🥐 Chrysanthemums on the Ledger
Money gone by Sunday, flowers by Monday.
Good morning!
Over the All Saints' weekend, fraudsters drained €118M from Crédit Mutuel Arkéa's own account, not a customer's, and turned it into crypto. Every firm along the route held a licence. The Brittany-based cooperative answers to France's banking supervisor. Kraken, Crypto.com and OKX, the exchanges that took the money, carry MiCA licences, the EU's crypto passport, and must check who opens each account. They opened accounts for the fraudsters anyway, some reportedly under fake names, and let them build a clean-looking history for months. Then, on one Sunday evening, they waved $105M out while France laid chrysanthemums on its graves. Kraken let another $17.2M slip on the Monday, 3 hours after ZachXBT, a pseudonymous on-chain sleuth, posted his alert. Prosecutors have opened an investigation. The bank still won't say at what hour it spotted the theft.
The crypto lobby has a stock answer to laundering scandals: a blockchain makes a lousy getaway car because every coin can be followed. Followed it was. The ledger logged each hop with the zeal of a speed camera on an empty road. Zero Bullshit, which has tracked the loot hour by hour, counted 508 wallets on a single blockchain. Then the trail reached Monero, a privacy coin built to be unreadable, and the camera went black, leaving 3 days of footage nugatory. The ledger delivered exactly what it had promised, an itemised receipt for a robbery, stamped to the second and payable to nobody.
The second sermon promises money no one can censor. Two private companies, Tether and Circle, issuers of the dollar tokens the loot rode on, could freeze it with a click. Tether clicked 35 hours, then 80 hours after the first withdrawal, about when a fire brigade turns up for the ashes. Circle, licensed by the same French supervisor as the bank, froze nothing. At the latest count, $8.6M sits frozen, less than 7% of the haul. Old-fashioned bank rails would have done better: in euros, the money would have sat in named accounts, and a transfer can be recalled. Decentralised money has a central off switch, and the hand on it was busy elsewhere.
Crédit Mutuel Arkéa belongs to its branches in Brittany and south-west France, and through them to their members. Its first statement assured customers, owners included, that they would feel nothing. The €118M still eats about a quarter of the €450M the group earned in 2025. The depositor in Quimper has lost nothing. His bank has, and the bank, every brochure insists, is his. Licensed gatekeepers, a ledger that sees everything, money no one can freeze, a lender owned by its customers: four promises met one Sunday, and none survived. Next spring, the man in Quimper will still be invited to vote, one member, one voice, in a bank that has just told him its loss is none of his business.
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🗞️ Top Story
- 🇫🇷 Bomb Voyage. An Aer Lingus flight from Ireland to Italy was forced to land at Evreux air base after a bomb threat triggered an emergency alert. (Le Figaro)
- 🇫🇷 March of the Unions. Five major French unions unite for a nationwide day of strikes and protests, demanding higher wages and better public services as hundreds of thousands are expected to flood the streets. (BBC)
- 🇫🇷 Gone in a Flash. Thieves drained $129.6M from Crédit Mutuel Arkéa in just three days, exploiting prepped accounts and a public holiday for maximum effect. (Zero-bullshit)
- 🇵🇱 Spy Another Day. Polish authorities capture six suspects accused of exporting ammunition parts to Russia and gathering intel for Moscow, in a case that blurs the line between smuggling and espionage. (Die Zeit)
- 🇫🇮 Cable Guys. Two sailors from the Fitburg were handed multi-year sentences in Finland for intentionally damaging undersea cables between Finland and Estonia by dragging their ship’s anchor across the seabed. (Spiegel)
- 🇧🇬 Madam President. Backed by ex-president Rumen Radev, Iliana Iotova leads exit polls and is poised to become Bulgaria’s first woman elected to the presidency. (Boursier)
- 🇪🇺 Continental Drift. Trump predicts a sweeping Ukraine peace deal for the whole continent after meeting a top Russian envoy, but specifics are still missing in action. (Die Zeit)
