The Deputy minister for skills and tertiary education on a skills audit and reducing the number of young NEETs.

University mergers in Wales are to be considered part of an extensive, independent review of the nation’s troubled higher education sector that will look at all options for the under-pressure sector.

Universities need “meaningful change” if the severe financial challenges they face are to be resolved, Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Cefin Campbell has told BusinessLive Wales.

The minister also said tackling the growing number of young people not in education, employment or training – known as NEETs – is a priority, while the new Plaid Cymru administration in Cardiff Bay could be open to setting a specific target to reduce their numbers.

The financial challenges facing the Welsh university sector have resulted in well over 1,000 job losses at higher education institutions across Wales over the past year.

Mr Campbell said: “It has to be meaningful change, as the definition of insanity is that you keep on doing the same old thing expecting different results.”

He said developing skills and trying to retain young people in Wales were all being considered with the aim of increasing productivity and contributing to a higher-skilled workforce in Wales.

He said the first major audit of the skills requirements of Welsh employers for 14 years, which is currently under way, will help better align support with the needs of businesses seeking to expand.

UK Government visa restrictions on family members of international postgraduate students, together with shorter post-study visas for graduates, have led to falling numbers of higher fee paying international students. This has pushed many universities into financial difficulty.

The market for international students is global, while Chinese universities are improving in international rankings and attracting more domestic students who might previously have taken up places at UK universities.

According to the latest published figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the number of international students at Welsh universities fell by around 7,000 in the 2024–25 academic year compared with the previous year.

The biggest decline in overseas non-EU students was at the University of South Wales, where numbers fell by just over 2,000.

While smaller institutions such as Bangor University, Aberystwyth University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David remain solvent, the latest HESA data show they each have little more than 30 days’ net liquidity.

On the challenges facing the sector, Mr Campbell said: “We recognise that our universities are facing serious financial pressures, and that is why we are committed to ensuring the system is financially sustainable moving forward, and that more of the overall value of public investment benefits Wales.

!That is why I have announced – and it was in our manifesto – that we will be conducting a review of higher education funding. It is a priority.”

On the size of the review panel, he added: My inclination is to have a smaller number rather than a larger group, because I think it’s easier to concentrate efforts with a smaller group focusing on really granular detail and coming up with some really far-reaching and radical proposals.”

But how radical could the panel’s conclusions be? Could they recommend mergers and universities focusing on building particular areas of expertise? Also, while there could be VAT implications, could new vehicles be set up to provide back-office functions across institutions?

Mr Campbell said: “Nothing is off the table, and our terms of reference will ask the panel to look at all kinds of options, including some of the ones that you’ve referenced, so that they have a wide scope to look at all the potential options available to making our university sector more sustainable.”

He was asked whether Welsh university management teams and their respective boards should shoulder an element of responsibility for their challenging trading positions, having pursued the overseas student market and, in some cases, taken on increasing levels of debt to expand campuses.

He replied: “So, you play what’s in front of you, and there were opportunities for universities to tap into that international market, and they did that very successfully until it basically changed overnight… and they couldn’t foresee that. “So there’s no criticism of them. Like any business case, it is a matter of how you spread your investments, and some have suffered more than others.

“My priority now is thinking ahead to where we take our universities because they are so important, not only as seats of learning, but also because of their work in research and innovation. They are anchor institutions in their regions and employ thousands of people.

“When you think of Aberystwyth, Bangor and Trinity Saint David universities, and the number of people they employ in rural areas, they are so important. So, we have to help them to become more resilient moving forward. There is no doubt that there have been a number of factors at play as to why our universities are under pressure. One of them is the change in visa regulations.

“Some of our universities in Wales, but across the UK as well, put a lot of their eggs into that basket, and now those changes have put their business plans under pressure.

“So this will be looked at in the round and it will be part of the panel’s work. Unless things change with an Andy Burnham UK Government on visa policy, we will have to play the cards that we have. The international student option might not be one that is a reasonable consideration in the future.”

He said he will be looking for the review panel to conclude its work relatively quickly. He explained “”I don’t want this to be a long process because we want to start implementing some of the recommendations as soon as we can. Some individual universities in Wales are teetering on the brink. They need support as soon as they can get it rather than waiting for a medium-term plan of action.”

