Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) has submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire UniFirst (NYSE: UNF) for $275 per share in cash, valuing the transaction at approximately $5.2 billion.
The offer, delivered to UniFirst’s board on December 12 and made public on December 22, represents a 64% premium over UniFirst’s 90-day average closing price as of December 11, 2025.
Oil prices jumped more than 2% on Monday, snapping a two-week losing streak, as tensions around Venezuelan oil exports stoked supply concerns.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) traded as high as $58 a barrel following US military actions targeting Venezuelan tankers.
Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX, XETRA:NFC) has restructured part of the financing for its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery Inc (NASDAQ:WBD, XETRA:J5A), while Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has provided a personal guarantee to support a competing Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY) bid, moves aimed at assuring WBD’s board and shareholders that both offers are fully funded.
Warner Bros last week rejected Paramount’s offer in favor of a deal with Netflix.
Trust Stamp Inc (NASDAQ:IDAI, ISE:AIID), a provider of AI-powered trust and identity solutions, and Blue Gold, a gold-focused fintech, announced a Letter of Intent to develop a biometrically validated “Wallet of Wallets” for Blue Gold VIP customers holding Standard Goin Coins (SGC).
The wallet will use Trust Stamp’s identity tokenization and cryptographic technologies to allow non-custodial access to SGC and other digital assets, using tokenized facial biometrics for authentication.
Bit Digital Inc (NASDAQ:BTBT) announced that it has appointed Amanda Cassatt, founder and CEO of blockchain services firm Serotonin, to its board of directors.
Cassatt also previously served as chief marketing officer at Consensys, an Ethereum software company, where she worked on market positioning and ecosystem development related to Ethereum and its associated technologies.
Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp (TSX-V:LIT, OTCQX:LILIF) announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Xi’an Lanshen New Material Technology to advance development of its Rincon West lithium brine project in Argentina.
The non-binding MOU outlines a framework under which Lanshen would deploy its direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, pilot plant systems and engineering support to advance Rincon West toward completion of a feasibility study and potential future commercial production.
Precious metals stocks led the FTSE 100 on Monday, with Endeavour Mining PLC (LSE:EDV, TSX:EDV, OTCQX:EDVMF) and Fresnillo PLC (LSE:FRES) topping the leaderboard as gold and silver surged to new record highs.
Spot gold climbed 1.6% on Monday to about $4,411 an ounce, while silver rallied to an all-time high of $69.45 overnight before nudging back a little to $69.08.
Shares in Atlantic Lithium Ltd (AIM:ALL, ASX:A11, OTCID:ALLIF) jumped 30% to 10.26p after the group said it remains confident that its mining lease for the Ewoyaa lithium project in Ghana will be ratified, despite revisions to fiscal terms.
The Africa-focused developer said a revised mining lease has now been formally submitted to the Parliament of Ghana and referred to a select committee, restarting the approval process required before production can begin.
Altona Rare Earths (LON:REE) shares dipped in Monday's trade, accounting for news of an equity raise to support an expanded drilling programme.
It raised £250,000, selling 25 million new shares at 1p each, a 23% discount to Friday's closing mid-price. on 19 December 2025.