one in four thinks ChatGPT is more competent than colleagues. According to a survey by Indeed, 19% of AI users surveyed in Germany prefer AI assistants to their colleagues. A quarter of those surveyed consider ChatGPT, Gemini and co. to be more competent than their colleagues - while a third see them on a par with experienced employees in terms of expertise. (BI)

Google's AI: getting personal Google's Gemini chatbot is getting a memory, but only for paying AI customers. Gemini Advanced can now remember users' personal details and access them for later conversations. This is reserved for Google's AI subscribers. (HEI)

Deutsche Bank: Buys into AI start-up Aleph Alpha Germany's flagship AI company is undergoing a change of ownership. Two early investors prefer to cash in their shares. The Lidl parent company - and Germany's largest bank - seize the opportunity. (SPG)

Citadel Securities: High-frequency trader comes to Europe: Citadel Securities, founded by US billionaire Ken Griffin, aims to become a “major” player in eurozone government bond trading by next year - and has set up a team of traders in Paris and secured valuable access to German debt auctions. (FT)

• DAX: Investors cautious ahead of NVIDIA figures - DAX with 19,000-point landing (TAG)
• Rising wages: jeopardizing the ECB's inflation target (HB)
• US car manufacturer Ford: Plans to cut 2,900 jobs in Germany (ZON)
• FTI creditors: Demand €840 million back (NTV)
• Roland Berger boss: “Germany is a restructuring case” (HB)
• US car industry: Trump apparently wants to cut environmental regulations (MM)
• British inflation: Rising faster than expected (HB)
• China: Announces capital market reforms (RT)
• Goldman CEO: David Solomon expects M&A volume to pick up again in 2025 (RT)
• Tyson vs Paul boxing match: In fact the most-watched sporting event in history (FT)
• Meta: poaches AI boss from Salesforce (TC)
• Investment ban: US restrictions against Chinese AI start-ups could be tightened under Trump (WIR)
• NVIDIA & Google: Cooperating in the development of quantum computing processors (BBG)
• Analog chips: Sagence develops energy-efficient alternatives for AI (TC)
• Germany: Supplies 4,000 AI-controlled drones to Ukraine (HB)