Europe signaled it could deploy up to €93B in retaliatory tariffs if the U.S. proceeds with duties tied to the Greenland standoff, escalating the risk of a transatlantic trade clash. The tariff saber-rattling helped knock European equities lower, with auto shares leading declines, and stoked broader risk-off moves across global markets.
Source: Seeking Alpha
China meets 5% growth goal as Q4 GDP beats, but domestic demand stays soft
China’s Q4 GDP expanded 4.5% year over year (1.2% q/q), keeping full-year growth on target even as December data showed a mixed picture—industrial production rose 5.2%, while retail sales slowed to 0.9% and unemployment held at 5.1%. The upside growth surprise comes amid continued property-sector strains and stepped-up market oversight to curb speculation.
Source: Seeking Alpha
Eurozone inflation slides to 1.9% in December, bolstering rate-cut expectations
Euro area inflation cooled to 1.9% in December, slipping below the ECB’s 2% target for the first time in years and intensifying market bets that policy easing will begin later in 2026. While services price pressures persist, the renewed disinflation trend gives Frankfurt more leeway to pivot as growth risks mount.
Source: Seeking Alpha
Micron warns AI memory shortage “unprecedented,” likely to extend beyond 2026
Micron said surging demand for HBM and advanced DRAM tied to AI workloads has created a supply crunch that could persist past 2026, a backdrop that supports pricing and capital spending across the semiconductor supply chain. The warning arrives as parts suppliers around Nvidia’s H200 reportedly pause output, underscoring ongoing bottlenecks in AI hardware.
Source: Seeking Alpha
OpenAI adds ads to ChatGPT as AI competition and cash needs intensify
OpenAI will introduce advertisements in ChatGPT, a notable shift in strategy as the AI leader juggles rising infrastructure costs and fiercer competition. The move opens a new revenue stream beyond subscriptions and enterprise deals, and signals how generative AI platforms may evolve their business models as user growth scales.
Source: MarketWatch
U.S. crackdown throttles Venezuelan oil exports, reshaping global crude flows
Stricter U.S. enforcement is choking off Venezuelan oil shipments, forcing refiners and traders to rejigger sourcing and altering seaborne crude routes. The squeeze is tightening Atlantic Basin balances and could support regional benchmarks, with downstream impacts on margins and product spreads.
Source: Seeking Alpha
Anthropic said to raise $25B at $350B valuation as AI funding race accelerates
Sequoia Capital is reportedly joining GIC and Coatue in a $25B funding round for Anthropic that would value the AI startup at about $350B, according to the Financial Times. The deal underscores sustained investor appetite for frontier model developers and the escalating capital intensity of training and deployment.
Source: Seeking Alpha
You May Also Be Interested In...
- Stocks near their highest valuations since 1880 – Apollo Global
- Israel moves to open ride-hailing market to Uber and Lyft
- European automakers slide on Greenland tariff risk
- HDFC Bank reports Q3 results
- EU seeks to bar Chinese firms from vital infrastructure
- The 20 stocks hedge funds are most underweight