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In this photo illustration, the Coinbase logo is displayed on a smartphone screen.

Rafael Henrique | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Coinbase reported user numbers that fell short of analysts’ estimates even as fourth-quarter earnings and revenue beat projections. The stock rose more than 2% in extended trading after dropping 4.8% during the day.

Here’s how the company did:

  • Earnings: Loss of $2.46 per share, vs. loss of $2.55 per share as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
  • Revenue: $629 million, vs. $590 million as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.

Revenue plunged nearly 75% from a year earlier as the so-called crypto winter continued to drag on the price of cryptocurrencies. The company also reported a (non-adjusted) net loss of $557 million, a year after Coinbase generated net income of $840 million during the peak of crypto adoption.

Coinbase’s user base continues to shrink. The company said it had 8.3 million monthly transacting users (MTUs) during the fourth quarter, down from 8.5 million the prior period. Analysts were expecting 8.22 million, according to StreetAccount. Trading volume fell 9% to $145 billion from the previous quarter.

Transaction revenue fell 12% to $322 million from the previous quarter, which was below the $327 million consensus among analysts polled by StreetAccount.

For Q1 2023, the company projected subscription and services revenue of $300 million to $325 million, as well as restructuring expenses of about $150 million. Diversifying its revenue streams away from just trading fees has been a big priority for the company, with subscription and services taking center stage. Traction in products such as Staking, Earn, and Custody generated over $200 million in the fourth quarter.

Coinbase has gone through two major rounds of layoffs since June 2022 in an effort to pare back spending to preserve cash. The exchange cut 20% of its staff last month, following an 18% reduction of its workforce in 2022.

Prior to Tuesday’s after-hours moves, the stock was up more than 75% in 2023, following 2022’s plunge in crypto prices coupled with a retreat from the riskiest equities. This year bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, has risen more than 48%.

Coinbase Chief Financial Officer Alesia told CNBC that markets have rebounded in the current quarter compared to Q4 2022, and that “market conditions have really evolved, even in a single month.” Haas noted that Coinbase generated $120 million in transaction fee revenue in January, adding that retail has come back to the market.

“We’re seeing what we’ve seen always in crypto,” Haas said in a call with CNBC. “It’s overall volatility and market conditions that drive trading activity and that these idiosyncratic events have changed that longer-term dynamic that we’ve seen.”

Coinbase’s business could also be impacted by possible SEC actions that would govern certain types of cryptocurrency tokens and crypto services as securities. Tweets by CEO Brian Armstrong and Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal have suggested the company would fight any such action in court.

Crypto exchange Kraken, for example, recently ended its staking services as part of a settlement with the SEC over allegations that the platform sold unregistered securities.

Many centralized exchanges like Kraken and Gemini offer customers the option to stake their tokens in order to earn yield on their digital assets that would otherwise sit idle on the platform. With crypto staking, investors typically vault their crypto assets with a blockchain validator, which verifies the accuracy of transactions on the blockchain. Investors can receive additional crypto tokens as a reward for locking away those assets.

But on a call with CNBC, Haas insisted that Coinbase’s staking product was “not a security.” Haas added that staking was less than 3% of net revenue, so it was not a material source of net revenue at this time — but an “important part of the ecosystem” that the platform plans to grow.

Executives will discuss the results on a conference call starting at 5:30 p.m. ET.

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Lexus cuts RZ electric SUV prices by over $10,000 with its new entry-level 2025 model

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Lexus cuts RZ electric SUV prices by over ,000 with its new entry-level 2025 model

The all-electric luxury electric SUV is getting significantly cheaper. Lexus launched a new entry-level 2025 RZ trim with starting prices over $10,000 less than last year’s model. And you get just as much driving range.

2025 Lexus RZ electric SUV prices and driving range

Lexus launched its first dedicated EV last year, the RZ electric SUV. Starting at $55,175, the 2024 Lexus RZ 300e has a range of up to 266 miles.

The 2024 RZ 450e AWD, equipped with its dual-moto DIRECT4 system, has a range of up to 196 miles. Prices start at just under $60,000. Both models are offered in Premium or Luxury packages.

Lexus is drastically lowering prices for the 2025 model year. The 2025 Lexus RZ starts at $43,975, and that includes the $1,175 delivery fee.

At under $44,000, prices for the 2025 RZ start at over $10,000 less than last year’s model. The lower price tag comes as Lexus added a new entry-level RZ 300e FWD trim to the lineup.

The 2025 Lexus RZ 300e FWD still has an EPA-estimated 266-mile range (18″ wheels), so despite the lower price, it’s no loss from last year’s model. It’s powered by a 72.8 kWh battery pack from global leader CATL.

Lexus-RZ-prices-2025
2025 Lexus RZ 450e (Source: Lexus)

Lexus modified the subframe for the FWD model, replacing the rear eAxle from the AWD model. The result is a quieter, smoother drive.

Powered by a 71.4 kWh battery, the 2025 RZ 450e AWD has an EPA-estimated driving range of up to 220 miles (18″ wheels).

