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Rani Molla

Donald Trump is mentioned way, way more than Joe Biden on company earnings calls

Companies were more likely to mention Donald Trump during earnings calls ahead of and during his first presidency than they were to mention Joe Biden ahead of and during his. It looks like that’s going to be the case again for Trump’s second term. In the fourth quarter of this year, nearly 50 company transcripts explicitly mentioned Donald Trump, according to data from FactSet — a higher number than during the quarter he was first elected or when Biden was elected.

This time around, companies including Bakkt Holdings Inc., Beam Global, and Complete Solaria are talking about how Trump’s policies — on everything from tariffs to cryptocurrency to the environment — will affect them. Bakkt, a crypto-trading platform, is reportedly being targeted for acquisition by Trump Media & Technology Group, so had good reason to mention the President-elect.

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Amazon doubles down on groceries with new private-label collection, sending grocery stocks lower

Amazon on Wednesday launched Amazon Grocery, a new private-label food brand that combines its Fresh and Happy Belly lines into one collection.

The label covers more than 1,000 staples, from milk and eggs to olive oil and fresh meat, with most items priced under $5. Shares of Amazon were little changed, but grocery-selling rivals Target, Walmart, and Kroger all slipped around 2% following the announcement. Costco also slipped about 1%.

The launch highlights Amazon’s growing push into both grocery and private-label essentials as more customers trade down to cut costs. In August, the e-commerce giant added perishable groceries to same-day delivery in 1,000 cities and towns across the country.

At the same time, Amazon said shoppers purchased 15% more private-brand products in 2024 compared to the previous year across Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and Amazon Fresh.

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Ford sales climb for 7th straight month as EVs hit a quarterly record on tax credit expiration

September marked another banner month for Ford’s electric vehicle business, with EV sales climbing 85% from the same month last year to more than 11,700 units.

For the third quarter as a whole, Ford’s electrified unit sales grew nearly 20%. That’s the division’s best Q3 on record, boosted by the looming end of the $7,500 federal tax credit on Tuesday. Ford, with rival GM, has found some ways to extend that credit in the hopes of keeping sales stable.

Overall, Ford sales rose 8.2% on the quarter, and September was the automaker’s seventh straight month of sales gains. Ford sales have been buoyed this year by panic buying: first from fears of tariff price hikes (and Ford’s strong incentives), and lately from the EV credit expiration.

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Some automakers are working accounting magic to extend the EV tax credit beyond today’s deadline

The $7,500 EV tax credit is set to expire after today, September 30. Logically, electric vehicle sales are expected to fall off afterward.

But some automakers, including Ford, GM, and luxury EV maker Lucid, have found ways to effectively extend the credit for some customers.

According to reporting by Reuters, Ford and GM have initiated plans to dealers that would have the automakers themselves put down payments on EVs currently in inventory at dealerships. Those down payments would qualify for the expiring tax credit, and dealers would be able to extend the subsidy to future customers through discounted lease rates.

Reuters reports that the programs were launched following discussions between the automakers and the IRS.

In August, Lucid announced that the company would honor the $7,500 tax credit through the end of the year for lessees who order its Gravity SUV by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

According to reporting by Reuters, Ford and GM have initiated plans to dealers that would have the automakers themselves put down payments on EVs currently in inventory at dealerships. Those down payments would qualify for the expiring tax credit, and dealers would be able to extend the subsidy to future customers through discounted lease rates.

Reuters reports that the programs were launched following discussions between the automakers and the IRS.

In August, Lucid announced that the company would honor the $7,500 tax credit through the end of the year for lessees who order its Gravity SUV by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

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