{"id":63721,"date":"2026-06-25T06:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T10:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/eu-targets-cloud-giants-merck-inks-11-3b-bio-techne-deal\/63721\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T06:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T10:08:16","slug":"eu-targets-cloud-giants-merck-inks-11-3b-bio-techne-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/eu-targets-cloud-giants-merck-inks-11-3b-bio-techne-deal\/63721\/","title":{"rendered":"EU Targets Cloud Giants; Merck Inks $11.3B Bio-Techne Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The European Commission preliminarily designated Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure as &quot;gatekeepers&quot; under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), subjecting them to strict interoperability and data-sharing rules.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Merck KGaA (<a href=\"\/stock\/MRK\">MRK<\/a>) agreed to acquire Bio-Techne Corporation (<a href=\"\/stock\/TECH\">TECH<\/a>) for $73 per share in cash, a deal valued at approximately $11.3 billion.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Chevron (<a href=\"\/stock\/CVX\">CVX<\/a>) CFO Eimear Bonner projected 7% to 10% production growth, stating gas prices will &quot;normalize&quot; following pressure from the Trump administration on the oil industry.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The French Navy intercepted the oil tanker <em>Deliver<\/em> near Sicily, marking the fifth seizure of a vessel from Russia&#39;s &quot;shadow fleet&quot; this year to enforce sanctions.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>EU Regulators Move Against Cloud Dominance<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>European Commission<\/strong> announced on Thursday that <strong>Amazon Web Services<\/strong> (AWS) and <strong>Microsoft Azure<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/MSFT\">MSFT<\/a>) should be designated as gatekeepers under the <strong>Digital Markets Act (DMA)<\/strong>. Regulators found that despite not meeting certain quantitative thresholds, both services act as &quot;crucial gateways&quot; between businesses and customers in the EU.<\/p>\n<p>The preliminary findings highlight concerns over <strong>high switching costs<\/strong>, &quot;lock-in effects,&quot; and the growing influence of <strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI)<\/strong> tools within these cloud ecosystems. If the designation is finalized in November, both <strong>Amazon<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMZN\">AMZN<\/a>) and <strong>Microsoft<\/strong> will face new obligations to ensure interoperability and prevent self-preferencing, with potential fines for non-compliance reaching <strong>10% of global turnover<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Merck Expands Life Sciences Portfolio with $11.3B Acquisition<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Merck KGaA<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/MRK\">MRK<\/a>) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire <strong>Bio-Techne Corporation<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/TECH\">TECH<\/a>) for <strong>$73 per share<\/strong> in cash. The transaction represents a <strong>36% premium<\/strong> over Bio-Techne\u2019s one-month volume-weighted average price and values the life sciences tool provider at <strong>$11.3 billion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The acquisition is set to bolster Merck\u2019s position in analytical technologies and consumables for the biopharma industry. <strong>Bio-Techne<\/strong> shares surged over <strong>23%<\/strong> in <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/movers\/premarket\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Premarket Movers\">pre-market trading<\/a> following the announcement, as Merck confirmed it will fund the deal through existing cash and new debt while maintaining its investment-grade credit rating.<\/p>\n<h2>Chevron Responds to Political Pressure on Gas Prices<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Chevron<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/CVX\">CVX<\/a>) CFO <strong>Eimear Bonner<\/strong> told CNBC that the company expects to grow production by <strong>7% to 10%<\/strong> as it navigates a volatile energy landscape. The executive\u2019s comments follow recent statements from <strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong> calling for investigations into &quot;Big Oil&quot; over high fuel prices at the pump.<\/p>\n<p>Bonner noted that gas prices are expected to <strong>&quot;normalize&quot;<\/strong> as supply chains stabilize and production increases. This comes as the administration continues to press major energy firms like <strong>Exxon Mobil<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/XOM\">XOM<\/a>) and <strong>Chevron<\/strong> to pass falling wholesale costs onto consumers, with the DOJ reportedly examining pricing practices.<\/p>\n<h2>France Escalates Crackdown on Russian &quot;Shadow Fleet&quot;<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>French Navy<\/strong> intercepted the oil tanker <em><strong>Deliver<\/strong><\/em> on Tuesday as it transited off the coast of <strong>Sicily<\/strong>. French President <strong>Emmanuel Macron<\/strong> stated the vessel was operating in violation of the law of the sea and was part of Russia&#39;s &quot;shadow fleet&quot; used to bypass Western sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>This operation, conducted shortly after a similar move by the <strong>United Kingdom<\/strong>, underscores a coordinated European effort to drain the financial resources fueling the Russian war effort. The <em><strong>Deliver<\/strong><\/em> is at least the fifth tanker seized by France this year, as maritime authorities increase surveillance on old, under-insured vessels carrying Russian energy products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways The European Commission preliminarily designated Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure as &quot;gatekeepers&quot; under the Digital Markets Act 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