Japan Business Sentiment Hits Four-Year High, Boosting Expectations of BOJ Rate Hike 
Oil Prices Rebound as U.S.-Venezuela Tensions Offset Oversupply Concerns 
Dollar Struggles as Markets Eye Key Central Bank Decisions and Global Rate Outlooks 
Korea Zinc to Build $7.4 Billion Critical Minerals Refinery in Tennessee With U.S. Government Backing 
U.S. Stock Futures Mixed as Tech and AI Stocks Face Pressure Ahead of CPI Data 
Global Markets Slide as Tech Stocks Sink, Yields Rise, and AI Concerns Deepen 
Asian Technology and Chipmaking Stocks Slide as AI Spending Concerns Shake Markets 
Asian Stocks Slide as AI Valuation Fears and BOJ Uncertainty Weigh on Markets 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
ASX Shares Slide After ASIC Imposes A$150 Million Capital Requirement 
Bank of Japan Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Inflation Pressures Persist 
Fed Rate Cut Signals Balance Between Inflation and Jobs, Says Mary Daly 
Gold and Silver Prices Dip as Markets Await Key U.S. Economic Data 
China’s Small Bank Consolidation Struggles as Profits Fall and Risks Persist 
Oil Prices Slip in Asia as 2026 Supply Glut Fears and Russia-Ukraine Talks Weigh on Markets 
Bank of Korea Downplays Liquidity’s Role in Weak Won and Housing Price Surge 
The S&P 500 fell sharply Monday as renewed trade war fears rattled markets after President Donald Trump confirmed tariffs on Mexico and Canada will take effect Tuesday. He also signed an order to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports, bringing the total levy to 20%.
At market close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 648 points (1.5%), the S&P 500 declined 2%, and the Nasdaq Composite plunged 2.6%. The latest tariffs come as negotiations with Mexico and Canada failed to yield a deal, increasing concerns over economic growth.
Manufacturing data further fueled worries, with the ISM Manufacturing PMI rising to 50.3 in February, below expectations of 50.6. While this marked a second consecutive month of expansion after 26 months of contraction, demand weakened, and companies continued cutting staff. The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model now projects a 2.8% contraction in the U.S. economy for Q1, worsening from last week’s 1.5% decline estimate.
Tech stocks took a hit, with NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) tumbling over 8% after reports that Chinese buyers are bypassing U.S. export bans to access its Blackwell chips. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) lost 4% despite earlier gains following reports that it is running manufacturing tests with Nvidia and Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO).
Bitcoin dropped over 8%, reversing earlier gains despite optimism over Trump’s proposed U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve, which he said would include Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, and Cardano.
In M&A news, Capri Holdings (NYSE: CPRI) is reportedly nearing a deal to sell Versace to Prada for approximately $1.6 billion.
Markets remain volatile as investors assess the impact of tariffs and economic uncertainty.