If the panel recommends mergers, they would require buy-in from the universities themselves. Attempting to force any mergers could end up in a legal quagmire, and one only has to recall how the previous Welsh Government of Rhodri Morgan failed in trying to force Cardiff Metropolitan University to merge with what were then Newport and Glamorgan universities.

However, Mr Campbell said: “It has to be meaningful change, as the definition of insanity is that you keep on doing the same old thing expecting different results.

“It needs to be part of a wider picture as well, in terms of how universities can play their role in increasing productivity in Wales and contributing to a higher-skilled workforce in order to grow the economy.”

Part of Plaid’s higher education strategy will involve aiming to increase the number of Welsh students attending universities in Wales, as part of wider efforts to reduce the ‘brain drain’ and the negative impact this creates for the economy.

The minister said: “What I would like to see is more of our young people staying in Wales and enrolling in universities here because a recent graduate destination survey showed that about 50% of those who responded, who went to universities in England, stayed there.

“They stayed there to work and then obviously settled down there, and they don’t return to Wales. So, we know we are losing a lot of that young talent already.

“So if we could get them to stay in Wales and help build our economy, and make our universities more aware of our economic aims, we could align and create job pathways through further education, apprenticeships and higher education to help create meaningful employment.

We also need a scheme to attract those who are working in England at the moment, young graduates in particular, back to Wales by creating high-value jobs here.”

He is not advocating preventing Welsh students from studying at universities in England, while also recognising that English students who study in Wales often remain after graduating to work.

However, on the net brain drain out of Wales, he added: “This is a net loss that needs to be recognised. What we want to see is as much Welsh Government funding staying in Wales as possible.

“Now, we don’t want to deter any young person from studying in England. That is not the point. And there will be very good reasons why they want to go to England or anywhere else to study.

“But what I want to see is our Welsh universities becoming more competitive so that they can gain more of that domestic market than they are currently achieving.”

Plaid is calling for publicly funded UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding to be devolved. Welsh universities currently secure just under 2% of the billions of pounds distributed annually to UK universities.

There is an argument that they have failed to position themselves, including by bringing in expertise and research capacity, to ensure Wales receives at least a fair funding allocation in line with its share of the UK population, which is around 5%.

Mr Campbell said: “It is disappointing that Welsh universities don’t get a fair slice of that funding. There are many reasons.

“Some universities have aligned themselves to be more research-orientated, whereas others have concentrated on a broader spectrum of learning as opposed to research intensification. Universities are autonomous at the end of the day, and they decide what they think is best.

“I’ve had conversations with some universities that are currently thinking about realigning themselves to being something different from what they are now in order to try and reach out to a different kind of market.

“So all of these models will be considered by the panel. But I think we should have control over that UKRI funding, so it takes an element of UK competition out of it and creates competition within Wales that would allow universities to become more innovative and work with industry and businesses.”

Review of skills support

As well as responsibility for the review of higher education, Mr Campbell’s wide-ranging portfolio includes skills.

On the rationale for the skills audit currently under way, which is being undertaken by Learning Skills Wales, the minister said: “The previous national skills audit for Wales was 14 years ago, so there is a gap in our data with regards to our knowledge of the skills needs of Wales.

“It will identify the skills we need now and in the future to grow the Welsh economy. I am obviously working closely with Adam (Price, the Economy Minister) on this.

“It includes identifying the sectors and roles where demand is likely to be strongest in the future.

Essentially, it will help us plan a skills system that responds to employers’ needs and, more importantly, the direction we want to take the economy.”

He added: “What we will then do is convene a future skills summit, and we are looking at dates in October where we will bring representatives from business, industry, further education and higher education together.

“I am keen that those experts create the skills system of the future with Welsh Government.”

NEETs

Wales has a higher than UK average number of 16 to 24-year-olds classified as NEETs. The figure currently stands at 17%.

The minister said: “It is hugely concerning, and it is a priority for me and for this government. When you look at 17% of young people in that age group who are not in any way engaged with education, employment or training, it is frightening to think what will become of that generation.

“So it will be a priority for this government because we need to give it a strong focus in terms of prevention and early intervention. “The recent Alan Milburn report shows that one of the key factors behind why so many of these young people are NEETs is linked to Covid and the mental health issues around that.

“We need to work with stakeholders who provide welfare and mental health support to get those young people to take that first step back into training and education.”

Asked whether he would be keen on introducing a target for reducing NEET numbers in Wales, alongside the stated aim of reducing the Welsh productivity gap with the UK by half over the next decade, he said “”It may well be something we would look at, but at the moment we are trying to understand the NEETs agenda.

“We are working closely with Careers Wales because they have a key role in identifying and supporting this at-risk group of young people. But the target for us is to bring it down.”

He acknowledged that the financial cost of university meant more young people were considering earlier career pathways.

The argument had traditionally been that, over a career, graduate average earnings would outperform those of non-graduates, even accounting for tuition fee costs. However, this is now coming under increasing pressure, particularly for some non science-related degrees.

Mr Campbell said: “I’m really keen to allow young people to see what different pathways are available to them. “Let’s be honest, university isn’t for everybody. So personally, and for this government, I want to see more emphasis on vocational training and vocational opportunities.

“That goes right down to the 14 to 19 pathway model. I want schools, further education and training providers to work together far more effectively in providing a suite and range of options that are vocational and academic.

“But what is absolutely crucial for me is that there is parity of esteem between the vocational and academic routes, because we know there are different pathways into employment.

“Universities are one route, but apprenticeships are another pathway into employment. I want to make sure that young people are aware of all these different pathways and that we can support them in whatever choice they make.”

In a corner of telehealth often criticized as a “script mill,” Mochi Health is wagering that the real differentiator is the opposite: keeping patients with a provider they trust over the long term.

The knock on direct-to-consumer telehealth is that it optimizes for the transaction. A patient arrives, a questionnaire is processed, a prescription ships, and the relationship effectively ends, until the next refill or the next condition sends them back through the funnel.

The model is efficient for simple needs but poorly suited to the chronic, complex conditions that account for most of healthcare’s costs and difficulties.

Mochi Health, founded by Myra Ahmad in 2022, is building around the opposite premise: that continuity, not throughput, is what patients actually need and what a telehealth company should be designed to deliver.

Mochi’s stated aim is to keep a patient with the same provider across many needs and over time, an approach Ahmad argues is both better care and a more defensible business.

The problem continuity is meant to solve

Ahmad traces the company to a structural failure she observed in research: patients falling out of care in the gaps between specialists.

“Our healthcare system is optimized for billing codes rather than clinical outcomes,” she told Women of Wearables in April 2026.

“Patients bounce from specialist to specialist, yet no one seems to ‘own’ their care.” When clinicians are paid by the volume of billable encounters rather than by whether patients improve or stay in treatment, nothing in the system rewards keeping a patient connected to a single, accountable relationship.

A one-off prescription model, however convenient, reproduces that gap online. It can dispense a drug, but it cannot easily notice when a treatment is failing, adjust a plan as a patient’s situation changes, or coordinate care across the several conditions that often travel together.

Continuity is Mochi’s proposed remedy. A standing relationship that persists between prescriptions rather than resetting at each one.

What continuity looks like on the platform

In practice, Mochi structures care around a chosen provider and an ongoing support team rather than a single visit.

Patients select their own provider and, according to the company’s site, receive unlimited access to a physician and care team, nutrition coaching with a registered dietitian, in-app messaging, and 24/7 support throughout their journey.

The company frames care as continuing well beyond the first prescription, and its member testimonials lean on the same theme, including one patient who says she chose Mochi because she “wanted real support, not just a prescription.”

That continuity is designed to span conditions as well as time. Ahmad has said patients can stay with a trusted provider across 15-plus treatment areas and more than 120 conditions, and that the expansion beyond weight loss was driven by patients asking their Mochi providers to manage more of their care.

The destination she describes is a “primary care home,” a single trusted relationship through which a patient can manage the full range of their health rather than reassembling it across disconnected practices.

Around-the-clock access to providers, nutritionists, and dietitians is meant to make that relationship continuous rather than episodic.

Why it matters most for women

Ahmad is direct that continuity is not an abstract ideal but a practical necessity. “For women managing their obesity, as well as additional health complications such as PCOS, perimenopause, or fertility issues, having continuity in care is essential,” she has said.

A model that keeps a patient with one provider who understands the whole picture is, in her framing, what good care for these patients was always supposed to look like.

Mochi’s own testimonials echo the point, including a member who said the platform was the first place her PCOS and GLP-1 journey “were finally taken seriously.”

The business logic

A company built on one-off prescriptions has to keep re-acquiring patients, an expensive treadmill in a category where marketing costs are high.

A company built on retained relationships can grow by deepening them, adding treatment areas as patients ask for them rather than buying new customers for each.

Mochi’s broadening from weight loss into dermatology, reproductive health, menopause, and longevity follows that logic: each new area is a reason for an existing patient to stay rather than a new patient to chase. Retention, in this model, is both the clinical goal and the growth engine.

The caveats

Continuity is easier to promise than to sustain. Mochi’s claims warrant the usual scrutiny. Keeping patients engaged over the long term is difficult for any provider.

Broadening into many conditions also raises the bar: a platform that promises continuity across 120-plus conditions takes on the challenge of maintaining quality and genuine coordination across all of them, rather than simply offering more checkout lanes.

There is a real risk that “continuity” becomes a marketing layer over what is still, functionally, a series of prescriptions.

The fairest reading is that Mochi has identified a genuine weakness in transactional telehealth and built its model to address it.

In a field often accused of selling scripts, Mochi is betting that the thing worth selling is the relationship that outlasts them.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday began transitioning Palm Beach International Airport to its new Donald J. Trump International Airport designation, changing the airport’s FAA locational identifier from PBI to DJT as the renaming officially took effect.

The name change was required under legislation signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on March 30, which renamed the airport and directed Palm Beach County to obtain the necessary federal approvals and begin implementing the transition.

Beginning Thursday, the FAA’s locational identifier is DJT, while the airport’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) identifier is KDJT. Those identifiers are used by pilots, air traffic controllers and aviation systems for flight planning, navigation and other operational purposes.

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Workers install the new road entrance signage at Palm Beach International Airport in Palm Beach County, Fla., on July 8, 2026. (USA Today Network via Reuters / Reuters)

The code passengers see on airline tickets, baggage tags and travel websites is different.

While the FAA’s operational identifier changed immediately, the transition will occur in phases.

According to the airport, travelers should continue using PBI when searching for flights, booking flights and checking baggage until Aug. 18, when the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is scheduled to implement the commercial code change to DJT. Airport officials said the change was initiated by IATA at the request of several airlines serving the airport.

Officials said the phased rollout is designed to ensure a smooth transition as airlines, reservation systems and airport partners update their platforms. Flights, airline schedules and airport services will continue operating normally throughout the transition.

Eric Trump, left, chats with state Rep. Meg Weinberger with Bettina Anderson and Donald Trump Jr., celebrating the name change to Donald J. Trump International Airport on July 9, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect / Reuters Photos)

Airport officials also emphasized that the renaming does not affect ownership or governance of the airport. Palm Beach County will continue overseeing airport operations, finances and strategic decisions, describing the transition as a branding change rather than an operational one.

Motorists are already beginning to see the new name. Florida Department of Transportation highway signs directing travelers to the airport have been updated, while airport officials said onsite signage and branding will be replaced in phases over time.

The airport also said local property taxes will not fund the transition. Instead, costs will be covered through airport revenues or other airport funding sources, with the possibility of additional state funding.

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One of the first high-profile arrivals following the transition was expected to be Eric Trump, whose aircraft, Trump Force One, was scheduled to land shortly after the new FAA identifier took effect. Ahead of the flight, Eric Trump celebrated the milestone on social media.

New exit signs on Interstate 95 have been changed to Donald J. Trump International Airport, on July 2, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Fla.  (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect / Reuters Photos)

“I am deeply honored that at 5:01 a.m., Trump Force One will be the first plane to land at the newly renamed Palm Beach International Airport — now and forever President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT),” he wrote. “There is no person who has done more for Florida and our country, and no one more deserving of this incredible honor.”

Eric Trump, who said he flies through the airport “nearly every day,” added that he would “forever be proud to see the initials ‘DJT’ on my boarding pass.

“Congratulations Dad — I’m happy to have played a big role in making this happen,” he wrote.

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Airport officials said they will continue providing updates through the airport’s website and social media channels as additional signage, branding and passenger-facing systems are updated in the coming weeks.

The UKHSA says there is ‘minimal risk’ to public health in the longer term but residents who are feeling ill from the smell should seek advice

A “rotten-egg stench” in a Wiltshire town that has plagued residents for more than a year exceeded the World Health Organisation’s odour ‘annoyance’ guidelines more than 100 times over a six-month period, it has been revealed.

The Environment Agency (EA) started monitoring the Hills Waste landfill site near Calne last year after thousands of people reported the “disgusting smell” and said it was causing headaches, nausea and dizziness.

In the last two months alone, more than 1,600 complaints have been made to the EA about the odour, which is known locally as the ‘Calne pong’ or ‘Calne stink’.

Between last October and April this year, the EA has been checking for levels of hydrogen sulphide – a toxic gas – methane and particulates at the site, at Lower Compton, and in residential areas nearby.

On Thursday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) released a report that found there was a “minimal risk” to human health in the longer term from gases escaping from the site amid growing concerns among residents.

But it revealed repeated instances during the sixth-month monitoring period, which is still ongoing, where odour levels exceeded World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

According to WHO, an odour becomes an ‘annoyance’ at levels of 7 µg/m3 (or 0.005 parts per million) over a 30-minute averaging period.

People exposed to hydrogen sulphide above this level can start to feel temporary symptoms including headaches, nausea, dizziness, watery eyes, stuffy nose, irritated throat, cough, sleep problems and stress, particularly if they have a pre-existing respiratory condition, such as asthma.

It is understood any symptoms would likely disappear once the levels in the air have reduced down again.

The UKHSA report found that over six months, acceptable levels of hydrogen sulphide were exceeded on 106 occasions. The highest 30-minute average concentration was 69.3 µg/m³ – roughly 10 times higher than WHO recommends.

The UKHSA is now recommending that “all appropriate measures” are taken to reduce the off-site odours from the landfill site and reduce the impact on the local community.

But it is also advising residents of Calne to contact their doctor regarding individual health concerns. It is understood this will allow the NHS to have a better understanding of the impact of the landfill site on health.

“While there is no evidence of a toxicological risk, there is strong evidence of odour annoyance,” said Lucy McCann, consultant in health protection at UKHSA South West. “If you have concerns about your individual circumstances and require health advice, please contact your GP.”

Meanwhile, Hills Waste is understood to be co-operating fully with the EA and is working to change how waste at the site is covered up, including capping off sections that are causing problems. Business Live understands the work should be finished in July with the odour issues expected to decline afterwards.

The EA will continue to “regulate the site closely” once the work is finished and will take further enforcement action where necessary to ensure permit compliance and minimise environmental impacts, it said.

A spokesperson for Hills Waste said: “Hills welcomes the report from UKHSA regarding the monitoring of air quality in Calne and any effects on human health.

“Hills has been working with the environment agency consistently during that time. Since May, Hills has accelerated the rate at which completed areas of landfill have been clay capped. Hills is also increasing the number of gas wells at the landfill with captured emissions being used for the generation of electricity.”

‘It is unbearable’

Leigh Randell, who lives in Calne with his wife and daughter, said: “I have been to the doctor three times, so I have medicine to take now for the headaches.

“We are fed up. The stink yesterday afternoon smelt like decomposing rubbish. My wife and little girl have asthma and they are heavily affected. It affects their breathing. It’s just unbearable.”

The EA is planning to host a community drop-in event at Calne Town Hall on Tuesday, July 21, from 4pm to 7pm. The event will be attended by representatives from the EA, UKHSA, Wiltshire Council and Hills.

Ben Shayler, area environment manager at the EA, said: “This drop in event will give residents the opportunity to understand the work we are doing to regulate Hills, and ask questions of the agencies involved.

“We have taken extensive action to require Hills to address the source of the odour, and these works are now nearing completion.

“We will continue to regulate the site closely and monitor to ensure the works have been effective.”

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Shares of GameStop Corp. fell Wednesday, trading at $21.82, down 38 cents, or 1.71 percent, a day after shareholders overwhelmingly approved a package of governance proposals designed to give the video game retailer greater flexibility to pursue its long-running attempt to acquire eBay.

Note: This article is intended to provide factual context and does not constitute financial advice. Readers should consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.

GameStop shareholders approved all proposals presented at the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting, held Tuesday at 10 a.m. Central time, including an amendment to the company’s certificate of incorporation increasing the number of authorized shares of Class A common stock to 2.5 billion. The amendment received the affirmative vote of 68.7 percent of votes cast, according to a company statement, giving GameStop expanded capacity to issue common stock in connection with strategic transactions, including its proposed acquisition of eBay. Shareholders also re-elected all five director nominees, approved an advisory vote on executive compensation, and ratified the company’s independent registered public accounting firm.

