Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Samantha Lee/Business Insider Some 68% of independent Facebook investors voted to oust Mark Zuckerberg last month, cementing a vocal campaign for the firm to appoint an independent chairman. The tiny activist investor behind the vote, Jonas Kron, said it should be the catalyst for a period of "deep soul searching for the Facebook board."

• Renault shares plunged 8% on Thursday morning after Fiat Chrysler pulled its offer for the French carmaker.
• French government officials on Renault's board postponed making a decision on Wednesday.
• Renault wanted more time to secure the support of long-time rival Nissan.
• "It has become clear that the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully," Fiat Chrysler said...

• Financial-company CEOs are increasingly concerned about cyberattacks on the financial system.
• David Hunt, head of investment management at Prudential, highlighted the risk at the Milken Institute Global Conference.
• Other CEOs, including JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, have suggested cyber attacks are a top risk.

The CEOs of some of the top financial institutions in America are increasingly worried about the risk of a cybersecurity attack on the nation's financial system...

• Waste Management and Advanced Disposal, two of America's largest waste-management companies, are joining forces in a $4.9 billion deal.
• Advanced Disposal's shares surged 20% on the news.
• The tie-up is expected to immediately boost earnings and cash flow, and generate $100 million in annual savings by cutting costs and slashing capital spending...

PRNewswire/ - TransAlta Corporation ("TransAlta" or the "Company") (TSX:TA) (NYSE:TAC) today announced that leading independent proxy advisory firms, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS") and Glass, Lewis & Co ("Glass Lewis"), both issued final reports recommending that shareholders vote FOR all TransAlta management proposals, including director nominees, being presented at the Company's upcoming shareholders' meeting...

• Carl Icahn sold his roughly 2.7% stake in Lyft ahead of its initial public offering, The Wall Street Journal says.
• Lyft's share price has plunged more than 20% since debuting on the Nasdaq.
• Icahn's stake was valued at roughly $550 million at the IPO price of $72...

• Shaquille O'Neal is joining Papa John's board of directors and investing in nine Atlanta area locations.
• Papa John's shares were up more than 3% following the news.
• Watch Papa John's trade live.

The NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal is joining Papa John's board of directors and investing in nine locations in the Atlanta area, the company said Friday. He will also become a brand ambassador for the pizza chain.

• The billionaire Nelson Peltz is joining Aurora Cannabis as a strategic adviser.
• Peltz is the CEO and a founding partner of Trian Fund Management.
• He has served as the CEO and chairman of Triarc Companies, which owned Arby's and Snapple, and has been on several company boards.
• Aurora Cannabis shares were up 8.5% following the announcement.

The billionaire Nelson Peltz is getting into the cannabis business...

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat and presidential candidate, proposed on Friday a plan to break up big tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet's Google.
• The plan doesn't appear to immediately threaten Amazon, said Eric Sheridan, an analyst at UBS, who spoke with Markets Insider on Friday.
• Still, regulation is the top concern he discusses with investors, as far as challenges facing large-cap tech names...

• Barrick Gold's hostile takeover bid for Newmont Mining was rejected on Monday.
• Barrick Gold proposed the $17.8 billion deal last week in what would have created the world's largest gold producer.
• Watch Barrick Gold and Newmont Mining trade live.

Newmont Mining's board of directors on Monday rejected Barrick Gold's $17.8 billion hostile takeover bid. The offer would have created the world's largest gold producer...

PRNewswire/ -- International Paper Company (NYSE: IP) announced the election of Anders Gustafsson to its Board of Directors effective March 1, 2019. Mr. Gustafsson, age 58, is the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of...

SunTrust Banks and BB&T have agreed to a $66 billion merger that will create the sixth-largest US bank.

The deal pays SunTrust shareholders 1.295 BB&T shares for each SunTrust share they own, according to a joint statement released Thursday morning. BB& T shareholders will own about 57% of the combined company...

(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of Superior Group of Companies™ (NASDAQ:SGC) announced today that on January 31, 2019, Venita Fields was appointed by the Board of Directors to be a Director of the Company, effective immediately. She will be one of five independent directors serving on the Board...

• General Electric on Friday announced the planned merger between Wabtec and GE Transportation has been revised.
• The revised terms are negative for GE shareholders, according to Christopher Glynn, an analyst at Oppenheimer.
• GE's stock lost more than half of its value in 2018.
• Under the leadership of new CEO Larry Culp, GE has sped up efforts to raise cash by selling assets in an effort to increase investor confidence...

TIER REIT, Inc. (NYSE: TIER) announced today the appointment of Christie Kelly as an independent director to its board of directors, effective immediately. Ms. Kelly fills a vacancy on the board as a result of the resignation of Thomas M. Herzog, a member of the board since 2015. ...

• Aphria received an all-stock takeover offer from Green Growth Brands, a US-based marijuana company.
• Green Growth provides Aphria shareholders with 1.5714 common shares of Green Growth for each Aphria share, valuing the marijuana producer at $2.06 billion.
• Aphria on Wednesday urged its shareholders to take no action until its Board has made a formal recommendation to shareholders, saying the proposal undervalued the company...

• Pacific Gas and Electric Company, California's biggest utility provider, has seen its value plunge by 80% after last November's deadly California wildfire.
• The utility on Monday said it intends to file bankruptcy petitions at the end of the month to reorganize under Chapter 11.
• Eight hedge funds snapped up shares in the third quarter — before the wildfire broke out...

• Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October.
• Chairman Eddie Lampert had put forward a $4.4 billion bid to save Sears by buying it out of bankruptcy through his hedge fund ESL Investments.
• The iconic American retailer has rejected Lampert's bid and is set to announce its liquidation plans Tuesday morning, CNBC reported.
• Lampert still has a chance to present details of his offer and make the case for renewing efforts to save the retailer, according to Reuters...

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- (NYSE: FRT) is pleased to announce the addition of Mark S. Ordan, age 59, to its Board of Trustees as ...

• The Securities and Exchange Commission said it's soliciting public comment on how to ease burdens associated with corporate financial reports for publicly listed companies.
• In August, President Donald Trump suggested shelving the quarterly reporting system.
• Any potential changes are expected to focus on smaller companies...

• Pivotal Research Group, a small research firm that called troubles for Facebook and Snap early on, just released its media, internet, and communications predictions for the coming year.
• Among the analysts' forecasts are "material" management changes at Facebook and "another ugly year" for satellite television...

• Dell announced Tuesday that it has agreed to buy back the publicly traded "tracking" shares of VMware, a listed company that is about 80% owned by Dell.
• The company confirmed the purchase price of $120 per share of the tracking shares for a total of $23.9 billion.
• After the deal is completed, Dell will go public again without having to go through the usual initial-public-offering process and will trade on the New York Stock Exchange starting on December 28...

• Tesla announced it was slashing Model X and Model S prices in China to offset some of the impact from President Donald Trump's tariffs.
• Shares fell 1.8% following the announcement.
• Watch Tesla trade live.

Tesla was sliding Friday, down 1.8% to below $332 a share, after the company announced that it was cutting prices on some vehicles in China to help offset some of the impact from President Donald Trump's trade war...

• Hedge-fund billionaire Dan Loeb's Third Point Capital disclosed a stake in American Express, according to a report.
• Loeb believes American Express will trade above $135 over the next 18 months — 25% above where shares were trading on Friday.
• Years of lagging performance galvanized the American Express franchise and "forced necessary investments," Loeb said...