A flurry of corporate announcements highlighted strategic repositioning ahead of 2026. Janus Henderson Group agreed to be acquired by Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management and venture investor General Catalyst for approximately $7.4 billion, a transaction reflecting consolidation pressures in active asset management.
Permira and Warburg Pincus will also acquire Clearwater Analytics privately for about $8.4 billion, including debt, paying shareholders $24.55 per share. Both deals highlight private equity’s appetite for technology‑driven financial services.
The energy industry saw a major move: Harbour Energy struck a $3.2 billion agreement to buy LLOG Exploration, consisting of $2.7 billion in cash and $0.5 billion in shares. The acquisition gives the UK company a foothold in the deepwater Gulf of America. Other insurers and asset managers looked abroad for growth.
Nippon Life signalled it will continue overseas acquisitions after spending more than $12 billion on deals last year, and JAB Insurance agreed to acquire Utmost Group’s UK life and pensions unit.
In technology and media, several initiatives drew attention. OpenAI reported that compute margins on its paid artificial‑intelligence products reached about 70% by October, up from around 52% at the end of 2024.
NVIDIA told customers it expects to ship its H200 chips to China by mid‑February despite export constraints.
Meta’s Threads platform will add podcast previews that play directly in users’ feeds.
Netflix refinanced a portion of a $59 billion bridge loan backing its pursuit of Warner Bros Discovery, while Oracle co‑founder Larry Ellison pledged $40.4 billion to bolster Paramount Skydance’s competing bid.