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By Suzanne McGee (Reuters) -Canary Capital plans to launch the first U.S. exchange-traded products tied to the litecoin and hedera cryptocurrencies on Tuesday, the firm told Reuters, forging ahead despite a government shutdown that has hobbled the U.S. securities regulator. Separately, Bitwise Asset Management said it will launch its own new cryptocurrency ETF, tied to solana, on Tuesday. The launches test a recently streamlined approval process, potentially paving the way for a wave of new cryptocurrency products to come to market without lengthy, product-specific reviews. "We've had several interactions with the SEC" on both filings over the last year, Steven McClurg, Canary's founder and CEO, told Reuters. "We were very much ready to go" before the shutdown. Canary is relying on the mid-September vote by SEC commissioners allowing three national securities exchanges to adopt generic listing standards for cryptocurrency and other commodity exchange-traded products. That vote removed the last obstacle for asset managers hoping to launch dozens of new spot funds tied to an array of cryptocurrencies. SEC officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Previously, new spot crypto ETFs, such as the bitcoin funds launched in January 2024, had to undergo lengthy, product-specific reviews by two different groups of SEC staffers. The new rules enable crypto asset managers to launch products as long as they meet certain criteria. McClurg added that Canary will not launch all of its filed crypto products at once, but will roll out additional products in the coming weeks and months. While the firm is comfortable with launching the litecoin and hedera offerings, based on the extent and nature of pre-shutdown discussions with the SEC, "There are a lot of filings we've still got out there that we don't have that level of comfort with." Together with a 2019 rule designed to streamline the ETF listing process, "the standardized listings give the whole industry plenty of room" to roll out these new products, said Dave Nadig, head of research at ETF.com. (Reporting by Suzanne McGee; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A federal judge on Monday decertified a class action by tens of millions of Apple customers who accused the company of monopolizing the market for iPhone apps by banning purchases outside its App Store, leading to higher prices. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, reversed her February 2024 decision allowing Apple account holders who spent $10 or more on app or in-app content within the last 17 years to sue as a group. Rogers said the plaintiffs failed to provide a model "capable of reliably showing classwide injury and damages in one stroke" by matching Apple accounts to consumers, while limiting the number of "unharmed" consumers in the class. She ruled after an expert hired by Cupertino, California-based Apple found "alarming" errors in the plaintiffs' model. These included that named plaintiff Robert Pepper and supposed claimant "Rob Pepper" were different people despite sharing home addresses and credit card information. They also included the lumping together of more than 40,000 payment records for people whose first name was "Kim," but who otherwise had nothing in common. DISAPPOINTED PLAINTIFFS TO REVIEW NEXT STEPS Mark Rifkin, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, in an email said "we are of course disappointed" with the decision, and are reviewing their next legal steps to protect consumers "harmed by Apple's unlawful App Store monopoly." Apple said it was pleased with the decision, and that it tries to make the App Store "a safe and trusted place for users to discover apps and a great business opportunity for developers." Class actions can result in greater recoveries at less cost than if plaintiffs sue individually. The plaintiffs said Apple's monopoly included charging excessive commissions to app developers, which would be passed on to consumers through higher prices to download apps or make in-app purchases. Lawyers for the plaintiffs had estimated that classwide damages could total billions of dollars. The lawsuit began in December 2011, and the class had covered users of iOS-powered devices since July 10, 2008. The case is In re Apple iPhone Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 11-06714. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Nia Williams, Bill Berkrot and Matthew Lewis)