The share authorization increase is directly tied to GameStop’s continued pursuit of eBay, a deal that has developed in stages over recent months under the direction of GameStop chairman and chief executive Ryan Cohen. On May 3, GameStop delivered a non-binding proposal to eBay’s board of directors seeking to acquire all outstanding common stock of eBay that GameStop does not already own, at a price of $125 per share, to be paid through a combination of cash and GameStop common stock, a transaction that has been reported to be valued at approximately $56 billion.

GameStop’s position in the deal is already backed by a meaningful existing stake. According to company disclosures, GameStop directly holds 4,343,725 shares of eBay common stock, and has separately entered into a series of American-style put/call option transactions, expiring February 23, 2028, with an unaffiliated financial institution that provide economic exposure to an additional 39,046,658 shares of eBay stock. Those option arrangements were previously settleable only in cash, but following the satisfaction of a regulatory condition under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act on June 3, GameStop and its counterparty now have the option, though not the obligation, to settle the transactions through physical delivery of eBay shares rather than cash.

GameStop’s leadership has continued to publicly affirm its commitment to the deal despite eBay’s board having previously rejected the company’s takeover overture. Cohen has been vocal about his interest in the acquisition, telling reporters in early June, “I want to own eBay,” while outlining plans that would involve cutting costs at the e-commerce platform and positioning it as a more direct competitor to Amazon. GameStop reiterated in a late-June statement that its leadership remains focused on advancing the proposed acquisition, with additional transaction-related materials described as forthcoming.

Alongside the eBay pursuit, GameStop has continued to update investors on its broader financial outlook. In late June, the company said it currently expects to generate adjusted EBITDA in excess of $600 million for fiscal year 2026, the period ending January 30, 2027, compared with adjusted EBITDA of $345.4 million in fiscal year 2025, representing a significant projected improvement in the company’s underlying operating performance.

GameStop’s stock has remained a subject of active trading and analyst commentary throughout 2026, reflecting the company’s ongoing transformation under Cohen’s leadership. In addition to the eBay pursuit, GameStop has continued its long-running shift toward diversifying beyond its traditional brick-and-mortar video game retail business. The company began investing company cash in bitcoin last year, disclosing a purchase of 4,710 bitcoin as part of that broader strategy, while also continuing to close a significant number of underperforming physical retail locations, having shuttered 590 stores in 2024 alone with additional closures planned amid ongoing declines in traditional retail revenue.

The company has also taken steps to raise additional capital in recent weeks. According to Fox Business, GameStop’s sale of 75 million shares of common stock raised more than $2 billion in gross proceeds, funds that could support both the company’s ongoing digital asset strategy and its pursuit of eBay, depending on how the acquisition process ultimately unfolds.

GameStop’s approach to compensating its top executive has also drawn scrutiny in recent months. According to CNBC, Cohen previously agreed to forgo a proposed $35 billion pay package tied to specific performance milestones, even as questions remained about whether the company would ultimately be able to complete the eBay acquisition given the scale of financing required and eBay’s initial rejection of GameStop’s proposal.

GameStop, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, and founded in 1996, operates as a specialty retailer of games, collectibles and entertainment products across the United States, Australia and Europe, selling new and pre-owned gaming platforms, accessories, software and digital content through both physical stores and e-commerce platforms. The company’s stock has remained a frequent subject of retail investor interest since its emergence as a prominent “meme stock” beginning in 2021, a dynamic that has continued to shape trading patterns and options activity around the stock through the current eBay acquisition saga.

Options market activity tracked by Cboe has shown fluctuating sentiment toward GameStop shares in recent weeks, with mixed positioning reflecting ongoing investor uncertainty about whether the eBay transaction will ultimately proceed and, if so, on what terms. Wednesday’s modest decline in GameStop shares came against a broader backdrop of market volatility tied to renewed geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran, which weighed on major indexes and contributed to a generally risk-off tone across equity markets during the session.

With shareholder approval for the expanded share authorization now secured, GameStop has cleared one procedural hurdle in its pursuit of eBay, though the ultimate outcome of the proposed acquisition remains uncertain given eBay’s prior rejection of the company’s offer and the substantial scale of financing and regulatory approval that any completed transaction of this size would require. Investors are likely to continue monitoring further developments on the deal, along with GameStop’s broader financial performance and digital asset strategy, as the company works to advance what would represent one of the more unconventional corporate acquisitions in recent retail industry history.