- 🇺🇸 War Cabinet. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces impeachment threats from Republicans over his handling of the Iran war, as Democrats prepare for aggressive oversight and Trump offers public support that may not last. (El Pais)
- 🇺🇸 War Lite. Donald Trump insists the is not truly at war with Iran, despite recent airstrikes and ongoing economic pressure, calling the situation "brilliant" ahead of midterms. (Le Parisien)
- 🇻🇪 Ballot Boxing. Marco Rubio wants Venezuela to hold elections “ideally” next year, but makes clear the process is boxed in by preconditions and US oversight. (New York Times)
- 🇵🇾 Bank Shot. Paraguay’s president Santiago Peña faces impeachment after the collapse of Ueno Bank left nearly 3M customers frozen out and the streets boiling with protest. (Le Temps)
- 🇨🇺 Press Pause. Yoani Sanchez, founder of 14ymedio, and opposition leader Berta Soler were arrested and released within hours, a familiar cycle for Cuba’s independent voices. (Le Monde)
- 🇲🇴 Trial by Fire. In a closed-door hearing, Macao jails ex-lawmaker Au Kam San for subversion, inaugurating its national security crackdown with a 12.5-year sentence. (Le Monde)
- 🇺🇳 Next Please. Neither Turkey’s Feridun Sinirlioglu nor the UAE’s Lana Nusseibeh gained traction in the race, leaving Rebeca Grynspan ahead but no closer to securing the top job. (El Pais)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Marching Orders. Community organizing paid off as Black voters showed up in force, helping Democrats secure historic victories and narrowing GOP margins in the South. (New York Times)
- 🇺🇸 Strike Out. The Republican midterm collapse, blamed on Trump’s Iran war, puts any new military escalation on hold while the White House counts its political wounds. (New York Times)
🏛️ Economy
- 🇬🇧 Rate Expectations. The Bank of England hikes its key rate to 4% for the first time since the Iran war oil shock, but dials down the hawkish talk investors craved. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇪🇺 Peak Performance. Eurozone producer prices jumped 2.5% in September and 11.1% year-on-year, matching forecasts and giving inflation-watchers plenty to chew on. (Boursier)
- 🇷🇺 Ashes to Assets. Vladimir Putin orders Japan Tobacco's Russian operations transferred to local control, citing sanctions and deepening a diplomatic standoff with Japan. (Le Monde)
- 🇺🇸 Tax and Run. California voters are set to reject Proposition 40, a one-time 5% billionaire tax, despite a record-breaking campaign and healthcare promises. (Bloomberg)
- 🇺🇸 Power Split. The Democratic win in Congress sets up a tug-of-war with Trump over tariffs, spending, and tax policy, with gridlock on the horizon. (Boursier)
- 🇹🇭 Target Miss. Inflation in Thailand hit 3.9% in October, outpacing forecasts and leaving the central bank’s comfort zone in the rearview mirror. (Wall Street Journal)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇬🇧 Open Offer. Andy Burnham tells employers not to wait for legislation and to reveal salaries in job postings immediately, promising more clarity for jobseekers and less room for hidden pay gaps. (BBC)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Bracketology. The IRS unveils higher federal income tax brackets for 2027, raising the standard deduction as Americans juggle inflation and shrinking paychecks. (CNBC)
- 🇺🇸 Drop Zone. Jobless claims in the hit 189,000, surprising forecasters who expected an increase instead of another dip. (Wall Street Journal)
🏢 Real Estate
- 🇬🇧 Risky Business. Hastings Castle and Dickens’s writing chalet are among nearly 200 sites just added to England’s official heritage at risk register, proving even history needs a safety net. (The Guardian)
- 🇫🇷 Let It Grow. The number of Airbnb properties rented more than 120 days a year in Paris has doubled since 2019, reaching new heights in 2025. (Le Monde)
- 🇵🇹 Pitch Imperfect. Portugal's top administrative court sides with housing activists, allowing protest camps to remain in central squares at night despite recent police crackdowns. (El Pais)
- 🇺🇸 Monumental Ego. Trump’s triumphal arch project gets the official go-ahead in DC, but critics and veterans vow to physically block the bulldozers if work begins. (BBC)
