Alphabet Earnings Surge on AI Growth, Cloud Revenue, and Strong Search Performance 
Meta Raises 2026 Capex Outlook Amid AI Spending Surge, Shares Drop After Earnings 
United Airlines Flight Hits Light Pole During Newark Landing, FAA Investigates 
Berkshire Hathaway Meeting Sees Shift as Greg Abel Steps Into Leadership Spotlight 
Qualcomm Stock Surges Despite Weak Guidance After Q2 2026 Earnings Beat 
Microsoft Azure Growth Forecast Beats Expectations Amid Rising AI Competition 
Pinterest Stock Surges After Strong Q1 2026 Earnings Beat Expectations 
U.S. Cybersecurity Pushes Faster Patch Deadlines Amid Rising AI-Driven Threats 
Volvo Car Sales Drop 10% in Early 2026 Despite Growth in Electric Vehicles 
Anthropic’s $1.5B AI Venture with Wall Street Firms Targets Private Equity Market 
Spirit Airlines Shuts Down Flights, Issues Refunds After Financial Collapse 
Regis Resources and Vault Minerals to Merge in $10.7B Gold Deal 
Middle East Conflict Impacts Australia and New Zealand Businesses 
GameStop Eyes eBay Acquisition as Stock Prices Surge After Hours 
GameStop Proposes $56 Billion eBay Acquisition in Bold Strategic Move 
China reportedly lifted the ban on video games and approved about 105 online games. This comes after the restrictions on video games caused considerable losses.
Business Insider reported that with the $80 billion market meltdown, China is now trying to contain the massive damage its crackdown on video games has created. In response to the turnout of the events, Beijing is said to be attempting to reduce the impact and has gone into damage-control mode.
Damaging Restrictions After New Draft’s Reveal
China appears to have faltered about its new restrictions for online games after losing a hefty sum in the market. Last weekend, Chinese officials revealed the new rules that are still in draft, and they are primarily about setting limits on how much gamers can spend. The rules also aim to restrict game rewards that push players to play longer or spend more time in online gaming.
The announcement of the rules was said to have come out of the blue, and many investors were spooked by it. The market also went haywire, and several gaming companies saw their shares drop.
Major firms, including Tencent and NetEase, were hit as well, with share prices plunging by as much as 16% and a record 28% drop for the latter. In Bilibili’s famous case with gamers, the share price plummeted by 14%.
Regulators’ Quick Turnabout
It was reported in China that the officials granted permission for 105 new online games. The regulator said it fully supports the gaming sector after the proposed restrictions led to unexpected enormous losses for investors and companies last week.
According to Associated Press News, China’s National Press and Publication Administration posted a statement on its social media account (WeChat) on Monday, Dec. 25. The group said the approvals by the Game Working Committee of China Music and Digital Association show “positive signals that support the prosperity and healthy development of the online game industry.”
Photo by: Alex Haney/Unsplash
