At 8:00, here are the latest news: McDonald's has raised the prices of multiple food items; a public toilet in Shenzhen has installed glass that shows smokers as transparent; the Nasdaq has applied to extend the trading hours on weekdays to 23 hours.
Today's Hotspot Guide
Staff of Mixue Bingcheng Respond to Complaints about the High Price of the 7.9-yuan Breakfast Set
Tongrentang Responds to Allegations of Fraud in Its Krill Oil Products
The Group Standard for "Business and Service Specifications for Gold Trade-in" Is Officially Released
South Korean Airlines Express "Zero Tolerance" for Actions of Tampering with Cabin Safety Doors
UK House Prices Fall Due to Uncertainty in Tax Policies
Top 3 Big News
McDonald's Raises Prices of Some Menu Items by $0.5 to $1, "Customizable Meal" Prices Remain Unchanged
On the morning of December 15th, some netizens noticed that the prices of McDonald's menu items have all increased, with a price hike ranging from $0.5 to $1, including multiple types of hamburgers, snacks, and meal sets. Among them, the price of the Big Mac has increased by $1, the Double Filet - O - Fish by $1, and the Filet - O - Fish by $1. In terms of snacks, the price of Chicken McNuggets has increased by $1, the So Big Chicken Steak by $1, the Spicy Red Oil Crispy Pork by $0.5, the McCrispy Chicken by $0.5, the medium - sized French fries by $0.5, the Crunchy French fries by $0.5, the Corn Cup by $0.5, and the McFlurry and Sundae by $0.5. It's worth noting that the price of the "1 + 1 Customizable Meal", which is jokingly referred to as the "Poor Man's Meal" by netizens, has not been adjusted and still starts at $13.9. However, among the different combinations of single items, there are combinations with a $1 price increase. (Sina Finance)
Toilets in a Location in Shenzhen Install Glass That Turns Transparent When Smoking
On December 14th, many netizens reported that in a shopping mall in Luohu District, Shenzhen, the doors of the toilet cubicles were quite special. It was rumored that "if someone smokes, the glass on the door will turn transparent." In response to the claim circulated online that "the mall's customer service denied it," reporters from Shenzhen TV News investigated and found that the news about the installation of "smoking-triggered transparent glass" in a toilet in Shenzhen was true. The location in the online video was marked as "Jinzhan Jewelry Plaza," but there was an error in the location information. The actual locations where such devices are installed are both the Shuibei International Center and the Shuibei Jinzuo Building.
On December 15th, reporters from Shenzhen TV News visited the Shuibei International Center in Luohu District, Shenzhen. In the involved cubicle, a rectangular electronically controlled dimming glass was embedded in the middle of the door panel. This glass usually appears milky white and frosted. When the built-in smoke sensor detects smoke, it will automatically be energized and turn transparent. A warning sign reading "Smoking Triggers Transparent Mode" is posted in a prominent position on the door panel. (Shenzhen Satellite TV)
Toilets in a Location in Shenzhen Install Glass That Turns Transparent When Smoking
Nasdaq Says It Has Applied to Extend Trading Hours on Weekdays to 23 Hours
Nasdaq said it submitted a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, applying to launch nearly round - the - clock stock trading, extending the trading hours of stocks and exchange - traded products from 16 hours over five trading days a week to 23 hours. Currently, Nasdaq has three trading sessions on weekdays: the pre - market trading session from 4 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, the regular trading session from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the after - hours trading session from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Caixin Press)
Large Companies/ Major Events
Staff at a Mixue store responds to complaints about the 7.9-yuan breakfast set being too expensive: No notice of price reduction has been received for the moment
On December 15th, the topic of "Why is Mixue's 7.9-yuan breakfast set considered too expensive" trended on social media and sparked a heated discussion. It is reported that the bread sold at Mixue stores is not self-made but pre-packaged bread from the food brand Carlton. Consumers tend to compare Mixue's breakfast with those from community breakfast stalls and convenience stores rather than other chain brands. A "2-yuan soy milk + 3-yuan steamed buns" combo at a roadside stall only costs 5 yuan, and a hot steamed bun set at a convenience store is about 7 yuan. However, Mixue's combination of pre-made bread and flavored milk drinks lacks the satiety of freshly made hot food, and consumers think it "lacks cost-effectiveness".
In response, a journalist consulted two Mixue stores in Hangzhou. One of the stores only offers breakfast milk, while the other sells breakfast. The staff told the journalist that they have not received any notice of price adjustment for now. When the journalist asked if any consumers thought the price was too high, the staff replied, "It shouldn't be too expensive." Subsequently, the journalist interviewed a staff member at Mixue's headquarters. The customer service representative who answered the call said that they would report the journalist's question to their superiors and would reply by phone later. (Qianjiang Video)
All 350,000-yuan All-electric Maseratis Sold Out in No Time, Salesperson: Not Recommended for Purchase
In June and July this year, Maserati Grecale launched its first round of price cuts and promotions. The official guide price of the Grecale was 650,800 yuan, but after a significant discount, it was sold at a fixed price of 388,800 yuan. With an additional 17,900 yuan for optional features (only the wheels were selected and there was no sunroof), the vehicle could be driven off the lot for just over 400,000 yuan.
A salesperson from a Maserati 4S store in Shandong revealed that the official guide price of the all-electric Grecale was 898,800 yuan, but after the price cut, the bare car price was only 358,800 yuan, a whopping reduction of 540,000 yuan. This price was even lower than that in the second-hand market. However, the quantity was limited, with less than 100 units in the country in total, and they were quickly sold out. The salesperson admitted that in fact, Maserati only produced this batch of all-electric Grecales. Since the inventory had been sitting unsold, it was highly likely that they would not produce any more in the future. The salespeople do not recommend customers to buy the all-electric version because of its low ownership. In case of problems in the future, repairs would be very troublesome and spare parts would be difficult to find. (Zhejiang Economic TV)
Multiple US universities raise tuition fees, with the total cost of obtaining a bachelor's degree approaching 2.8 million yuan
Since the beginning of this year, multiple US universities have raised tuition fees, imposing a heavy financial burden on both domestic and international students in the United States. Wellesley College, a well - known private women's liberal arts college in Massachusetts, estimates that the total annual expenditure for undergraduate students will exceed $100,000 (approximately 706,000 yuan) for the first time this year, becoming the first US university to cross the "psychological threshold" of $100,000. Statistics show that currently, at Ivy League schools and some other private US universities, the total cost of obtaining a bachelor's degree has approached $400,000 (approximately 2.82 million yuan). (CCTV Finance)
The three major U.S. stock indexes closed down collectively, while Tesla rose more than 3%
36Kr learned that at the close on December 15, the three major U.S. stock indexes fell collectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.09%, the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.59%, and the S&P 500 Index decreased 0.16%. Most large technology stocks fell, with Arm dropping more than 4%, Netflix, Amazon, and Apple falling more than 1%, and Microsoft and Google slightly declining. Tesla rose more than 3%, and NVIDIA rose slightly. Most popular Chinese concept stocks fell. Baidu dropped more than 4%, Alibaba and XPeng Motors declined more than 3%, Li Auto decreased more than 2%, Pinduoduo and Tencent Music fell more than 1%, and Weibo, NetEase, and NIO slightly declined.
China's First Batch of L3-Level Autonomous Driving Vehicle Models Obtain Access Permits
On November 15th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology officially announced the access permits for China's first batch of L3-level conditionally autonomous driving vehicle models. Two models suitable for urban congestion and highway sections respectively will conduct on-road pilot tests in designated areas in Beijing and Chongqing, marking a crucial step for China's L3-level autonomous driving to move from the testing phase to commercial application. (CCTV News)
Fat Donglai Recruits Baking Product R&D Staff with a Maximum Annual Salary of 300,000 Yuan
On December 15th, the official account of Fat Donglai Trading Group released a recruitment announcement for "technical position staff". The announcement shows that a total of 60 people are being recruited this time. The positions include product development, product procurement, raw and auxiliary material procurement, product R&D, etc. The departments involved are Xuchang Supermarket, Xuchang Electrical Appliance, Xuchang Industry, etc. In terms of compensation, the annual salary of product R&D engineers is 250,000 - 300,000 yuan, and the annual salaries of other positions range from 100,000 to 250,000 yuan. The resume submission time for this recruitment is from 11:00 on December 15th, 2025, to 24:00 on December 17th. Resume screening will be conducted from December 18th to December 26th, interview invitations will be sent from December 27th to December 28th, and interviews will be conducted by position starting from January 4th, 2026. (Jiemian News)
Pre - sale box office of Avatar 3 exceeds 30 million yuan
According to real - time data from Dengta Professional Edition, as of 16:15 on December 15th, the total pre - sale box office of the film Avatar 3 has exceeded 30 million yuan. (Jiemian News)
Each Guest at the Wedding of the Founder of CHAGEE Had a Cup of Milk Tea
On December 15th, Zhang Junjie, the founder of CHAGEE, held a wedding with Gao Haichun, the daughter of Gao Jifan, the founder of Trina Solar, a leading company in the photovoltaic industry. Some videos and pictures from the wedding scene were leaked, showing that a large quantity of CHAGEE milk tea was prepared as drinks for the guests. (China Blue News)
Tongrentang Responds to Alleged Fraud in Krill Oil: Conducts Full-Process Verification and Tracing of the Involved Products
36Kr learned that the WeChat official account of "Tongrentang Health Members" issued a statement saying that some media reported that a product named "99% High-Purity Antarctic Krill Oil" labeled as "produced by Anhui Habo Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and distributed by Beijing Tongrentang (Sichuan) Health Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd." was suspected of false labeling of relevant ingredients. In response to the above situation, the company immediately ordered Sichuan Health Pharmaceutical to stop distributing the product and carried out full-process verification and tracing of the involved product. Tongrentang said in the statement that this product unauthorizedly and prominently used the words "Beijing Tongrentang", which is suspected of being illegal. The company has initiated judicial proceedings and sued the involved enterprises.
Group Standard for "Business Service Specifications for Gold Trade-in" Officially Released
36Kr learned that according to the China Gold Association, the group standard for "Business Service Specifications for Gold Trade-in" was officially released recently. It comprehensively regulates the gold trade-in business in terms of enterprise qualifications, business management, service personnel, and requirements for venues and equipment. The introduction of this standard marks that the gold trade-in business will enter a new stage of standardized, professional, and transparent development. Next, the China Gold Association will promote the implementation of the standard, carry out publicity and training, continuously improve the industry governance system, and achieve a win - win situation for enterprises to operate in compliance, consumers to consume with confidence, and the industry to develop healthily.
Cambricon: Plans to Use 2.778 Billion Yuan of Capital Reserve to Make up for Losses
36Kr learned that Cambricon announced that the company held the first meeting of the third - session board of directors on November 28, 2025, and the second interim shareholders' meeting in 2025 on December 15, 2025, respectively, and reviewed and approved the "Proposal on Using Capital Reserve to Make up for Losses". The company plans to use 2.778 billion yuan of the parent company's capital reserve to make up for the parent company's accumulated losses. The make - up of losses with the capital reserve this time is limited to making up the negative undistributed profits of the parent company as of the end of 2024 to zero.
Orient Landscape: Orient New Energy intends to acquire 100% equity of Haicheng Ruihai and 80% equity of Diantou Ruixiang, which is expected to constitute a major asset restructuring
36Kr learned that Orient Landscape announced that Orient New Energy (Beijing) Enterprise Management Center (Limited Partnership) (a partnership in which the listed company and its wholly - owned subsidiaries hold all the capital contribution shares in total) intends to acquire 100% equity of Haicheng Ruihai and 80% equity of Diantou Ruixiang by cash payment. Among them, the 100% equity of Haicheng Ruihai is planned to be acquired by winning the bid at the Tianjin Property Rights Exchange. The audit and evaluation of the target assets have not been completed, and neither the valuation nor the transaction price has been determined (the listing transfer reserve price of 100% equity of Haicheng Ruihai at the Tianjin Property Rights Exchange is 14.10 million yuan). This transaction is expected to constitute a major asset restructuring.
Musk: Tesla Launches Road Tests of Robotaxis Without Safety Drivers
On December 14 local time, an X user captured footage of a Tesla Model Y driving on the streets of Austin. The car seemed to be empty, and there was even no safety supervisor on board. Tesla CEO Elon Musk later responded to this, saying, "The test is underway, and there is no one in the car." Musk revealed at an event last week that Tesla's Robotaxis will remove safety drivers within three weeks to achieve true driverless passenger transportation. (Cailian Press)
Musk Says the Sun Is a Free Fusion Reactor
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, posted on the social media platform X, sharply criticizing the business logic of developing miniature nuclear fusion reactors on Earth. He pointed out that the sun itself is a huge and free fusion reactor hanging in the sky, and it is extremely foolish to try to replicate this mechanism on Earth to create a "miniature version."