- 🇺🇸 Water Under the Bridge. OpenAI promises to disclose water usage and publish construction plans for its data centers after voters in 38 jurisdictions back restrictions on the facilities. (Washington Post)
- 🇺🇸 Server Mutiny. voters rejected nearly every local ballot measure to expand data centers, leaving the AI industry facing moratoriums and stricter regulations after a sweeping Democratic win. (El Pais)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Wake-Up Call. Six people died and seven were injured when a Brooklyn row house caught fire early Thursday, despite a massive emergency response. (Wall Street Journal)
🔗 On-chain
- 🇨🇳 Trust Issues. Binance survived a $6.3B cyberheist with only a modest $3.6B in withdrawals, as users weighed risk against convenience and mostly stayed loyal. (Boursier)
💱 Listed Markets
- 🇩🇪 Tank You, Next. Rheinmetall 🇩🇪 saw its stock drop 17% as the company cut its forecasts, citing delays in securing new military deals that were supposed to drive growth. (CNBC)
- 🇩🇪 Power Play. Commerzbank CEO Bettina Orlopp touts a 45% profit jump and calls the UniCredit deal a merger from strength, not desperation. (Bloomberg)
- 🇪🇺 Wall of Steel. European steel tariffs help ArcelorMittal 🇱🇺 shrug off soaring energy costs, delivering a 34% surge in profits and a lesson in fortress economics. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇪🇺 Forest for the Fees. Environmental groups file complaints in Europe accusing JBS and its banking partners of fueling Amazon deforestation, suggesting profit still trumps planet. (Bloomberg)
- 🇺🇸 Feed the Children. Google, Meta, and TikTok have filed lawsuits to block a California law banning personalized feeds and autoplay for users under 16, arguing it violates free speech. (Ouest-France)
- 🇺🇸 Artificial Unintelligence. tech stocks plunged after the Democrats' midterm win, as investors fear new restrictions on data centers could stall the AI boom and erase $800B in market value. (Le Parisien)
- 🇺🇸 Trip Advisor. Airbnb 🇺🇸 commits to rolling out a custom AI travel assistant by mid-2027, aiming to reinvent how users plan and manage their journeys. (TechCrunch)
- 🇭🇰 Volume Down. Despite revenue growth, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing 🇭🇰 reported a rare profit slip in Q3, with net income falling short of forecasts as trading cooled. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🌏 Silicon Slide. A sharp Nasdaq sell-off triggered a wave of losses across Asian chip stocks, with SK Hynix, Samsung, SoftBank, and TSMC all tumbling on renewed AI doubts. (CNBC)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Prime Time Delivery. Amazon 🇺🇸 now bundles Uber Eats 🇺🇸 meal delivery into its Prime subscription, offering free delivery on $25+ orders in nearly 10,000 cities. Dinner and a movie, all under one login. (Boursier)
- 🇺🇸 Wipe Out. Kimberly-Clark 🇺🇸 shrugs off a China social media backlash and a 33% profit drop in personal care, insisting its full-year growth forecast is still on track. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇦🇺 Jet Set, Debt Set. Qantas 🇦🇺 braces for a $2.63B fuel expense in six months, blaming surging oil prices while passengers prepare for pricier tickets. (Wall Street Journal)
🛎️ Big Deals (M&A)
- AstraZeneca 🇬🇧 has made a $10B offer for obesity drugmaker Rhythm Pharmaceuticals 🇺🇸.
- Merger talks between Smith+Nephew 🇬🇧 and Johnson & Johnson 🇺🇸’s orthopedics unit have collapsed.
- Isomorphic Labs 🇬🇧, an Alphabet 🇺🇸 subsidiary, is in talks to raise about $5B at a potential $50B valuation.
- BP 🇬🇧 sells a 5% stake in Aker BP 🇳🇴 for $1.06B.
- BEHN 🇫🇷 has completed the acquisition of Marionnaud 🇫🇷, a European selective fragrance retailer generating about €650M in revenue.
- Vivescia 🇫🇷 has acquired Chunlei Malting Co. 🇨🇳, a Chinese maltster with annual production capacity of 220,000 tonnes.
- Mistral 🇫🇷 has acquired SkipLabs 🇫🇷, a developer of technologies for faster, more reliable and secure AI code generation.
- Boehringer Ingelheim 🇩🇪 signs a $7B licensing deal with Sino Biopharmaceutical 🇨🇳 for experimental cancer treatments.
- German government 🇩🇪 has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in Franco-German tank maker KNDS 🇫🇷🇩🇪 at a €11.2B valuation, with a possible €1B top-up to the family shareholders.
