Today is Tuesday, December 16, 2025.

The Early Bird Index today is 81.90.

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Ford $F ( ▲ 0.15% ) announced on Monday that it will take a $19.5 billion write-off as part of a pivot away from its electric vehicle plans. The stock grew 1.11% in after-hours trading.

Financials: Most of the $19.5 billion hit will occur in the fourth quarter. Also on Monday, Ford boosted its earnings guidance by $7 billion, and it reaffirmed its adjusted free cash flow guidance range.

Powering the Story: The main change is that Ford is canceling its plans to build pure electric vehicles, including stopping production on the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck. The company cited lower-than-expected demand, high costs, and regulatory changes for the decision.

Details: Instead, the company will focus more on gas and hybrid vehicles. Ford is also launching a battery energy storage business.

Early Bird’s Nest Egg Gains: Investors reacted positively because the move is seen as a pragmatic "rip-the-Band-Aid-off" strategy amid weak EV demand, Trump administration policies eliminating federal EV incentives, and relaxed emissions rules favoring gas vehicles.

Final Thoughts: Despite the troubled EV sales, Ford’s stock is up over 41% this year.

Notable Earnings Today: Lennar (NYSE: LEN), Worthington Enterprises (NYSE: WOR), Duluth Holdings (Nasdaq: DLTH).

Notable IPOs Today: Crane Harbor Acquisition Corp. II Units (Nasdaq: CRANU), Liberty Live Holdings, Inc. Series A Liberty Live Group Common Stock (Nasdaq: LLYVA), Liberty Live Holdings, Inc. Series C Liberty Live Group Common Stock (Nasdaq: LLYVK).

Notable Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns Ending Today: Fanbase (StartEngine), Blackout Coffee (StartEngine), FUBAR Radio (Crowdcube), With Everly (Crowdcube), GGirls Closet (Honecomb).

Notable Economic Events Today: ADP Employment Change Weekly (8;15 a.m. ET), Unemployment Rate (8:30 a.m. ET), Nonfarm Payrolls (8:30 a.m. ET), Average Hourly Earnings (8:30 a.m. ET), Core Retail Sales / Retail Sales (8:30 a.m. ET), Labor Force Participation Rate (8:30 a.m. ET), Building Permits (8:30 a.m. ET), Housing Starts (8:30 a.m. ET), Import Price Index (8:30 a.m. ET), S&P Global Manufacturing PMI (9:45 a.m. ET), S&P Global Services PMI (9:45 a.m. ET), S&P Global Composite PMI (9:45 a.m. ET), Business Inventories (10:00 a.m. ET), Retail Inventories Excluding Auto (10:00 a.m. ET), API Weekly Crude Oil Stock (4:30 p.m. ET).

Just when you thought Ethereum $ETH ( ▲ 0.37% ) was recovering from its bad December start, the price of the second most popular cryptocurrency fell by about 6% on Monday.

Details: Ethereum’s price decline on Monday can be attributed to a broader risk-off move in crypto. Macroeconomic data jitters persisted.

Also: There were more liquidations on Monday, especially among traders who owned a lot of Ethereum.

Final Thoughts: Even though another big bank launched a money market fund on Ethereum on Monday, it wasn’t enough to boost the price.

Planet Fitness $PLNT ( ▼ 0.29% ) jumped 1.92% in after-hours trading on Monday after boosting its stock buyback program by $350 million.

Final Thoughts: Shares of Planet Fitness are up about 7% in the last 30 days.

Banked: PayPal Applies to Become a Bank as US Loosens Regulatory Reins (Bloomberg)

Still Falling: Bitcoin slides to $86,000 as slower rate cut risk, AI stock woes shake markets (CoinDesk)

Avoiding Responsibility: How Tech’s Biggest Companies Are Offloading the Risks of the A.I. Boom (New York Times)

Core Problems: CoreWeave’s Staggering Fall From Market Grace Highlights AI Bubble Fears (Wall Street Journal)

A New Frontier: Frontier Airlines replaces CEO Barry Biffle with carrier’s president (CNBC)

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_{The contents of Early Bird are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. They do not constitute trade or investment recommendations, and they are not financial or legal advice. Readers are encouraged to consult licensed professionals for personalized guidance regarding their financial or legal situations.}