INDIA
Germany's Friedrich Merz eyes India business, defence deals in first Asia trip
Merz met his counterpart, Narendra Modi, on Monday in Ahmedabad, located in prime minister’s home state of Gujarat
BUSINESS
Surging stock listings turbocharge India’s IPO fees to a record
The average fee paid to bankers for IPOs rose to 1.86% of a deal’s value, versus 1.67% a year earlier, according to capital-markets data provider LSEG
WORLD
The sneaker boom had a long run. Now some analysts say it’s over
Now the future of that longstanding sneaker boom is being called into question, most notably by Bank of America analysts led by Thierry Cota
WORLD
Meta shuts 550,000 accounts on Australia’s kids social media ban
The social media giant has closed around 330,000 Instagram accounts, 173,000 Facebook accounts and almost 40,000 Threads accounts
COMPANIES
Prudential Financial is said to mull India asset manager sale
PGIM Inc., the investment management business of US-based Prudential Financial, has tapped EY to advise on the potential sale of its asset management subsidiary in India
WORLD
Iran edges closer to a revolution that would reshape the world
Iran has warned that if it’s attacked, American assets in the region — where it has deep commercial ties and tens of thousands of troops stationed — and Israel will be “legitimate targets for us.”
BUSINESS
Gold jumps to record high on Fed subpoenas and Iran tensions
Bullion rose to just shy of $4,600 an ounce on Monday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank had been served grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department related to his June congressional testimony on renovations of the Fed’s headquarters.
BUSINESS
Asian stocks open higher after US gains, oil rises
Shares in Australia and South Korea and equity index futures for Hong Kong all gained, taking their guide from the S&P 500, which climbed 0.6% on Friday to close at an all-time high.
BUSINESS
Powell says Justice Department Served Fed with subpoenas
Powell said the potential indictment “should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.”
WORLD
Iran warns US, Israel of retaliation as unrest enters third week
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said deaths linked to the recent unrest, which began over a currency crisis on Dec. 28, had reached 116, with most killed by live ammunition or pellet gunfire
BUSINESS
Gold investors stay bullish after record rally in 2025
Gold surged 65% in 2025 — its strongest performance in nearly half a century — as retail and institutional investors piled in alongside central banks.
WORLD
Nvidia, Tesla chase same self-driving goal via varying paths
Nvidia wants to supply the intelligence layer for autonomy without building the car itself, but it still wants to own the technology that makes self-driving a reality
BUSINESS
Global AI race shows Asia leading as stocks start 2026 with a bang
Strategists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are overweight and expect further gains driven partly by surging artificial intelligence-related demand and reasonable valuations.
WORLD
Donald Trump signs order to firewall Venezuela oil revenue held in US
President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency to protect Venezuelan oil revenue held in US accounts from seizure, aiming to preserve funds for US foreign policy and economic goals.
WORLD
Elon Musk calls UK ‘fascist’ as row over X’s Grok AI images escalates
The UK watchdog responsible for flagging online child sexual-abuse material to law enforcement agencies said it had found “criminal” images on the dark web allegedly generated by Grok.
MARKETS
Walmart to join Nasdaq 100 on January 20 as AstraZeneca exits
Walmart’s addition follows its move last year to shift its stock listing from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq, the largest exchange transfer on record.
BUSINESS
Wall Street’s risk-on fever shows no signs of abating in new year
While Friday’s employment report spurred another bout of buying in stocks, the data was soggy enough to keep some market observers from declaring a full-blown revival in growth.
BUSINESS
Trump calls for one-year cap on credit card rates at 10%
It’s not clear whether credit card companies will respond to his call or what actions he might take to force any change. He called for the cap to be effective on Jan. 20.
WORLD
Trump says he’ll get deal on Greenland, ‘easy way’ or ‘hard way’
“I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House.
WORLD
Trump pressures big oil for $100 billion Venezuela spend
Trump said he foresaw the companies making the expenditures without federal assistance, saying oil companies will be “spending at least $100 billion of their money, not the government’s money.”
WORLD
Labor’s share of US GDP drops to record low in data back to 1947
The measure known as the labor share fell to 53.8% in the period, down from 54.6% in the previous quarter and an average of 55.6% in the 2020s so far, according to the BLS report on labor productivity and costs published Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apple CEO’s compensation holds steady at about $74 million
The $74.3 million in pay included a salary of $3 million, a level unchanged from recent years, Apple said in a regulatory filing on Thursday. Cook had $74.6 million in compensation the previous year.
WORLD
Asian stocks to rise before payrolls, oil jumps
The dollar was slightly stronger Thursday, while oil moved higher as investors monitored developments in Venezuela and Iran. Silver retreated further from its record struck earlier in the week, while gold inched higher.
BUSINESS
Meta hires former DOGE, Trump election lawyer as lobbyist
Bill McGinley’s high-profile hire is the latest indication of the company’s increasingly cozy relationship with President Donald Trump and his administration.
