Market Update

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee have sounded warnings that political interference could destabilize the U.S. economy and ignite a surge in inflation. They stress that the Fed’s independence is critical for maintaining price stability and sustaining confidence in financial markets.Goolsbee expressed concern over recent …

Bitcoin surged past $96,000 this week, bouncing back after last week’s stumble caused by short-term market jitters and geopolitical uncertainties. The recovery is being fueled by renewed inflows into US-based crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs), highlighting growing institutional interest and reinforcing a solid price floor.ETF Demand Fuels Price MomentumUS spot Bitcoin …

Semiconductor stocks surged Thursday as record-breaking results from a major industry player highlighted strong demand for AI-related hardware. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, reported quarterly revenue of 1.05 trillion New Taiwan dollars ($33.7 billion) and profits of $3.14 per share, both surpassing market expectations.Why This …

Recent actions by Beijing targeting foreign cybersecurity vendors have rattled markets, but major U.S. firms maintain their exposure to China is minimal and the broader financial impact appears contained.Industry leaders have been quick to clarify their positions. CrowdStrike emphasized that it has no direct sales, offices, or infrastructure in China, …

U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Thursday, snapping a two-session losing streak as investors drew cautious optimism from easing geopolitical tensions and a fresh round of major bank earnings. By 05:50 ET, Dow Jones futures were up 60 points, or 0.1%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.4%, and Nasdaq 100 …

Morgan Stanley capped off 2025 with a robust fourth-quarter performance, beating market expectations on both revenue and profit as investment banking activity rebounded sharply. The U.S. investment bank reported net revenues of $17.9 billion for the quarter, ahead of analysts’ forecasts of $17.72 billion. Earnings per share came in at …

Bitcoin rose on Thursday, extending a recent recovery as markets digested developments around a proposed U.S. bill aimed at establishing a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency. The world’s largest crypto rebounded from a sluggish start to the year after top corporate holder Strategy disclosed a major purchase this week. Still, Bitcoin …

The U.S. dollar edged higher on Thursday, continuing its rebound from a shaky start to the week as expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts continued to fade. At 03:00 ET (08:00 GMT), the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, rose 0.1% to …

Spain’s European Union-harmonised 12-month inflation rate eased to 3.0% in December, down from 3.2% in November, according to final data released Thursday by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The reading matched both the preliminary “flash” estimate published two weeks ago and the average forecast from analysts polled by Reuters. Core …

The U.K. economy returned to growth in November after a disappointing start to the fourth quarter, although the country’s economic prospects remain uncertain. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that gross domestic product grew by 0.3% on the month, after contracting by 0.1% in October. On an annual …