- Commerzbank 🇩🇪 is in talks with UniCredit 🇮🇹, which is preparing a €45B hostile takeover offer. Commerzbank expects the offer to be finalized in the coming months.
- Multiple investors are interested in acquiring Ducati 🇮🇹 from Volkswagen 🇩🇪 for potentially $1.4B.
- EnCap Investments 🇺🇸 is exploring a sale of oil producer Enduring Resources IV 🇺🇸 at a $4B valuation, including debt.
- Shoals Technologies 🇺🇸 has agreed to merge with ARRAY Technologies 🇺🇸 in a $1.32B all-stock deal at a 7% discount.
- The Andersons 🇺🇸 has agreed to acquire low-carbon ethanol producer Harvestone 🇺🇸 from Bridgepoint Group 🇬🇧 for $915M.
- Empower Brands Holdings 🇺🇸 made a hostile cash bid for Helen of Troy 🇺🇸 at a $1.6B valuation including debt, representing a 30% premium.
- One Rock Capital Partners 🇺🇸 will acquire a 70% stake in Kraft Heinz 🇺🇸’s North American coffee business at a $650M valuation, including debt.
- Dropbox 🇺🇸 has agreed to acquire cloud technology company Tigris Data 🇺🇸 for $350M, with the deal expected to close in Q4 2026.
- Goldman Sachs 🇺🇸 and Apollo Global Management 🇺🇸 are in talks with Wall Street investors to sell tranches of SpaceX 🇺🇸’s roughly $40B chip financing, including portions of up to $500M.
- The New York Times Company 🇺🇸 is in exclusive negotiations to acquire Letterboxd 🇳🇿 for $330M.
- General Mills 🇺🇸 is considering separating its Häagen-Dazs 🇺🇸 ice-cream business outside North America, potentially leading to a sale. Planning is at an early stage.
- China General Technology 🇨🇳 is considering acquiring Swiss precision machinery maker Kellenberger 🇨🇭 from Centre Lane Partners 🇺🇸 for $400M.
- China 🇨🇳 has blocked SoftBank 🇯🇵's $5.4B acquisition of ABB 🇨🇭's robotics unit.
- Mitsui Chemicals 🇯🇵 plans to acquire chipmaking materials maker JSR 🇯🇵 from Japan’s sovereign wealth fund JIC 🇯🇵 for $8.2B.
- Pertamina 🇮🇩 has agreed to acquire Moeve 🇪🇸's Algerian assets.
🇺🇸 United States
- WPBeginner Growth Fund 🇺🇸 acquires email and SMS marketing platform Drip 🇺🇸 and conversion optimization tool Sleeknote 🇩🇰.
- Paradigm Equity Partners 🇺🇸 has completed its acquisition of STI Fabrics 🇺🇸, a manufacturer of upholstery and performance fabrics.
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners 🇺🇸 has completed a growth investment in Concentric Energy Advisors 🇺🇸, in partnership with management.
🧳 Private Markets & VC
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇬🇧 Bank to the Future. Monzo is seeking new funding at a £7.5B valuation after private equity talks stalled and a £10B Nubank takeover fizzled out. (Financial Times)
Fundraising
- Thinking Machines Lab 🇺🇸 (AI): $5B (Accel)
- Zipline 🇺🇸 (Drones): $1.5B
- Nooks 🇺🇸 (Sales automation): $500M (General Catalyst)
- Harbinger 🇺🇸 (Automotive): $240M (Tiger Global, Capricorn, Ridgeline, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Squarepoint Capital, Xantium, Maniv, Greycroft, Australian Gulf Capital, PanaceaVC, ArcTern Ventures, Leitmotif, FedEx, THOR Industries, TechNexus, BuildGroup)
- Laza Medical 🇮🇱 (Healthcare): $160M (GE HealthCare)
- Sentra 🇺🇸 (Cybersecurity): $150M (Capital One Ventures)
- LeoLabs 🇺🇸 (Aerospace): Up to $150M (U.S. Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital)
