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TOPSHOT – People look at a BYD Seagull car by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD Auto at the Bangkok International Motor Show in Nonthaburi on March 27, 2024. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP) (Photo by LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images)

Lillian Suwanrumpha | Afp | Getty Images

The European Union is expected to reveal its tariff rate plan for Chinese electric vehicles this week, as the bloc cracks down on low-priced, subsidized imports.

The EU has a standard 10% duty on imported EVs, but is set to provisionally raise those fees for Chinese EVs starting July 4.

Citi analysts on Monday said the tariff rate could be “hiked to ~25-30% from 10% currently, while our risk scenario (40% probability) envisages a hike in the tariff rate to 30-50%.”

Anthony Sassine, senior investment strategist at KraneShares, on Tuesday said he expects the tariff rates to be “between 10% and 20%” but “could see this being on the higher end of the 20%” after the European Parliament elections last week.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, saw her party – the European People’s Party – gaining seats on Sunday. Von der Leyen has pushed for a “de-risking” approach from Beijing.

Potential EU tariffs on Chinese EVs won't have much impact, strategist says

The European Commission first launched an investigation in October into subsidies given to EV makers in China. The EU alleged such subsidized imports “posed an economic threat to the EU’s EV industry.”

“But the Chinese manufacturers are so efficient, are so ahead of the curve, that tariffs like this – I don’t think will impact too much the pricing here. They will still be more competitive than their EU counterparts,” Sassine told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Tuesday.

China’s EV industry has boomed thanks to incentives and support from the Chinese government, raising overcapacity concerns from authorities in the U.S. and Europe.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in March warned China could flood the U.S. electric-vehicle market with its offerings, after President Joe Biden raised similar concerns. The U.S. already announced stiff new tariffs in May. The Biden administration hiked tariffs on Chinese EV imports to 100%, up from 25%.

Turkey reportedly announced on June 8 that it will impose an additional 40% tariff on imports of vehicles from China.

Expanding in Europe

Last month, Chinese EV makers including Xpeng and BYD showcased their models in Europe while Nio opened a new showroom in Amsterdam, despite the ongoing EU probe.

BYD announced in December that it will build a new factory in Hungary while Chery in April entered a joint venture with Spain’s Ebro-EV Motors to develop new EVs.

Cedomir Nestorovic, professor of geopolitics at ESSEC Business School, said “scores of Chinese manufacturers are now scouting the EU.”

They “will avoid, or they will try to avoid, all kinds of tariffs,” Nestorovic told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Monday.

Chinese EV manufacturers are now 'scouting' the EU, professor says

“We’re seeing the Chinese automakers actually setting up factories in Europe. Nio, also, is looking at Hungary. So there are options here, and I’m sure there’s back channels happening here,” said KraneShares’ Sassine.

“I think with Europe, it’s not going to be a big deal. In the U.S., it’s a different story,” said Sassine.

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CNBC Daily Open: Flying blind in markets and the economy

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CNBC Daily Open: Flying blind in markets and the economy

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Nov. 13, 2025 in New York City.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

U.S. markets had their worst day since Oct. 10. That marks a sharp reversal for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which shed 1.65% to settle at 47,457.22, a day after it closed above 48,000 for the first time. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 lost 1.66% and the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 2.29%.

The slump in stocks can partly be traced to a turnaround in sentiment regarding artificial intelligence. Tech behemoths such as Nvidia, Broadcom and Oracle slumped, with the last losing more than one-third in value since it rocketed 36% in September.

Investors, it seems, are growing worried over the high valuations of tech names, as well as the gigantic amount of capital expenditure they are committing to — with some, like Oracle, having to take on debt to fulfil those obligations.

Uncertainty over an interest rate cut in December is also putting a downer on Wall Street. It’s a coin toss as to whether the U.S. Federal Reserve will ease monetary policy then, according to the CME FedWatch tool. That’s a huge difference from a month ago, when traders were pricing in a 95.5% chance of a December cut.

Not having October’s employment and inflation numbers, and possibly never getting them, means the Fed lacks visibility into the state of the economy — and whether it should try to support the labor market or continue reining in inflation.

After all, flying blind makes it hard to see where you’ll land. As of now, that applies both to the Fed and investors trying to navigate the still-hazy ambitions of tech companies.

What you need to know today

And finally…

Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk speaks at a Q&A following a tour of the OpenAI data center in Abilene, Texas, U.S., Sept. 23, 2025.

Shelby Tauber | Reuters

Wall Street cools on Oracle’s buildout plans as debt concerns mount: ‘AI sentiment is waning’

Two months ago, Oracle’s stock soared 36% to a record after the company blew away investors with its forecast for cloud infrastructure revenue. Since then, the company has lost one-third of its value, more than wiping out those gains.

