Top Business Headlines: Bank of America on Tariffs, DOJ Probes DEI, SoftBank Deal Talks, IBM Mourns Former CEO, Travel Delays, Avatar Box Office

Economic and Trade Policy

• 🏦 Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan anticipates the White House de-escalating tariff tensions in the new year, though China remains a distinct issue due to national security and rare earth minerals.

Corporate Investigations and Initiatives

• ⚖️ The Department of Justice is reportedly launching new probes into companies utilizing DEI initiatives for hiring and promotions, with Google and Verizon among those receiving document requests.
• 🤝 SoftBank is reportedly in talks to acquire Digital Bridge Group, a private equity firm focused on data centers, with a deal potentially announced soon.

Corporate Leadership and Legacy

• 🕊️ IBM announced the passing of former chairman and CEO Lewis Gershner at age 83, who is credited with turning the company around during a period of potential bankruptcy.

Travel and Entertainment

• ✈️ Winter weather continues to disrupt holiday travel, causing over 6,000 US flight delays and more than 500 cancellations, with hundreds more affected on the current day.
• 🎬 Avatar: Fire and Ash dominated the box office over the holiday weekend, earning $88 million domestically and over $760 million worldwide in its first two weeks.