BUSINESS
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Trump 2.0 focusing on 10Y yields, not Fed
Bessent repeated his view that expanding energy supply will help lower inflation. For working-class Americans, “the energy component for them is one of the surest indicators for long-term inflation expectations,” he said.
WORLD
OpenAI set to make first ad foray with Super Bowl spot: Report
The Super Bowl ad would be OpenAI's first foray into commercial advertising, WSJ said
BUSINESS
Gold steady near record high on economic and geopolitical risks
Bullion held above $2,865 an ounce — having added 0.9% on Wednesday — after President Donald Trump said the US could take over Gaza
WORLD
Asian shares rise as risk mood returns in China
A gauge of Asian equities rose for a third day with the region’s technology companies the biggest contributors
WORLD
Google ends diversity goals for its workforce in Trump era
Google said it was reviewing its programs and would no longer have “aspirational goals” tied to representation
BUSINESS
Tariffs to drive global markets in volatile 2025, JPMorgan finds
Inflation and tariffs will have the biggest impact on markets in 2025, followed by geopolitical tension, according to the annual trading poll. Some 41% surveyed highlighted volatility as their biggest anticipated daily trading challenge, up from 28% last year.
BUSINESS
Tesla sales plunge 59% in Germany to lowest level in years
The US manufacturer registered only 1,277 new cars in January, its lowest monthly total since July 2021, according to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority.
WORLD
US trade deficit widens nearly 25% in December ahead of Donald Trump term
For all of 2024, the merchandise-trade deficit with Mexico widened on an unadjusted basis to a record $171.8 billion. The gap with Canada narrowed last year.
BUSINESS
Candy crush spurs $1.8 billion gaming-revenue boom in Africa
The gaming community on the continent climbed 10% to 349 million players, and 89% of revenue came from mobile, the analysis showed.
WORLD
Ex-Googler charged by US with espionage to boost AI in China
If convicted, Ding faces as long as 15 years in prison for each count of economic espionage, and up to 10 years for each of the trade secret theft charges, according to prosecutors.
BUSINESS
Tata Power seeks hydro projects to ramp up clean energy bets
“We have already identified two projects and work has started for the first project,” Praveer Sinha, chief executive officer at the Tata Group-controlled firm said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
BUSINESS
India’s cash deficit eases after RBI opens fund tap
The cash injection has also led to a decline in the weighted average call rate, which represents banks’ overnight borrowing costs.
BUSINESS
BlackRock plans to hire 1,200 people for ramp-up in India
The world’s largest asset manager is hiring for its iHubs, as the centers are known, in Mumbai and Gurugram.
BUSINESS
Gold hits record high as US-China trade war stokes haven demand
Bullion reached an all-time peak of $2,849.05 an ounce on Wednesday
WORLD
Asian stocks trim gains as China drops upon reopen amid caution over US tariffs
Hong Kong equities fell while a gauge of Asian shares gave up some of its advance as China’s market reopened Wednesday after Lunar New Year holidays
WORLD
Xi’s careful reply to Trump tariffs shows China has more to lose
The Chinese leader’s cautious reply avoided roiling markets, which have been whipsawed in the past week by Trump’s tariff twists and turns
BUSINESS
AMD tumbles after giving disappointing outlook for AI growth
Though AMD’s fourth-quarter overall revenue topped estimates — and it provided an solid forecast for the current period — the data center numbers overshadowed the other results.
BUSINESS
Alphabet slides after cloud sales fall short of expectations
Alphabet announced $75 billion in 2025 capital expenditures, far exceeding the $57.9 billion that analysts expected. The investment is “directly driving revenue” because it helps customers, Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said on the earnings call with investors.
BUSINESS
Panama considers cancelling port deal with Hong Kong billionaire's firm
If such a move goes through, it would mark a major gift to Trump, who says that China has too much control over the canal and hasn’t ruled out seizing it by force.
WORLD
Australia bans DeepSeek from government tech over security concerns
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement Tuesday that all DeepSeek products, applications and services would be removed from government systems on national security grounds effective immediately.
BUSINESS
Bitcoin slides as US-China trade war escalation rattles markets
The largest cryptocurrency fell as much as 3.6% to $98,199, while other major tokens including Ether and Solana also lost ground
BUSINESS
Bajaj Finserv in talks with Allianz on likely JV exits
The Pune-based lender had informed the exchanges in October that Allianz was “actively considering” exiting the JVs, in which the German firm holds 26% each
BUSINESS
Grab, GoTo accelerate merger talks and aim for deal in 2025
Discussions have intensified in recent weeks and the companies see 2025 as an opportune year for a deal, according to people familiar with the situation.
BUSINESS
Trump’s tariff reversal feeds reputation as paper tiger on trade
Trump on Monday shelved plans for wide-ranging tariffs on Canada and Mexico, after doing the same for Colombia the prior week
