Asian equities climbed to a record and the dollar declined ahead of Wednesday’s US jobs report after weak retail sales reinforced bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this year. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 1% to an all-time high, widening its year-to-date outperformance versus European and US equities. A gauge for emerging markets also climbed to a record. The momentum seemed set to carry over to Wall Street with futures contracts for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 indexes advancing. Treasury futures extended their gains after 10-year bond yields dropped to the lowest in about a month in the US session. There’s no cash trading in Treasuries during the Asian day as Japan is closed for a holiday. Gold, which typically benefits when rates are lowered, rose 0.4% as money markets see slightly higher odds of three Fed cuts this year — with two already fully priced in. The dollar weakened against all its Group-of-10 peers. Unexpectedly weak December retail sales on Tuesday pointed to softer consumer momentum as the year ended, reinforcing expectations the Fed may ease rates later this year. Attention now turns to the jobs report and inflation data later this week for more signals on the policy outlook, even as equities waver on concerns over heavy artificial-intelligence spending by technology firms. Economists predict a 65,000 rise in January payrolls. Such an outcome would be the best in four months. The unemployment rate is seen holding at 4.4%. There will be an annual revision to the jobs count — which is expected to reveal a markdown in the year through March 2025. The swaps market has boosted its pricing of a third quarter-point rate cut this year, with two almost priced-in by the September meeting. That’s up from a week ago, with Tuesday’s weaker-than-expected retail sales data adding to the dovish momentum shift. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% amid weakness in several tech shares, though the gauge remained near the record reached last month. In other corners of the market, silver rose over 2%, while Bitcoin fell to trade around $67,500. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.2%, a fourth consecutive day of declines. Meanwhile, it’s shaping up to be another blockbuster year for Asian markets, which are outpacing peers in the US and Europe. Most equity benchmarks in the region have risen in 2026, currencies have shown resilience against external pressures, and demand for credit has pushed spreads to near record lows. While it’s still early days, and Asia hasn’t been immune to the global volatility, the region has several forces working in its favor. AI is one such theme, as global investors contend with billions of dollars in spending and the disruptions it’s creating. On Wall Street, rising fears about AI keep pummeling the shares of companies at risk of being caught on the wrong side of it all, from small software companies to big wealth-management firms. The latest selloff erupted on Tuesday when a tax-strategy tool rolled out by a little-known startup, Altruist Corp., sent the shares of Charles Schwab Corp., Raymond James Financial Inc. and LPL Financial Holdings Inc. down by 7% or more. Last week’s steep drop in software stocks on concern about competition from AI was likely overdone, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s chief executive officer. US After Hours TDC +16.3%, NET +11.7%, DIOD +10.8%, LSCC +7.7% higher on earnings; BETA +18.3% as AMZN discloses new position; MAT -25.2%, ANGI -21.4%, RPD -20.6%, MBC -15.3%, LYFT -15.2% lower on earnings.
Nikkei Closed Hang Seng +0.25% CSI -0.18% Shanghai +0.20% Shenzen -0.12%
Eur$ 1.1916 CNH 6.9106 CNY 6.9124 JPY 153.13 GBP 1.3669 CHF 0.7656 RUB 77.2339 TRY 43.6412 WTI$ 64.40 +0.67% Gold 5,060 +0.71% BTC 66,561 -2.99% ETH 1,944 -3.10%
S&P +0.21% Nasdaq +0.26% EuroStoxx +0.00% FTSE +0.21% Dax +0.18% SMI
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Keep an eye on :
Keep an eye on :
- ABN NA : ABN Amro 4Q Net Interest Income Beats Estimates
- AD NA : Ahold Delhaize 4Q Adjusted Operating Margin Beats Estimates
- AIG US : AIG 4Q Adjusted EPS Beats Estimates: Snapshot
- AKERBP NO : Aker BP Sees 2026 Avg Production 370,000 to 400,000 BOE/D
- ALFEN NA : Alfen Sees 2026 Revenue EU435M to EU475M, Est. EU459.3M
- ALKS US : Alkermes to Buy Avadel; No Terms Disclosed
- Anthropic IPO : MGX Said to Near Investment in Anthropic’s $20 Billion Fundraise
- Anthropic IPO : Blackstone Joins Anthropic Round, Raising Stake to $1 Billion
- BG AV : Bawag FY Dividend per Share Beats Estimates
