Australian Consumer Sentiment Slumps in Early December as Inflation Fears Resurface 
Shell M&A Chief Exits After BP Takeover Proposal Rejected 
Reliance Industries Surges on Strong Quarterly Profit, Retail Recovery 
Amazon in Talks to Invest $10 Billion in OpenAI as AI Firm Eyes $1 Trillion IPO Valuation 
Bank of Japan Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Inflation Pressures Persist 
Asian Fund Managers Turn More Optimistic on Growth but Curb Equity Return Expectations: BofA Survey 
Oil Prices Slip in Asia as 2026 Supply Glut Fears and Russia-Ukraine Talks Weigh on Markets 
Gold and Silver Prices Dip as Markets Await Key U.S. Economic Data 
Dollar Struggles as Markets Eye Key Central Bank Decisions and Global Rate Outlooks 
Asian Currencies Slip as Dollar Strengthens; Indian Rupee Rebounds on Intervention Hopes 
South Korea Warns Weak Won Could Push Inflation Higher in 2025 
Wall Street Futures Slip as Tech Stocks Struggle Ahead of Key US Economic Data 
Gold and Silver Surge as Safe Haven Demand Rises on U.S. Economic Uncertainty 
RBA Unlikely to Cut Interest Rates in 2026 as Inflation Pressures Persist, Says Westpac 
Bitcoin Hits $100K Milestone Amid Optimism Over Trump Policies 
Infosys Shares Drop Amid Earnings Quality Concerns 
Oil Prices Rebound as U.S.-Venezuela Tensions Offset Oversupply Concerns 
The S&P 500 plunged 1.6% on Friday after a stronger-than-expected December jobs report heightened fears of a prolonged Federal Reserve rate pause. The Dow Jones dropped 707 points (1.7%), while the NASDAQ Composite also fell 1.6%.
The U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs in December, surpassing expectations of 164,000, while November's figures were revised down to 212,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.1% from 4.2%. These robust numbers suggest the Fed may delay rate cuts further. Jefferies noted that current data favors steady rates at the Fed's January and March meetings. Market odds for unchanged rates in January climbed to 98%, with the next potential cut now projected in mid-2024, according to Investing.com's Fed Rate Monitor Tool.
Treasury yields surged, with the 10-year yield reaching 4.765%, the highest since November 2023, dampening growth sectors, particularly technology. Analysts warned that breaching the 5% yield threshold could trigger renewed equity sell-offs.
Chipmakers NVIDIA and AMD led tech declines, with AMD facing pressure from a Goldman Sachs downgrade citing revenue concerns.
Looking ahead, Q4 earnings season kicks off next week. Major banks like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are set to report.
Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines soared over 9% on better-than-expected earnings, driven by strong travel demand. Walgreens Boots Alliance jumped 27% after surpassing Q1 earnings estimates and issuing an optimistic annual forecast.
Investors remain cautious as economic data and Fed policy weigh heavily on market sentiment.
