BUSINESS
Standard Chartered mulls options for India cards unit in retail pullback
The London-headquartered bank has held preliminary talks with some stakeholders in recent weeks to come up with decisions as early as this year, sources told Bloomberg.
BUSINESS
Metals sink as China exchange told to rip put high-speed servers
Copper, zinc and aluminum all fell in Shanghai, as well as on the London Metal Exchange, which sets global benchmark prices for the commodities
WORLD
Goldman Sachs tops Wall Street for fourth quarter ECM revenue
The New York-based firm reported $521 million of equity underwriting revenue in the final three months of 2025, beating Morgan Stanley’s $494 million
WORLD
Asian stocks head for fourth weekly gain on tech
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index is poised for a fourth week of gains, during which time it had risen more than 7%
BUSINESS
Paramount loses bid to get Warner Bros suit on fast track
Paramount has targeted Warner Bros. since October with multiple offers, including the current all-cash bid of $30 per share.
BUSINESS
NYC sues delivery app over lost pay in new Mamdani crackdown
Motoclick violated delivery worker laws by failing to pay the required minimum rate and by deducting canceled and refunded orders directly from workers’ paychecks, according to a press release from the city
BUSINESS
US pressured Italy to cancel contracts with China’s Nuctech
The American concern is that images acquired at customs ports could be accessed by Chinese authorities, jeopardizing both US and Italian national security.
BUSINESS
Goldman’s stock traders beat their own Wall Street record
Goldman raised its dividend to $4.50 per share, it said in a statement Thursday.
INDIA
India’s Russia oil trade may dip again, stranding cargoes at sea
Ship-tracking data and people familiar with the matter point to a dip that would come after imports fell in December to a three-year low. That was a third below their peak in June
WORLD
Trump effect? Foreign enrollment on US campuses drops for first time in years
The number of international students across the country dropped by close to 5,000, even as the overall number of students grew by 1%
BUSINESS
KKR Asia credit fund draws 75% new investors as decoupling rises
The optimism around Asian private credit runs counter to a broader global pullback
WORLD
Trump holds off on critical minerals tariffs after probe
The president is floating price floors on imports — not just traditional percentage-based tariffs — to develop the supply chains for those materials that run through US-aligned nations
WORLD
Paramount names new CFO amid contest with Netflix for Warner Bros.
Dennis Cinelli, who has previous experience at Uber Technologies Inc. and at Scale AI, replaces interim CFO Andrew Warren, Paramount said
WORLD
XAI blocks Grok from creating sexualized images of real people
The changes apply to all users on X, including premium subscribers, the company said
BUSINESS
Oil falls after Trump signals US response to Iran is on hold
Brent dropped as much as 2.9% to trade below $65 a barrel after gaining about 11% over the past week while West Texas Intermediate was near $60
INDIA
BMC polls: Megacity Mumbai votes to fix ailing infrastructure for millions
Voters will elect leaders for a civic governing body with a budget of almost Rs 80,000 crore, the richest in the country and about five times that of national capital New Delhi
BUSINESS
Blistering metals rally sends gold, silver, copper to records
Frenzied buying in China across multiple metals has stoked the recent moves while investors have been seeking safe havens amid geopolitical flashpoints
MARKETS
Asia stocks weak after Wall Street declines, oil falls
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 1%, while US equity-index futures dropped 0.1% and contracts indicated weaker opens for Hong Kong and mainland China
WORLD
Keep calm if Donald Trump loses tariff case, trade expert urges nations
The court’s decision could come as early as 10 a.m. in Washington, though the wait for the opinion may extend until June.
BUSINESS
China’s 2025 trade surplus hits record $1.2 trillion despite US tariffs
Shipments to regions like Southeast Asia and Europe made up for a deepening plunge in sales to the US in December, with overall exports increasing 6.6% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS
Cocoa gets cheaper but chocolate makers are still holding back
Most beans processed in the fourth quarter were likely bought before the sharp price slump, meaning the relief has yet to filter through the supply chain.
BUSINESS
Silver hits record, gold rises on geopolitical and Fed risks
The white metal advanced as much as 3.5% to touch $89.9965 an ounce, while gold traded near an all-time peak.
WORLD
Scientists confirm 2025 was third-hottest year, trailing 2024 and 2023
What makes this result extraordinary, scientists say, is that 2025 saw a cooling phase in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, or La Niña, that suppresses global temperatures.
WORLD
Dark fleet seeks Russian protection as US seizes oil tankers
At least 26 ships have switched registration to Russia since the beginning of last month, with the bulk of those happening after the US snatched the Skipper supertanker off the coast of Venezuela on Dec. 10, according to Starboard Maritime Intelligence data.