- BETA US : Amazon Discloses 5.3% Stake in Beta Technologies - Update
- BA US : Boeing Mapping Plans To Hike 737 Jet Production to Record Rate
- CTAS US : Uniform Makers UniFirst, Cintas Said to Renew Takeover Talks
- NET US : Cloudflare 1Q Revenue Forecast Beats Estimates
- CBK GY : Commerzbank Sees 2026 Net Income Above EU3.2B, Est. EU3.41B
- COOR SS : Coor 4Q Net Sales Beat Estimates
- DSY FP : Dassault Systemes Sees 2026 Non-IFRS Rev Ex-FX +3% to +5%
- ECONB BB : Ceconomy 1Q Sales EU7.6B Vs. EU7.57B Y/y
- ENTRA NO : Entra 4Q Rental Income Beats Estimates
- EL FP : EssilorLuxottica 4Q Seen Strong on AI Glasses: Preview
- EL US : Estee Lauder sues Walmart alleging 'despicable' sale of counterfeit beauty products
- EXEL US : Exelixis 4Q Total Revenue Meets Estimates
- ETL FP : Eutelsat Signs Almost €1B Export Credit for Leo Satellites
- FIA1S FH : Finnair 4Q Adjusted Ebit Beats Estimates
- FM CN : First Quantum Minerals 4Q Adjusted EPS Misses Estimates
- FLTR US : Super Bowl Gives Prediction Bets Record $1.2 Billion Trading Day
- F US : Ford Sees Profit Rebounding After $900 Million Tariff Bill
- G IM : Generali Partners With Swiss Life on Employee Benefits Network
- G IM : Generali Partners With Swiss Life on Employee Benefits Network
- GXI GY : Gerresheimer Prelim FY Revenue EU2.3B to EU2.4B, Est. EU2.39B
- GIGA NO : Gigante Salmon Offering of 48m Shares Prices at NOK7.50/Share
- GILD US : Gilead’s 2026 Forecast Falls Short of Investor Expectations
- HEIA NA : Heineken Final Dividend per Share EU1.16, Heineken to Cut 5,000 to 6,000 Roles Over Next 2 Years
- JHX AU : James Hardie Boosts FY Adjusted Ebitda Forecast
- KOJAMO FH : Kojamo to Buy Housing Portfolio From Varma For €900 Million
- KOJAMO FH : Kojamo 4Q Revenue Meets Estimates
- LSCC US : Lattice Semi 1Q Revenue Forecast Beats Estimates
- 992 HK : Lenovo Likely Rode AI Demand to 10% Sales Jump: Preview
- LYFT US : Lyft Shares Sink After Fourth-Quarter Revenue Falls Short
- MGY US : Enervest Said to Offer 6.9M Magnolia Oil & Gas Shares in Block
- MAT US : Mattel Slumps After 2026 EPS Forecast Misses Estimates --> -21%
- MRK US : FDA Approves Merck’s Pembrolizumab, Paclitaxel Combo
- MIPS SS : Mips 4Q Operating Profit Misses Estimates
- MRNA US : FDA Refuses to Review Moderna’s Flu Vaccine in Latest Setback
- MOWI NO : Mowi 4Q Revenue Misses Estimates
- NKTR US : Nektar Said to Market $300 Million Share Sale For One Day
- NOVN SW : Novartis Treatment Granted Orphan Drug Status by FDA
- NDA US : Taipei Mayor Says Nvidia Plans Over NT$40b in Taiwan HQ: ETtoday
- PZZA US : Owner of DQ, Papa John’s China Operations Is Said to Weigh Sale
- QVCGA US : *QVC IS IN TALKS WITH CREDITORS ABOUT POSSIBLE BANKRUPTCY FILING
- RAND NA : Randstad 4Q Organic Revenue Misses Estimates
- HOOD US : Robinhood Profit Slumps as Late-Year Crypto Slide Crimps Revenue
- RCL US : Royal Caribbean Raises Dividend, Above Bloomberg Projection
- SZG GY : Salzgitter Gains as Metzler Sees Above-Consensus 2025 Numbers
- SANOMA FH : Sanoma Sees 2026 Revenue EU1.29B to EU1.34B, Est. EU1.32B
- SCHP SW : Schindler FY Ebit Beats Estimates
- SGSN SW : SGS FY Adjusted Operating Income Beats Estimates
- ENR GY : Siemens Energy 1Q Profit Before Special Items Beats Estimates, Siemens Energy Books Record Gas Turbine Orders on Power Boom
- ENR GY : Rosatom Says Siemens Not Critical for Hungary’s Paks II Plant
- SINCH SS : Sinch Agrees Lovable Partnership for AI-Native Applications
- Space X IPO : xAI Co-Founder Jimmy Ba Says Leaving Co.
- STLA IM : Stellantis Seeks to Exit Venture With Samsung as EV Losses Mount
- TECO2 AR : Telecom Argentina Holder Said to Offer ADRs For $11-$11.50 Each
- TSLA US : Tesla’s Kimbal Musk Linked to Epstein’s ‘Girls’ in Latest Emails
- TKA AV : Telekom Austria FY Dividend per Share Misses Estimates
- TX US : Ternium Completes Acquisition of 153M Usiminas Shares for $315M
- TTE FP : TotalEnergies Takes Over 100% of Zeeland Refinery: Reuters
- TCAP LN : TP ICAP Launches Market for Trading Structured Notes in the US
- TTE FP : Syria Plans to Tap Major Energy Firms to Explore for Gas: FT
- UNF US : Uniform Makers UniFirst, Cintas Said to Renew Takeover Talks
- UMG NA : EU to Approve Universal’s Buy of Downtown Music This Week: FT
- VOE AV : Voestalpine 3Q Ebitda Misses Estimate Amid AI Lift in US
- WAC GY : Wacker Neuson Prelim FY Sales Meet Estimates
- WAWI NO : Wallenius Wilhelmsen 4Q Total Revenue Misses Estimates
- WBD US : Warner Bros. Discovery to Review Newly Amended Paramount Bid
- WBD US : Activist Investor Ancora Said to Build Stake in Warner Bros.
- ZG US : Zillow 1Q Adjusted Ebitda Forecast Misses Estimates