Squawk Pod
Squawk Pod

5 Things to Know Before the Opening Bell 1/9/26

1 min
•Jan 9, 20263 months ago
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Summary

This episode of Squawk Pod covers five major business stories including Mark's reported $28-32 billion acquisition talks with cancer drug maker RevMed, Strava's confidential IPO filing, Saks' bankruptcy financing package, Paramount-Skydance's MTV stake discussions, and a NASA crew medical emergency requiring early ISS return.

Insights
  • Major pharmaceutical consolidation activity continues with multi-billion dollar acquisition discussions despite recent denials from competing bidders
  • Fitness and wellness technology companies are pursuing public markets as investor appetite for health-tracking platforms remains strong
  • Luxury retail sector facing financial pressures requiring significant bankruptcy financing packages to stabilize operations
  • Media companies are actively seeking external investment and partnerships to revitalize legacy brands like MTV
Trends
Pharmaceutical sector M&A acceleration with deals in the $28-32 billion range indicating continued industry consolidationFitness technology IPO activity reflecting growing investor interest in health and wellness data platformsLuxury retail financial restructuring and bankruptcy financing becoming more common in the sectorMedia company partnerships with tech and entertainment investors to modernize legacy networksStrategic stake-taking in established media properties as alternative to full acquisitions
Topics
Pharmaceutical M&A and Industry ConsolidationCancer Drug Development and AcquisitionFitness Tracking Technology IPOsLuxury Retail Bankruptcy FinancingMedia Network RevitalizationMTV Strategic InvestmentInternational Space Station OperationsAstronaut Medical Emergencies
Companies
RevMed
Cancer drug maker reportedly in acquisition talks with Mark for $28-32 billion, potentially largest pharma deal in 3 ...
Mark
Reportedly in talks to acquire cancer drug maker RevMed for between $28-32 billion according to Financial Times
AbbVie
Denied Wall Street Journal report that it was in talks to acquire RevMed
Strava
Fitness tracking app confidentially filing for IPO according to source familiar with the matter
Saks
Luxury department store owner nearing deal for bankruptcy financing package of more than $1 billion
Paramount
Held talks with companies and music industry figures about taking stake in MTV to reinvigorate the network
Skydance
In discussions with companies and music industry figures about taking stake in MTV alongside Paramount
MTV
Legacy music network being targeted for investment and reinvigoration by Paramount and Skydance
NASA
Announced early return of ISS crew due to serious medical condition affecting one crew member
People
Andrew Osorkin
Co-host of Squawk Box and host of this Squawk Pod episode covering five key market stories
Quotes
"What made you confident that you could do something that hadn't been done before? I have no fear of failure."
Unknown•Sponsor segment
"Think about what your boss's boss needs."
Unknown•Sponsor segment
"Life is short and you just got to think big to accomplish big things."
Unknown•Sponsor segment
Full Transcript
What made you confident that you could do something that hadn't been done before? I have no fear of failure. Trailblazing women changing the game. One of my favorite pieces of advice, think about what your boss's boss needs. Leadership can look in many, many different forms. It really does come down to just trusting yourself. Life is short and you just got to think big to accomplish big things. Julia Borsten hosts CNBC Changemakers and Power Players. New episodes every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Andrew Osorkin, co-host of Squawk Box, and this is five things to know before today's opening bell. Mark reportedly in talks about cancer drug maker RevMed for between 28 and 32 billion dollars. Financial Times saying a deal is likely several weeks away, but it would be the biggest in the pharma sector in nearly three years. Yesterday, AbbVie denied a report from The Wall Street Journal that it was in talks to buy RevMed. Meantime, fitness tracking app Strava confidentially now filing for an IPO. It's according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to CNBC. The Wall Street Journal reporting that the owner of the luxury department store Saks nearing a deal for a bankruptcy financing package of more than a billion dollars And Paramount Skydance has now held talks with companies and music industry figures about taking a stake in MTV as it looks to reinvigorate that network And that's according to Bloomberg News. And NASA saying a serious medical condition with a crew member aboard the International Space Station will prompt an early return for the astronaut and three other crew members. It's unclear what the condition is or who is affected. We're going to be back later today with an all-new Squawk Pod, our daily podcast featuring the best of Squawk Box. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts and listen anytime. What made you confident that you could do something that hadn't been done before? I have no fear of failure. Trailblazing women changing the game. One of my favorite pieces of advice, think about what your boss's boss needs. Leadership can look in many, many different forms. It really does come down to just trusting yourself. Life is short and you just got to think big to accomplish big things. Julia Borsten hosts CNBC Changemakers and Power Players. New episodes every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts.