(Bloomberg) -- Renault SA is open to Nissan Motor Co. pursuing merger talks with Honda Motor Co. as the French automaker seeks way to insulate itself from the crisis plaguing its long-time alliance partner, according to people familiar with the situation.Most Read from BloombergHow California Sees the World, and ItselfRenault is eager for the Japanese company to find ways to become stronger given it isn’t itself willing to inject cash into Nissan, said the people, who asked not to be identified

With just a few weeks left in the year, the tech sector is shaping up to, once again, beat the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) largely thanks to gains from Nvidia and Broadcom in the semiconductor industry. The software industry also makes up a large share of the tech sector but has enjoyed mixed results on the year. For example, Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) is beating the S&P 500's year-to-date gain, but Microsoft and Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) are lagging behind.

TOKYO (Reuters) -Honda and Nissan are in talks to deepen ties, two people said on Wednesday, including a possible merger, the clearest sign yet of how Japan's once seemingly unbeatable auto industry is being reshaped by challenges from Tesla and Chinese rivals. A combined Honda and Nissan would create a $54 billion company with annual output of 7.4 million vehicles, making it the world's third-largest auto group by vehicle sales after Toyota and Volkswagen. The two firms already forged a strategic partnership in March to cooperate in electric vehicle development, but Nissan's deepening financial and strategic trouble in recent months has added more urgency for closer cooperation with larger rival Honda.

Welltower, American Healthcare REIT and Highwoods Properties have been highlighted in this Industry Outlook article.

What a time it’s been for Carriage Services. In the past six months alone, the company’s stock price has increased by a massive 50.3%, reaching $41.08 per share. This was partly due to its solid quarterly results, and the run-up might have investors contemplating their next move.

Berry Global Group has followed the market’s trajectory closely, rising in tandem with the S&P 500 over the past six months. The stock has climbed by 9.9% to $66.66 per share while the index has gained 10.3%.

Let’s dig into the relative performance of Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q3 finance and HR software earnings season.

The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Inter Parfums (NASDAQ:IPAR) and the rest of the personal care stocks fared in Q3.

The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) has advanced 34% year to date, and history says that momentum may carry into 2025. Since its inception in 1971, the Nasdaq has returned at least 20% in 20 years, and at least 30% in 12 years. After a 20%-plus gain in a calendar year: The Nasdaq has returned an average of 17% during the next year.

As the Q3 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the building materials industry, including Carlisle (NYSE:CSL) and its peers.