Alphabet and Amazon FTC Investigation, Gemini's IPO, Warner Bros Gains

On this episode of Stock Movers:

- Amazon (AMZN) is down, while Google is up (GOOGL) as the US Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Amazon and Google misled advertisers about the terms and pricing for ads on their websites. The FTC is seeking details about Amazon's auctions and whether it disclosed "reserve pricing" for some search ads, and is examining Google's internal pricing process. The investigations are ongoing and are part of continued regulatory scrutiny of Google and Amazon, with the FTC's consumer protection unit conducting the probes.

- Gemini Space Station (GEMI) shares jumped as much as 64% from their IPO price. The company raised $425 million in its IPO. The company has a market value of more than $3.5 billion based on the outstanding shares listed in its filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Gemini offers a crypto exchange, a US dollar-backed stablecoin, crypto staking, digital asset custody and a credit card that offers rewards in crypto, with more than $21 billion of assets on the platform.

- Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shares climb after Paramount Skydance, the Hollywood studio taken over by independent filmmaker David Ellison, was said to be preparing a bid for the company.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
The Stock Movers Report, your roundup of companies making moves
in the stock market, harnessing the power of Bloomberg Data.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
I'm Carol Masser along with Tim Stanovek. Let's get to
some stocks on the move on this Friday with us
as Bloomberg News process at reporter Isabelle Lee isabel the
mag seven always front and center. And you've got two
that you are watching, Alphabet and Amazon.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Alphabet and Amazon, and both are kind of moving in
opposite directions. Amazon shares are down by almost one percent, well,
Alphabet is up by three tens to one percent. So
both are reacting to the FTC investigating whether they both
misled advertisers that place adds on their website. That's according
to people familiar with the matter. So the probes, mark
affront and the regulatory scrutiny even as these tech companies

(00:54):
try to win the approval of President Donald Trump. So
judgees overseeing two Justice Department cases against Google have already
found that the company has illegal monopolies in online search.
And I think this is also very topical because digital
advertising has really overtaken offline advertising and it's really just
becoming a big deal, especially with vast tropes of consumer
data that online ads can target. I mean, even with

(01:15):
us in news, it's one thing to have a print story,
but online is where you think things live forever.

Speaker 4 (01:21):
Okay, Okay, I don't have a good segue. Its like
you got so insider baseball there at the end when
we're talking about these tech companies, Let's go sort of
old school here. Warner Brothers Discovery.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Warner Brothers Discovery shares are higher by twenty percent. The
ticker is WBD, so they're extending a Thursday rally after
Paramount's guidance is said to be preparing a bid for
the company. So this is the Hollywood studio taken over
by filmmaker David Ellison, the son of Oracles Larry Ellison.
So Paramount chairs are also slightly up. So Barclay says
if this deal goes through, it will be a significant

(01:54):
strategic positive for both companies, and a merger would combine
companies with recognizable movies and TV shows and again shrink
legacy media studios from four to five.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
The stock is on a tear this week, and it's
up like sixty percent.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
I get it.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
I mean when you jump as much as you have,
what does this meet for David's aslov I have no idea.

Speaker 4 (02:12):
I would imagine a pay package if this deal.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Goes two deal goes through, those who watch this compensation
would say it's been pretty good. Yeahs compensation to say yeah, yeah.
All right. One more We've got to ask you about Gemini.
It's something we've been talking about it. It's been trading
for about an hour now, and this is one of
the IPOs in a very very busy.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Week, very busy week. The tickeris g m I GEMI.
The stock is up by more than twenty percent, and
this is a great deal for the company because the
crypto Exchange raised more than four hundred million in a
pack week for US listings. And this is founded in
twenty fourteen by Winklevoss Twins or some call them winkle
By and Gemini has more than twenty one billion of
assets in the platform. So the ipo again comes as

(02:53):
a busy week, which could be good or bad because
maybe it shows that appetite may be fatigue. But again
this shows that no, you still see on hunger, you
still see appetite and Gemini joins a rush of crypto
listings that we saw this year, from stable client issuer
circle to crypto exchange bullish. So I think people are
really excited for Gemini space Station. With shares jumping.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
The Stock Movers report from Bloomberg Radio. Check back with
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