Market Trends & Strategy

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - January 6, 2026 - Market Research Intellect has published a new outlook for the Electric Classic Car Market, projecting rapid expansion as electrified powertrains move from niche restoration projects into more structured, professionally delivered conversion offerings. The report estimates the market at USD 2.6 billion in 2024 and forecasts growth to approximately USD 12.4 billion by 2033, reflecting a 20.3% CAGR from 2026 to 2033. For automotive suppliers, conversion specialists, and mobility investors, the projections highlight a tightening link between emissions compliance, premium customization demand, and an expanding ecosystem of parts, software integration, and aftersales support.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - January 6, 2026 - LG Electronics USA announced at CES 2026 that it will integrate Prime Video into the LG Automotive Content Platform (ACP), enabling automakers using LG ACP to offer Prime Video content in-vehicle beginning in the second quarter of 2026. The move positions LG's webOS-based ACP as a more complete entertainment layer for software-defined vehicles, where screen time, passenger experience, and app ecosystems are increasingly becoming differentiators in OEM platform selection. For automakers and Tier suppliers, the announcement signals continued convergence between consumer streaming services and automotive infotainment stacks, with implications for integration planning, regional app availability, and subscription-driven usage models.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - January 6, 2026 - Jungle Driving, a purpose-driven teen driver education franchise, is closing out 2025 with accelerated growth and a clear operational roadmap for national expansion as it moves into 2026 under the leadership of CEO Zach Beutler. Following a full relaunch in 2025, the company has rebuilt its curriculum, technology stack, and franchise support model, positioning the brand to scale while maintaining a focus on safety outcomes and franchisee performance. For operators and investors in the education and training sector, the announcement highlights how a modernized, mission-led franchise can combine public safety goals with a disciplined growth strategy.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - January 1, 2026 - Platinum Equity says it has completed its acquisition of the Owens & Minor Products & Healthcare Services business, establishing the operation as a privately held standalone company focused on medical supply distribution for the acute care market in the United States.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - January 1, 2026 - First Financial Bancorp. (Nasdaq: FFBC) says it is scheduled to close its previously announced acquisition of Chicago-based BankFinancial Corporation today in an all-stock transaction that adds its first retail consumer-focused locations in the Chicago market.

Deal snapshot and strategic intent

The transaction brings BankFinancial's core deposit franchise and branch presence into First Financial's Midwest platform. First Financial said the acquisition adds 18 financial centers in the Chicago area, along with regional and national commercial loan, lease, and deposit lines of business. With the completion of the acquisition, First Financial said it will have $22 billion in assets and will broaden its consumer, commercial, specialty lending, and wealth management offering.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - January 1, 2026 - CGTN published a year-end review of China's 2025 national agenda, drawing on President Xi Jinping's inspection tours and key leadership meetings to outline the priorities shaping the country's next phase of modernization.

Policy Signal as China Moves Between Five-Year Plans

According to CGTN, China ended 2025 at a transition point: the 14th Five-Year Plan nearing completion and the 15th about to begin. The article frames inspection visits and central meetings led by Xi as a practical window into governance priorities and the direction of the next planning cycle. For businesses and institutional stakeholders, this kind of messaging matters less as a headline and more as a signal of what policy levers and administrative attention are likely to concentrate on.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - January 1, 2026 - Skyworth PV has signed a contract for a 10 MW distributed photovoltaic power plant in Ocre, in Italy's Abruzzo region, moving the project into a construction phase and reinforcing its expansion trajectory across key European clean energy markets.

Contract Milestone and European Expansion Context

Skyworth PV describes the Italy agreement as a new step in its global expansion, with the Ocre project positioned as a distributed photovoltaic power plant. The company also pointed to continued progress on a separate, standalone 10 MW project in Bordeaux, France, framing both developments as evidence of steady execution in Europe.

For developers, EPCs, and investors tracking distributed solar buildouts, the update signals a project-led approach to scaling: securing contracted projects, progressing them into build stages, and building repeatable delivery models in multiple European jurisdictions.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - December 30, 2025 - ALS Northwest says it increased its financial investment in ALS research throughout 2025, expanding support for new approaches in treatment, prevention, and scientific understanding while joining a multi-organization funding initiative intended to strengthen the overall research pipeline.

Research investment strategy and portfolio focus

ALS Northwest framed its 2025 approach as a scaled-up commitment to research designed to accelerate innovation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The organization said its efforts span multiple stages of scientific discovery, with an emphasis on enabling new approaches that could move the field forward. For research stakeholders, the operational question is not only how much is invested, but how efficiently funding is converted into validated findings, new targets, and ultimately clinical progress.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - December 26, 2025 - Yokohama Rubber is strengthening its position in Japan's highly competitive mini-vehicle segment as it begins supplying its fuel-efficient BluEarth-FE AE30 tire as original equipment for Nissan's new Roox, launched in 2025 and equipped in selected grades with 155/65R14 75S fitments.

Fuel-efficient OE tire for Japan's next-generation kei car

The OE deal places Yokohama's BluEarth-FE AE30 at the heart of one of Japan's most important volume segments: compact, city-focused mini-vehicles. Built under the BluEarth brand concept of being "environmentally, human, and socially friendly," the BluEarth-FE AE30 is positioned as a standard tire that balances rolling resistance, safety and comfort - critical factors for OEMs seeking to meet fuel-efficiency regulations and customer expectations in urban use.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - December 24, 2025 - UAE operator du has signed a three-year agreement with Huawei after deploying what the companies describe as the world's first 25Gbps E-band microwave link to support a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) site rollout, aiming to boost capacity and consistency where fiber backhaul is limited.

From "site upgrades" to backhaul strategy
5G-Advanced pushes more traffic through the radio layer, but the customer experience still hinges on the transport network behind it. du framed the partnership as a joint innovation framework-not just procurement-designed to keep pace with surging data transmission demand while accelerating scalable 5G-A coverage across the UAE, including areas where fiber deployment is slower or impractical.