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By Laila Kearney and Vallari Srivastava (Reuters) -NextEra Energy and Google have reached an agreement to restart an Iowa nuclear power plant shut five years ago, the companies said on Monday, in another sign that data-center power demand is renewing interest in U.S. nuclear energy. The technology industry's quest for massive amounts of electricity for artificial-intelligence processing has renewed interest in the country's nuclear reactors, which generate large amounts of around-the-clock power that is virtually carbon free. Under NextEra's deal with Google, the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Cedar Rapids is scheduled to resume operations in early 2029. The restart is backed by a 25-year agreement for Google to buy electricity from the 615-megawatt plant. Shares of NextEra Energy rose over 1% to $87.24 after the bell. The agreement follows a similar announcement at the former Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, which is owned by Constellation Energy, in Pennsylvania to fuel Microsoft data centers. Google, Microsoft, Amazon and other so-called hyperscalers that operate massive cloud-computing infrastructure have also agreed in recent months to buy future energy produced by advanced nuclear technologies, including fusion and small modular reactors. NextEra and Google also will explore the development of new nuclear technology, the companies said. “Restarting Duane Arnold marks an important milestone for NextEra Energy,” said CEO John Ketchum. “Our partnership with Google not only brings nuclear energy back to Iowa — it also accelerates the development of next-generation nuclear technology. The Duane Arnold Energy Center — Iowa's lone nuclear plant — closed in 2020 after operating for 45 years. While there are now three U.S. restart efforts under way, including a Michigan power plant that is not connected to a technology deal, no mothballed nuclear power plant has actually been restarted. “This partnership serves as a model for the investments needed across the country to build energy capacity and deliver reliable, clean power, while protecting affordability and creating jobs that will drive the AI-driven economy,” said Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google. One of the plant's minority owners, Central Iowa Power Cooperative, will purchase the remaining portion of the plant's output on the same terms as Google, NextEra said. The utility added that it had also signed agreements to acquire the 30% interest in the Duane Arnold plant owned by that cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative, bringing NextEra's ownership to 100%. (Reporting by Vallari Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Cynthia Osterman)

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AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Netherlands' decision to take control of chipmaker Nexperia in September was due to fears the company's former CEO was already dismantling the company's European operations and moving production to China, four sources in The Hague familiar with the government's thinking said on Monday. A monthlong standoff between China and the Netherlands over Nexperia has prompted carmakers in Europe, the U.S. and Japan to warn of possible production problems due to chip shortages. Although the chips Nexperia makes are very basic, they are used in large numbers in the electronic systems of cars. The sources in The Hague said Nexperia former CEO Zhang Xuezheng, who is also the founder of Nexperia's Chinese parent company Wingtech, had planned to lay off 40% of staff in Europe and close a research and development facility in Munich. Before Zhang was suspended from the CEO role by a Dutch court on October 1, he had already transferred secrets from the company's plant in Manchester, Britain, to a Wingtech-owned plant in China, including chip designs and machine settings, they said. Physical equipment from the company's Hamburg production plant was slated to be taken next, they added. Zhang could not immediately be reached for comment. The Dutch government seized control of Nexperia on September 30, citing lapses in governance. On October 4, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce blocked exports of the company's products out of China. While most of Nexperia's chips are produced in Europe, around 70% are packaged in China before distribution.  The company's Chinese arm has taken steps toward independence and has resumed selling products to domestic Chinese customers. The sources said the Dutch government believes it can negotiate a resolution with China that will restore the company to a unified Dutch-Chinese structure. (Reporting by Toby Sterling, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

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AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Netherlands' decision to take control of chipmaker Nexperia in September was due to fears the company's former CEO was already dismantling the company's European operations and moving production to China, four sources in The Hague familiar with the government's thinking said on Monday. A monthlong standoff between China and the Netherlands over Nexperia has prompted carmakers in Europe, the U.S. and Japan to warn of possible production problems due to chip shortages. Although the chips Nexperia makes are very basic, they are used in large numbers in the electronic systems of cars. The sources in The Hague said Nexperia former CEO Zhang Xuezheng, who is also the founder of Nexperia's Chinese parent company Wingtech, had planned to lay off 40% of staff in Europe and close a research and development facility in Munich. Before Zhang was suspended from the CEO role by a Dutch court on October 1, he had already transferred secrets from the company's plant in Manchester, Britain, to a Wingtech-owned plant in China, including chip designs and machine settings, they said. Physical equipment from the company's Hamburg production plant was slated to be taken next, they added. Zhang could not immediately be reached for comment. The Dutch government seized control of Nexperia on September 30, citing lapses in governance. On October 4, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce blocked exports of the company's products out of China. While most of Nexperia's chips are produced in Europe, around 70% are packaged in China before distribution.  The company's Chinese arm has taken steps toward independence and has resumed selling products to domestic Chinese customers. The sources said the Dutch government believes it can negotiate a resolution with China that will restore the company to a unified Dutch-Chinese structure. (Reporting by Toby Sterling, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

