WORLD
Trump blocks HieFo chip deal with Emcore over security concerns
The companies in 2024 announced that they had completed a deal to sell New Jersey-based Emcore’s chips business and indium phosphide wafer fabrication operations for $2.92 million.
WORLD
Wall Street carries big expectations after best run since 2009
Measured across global stocks, bonds, credit and commodities, 2025 delivered the strongest cross-asset performance since 2009 — a year marked by crisis-level valuations and sweeping policy intervention.
WORLD
Mamdani begins term by wiping out 15 months of Adams’ orders
Those charges were later dropped by the Justice Department under President Donald Trump. Mamdani’s action is designed to ensure “a fresh start for the incoming administration,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
BUSINESS
Tesla loses EV crown to BYD after second annual sales drop
BYD, by contrast, increased battery-electric vehicle sales both for the quarter and the full year, delivering almost 2.26 million EVs in 2025 to Tesla’s 1.64 million.
WORLD
Asia senior investment banker hires jump 60%, survey shows
India accounted for 3% of hires, down from 13% in 2024
ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE
DeepSeek touts new training method as China pushes AI efficiency
Such publications from DeepSeek have foreshadowed the release of major models in the past
BUSINESS
Oil steadies with OPEC+, Venezuela in focus at start of new year
Trump administration stepped up a campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports by sanctioning companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, along with vessels accused of evading curbs.
BUSINESS
Gold and silver open 2026 with gains following huge annual surge
Gold gained 0.7% to $4,348.42 an ounce at 8:00 a.m. in Singapore.
WORLD
Asian stocks set to start 2026 tepidly after recent drop
The dollar recorded its worst year since 2017, with investors saying more declines are coming if the next Federal Reserve chief opts for deeper interest-rate cuts. US Treasuries posted their best year since 2020.
WORLD
Trump shares editorial critical of Putin after talks setback
Trump in a social-media post on Wednesday shared the editorial, titled “Putin ‘attack’ bluster shows Russia is the one standing in the way of peace,” without making any additional remarks.
WORLD
World’s richest added a record $2.2 trillion in wealth this year
WORLD
US Labor board abandons one of its cases against Musk’s SpaceX
The reversal by the NLRB — the US agency responsible for enforcing most private sector employees' rights to organize or take collective action about working conditions — is a victory for SpaceX.
WORLD
Tesla sales outlook darkens despite Musk’s self-driving euphoria
When the stock closed at a new all-time high on Dec. 16, the company had added more than $915 billion in market capitalization in just over eight months.
WORLD
BYD sells 4.6 million vehicles in 2025, meets revised sales goal
Pressure is mounting on BYD after it posted back-to-back declines in quarterly profit and found itself at the center of China’s efforts to rein in aggressive discounting. The growing scrutiny is likely to accelerate consolidation and shake up the hierarchy of the sector.
MARKETS
US stocks slouch into year end with no sign of Santa Claus rally
The Nasdaq 100 Index slipped 0.8% and Bloomberg’s Magnificent Seven Index shed 0.7%. All S&P 500 sectors ended in the red. Yields on 10-year Treasuries climbed in the afternoon, rising 5 basis points.
WORLD
Russia says 24 killed in attack in occupied Kherson region
Three drones hit the buildings in the village of Khorly, killing at least 24 and injuring more than 50 as people celebrated the New Year, Vladimir Saldo
WORLD
China calls EU carbon border tax unfair, warns of counter-moves
The EU has assigned excessively high baseline default carbon-intensity values on Chinese products and plans to raise them over the next three years, the ministry said.
WORLD
Bulgaria joins EU among political turmoil and protests
Protests in November against the government’s proposed tax and spending plans turned into the biggest display of unrest in more than a decade.
WORLD
US sanctions Chinese companies, tankers with Venezuela links
Of the vessels identified by the Treasury Department Wednesday, only one has been anywhere close to Venezuela lately, according to ship-tracking data — the Rosalind, which typically is involved in short-haul trips known as cabotage.
BUSINESS
Gold, silver stumble at the end of best year since the 1970s
Spot gold hovered around $4,320 an ounce, while silver slid toward $71
WORLD
Sovereign funds push into tech as assets swell to $15 trillion
Overall, sovereign owned investors ploughed $66 billion into investments in artificial intelligence and digitalization in 2025
WORLD
US freezes childcare payments to Minnesota over fraud claims
President Donald Trump and his administration have focused on allegations of fraud in the state, in particular cases involving people of Somali origin, and accused Walz of mishandling government funding.
BUSINESS
US labor board abandons one of its cases against Musk’s SpaceX
Since SpaceX filed its first lawsuit last year, other companies including Amazon.com Inc. have filed similar cases, several of which are now pending in US courts.
WORLD
Trump firm to start new cryptocurrency for shareholders
Trump himself is the company’s largest shareholder with a 41% stake in the business
