US MARKETS:

- S&P 500 futures down 0.6% to 2,774.50

- Brent futures up 2.4% to $63.18/bbl

- Gold spot up 0.7% to $1,239.66

- U.S. Dollar Index down 0.5% to 96.53


GLOBAL NEWS:

Elastic’s founder now a billionaire. Elastic’s co-founder Steven Schuurman more than doubled his fortune in two months to become a billionaire. This is because shares of the company jumped by 15 % to $82 at the close in New York, after growing a total of 128 % since the company’s IPO on Oct. 4. The firm supplies search and data software to businesses.

The automobile sector is the focus of investors. The White House is considering stopping subsidies to electric vehicles. BMW estimates that trade tensions and the rise in raw materials will weigh at least €1 billion in 2019. US registrations hold up well in November. The bosses of BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen are at the White House today to discuss trade tariffs.

CVS / Aetna, new round. A federal judge raised new objections to the transaction between CVS Health and Aetna. The operation had been authorized by antitrust authorities in the United States, but a judge believes that the impact of the marriage may have been underestimated.

Which shareholder for Uniper? Fortum reportedly discussed with the Elliott Fund a takeover of the German coal energy company Uniper, in which it already holds 47%. The protagonists refused to comment to Reuters Agency, which released the information.

Oasis blocked. Hedge fund Oasis Management could loose its battle to block a Japanese takeover after another hedge fund, Elliott Management, appears to be supporting the deal, according to Bloomberg. Alps Electric is planning to acquire Alpine Electronics. An investor vote will happen on Dec. 5.

In other news. Roche has had positive results with Hemlibra in pediatrics. Lactalis will remove Parmalat from the market. Lion Air could cancel an order for a Boeing B737MAX after an aircraft crash. A group of thyroid patients claim 41 million euros from Merck for lack of information on Levothyrox. Big rebound for American technology yesterday. Linde replaces Barclays in Stoxx Europe 50.