2025 Lexus RZ model Starting Price* EPA-estimated Driving Range
RZ 450e AWD $48,675 220 miles
RZ 450e Premium AWD w/ 18″ Wheel $52,875 220 miles
RZ 450e Premium AWD w/ 20″ Wheel $54,115 196 miles
RZ 450e Luxury AWD $58,605 220 miles
RZ 300e FWD $43,975 266 miles
RZ 300e Premium FWD w/ 18″ Wheel $48,175 266 miles
RZ 300e Premium FWD w/ 20″ Wheel $49,415 224 miles
RZ 300e Luxury FWD $53,905 266 miles
2025 Lexus RZ electric SUV prices and range (*Includes Delivery, Processing and Handling fee of $1,175)

The 2025 Lexus RZ is available in three grades. These include the new entry-level model, in addition to the current Premium and Luxury trims.

Inside, the electric SUV has a minimalistic feel with a standard 14″ infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support at the center.

You can also opt for the available 10″ head-up display (HUD), Mark Levinson Surround Sound System, and a host of safety features.

The flat platform provides a spacious interior with 37.52″ of rear legroom, nearly as much as the second row of a Ford Explorer (39″).

With the 2025 model arriving at dealerships soon, Lexus is offering closeout prices on 2024 models with up to $18,500 in lease cash discounts. You can use our link to find the best offers on the Lexus RZ at a dealer near you today.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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Why Jim Cramer is nervous about Best Buy, plus a bright spot in this down market

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Why Jim Cramer is nervous about Best Buy, plus a bright spot in this down market

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‘Political malpractice’ if Trump undoes climate-geared Biden projects, outgoing U.S. energy secretary says

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'Political malpractice' if Trump undoes climate-geared Biden projects, outgoing U.S. energy secretary says

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks to the media on day five at the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference on November 15, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. 

Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images

A potential decision by Donald Trump to walk back the Biden administration’s climate-geared projects would impact jobs in areas governed by the President-elect’s own party, outgoing U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNBC, urging consistency in Washington’s green transition policies.

Referencing the White House’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement — a 2015 treaty in which nearly 200 governments made non-binding pledges to reduce greenhouse emissions — during Trump’s first mandate, Granholm said the U.S. pressed ahead with projects linked to the green transition that members of Congress wanted to undertake in their districts.

“We are now building all of these projects. We’re building batteries for electric vehicles, we’re building the vehicles, we’re building the offshore wind turbines, we’re building the solar panels. And all of those are factories. And those factories are in districts of members of Congress,” she told CNBC’s Dan Murphy on Friday at the COP29 U.N. climate conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

'Political malpractice' if Trump undoes Biden climate commitments: Energy Secretary Granholm

She estimated that 80% of the funding from U.S. President Joe Biden’s legacy bills — the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — went to U.S. districts represented by Republican leadership.

“It would be political malpractice to undo those opportunities when people are just now getting hired,” she said, stressing benefits to the manufacturing sector and noting that the business community of the world’s largest economy and oil producer now wants a clear course from Washington on its climate policy.

“This isn’t about in [the Paris Agreement], out, shifting back and forth. Let’s have a consistent practice,” she said.

When asked for a response on Granholm’s comments, Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, said the president-elect will “deliver” on the promises he made on the campaign trail.

COP29 discussions are focusing on international community reaction to U.S. election, S&P Global says

International focus has now shifted on the shape of the U.S.’ future role in global climate policy, as Trump prepares to take the helm at the White House for a second mandate in January, following a sweeping victory against Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. Trump — who has yet to announce his own pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy — put hydrocarbons at the front and center of his campaigning agenda, pledging to “end Biden’s delays in federal drilling permits and leases that are needed to unleash American oil and natural gas production.”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in March said that the country already “produced more crude oil than any nation at any time” for the past six years to 2023, averaging a crude oil and condensate production of 12.9 million barrels per day that year — breaking the previous U.S. and global record of 12.3 million barrels per day recorded in 2019, during Trump’s first mandate.

Yet Granholm on Friday stressed that the clean transition is also “unleashed” and will take place regardless of who is leading the White House — and that ignoring climate change risks sacrificing Washington’s position as a frontrunner in the blooming decarbonization industry.

“Why would we take a second, a backseat to an economic competitor like China?” she asked. “They have an economic strategy, they want to be number one. So if we get out of the game, we’re just going to cede that territory all over again. It’s bad strategy for the United States and for workers and for communities across the country.”

As the world braces for the possibility of a second U.S. exit from the Paris Agreement, some climate activists note that the green transition has now gained a different global momentum than during Trump’s first turn at the White House:

“There is no denying that another Trump presidency will stall national efforts to tackle the climate crisis and protect the environment, but most U.S. state, local, and private sector leaders are committed to charging ahead,” Dan Lashof, U.S. director of the World Resources Institute, said in a Nov. 6 statement.

“Donald Trump heading back to the White House won’t be a death knell to the clean energy transition that has rapidly picked up pace these last four years.”

'We have to be rational,' Saudi Arabia's climate envoy says at COP29

Granholm also identified potential support in Trump’s current entourage, which this week welcomed business tycoon Elon Musk as the president-elect’s choice to head a new Department of Government Efficiency, alongside conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy:

“His right-hand man, Elon Musk,  is somebody who has been strongly in favor of products that … address climate change. Obviously, he’s the founder of Tesla,” Granholm pointed out.

Musk’s environmental stance has come under question over the years, shifting from telling Rolling Stone magazine that “climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI” and backing carbon taxes to holding that the world needs hydrocarbon supplies as a bridge to renewable energy.

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