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MARA surges on $1.5 billion acquisition of Long Ridge Energy, adding 1 gigawatt of potential power capacity

Bitcoin miners are continuing to position themselves beyond digital assets.

On Thursday, MARA Holdings, longtime bitcoin miner turned compute infrastructure firm, announced it will acquire Long Ridge Energy & Power LLC from FTAI Infrastructure for $1.5 billion, including the assumption of at least $785 million of debt.

The move, which aims to add more than 1 gigawatt of total potential power capacity, helps the firm capitalize on the AI boom. Shares of MARA Holdings jumped 9% on the news, with FTAI Infrastructure shares surging as well.

The acquisition includes a 505-megawatt combined-cycle gas plant in Hannibal, Ohio, and over 1,600 contiguous acres of land to support the build-out of an AI campus.

MARAs newly acquired Hannibal data center “has already received inbound interest from multiple potential investment-grade AI/Critical IT tenants,” according to a Thursday press release. The firm expects construction to begin in the first half of next year.

“Power is the scarce input in AI,” Fred Thiel, MARA’s chairman and CEO, said. “With the planned addition of Long Ridge Energy, we are gaining control of a highly efficient, contracted energy platform that has a rare combination of large-scale power, land, water access, fuel supply and grid interconnection in a single location — assets that are increasingly difficult to replicate in today’s market.”

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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