China’s ‘Lipstick King’ Says AI Won’t Replace Livestream Hosts 
Soybean Futures Slip as Traders Await Trump-Xi Trade Signals 
Gold Prices Fall as Treasury Yields Rise on Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Fed’s Hammack Says Bond Yield Surge Is Not Driven by Inflation Fears 
U.S. Dollar Hits Two-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Surge 
Oil Prices Fall on U.S.-Iran Hormuz Deal Hopes 
Canadian Dollar Faces Pressure as Fed-BoC Policy Gap Widens 
Gold Holds Near $4,275 as Rising Treasury Yields Fuel Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Oil Prices Jump 3% as Houthi Attack Revives Supply Fears 
Asian Currencies Mixed as Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High 
European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields and Geopolitical Risks Weigh 
Dollar Falls as Oil Eases, Yen Jumps on Intervention Signals 
RBI Uses $10 Billion Currency Swaps to Drain Excess Rupee Liquidity 
US 10-Year Treasury Yield at 6% Emerges as New Market Risk Threshold 
US Comfortable With Canada Trade Standoff as Import Bans Loom 
Trump, Xi Focus on Trade and AI at White House Summit 
Australia Unemployment Hits Five-Year High Despite Strong Jobs Growth 
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Global financial markets ended Friday on a weaker note as major stock indexes declined, led by a sharp selloff in technology shares amid renewed skepticism over artificial intelligence investments. Rising U.S. Treasury yields and a firmer dollar further pressured equities, highlighting investor caution despite the traditionally strong year-end period for stocks.
Technology stocks were the worst-performing sector in the S&P 500, falling nearly 3% as concerns about high spending and shrinking margins in the AI and cloud computing space intensified. Shares of chipmaker Broadcom plunged more than 11% after it warned about margin pressures, while Oracle extended losses with another drop following weak forecasts and heavy investment spending. Nvidia, a key AI bellwether, also declined, reflecting broader uncertainty around the sustainability of the AI-driven rally.
Market sentiment was further weighed down by comments from U.S. Federal Reserve officials who opposed this week’s interest rate cut. They emphasized that inflation remains too elevated to justify aggressive easing, pushing U.S. Treasury yields higher. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield climbed above 4.19%, marking its second consecutive weekly increase, and rising yields added pressure on equity valuations.
Despite the Fed’s 25-basis-point rate cut earlier in the week, policymakers signaled a pause in further reductions, even as concerns grow about a cooling U.S. labor market. Recent jobless claims data showed the largest weekly increase in new unemployment filings in over four years, adding complexity to the outlook for monetary policy.
Global markets mirrored the cautious tone. European stocks fell, with bond yields in Germany reaching multi-year highs as investors began pricing in the possibility of future euro zone rate hikes. Currency markets saw the U.S. dollar edge higher, while sterling weakened after data showed the UK economy unexpectedly contracted. The yen remained under pressure ahead of an anticipated Bank of Japan rate hike.
Commodities also retreated, with copper sliding sharply from record highs on fears of an AI-driven demand bubble bursting. Oil prices posted a weekly decline as supply concerns outweighed geopolitical risks, underscoring the broader risk-off mood across global markets.
