RBA Unlikely to Cut Interest Rates in 2026 as Inflation Pressures Persist, Says Westpac 
U.S. Stock Futures Slip After CPI-Fueled Rally as Markets Weigh Economic Uncertainty 
EU Delays Mercosur Free Trade Agreement Signing Amid Ukraine War Funding Talks 
Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers, Raising Venezuela Tensions and Oil Prices 
Asian Fund Managers Turn More Optimistic on Growth but Curb Equity Return Expectations: BofA Survey 
Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Global Central Bank Decisions as Yen, Sterling and Euro React 
Oil Prices Climb on Venezuela Blockade, Russia Sanctions Fears, and Supply Risks 
Asian Stocks Edge Higher as Tech Recovers, U.S. Economic Uncertainty Caps Gains 
Gold and Silver Surge as Safe Haven Demand Rises on U.S. Economic Uncertainty 
BOJ Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Japan Signals Shift Toward Monetary Normalization 
Precious Metals Rally as Silver and Platinum Outperform on Rate Cut Bets 
Oil Prices Rebound as Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Tankers 
BoE Set to Cut Rates as UK Inflation Slows, but Further Easing Likely Limited 
South Korea Warns Weak Won Could Push Inflation Higher in 2025 
Japan Exports to U.S. Rebound in November as Tariff Impact Eases, Boosting BOJ Rate Hike Expectations 
U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher as Micron Earnings Boost AI Sentiment Ahead of CPI Data 
Oil Prices Steady in Asia but Headed for Weekly Loss on Supply Glut Concerns 
U.S. stock index futures held steady Wednesday evening after the S&P 500 hit a record high, driven by Netflix’s strong earnings and optimism over President Donald Trump’s AI investment initiative. S&P 500 Futures were flat at 6,118.0 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures dipped 0.1% to 21,970.50. Dow Jones Futures remained steady at 44,354.0 points.
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) shares soared 10% after reporting 19 million new subscriber additions in Q4 2024, smashing expectations. Revenue rose 8% to $9.5 billion, while net income increased 12% to $915 million. The streaming giant announced U.S. and international price hikes, citing higher programming investments.
AI stocks surged as Trump unveiled a $500 billion AI initiative, Stargate, a joint venture with OpenAI, Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), and SoftBank (TYO:9984). The project aims to build AI data centers and power facilities in Texas, boosting the sector’s growth. Oracle shares rose 7%, Microsoft gained 4.1%, and Nvidia climbed 4.4%.
Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:ARM) surged 16%, while Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) rose 2%, pushing the S&P 500 to a record high of 6,100.81 points before closing 0.6% higher at 6,086.28. The NASDAQ Composite rose 1.
