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Sony’s Counterattack
Acquisitions in the world of games do not stop. This Monday (31), it was Sony’s turn to announce the purchase of game developer Bungie by $3.6 billion (R$ 19 billion).
The deal comes less than two weeks after Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard for $75 billion (R$ 402 billion), in the largest acquisition in the history of the sector.
why it matters: Sony, owner of the Playstation, became the target of investor pressure after the acquisition made by Microsoft.
- The market does not rule out a limitation of Activision games to Xbox, which would take away from Playstation games like “Call of Duty” and “Tony Hawk’s”.
- This Monday, Sony shares closed higher than 4.51% on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Who is Bungie: the production company is responsible for the creation of the first-person shooter “Halo”.
- It was acquired by Microsoft in 2000 and left the company in 2007. American big tech has continued to produce the “Halo” franchise ever since.
- Another popular first-person shooter franchise from Bungie is “Destiny”, which would be a style alternative for the Playstation if Microsoft opts for the exclusivity of “Call of Duty” for Xbox.
Billion dollar industry: the games sector, which earns more than movies and music, ends the month of January with three big deals closed.
Ibovespa has the best month in a year
The Brazilian stock exchange rose 0.21% this Monday (31), to 112,143 points, and closed January accumulating gains of 6.98%the best performance in a month since December 2020.
The dollar retreated 1.53% in the session, the BRL 5,307at the lowest price since September 2021. In the month, it fell 4.82%. The real was the second currency – only behind the Chilean peso – with the highest return against the dollar this month.
What explains:
- Foreign flow: accumulated in the year until last Friday (28), the gringos entered with BRL 28.1 billion in the secondary market (does not take into account IPOs and follow-ons) of B3.
- Commodities: the rise in international oil and iron ore prices helped boost shares in Petrobras and Vale, the two companies with the greatest weight on the Ibovespa. On Monday, the Brent-type barrel rose 1.31%, at US$91.21 (R$488.59).
Out there: American markets went in the opposite direction of the Ibovespa. Nasdaq (-8.98%) and S&P500 (-5.26%) had their worst month since March 2020, when the pandemic hit global markets hard. The Dow Jones dropped a little less and retreated 3.32%.
Bargain: for analysts, the large flow of money from abroad to the Brazilian stock exchange means that the market here has become cheap. Arguments for this view are last year’s fall, the devaluation of the real against the dollar and doubts about the rise in interest rates in the US.
Experts point out, however, that the move may be in search of quick gains, as the tendency is for the American monetary tightening to drive away capital from emerging markets.
More about the financial market:
- Bitcoin: crypto was also affected by expectations of rising interest rates in the US and collapsed 18% in January.
- Opinion: the great uncertainty that could shake the market this year is not the elections, but inflation and its reflection on American interest rates, says Michael Viriato, from the blog De Grão em Grão.
Sale of Oi Móvel advances
On Monday, Anatel unanimously approved the sale of Oi’s mobile telephony assets to rivals Tim, Claro and Telefônica Brasil.
Understand: the three operators won the auction for Oi’s assets in December 2020, but it was contested by rivals and the matter dragged on. At the time, the division of Oi Móvel’s customers was defined as follows:
- TIM will disburse BRL 7.3 billion and will have 14.5 million customers (40% of the total).
- Telefonica, which operates under the Vivo brand, will spend BRL 5.5 billion and will receive 10.5 million customers (about 29%).
- with disbursement of BRL 3.7 billionClaro will keep the rest.
“Medicines”: to mitigate competitive risks, Anatel imposed some conditions for the business to move forward:
- Capacity offer for virtual mobile operators and a spectrum occupancy plan transferred from Oi.
- Exclusion of loyalty clauses in the case of user migration, which should not be automatic.
- The operation still needs to be approved by CADE (Administrative Council for Economic Defense). The body’s general superintendence has already recommended approval, also with the adoption of “medicines”.
remember: Oi declared bankruptcy in 2016 to deal with accumulated debts from BRL 64 billion. At the end of the process, the operator will continue to operate only in fixed telephony and broadband.
HR startup raises BRL 500 million
Gupy, a platform for hiring and training employees, announced this Monday (31) that it received a BRL 500 million.
SoftBank and Riverwood funds led the round, which represents the largest investment in an hrtech (HR startup) in Latin America. Gupy’s market value was not disclosed.
The company: Founded in 2015, the startup started as a platform to make it easier to hire employees. Then, it expanded its operations by automating the employee admission process.
- Last year, after buying Niduu, a startup specializing in employee training, Gupy also started offering this type of service.
- The company has approx. 1500 customers spread across ten countries in Latin America, including names like Ambev, GPA, Vivo, Cielo and Lojas Renner.
Where does the money go? the company’s idea is to use the capital raised to invest in technology, with the launch of a free marketplace for job offers, and also to grow through acquisitions.
More about startups:
Kavak, a Mexican company that buys and sells used cars, announced on Monday the start of its operations in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The startup plans to invest BRL 550 million In the next months.
The company arrived in Brazil in July 2021 already as a unicorn (startup valued at US$ 1 billion or more) and with the promise of investing R$ 2.5 billion to make the country its main market.
Two months later, she announced that she had received a contribution of US$ 700 million (R$ 3.7 billion), which valued her at $8.7 billion (R$ 46.6 billion).
What else do you need to know
Source: Folha
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
