U.S. Eases Venezuela Oil Sanctions to Boost American Investment After Maduro Ouster 
Gold Prices Stabilize in Asian Trade After Sharp Weekly Losses Amid Fed Uncertainty 
Wall Street Slips as Tech Stocks Slide on AI Spending Fears and Earnings Concerns 
Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors 
Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals 
Gold and Silver Prices Plunge as Trump Taps Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair 
UK Employers Plan Moderate Pay Rises as Inflation Pressures Ease but Persist 
South Korea Exports Surge in January on AI Chip Demand, Marking Fastest Growth in 4.5 Years 
Canada’s Trade Deficit Jumps in November as Exports Slide and Firms Diversify Away From U.S. 
Wall Street Slides as Warsh Fed Nomination, Hot Inflation, and Precious Metals Rout Shake Markets 
Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns 
Oil Prices Surge Toward Biggest Monthly Gains in Years Amid Middle East Tensions 
Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes 
South Korea Factory Activity Hits 18-Month High as Export Demand Surges 
China Home Prices Rise in January as Government Signals Stronger Support for Property Market 
China Factory Activity Slips in January as Weak Demand Weighs on Growth Outlook 
Wall Street futures edged lower Wednesday evening as disappointing quarterly results from Oracle reignited concerns about the sustainability of artificial intelligence spending, overshadowing dovish signals from the Federal Reserve. The tech sector faced renewed pressure after Oracle’s weaker-than-expected earnings and sharply increased capital expenditure outlook raised doubts about how the cloud giant plans to finance its aggressive data-center expansion tied to AI demand.
S&P 500 futures slipped 0.2% to 6,877.75 by 19:39 ET (00:39 GMT), while Nasdaq 100 futures declined nearly 0.4% to 25,702.75. Dow Jones futures were relatively flat at 48,123.0. Investors grew cautious as Oracle shares tumbled as much as 10% in after-hours trading, dragging major AI-linked stocks lower. Nvidia dipped 1.3%, while CoreWeave slid more than 3%. Other semiconductor leaders—including AMD, TSMC, Broadcom, and Marvell—also saw declines between 0.6% and 2% after Oracle’s outlook suggested uncertainties around converting massive AI investments into meaningful revenue.
The company’s fiscal second-quarter earnings fell short of expectations, and its expanded spending plans raised fresh concerns about its mounting debt load, fueled by multiple bond issuances this year to fund AI infrastructure. The ripple effect across the tech sector underscored growing investor sensitivity toward AI-related capital expenditures and profitability timelines.
Despite the tech pullback, Wall Street closed higher earlier in the day after the Federal Reserve delivered a widely anticipated 25-basis-point rate cut and signaled a more accommodative stance. Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted a higher threshold for future cuts but announced immediate purchases of roughly $40 billion per month in short-dated Treasury bills to support liquidity. The move boosted risk sentiment, lifting the S&P 500 by 0.7%, the Nasdaq Composite by 0.3%, and the Dow Jones by 1.1%.
Investors now turn their attention to upcoming earnings from Broadcom and Costco, with Micron set to report next week, keeping market volatility elevated as AI-driven spending remains under scrutiny.
