Asian Markets Stabilize as Wall Street Rebounds and Rate Concerns Ease 
UK Economy Sees Marginal Growth Amid Tax Hikes and Business Caution 
Rising Bond Yields Pose Risks to US Stocks and Boost Dollar 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
U.S. May Withhold $30.4 Million From Minnesota Over Improper Commercial Driver Licenses 
U.S. Soybean Shipments to China Gain Momentum as Trade Tensions Ease 
South Korea Posts Stronger-Than-Expected 1.3% Economic Growth in Q3 
Asian Tech Stocks Surge Amid OpenAI’s $500 Billion AI Partnership 
RBA Signals Possible Rate Implications as Inflation Proves More Persistent 
Moody's Upgrades Argentina's Credit Rating Amid Economic Reforms 
SoftBank and OpenAI Lead $19B Investments in Stargate AI Initiative 
South Korea Inflation Edges Up in November as Food and Service Costs Climb 
U.S. Stock Futures Steady Amid Bank Earnings and Inflation Focus 
Asian Currencies Steady as Markets Await Fed Rate Decision; Indian Rupee Hits New Record Low 
Japan’s Finance Minister Signals Alignment With BOJ as Rate Hike Speculation Grows 
China’s Services Sector Posts Slowest Growth in Five Months as Demand Softens 
U.S. stocks closed lower on Friday as investor sentiment weakened following the White House’s announcement that President Donald Trump will implement new tariffs on Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese imports. The tariffs—25% on Canadian and Mexican goods and 10% on Chinese imports—will take effect on Saturday, adding to economic uncertainty.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 337.47 points (0.75%) to 44,544.66, the S&P 500 declined 30.64 points (0.50%) to 6,040.53, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 54.31 points (0.28%) to 19,627.44. Energy stocks led losses, with Chevron (NYSE:CVX) plunging 4.6% after weak earnings and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) falling 2.5%.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) ended down 0.7%, reversing earlier gains from upbeat earnings commentary. Tech stocks faced pressure earlier in the week after China’s DeepSeek unveiled a breakthrough in AI technology.
Despite Friday’s decline, indexes posted gains for January, with the Dow up 4.7%, the S&P 500 rising 2.7%, and the Nasdaq gaining 1.6%. However, for the week, the S&P 500 lost 1%, and the Nasdaq dropped 1.6%.
Economic data released Friday reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will maintain interest rates for longer. Strong consumer spending and moderate inflation in December supported Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s stance that rate cuts are not imminent.
After the closing bell, Trump hinted at new tariffs related to oil and gas, set to be announced by Feb. 18. However, he provided no details on affected countries or specifics.
Declining stocks outpaced gainers on both the NYSE and Nasdaq, with U.S. exchange volume reaching 15.78 billion shares, slightly above the 20-day average.
