🚀 Apple, Musk & Starlink: The Future of Internet Everywhere?

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Good morning, money movers! 🌟 Whether you’re sipping on overpriced coffee or calculating how much you actually need to retire early (spoiler: it’s more than you think), we’ve got the juiciest finance and tech stories to keep you in the loop. Let’s dive in!

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🌍 Apple + Starlink = Internet Everywhere?

The iPhone’s next update could keep you connected literally anywhere.

Rumors are swirling that Apple and Elon Musk’s Starlink (a SpaceX venture) are teaming up to bring global satellite connectivity to the iPhone. If true, this partnership could redefine how we stay online.

Why it matters:

• With 1.5 billion iPhone users, 5 million Starlink subscribers, and 130 million T-Mobile customers, this collaboration has the potential to touch 1.63 billion users.

• This could be the beginning of a new era in consumer tech, where seamless internet coverage is accessible worldwide.

• Apple already offers emergency satellite messaging via Globalstar, but Starlink could enable automatic, always-on satellite connectivity.

The bigger picture: While this sounds amazing for off-the-grid adventurers, privacy experts are raising eyebrows over the potential risks of constant satellite-enabled communication. Still, with 32.5% of the world unconnected to the internet, this could be a game-changer.

💸 X Money: Elon’s Financial Lifeline?

Musk’s latest move could save Wall Street from a $13B headache.

Elon Musk just announced X Money, a digital wallet and peer-to-peer payment system for X (formerly Twitter), powered by Visa. The timing? Convenient, considering banks are looking to offload $3 billion of the $13 billion in loans they gave him for his Twitter takeover.

Why this matters:

• X Money allows users to move funds between bank accounts and their X Wallet, similar to Venmo.

• Musk envisions a full financial ecosystem, eventually including payment processing for creators.

• Wall Street gets to pretend X is on the verge of something big, rather than a dumpster fire struggling to break even.

Will it work? With ad revenue plummeting and user growth stalling, X Money is Musk’s shot at keeping investors interested. But unless X can prove itself as a real fintech player, this could be just another shiny distraction from the platform’s deeper struggles.

🌐 U.K. vs. SpaceX? The Orbital Race Heats Up

Britain backs eco-friendly rockets in a bid to compete with Elon.

The U.K. just threw £20 million into Orbex, a British space startup focused on sustainable rocket launches. Their bio-propane-fueled rockets promise 96% fewer carbon emissions than traditional rockets.

Key stats:

• Orbex’s Prime rocket is a 19-meter vehicle designed for small satellite launches.

• The U.K. space sector generates £17.5 billion annually, with a 5.1% growth rate.

• The first launch is set for 2025 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland.

The irony? Investing in "green rockets" to leave a planet suffering from climate change is like putting solar panels on a sinking ship. But hey, at least they’re trying.

📈 Blackstone’s Record-Breaking Quarter

Profits surge as dealmaking goes wild.

Investment giant Blackstone just crushed Wall Street expectations, posting a 56% increase in Q4 earnings.

By the numbers:

• Distributable earnings hit $2.2 billion ($1.69 per share), far exceeding estimates.

• Assets under management reached $1.13 trillion, an all-time high.

• The firm pulled in $57.5 billion in new capital last quarter alone.

The big picture: Blackstone is going on a spending spree, with major acquisitions like:

• Jersey Mike’s Subs ($8B deal)

• Retail Opportunity Investments ($4B)

• A $2.6B Tokyo office building

With interest rates expected to drop, the firm is well-positioned for even more aggressive dealmaking in 2024.

🔄 Other News You Should Know

• 🌟 The Fed keeps rates steady, despite political pressure. Chair Jerome Powell says inflation is still a concern.

• 👤 Meta’s Q4 beats estimates, but AI spending is weighing on profits.

• 🚗 Tesla’s profits fall 70% as competition ramps up. Musk says robotaxis are coming in 2025.

• 📈 Nvidia stock slips 4%, but retail investors are still buying the dip. Retail investors poured $900M into Nvidia stock despite its decline, seeing it as a buying opportunity.

• 🏆 Microsoft’s cloud growth slows, rattling investors.

• 🚀 Frontier Airlines tries (again) to merge with bankrupt Spirit Airlines. Spirit Airlines rejects Frontier’s latest merger attempt, opting for restructuring instead.

• 🤖 OpenAI & Microsoft investigate whether Chinese AI startup DeepSeek stole data. The White House raises concerns over AI intellectual property theft, investigating OpenAI vs. DeepSeek.

• 💼 Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug gets FDA approval for kidney disease treatment.

• ☕ Starbucks trims its menu—unclear if your favorite drink made the cut, but those weird olive-oil lattes? Gone.

• 🚎 Elon Musk’s Tesla is launching a paid self-driving ride-hailing service in Austin by June.

💡What else are we reading and seeing?

• Mark Zuckerberg seeks to advise Trump on AI

• How retail traders won the Nvidia rout on Monday 

• Powell says central bank is in no hurry to cut rates again

• Trump attacks Fed after no change in interest rates

• Howard Lutnick says it's 'nonsense' that tariffs cause inflation

• After DeepSeek, VC investors face questions about AI investments

🔥Newsletter Spotlight

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That’s a wrap, Cash Nut fam! 💎 Stay ahead of the game, and don’t forget to share this newsletter with your smartest friend.

See you tomorrow! 💪🎉

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