China's ByteDance signs deal to form joint venture in step to avoid US TikTok ban  Reuters TikTok has signed the deal to spin off its US entity with American investor group  CNN TikTok Signs Agreements With Investors in Step Toward Avoiding a U.S. Ban  The New York Times TikTok signs agreement to create new U.S. joint venture, memo says  CNBC Scoop: TikTok signs deal for U.S. unit after yearslong saga  Axios

Inflation cools slightly in November as worries about affordability grip Americans  NPR Inflation cooled in November to 2.7%, but economists say to take it with ‘the entire salt shaker’  CNN CNBC Daily Open: Investors might not want to take U.S. inflation numbers in November at face value  CNBC US says price increases eased last month but data may be distorted and Americans aren't feeling it  AP News Consumer prices rose in November. See which of your grocery items went up  WCVB

Nike’s Struggles Continue, but Turnaround Plan May Be Working  The New York Times Nike shares fall 10% as China sales plunge, tariffs hit profits  CNBC Nike’s China conundrum deepens as turnaround stagnates  Reuters Nike posts another sales increase as turnaround work continues  OregonLive.com Nike’s Weakness in China, Converse Spur Growing Concern  Bloomberg.com

S&P 500 futures are little changed after index ends four-day losing run: Live updates  CNBC Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq jump after cooler CPI inflation reading as AI trade reignites  Yahoo Finance Heard on the Street Thursday Recap: Memory Boost  The Wall Street Journal Dow Jones Futures: Stocks Rise On Micron, Inflation, But Don't Do This; Nike, Fed Earnings Late  Investor's Business Daily Wall Street ended higher after trimming earlier gains as investors digest CPI data  Seeking Alpha

Trump Media to Merge With Nuclear Fusion Firm in $6 Billion Deal  The Wall Street Journal Trump Media announces $6 billion merger with fusion company TAE Technologies; DJT stock soars 33%  CNBC Trump Media to Merge With TAE Technologies, a Nuclear Fusion Firm, in a $6 Billion Deal  The New York Times Trump Media announces $6 billion merger with nuclear fusion company  ABC News Why Trump’s social media company is merging with a fusion power firm  The Washington Post

Why the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot is the latest in a growing list of stratospheric lottery payouts  ABC News Powerball jackpot hits estimated $1.5 billion after no ticket won grand prize of roughly $1.25 billion  CBS News Powerball numbers for Wednesday, Dec. 17. Did anyone win $1.27B jackpot?  Akron Beacon Journal $1.1 billion Powerball® jackpot up next this Monday  Powerball Lottery hopefuls return to Sacramento store that sold nearly $2M Powerball ticket  KCRA