- Ocient 🇺🇸 (AI): $100M (BOKA Capital, OCA Ventures, Greycroft, In-Q-Tel, Blue Bear Capital, Buoyant Ventures, PSP Growth, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Eron Wolf, Dallas Venture Capital)
- Alethio Therapeutics 🇬🇧 (Healthcare): $90M (Sofinnova, RA Capital)
- Pliant 🇩🇪 (Fintech): $80M (Seaya Nova, Speedinvest)
- Kalepa 🇺🇸 (Insurtech): $75M (Updata Partners, IA Ventures, Inspired Capital, Penny Pritzker, Henry Ward, Jacqueline Reses, Gokul Rajaram)
- Humble Robotics 🇺🇸 (Mobility): $51M (Obvious Ventures, Eclipse, Energy Impact Partners)
- Anaheim Bio 🇳🇱 (Biotech): €40M (Droia Ventures, Frazier Life Sciences, RTW Investments, Novartis Venture Fund, RV Invest, Thuja Capital)
- VÆRIDION 🇩🇪 (Aerospace): €30M (SHIFT Invest, Invest-NL, World Fund, Project A, Vsquared Ventures)
- FluoRok 🇬🇧 (Chemicals): €26.64M (Orano Ventures Fund/Supernova Invest, Bidra Innovation Ventures, Oxford Science Enterprises, BGF)
- bit.bio 🇬🇧 (Biotech): $25M (M&G Investments, Dr Jonathan Milner)
- Green Voltis 🇸🇪 (Energy): €13.5M (Lochpine Capital)
- Brava Security 🇮🇱 (Cybersecurity): $15M (Pitango, F2 VC)
- firmly 🇺🇸 (E-commerce): $15M (Squarepoint Capital, J.P. Morgan Payments, Mastercard, Samsung NEXT, Alumni Ventures, ARK Invest, Benhamou Global Ventures, Granada Funds, Hike Ventures, The Mercantile Companies, Versus Ventures)
- Kabilio 🇪🇸 (AI): €10M (Picus Capital, Visionaries, CDTI)
- Finpilot 🇺🇸 (Fintech): $10M (Lobby Capital)
- RadianX 🇺🇸 (Energy): $9M (SOSV, Twynam, One Small Planet, Sahsen Ventures, Avila VC, California Innovation Fund, quantumEDGE, Riceberg Ventures, Alumni Ventures)
- Phaze 🇺🇸 (Remote access): $8.75M (a16z)
- Capybobo (Web3): $8M (Pluto Studio)
- Circularity Fuels 🇺🇸 (Renewable fuels): $7M (Trucks, DCVC, Sum Ventures, Automotive Ventures)
- Claimlane 🇩🇰 (Retail tech): €5.6M (Verb Ventures, Skagerak Capital, Vendep Capital)
- Siggy 🇺🇸 (Healthcare): $6M (Village Global, Albert Wenger, Union Square Ventures, Immad Akhund, Coalition Operators, PsyMed Ventures, Mystic Ventures, Gokul Rajaram)
- Lombard Systems 🇦🇪 (Fintech): $4M (Ethereal Ventures, Alps Capital, First Commit Capital, Veris Ventures, Atka)
- ArrayPatch 🇮🇪 (Biotech): €3.2M (WakeUp Capital, Spark Venture Funding, Lakeside Capital, DeepIE Ventures, Mark Ledwidge, Enterprise Ireland, The Boole Investment Syndicate)
- Fathers 🇺🇸 (Beverage): $2M (Robert Irvine)
Fund Watch
- Sequoia Capital 🇺🇸: $10B (new funds, restructuring and reversing 20 years of expansion)
- Churchill Asset Management 🇺🇸: $1.55B (3rd Junior Capital Opportunities Fund, financing PE-backed companies)
- Proterra Investment Partners 🇺🇸: $680M (Credit Fund 3, final close; $1B+ including companion vehicles)
- Hamilton Lane 🇺🇸: $430M (debut GP-led secondaries strategy)
- Flashpoint Capital 🇬🇧: $141.5M (Venture Growth Fund IV and Growth Debt co-investment vehicle, closed)
- Bpifrance 🇫🇷: €75M (Bpifrance Amorçage Industriel 2, industrial startup fund, launched)
- Haya Hanna 🇧🇪: in early talks to raise her own VC fund
- IA Capital Group 🇺🇸: (Inter-Atlantic Opportunity Fund I, 11th insurtech and fintech fund, initial close)
🔔IPO
- Rohlik Group 🇨🇿 (Groceries): considering a Czech IPO.