This is not the first time Musk has put forward such a view. As early as 2023, Musk said in the podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" that we have a huge fusion reactor in the sky. As long as we can generate electricity with solar panels and store it in batteries, we can achieve 24/7 energy supply. Musk said, "In fact, a solar panel measuring 100 miles by 100 miles would be sufficient to meet the entire electricity demand of the United States."
Musk's view is in sharp contrast to the current mainstream nuclear fusion research. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project is building the world's largest tokamak device. This project, a collaboration among more than 30 countries, aims to prove the feasibility of fusion energy. (IT Home)
South Korean Airlines Express "Zero Tolerance" for Acts of Tampering with Aircraft Cabin Safety Doors
On the 15th, South Korea's Korean Air said that in recent years, there has been an increase in incidents of passengers "tampering with" the cabin safety doors, posing a threat to aviation safety. The company will adopt a "zero tolerance" policy towards such acts, including filing criminal lawsuits against the offending passengers. It is reported that Korean Air has encountered 14 incidents in the past two years where passengers "tampered with" or "attempted to tamper with" the cabin safety doors. Therefore, the company has decided to implement a "zero tolerance" policy towards such acts in the future to better safeguard aviation safety. (CCTV News)
UK House Prices Fall Due to Uncertainty over Tax Policies
Real estate website Rightmove said that dragged down by the uncertainty of the government's tax plan, the asking prices of UK homes fell 1.8% month-on-month in December. According to the online real estate platform, this decline brought the asking prices down to £358,128 (approximately $479,425), resulting in a 0.6% drop in asking prices at the end of the year compared to December 2024. (Sina Finance)
Palantir Announces Multi - Year Contract Renewal with the French General Directorate for Internal Security
Palantir Technologies has announced the renewal of a three - year cooperation agreement with the French General Directorate for Internal Security. This move extends the nearly decade - long partnership between the two parties. Under the agreement, Palantir is required to continue providing its exclusive software platform to the French General Directorate for Internal Security, along with the necessary integration, technical support, and assistance services required for the practical application of the software. (Sina Finance)
The Cutting - Edge of AI
Former CTO of OpenAI Launches New Venture, Announces Tinker's Integration with Kimi K2 Thinking
36Kr learned that after leaving OpenAI, former Chief Technology Officer Mira Murat founded Thinking Machines Lab with a group of former OpenAI employees. According to multiple media reports, the latest valuation of the company is expected to reach $50 billion. Mira Murat recently posted an article introducing that the first product, Tinker, has been officially and fully launched, and a new reasoning model with trillions of parameters, Kimi K2 Thinking, has been added.
NVIDIA Releases Open-Source Nemotron 3 Series Models
On December 15th, NVIDIA released the open-source models of the Nemotron 3 family, including the Nano/Super/Ultra versions. This model introduces a hybrid Mamba - Transformer mixture-of-experts architecture. (Jiemian News)
Investment and Financing
"Inx Robotics" Completes a New Round of Financing of Nearly 200 Million RMB
36Kr learned that recently, "Inx Robotics", an enterprise focusing on humanoid robots and core components of embodied intelligence, announced the completion of a new round of financing of nearly 200 million RMB. The financing was jointly led by Huakong Fund and Shenzhen Capital Group, with Puhua Capital participating in the investment. Old shareholders such as Oasis Capital and Jinqiu Capital continued to increase their investments. This is the third round of financing completed by Inx Robotics this year.
Shenyang Xingye Machine Tool Co., Ltd. Completes 50 Million Yuan Series A Financing
36Kr learned that recently, Shenyang Xingye Machine Tool Co., Ltd. announced the completion of a Series A financing of 50 million yuan. The financing was led by Tsinghua Holdings, with Taifu Precision making a strategic follow - on investment. The funds from the financing will be mainly used for the iteration of the five - axis linkage core technology, the expansion of the intelligent production workshop, and the construction of a high - end talent echelon.
Junji Gene Completes Nearly 100 Million Yuan Series A Financing
36Kr learned that recently, "Junji Gene" announced the completion of nearly 100 million yuan in Series A financing. This round of financing was co-led by Tianhui Capital, Jinqiao Fund, and Jinhai Venture Capital, with Optics Valley Industry Investment participating in the follow-on investment. Kaicheng Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor. The funds from this round will be mainly used for key businesses such as the improvement and upgrade of the fully automated production line, the R & D and iteration of core technologies, the expansion of the team, and the global market expansion, further promoting the global layout of the application of automated gene technology.
Compiled | Yuting He