The mood of late has turned, with investors questioning whether the AI market ran too far, too fast and whether OpenAI can live up to its $300 billion commitment to Oracle over five years. Of the big cloud companies in the GPU business, Oracle is expected to generate the least amount of free cash flow, said Jackson Ader, an analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

— Seema Mody

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StubHub stock tanks 20% as CEO says it is not giving guidance for current quarter

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StubHub stock tanks 20% as CEO says it is not giving guidance for current quarter

Ticket reseller StubHub signage on display at the New York Stock Exchange for the company’s IPO on Sept. 17, 2025.

NYSE

StubHub shares plunged 20% in extended trading on Thursday after the company reported quarterly results for the first time since its initial public offering in September.

Here’s how the ticket vendor did in comparison with LSEG consensus:

  • Loss per share: $4.27
  • Revenue: $468.1 million vs. $452 million expected

During a conference call with investors, StubHub CEO and founder Eric Baker said the company wouldn’t provide guidance for the current quarter.

Baker said that the company takes “a long term approach,” adding that the timing of when tickets go on sale can vary, making it hard to predict consumer demand. StubHub plans to offer outlook for 2026 when it reports fourth-quarter results, he said.

“The demand for live events is phenomenal,” Baker said. “We don’t see anything with consumer demand that’s any different.”

Revenue increased 8% in its second quarter from $433.8 million a year earlier, the company said.

StubHub reported a net loss of $1.33 billion, or a loss of $4.27 per share, compared to a net loss of $45.9 million, or a loss of 15 cents per share, during the same period last year. StubHub said this reflects a one-time stock-based compensation charge of $1.4 billion stemming from its IPO.

Gross merchandise sales, which represent the total dollar value paid by ticket buyers, rose 11% year over year to $2.43 billion.

The company faced tough comparisons from a year earlier, when results were boosted by Taylor Swift’s massively popular Eras Tour. Excluding that impact, StubHub said GMS grew 24% year over year.

Founded in 2000, StubHub primarily generates revenue from connecting buyers with ticket resellers. It competes with Vivid Seats, which was taken public via a special purpose acquisition company in 2021; SeatGeek; and Ticketmaster parent Live Nation Entertainment.

“We are building a truly differentiated consumer product that improves the experience for fans while unlocking better economics for venues, teams, and artists through open distribution,” Baker said in a statement. “We’re early in that journey, but our progress so far gives us great confidence in our strategy and the long-term value we’re creating.”

StubHub raised $800 million in its long-awaited IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, which came after it delayed its debut twice. The most recent stall came in April after President Donald Trump‘s announcement of sweeping tariffs roiled markets. The company restarted the process to go public in August when it filed an updated prospectus.

On Thursday, the company’s stock closed at $18.82. Shares are now down roughly 20% from the IPO price of $23.50.

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Google says group behind E-ZPass, USPS text scam has been ‘shut down’ after suit

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Google says group behind E-ZPass, USPS text scam has been 'shut down' after suit

The Google corporate logo hangs outside the Google Germany offices on August 31, 2021 in Berlin, Germany.

Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Google said on Thursday said it has disrupted the foreign cybercriminal group behind a massive SMS text phishing operation within 24 hours of filing its lawsuit.

“This shut down of Lighthouse’s operations is a win for everyone,” said Google general counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado. “We will continue to hold malicious scammers accountable and protect consumers.”

Google filed the suit early Wednesday, seeking to dismantle the organization that some cyber experts have dubbed the “Smishing Triad,” which used a phishing kit named “Lighthouse” to generate and deploy attacks using fake texts.

The company provided translated Telegram messages allegedly posted by the group’s ringleader.

“Our cloud server has been blocked due to malicious complaints. Please be patient and we will restore it as soon as possible!” one message read.

Another message stated that “The reopening date will be announced separately.”

Google did not provide specifics on how the operation was shut down.

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The crime group had harmed at least 1 million victims across over 120 countries, Google said in a release.

Victims would receive texts containing malicious links to fraudulent websites designed to steal sensitive financial information, including Social Security numbers and banking credentials.

The messages often appeared as fake delivery updates, unpaid fees notifications, fraud alerts, and other texts designed to appear urgent.

“They were preying on users’ trust in reputable brands such as E-ZPass, the U.S. Postal Service, and even us as Google,” DeLaine Prado previously told CNBC.

The company said that it found over 100 templates generated by Lighthouse using the company’s branding to trick victims into thinking the sites were legitimate.

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