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(Reuters) -NXP Semiconductors NV forecast fourth-quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates on Monday, as it recovers from sluggish demand and sees a rebound in the automotive segment. Shares of the Eindhoven, Netherlands-based company rose 2% in U.S. extended trading, having gained 6.6% so far this year. The chipmaker is benefiting from momentum across automotive end markets due to demand for its scalable processing solutions. Analysts say that the auto end market is improving following tariff-related pull-ins, benefiting companies like NXP. NXP provides manufacturers with chips and other technology essential for high-speed digital processing utilized in sectors like automotive, manufacturing, telecommunications and the Internet of Things (IoT). The company has made a string of acquisitions recently, having closed a $243 million cash deal for Aviva Links, an automotive networking company, last week. It completed its TTTech Auto purchase in June, looking to strengthen the automotive business. NXP has also received regulatory approvals for its acquisition of Kinara, which makes high performance, energy-efficient and programmable discrete neural processing units, and is working to close the transaction. The Dutch firm expects fourth-quarter revenue in the range of $3.20 billion to 3.40 billion, with the midpoint coming in above analysts' average estimate of $3.24 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. "Our outlook reflects the strength of our company specific growth drivers and signs of a cyclical recovery," incoming CEO Rafael Sotomayor said in a statement. For the third quarter ended September 28, NXP posted revenue of $3.17 billion, ahead of an estimate of $3.16 billion. Revenue from the automotive segment – NXP's biggest – grew 6% sequentially in the quarter. Mobile revenue was up 30%. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Maju Samuel)

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(Reuters) -Australia's corporate regulator and the federal police have visited WiseTech Global's office, executing a search warrant for documents related to alleged trading in shares, the firm said on Tuesday.  The company said the allegations are against founder Richard White and three employees for trading from late 2024 to early 2025.  WiseTech said it is unaware of any charges against the individuals or allegations against the company itself.  The founder and previous chief executive White has been embroiled in controversy since October 2024, when he stepped down from the role after multiple media reports of  allegations about his personal life including payments to a past sexual partner. In February, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission had initiated "preliminary inquiries" into the logistics software maker following a mass exodus of executives and surprise return of White as the chairman.  The ASIC and the federal police did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.  (Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Alan Barona)

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(Reuters) -Australia's corporate regulator and the federal police have visited WiseTech Global's office, executing a search warrant for documents related to alleged trading in shares, the firm said on Tuesday.  The company said the allegations are against founder Richard White and three employees for trading from late 2024 to early 2025.  WiseTech said it is unaware of any charges against the individuals or allegations against the company itself.   (Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Alan Barona)

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(Reuters) -Cybersecurity firm F5 forecast annual revenue below Wall Street estimates on Monday, warning that a recent systems breach that triggered alarm over potential risks to U.S. and UK government systems would hurt demand for its services. Shares of the company, which serves most of the Fortune 500 firms in some capacity, were down 5.8% in after-hours trading. F5 disclosed earlier this month that hackers had "long-term, persistent access" to certain company systems, including the source code for one of its key cybersecurity services. Reuters later reported that two people briefed on the investigation attributed the breach to state-backed hackers from China. U.S. officials have said federal networks were among those targeted in the hack's aftermath and have urged immediate action. "F5 anticipates some near-term disruption to sales cycles as customers focus on assessing and remediating their environments following the recent security incident," it said on Monday. The company has not seen any impact to demand yet, executives said on a post-earnings call. The incident primarily affected BIG-IP customers in two ways. Some had to rapidly upgrade to latest releases following the disclosure of the incident, CEO Francois Locoh-Donou said on the call. The other was a small subset of customers that faced limited data exfiltration and were notified with details. Initial feedback indicated the data was not sensitive, Locoh-Donou said. F5 forecast full-year revenue growth of 0% to 4%, with any demand impacts expected to be more pronounced in the first half, before normalizing in the second half of fiscal year 2026. That was below the average analyst estimate of a 4.8% increase, according to data compiled by LSEG. It forecast first-quarter revenue between $730 million and $780 million, including potential disruption from the U.S. government shutdown. That was also below the estimate of $791 million. (Reporting by Nithyashree R B in Bengaluru and Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Anil D'Silva, Maju Samuel and Shilpi Majumdar)

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