U.S. Eases Venezuela Oil Sanctions to Boost American Investment After Maduro Ouster 
U.S.–Venezuela Relations Show Signs of Thaw as Top Envoy Visits Caracas 
Dollar Holds Firm as Markets Weigh Warsh-Led Fed and Yen Weakness Ahead of Japan Election 
Wall Street Slips as Tech Stocks Slide on AI Spending Fears and Earnings Concerns 
China Home Prices Rise in January as Government Signals Stronger Support for Property Market 
Asian Stocks Waver as Trump Signals Fed Pick, Shutdown Deal and Tech Earnings Stir Markets 
Indonesia Stocks Face Fragile Sentiment After MSCI Warning and Market Rout 
Canada’s Trade Deficit Jumps in November as Exports Slide and Firms Diversify Away From U.S. 
Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals 
Oil Prices Surge Toward Biggest Monthly Gains in Years Amid Middle East Tensions 
Gold Prices Pull Back After Record Highs as January Rally Remains Strong 
Oil Prices Slide Nearly 3% as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Geopolitical Tensions 
Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry 
UK Employers Plan Moderate Pay Rises as Inflation Pressures Ease but Persist 
Gold Prices Stabilize in Asian Trade After Sharp Weekly Losses Amid Fed Uncertainty 
Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes 
Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns 
U.S. stock futures edged lower on Thursday evening as renewed pressure on technology and artificial intelligence stocks overshadowed optimism surrounding a more accommodative Federal Reserve. The pullback was driven largely by a sharp decline in Broadcom shares, which fell in after-hours trading despite posting strong quarterly earnings, raising fresh concerns about the sustainability of the AI-led rally.
Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) dropped as much as 5% after the chipmaker warned that its higher-margin, non-AI businesses could see muted performance in the current quarter. Investors were also unsettled by the company’s comments that a major data center deal linked to OpenAI is unlikely to generate meaningful returns until at least 2027. While Broadcom exceeded expectations for fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and issued an above-consensus revenue forecast, the cautious outlook was enough to trigger profit-taking after the stock’s roughly 75% surge so far in 2025. The company did highlight a sizable AI-related order backlog of $73 billion over the next 18 months, but concerns lingered about customer concentration and the possibility of major clients developing in-house AI chips.
Weakness in Broadcom followed a steep selloff in Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), which plunged more than 10% during Thursday’s regular session. Although Oracle delivered solid earnings, investor skepticism over its exposure to OpenAI and the reliability of its future AI-driven cloud orders weighed heavily on sentiment, dragging down the broader tech sector.
By 19:29 ET, S&P 500 Futures slipped nearly 0.1% to 6,903.75 points, Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.2% to 25,671.25 points, and Dow Jones Futures bucked the trend, rising 0.1% to 48,799.0 points. Earlier in the day, Wall Street closed mostly higher, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching record highs, supported by gains in non-tech stocks.
Investor confidence was bolstered by the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates by 25 basis points and signal a less hawkish policy stance. Fed Chair Jerome Powell also announced an immediate resumption of asset purchases, with the central bank set to buy $40 billion in Treasury bills per month. The move is expected to inject additional liquidity into financial markets, potentially supporting risk assets in the months ahead, even as near-term volatility persists in the tech and AI sectors.