- Wonder 🇺🇸 (Foodtech): confidentially filed for a IPO. Terms were not disclosed.
- Cohere 🇨🇦 (AI): IPO timing remains uncertain despite surging revenue.
- YMTC 🇨🇳 (Semiconductors): paused its planned $5B China IPO amid regional market struggles.
- Semight Instruments 🇨🇳 (Semiconductors): selected banks for a Hong Kong IPO targeting $1B.
- Mapletree Investments 🇸🇬 (Real Estate): selected banks for a Singapore IPO targeting $780M.
- VNG Group 🇻🇳 (Technology): considering reviving its US listing to raise $300M at a $3B valuation.
- Encube Ethicals 🇮🇳 (Pharma): plans to raise $315M an Indian IPO.
- NEXTDC 🇦🇺 (Data centers): received an offer for a 9.9% stake at a 45% premium.
🧳 Debt
- Drone Volt 🇫🇷: secured a bond financing facility of up to €6M, with an initial €300K tranche.
- CVC 🇱🇺: securing $2.4B in debt financing for its $4.3B acquisition of IFF’s food ingredients business.
- SpaceX 🇺🇸: Goldman Sachs and Apollo are in talks to sell portions of a $40B chip financing deal.
- Meta 🇺🇸: raised €10.1B in its debut euro bond sale, following a $15B dollar bond sale.
- Benefit Street Partners 🇺🇸: closed a $1.1B CRE CLO backed by Surfhouse apartments in New Jersey.
- First Nations Finance Authority 🇨🇦: added $600M to its 2032 bond, its largest-ever issuance.
- Indonesia 🇮🇩: launched its first dollar bond sale since the MSCI fallout.
🇺🇸 United States
- Brixmor Property Group 🇺🇸: closed a $400M unsecured term loan facility.
- 6K 🇺🇸: received a conditional commitment for up to $250M to build a Tennessee cathode plant.
❌ Failures
- BT 🇬🇧: cut 7,731 jobs as part of a sweeping cost-saving programme.
- ArcelorMittal 🇱🇺: the steelmaker fell into the red after shutting its Ukrainian plant amid Russian missile strikes.
- Brightspeed 🇺🇸: the Apollo-backed broadband provider may file for bankruptcy by December.
- Weil 🇺🇸: the law firm is dissolving, with Gibson Dunn in talks to hire 120 lawyers.
- Samlyn Capital 🇺🇸: the $7B hedge fund sold nearly all stocks except financials and is cutting staff.
- Salon 🇺🇸: after more than 30 years, the digital news site is shutting down, citing an unsustainable publishing model.
- David Jones 🇦🇺: the department store chain entered administration after failing to reach a restructuring deal with landlords.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Poundland 🇬🇧: the discount retailer faces collapse, putting 12,000 jobs at risk, as buyers bid to repay part of its £30M debt.
🎯 For a Few More Minutes…
- 🇫🇷 Wall to Wall. The monumental Apocalypse Tapestry at Angers Castle, often called the “Mona Lisa of tapestries,” keeps packing in the crowds centuries after its creation. (France Info)
- 🇺🇸 Swift Exit. NASA’s Swift telescope, valued at $500M, ended its 20-year run by vaporizing over Indonesia, leaving only scorched fragments and zero casualties. (Le Parisien)
- 🇧🇷 Card Trick. The Uberlandia vs Mamoré under-20 match ended with 51 red cards and a Guinness record, as chaos replaced football in Minas Gerais. (Le Figaro)
- 🇵🇪 Web of Lies. Three travelers were caught in Lima with suitcases packed full of tarantulas, including rare and unidentified species, all destined for the German pet and research market. (Die Zeit)
- 🇨🇳 Class Act. Michael Mai, once a primary school teacher, saw his company Crown New Materials Technology 🇨🇳 surge 787% on debut, instantly making him a $2.5B billionaire and a case study in market magic. (Le Parisien)
- 🇦🇺 Forbidden Fruit. Brisbane's Fair Work Commission sided with the restaurant that fired its Italian chef for refusing to make pineapple pizza, ruling his protest came after the clock ran out. (Ouest-France)
