China Factory Activity Slips in January as Weak Demand Weighs on Growth Outlook 
BOJ Policymakers Warn Weak Yen Could Fuel Inflation Risks and Delay Rate Action 
EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects 
U.S.–Venezuela Relations Show Signs of Thaw as Top Envoy Visits Caracas 
Wall Street Slides as Warsh Fed Nomination, Hot Inflation, and Precious Metals Rout Shake Markets 
Dollar Holds Firm as Markets Weigh Warsh-Led Fed and Yen Weakness Ahead of Japan Election 
Philippines Manufacturing PMI Hits Nine-Month High Despite Weak Confidence Outlook 
IMF Forecasts Global Inflation Decline as Growth Remains Resilient 
Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns 
South Korea Exports Surge in January on AI Chip Demand, Marking Fastest Growth in 4.5 Years 
Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors 
Why Trump’s new pick for Fed chair hit gold and silver markets – for good reasons 
Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry 
India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations 
Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals 
UK Employers Plan Moderate Pay Rises as Inflation Pressures Ease but Persist 
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.
