USPS Expands Electric Vehicle Fleet as Nationwide Transition Accelerates 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
South Korea Inflation Edges Up in November as Food and Service Costs Climb 
Morgan Stanley Boosts Nvidia and Broadcom Targets as AI Demand Surges 
Tech Stocks Lift S&P 500 as Fed Rate-Cut Expectations Rise 
Infosys Shares Drop Amid Earnings Quality Concerns 
South Korea to End Short-Selling Ban as Financial Market Uncertainty Persists 
KiwiSaver shakeup: private asset investment has risks that could outweigh the rewards 
Ferrari Group to Launch IPO in Amsterdam, Targets Over $1 Billion Valuation 
Apple Appoints Amar Subramanya as New Vice President of AI Amid Push to Accelerate Innovation 
Apple Downgraded by Jefferies Amid Weak iPhone Sales and AI Concerns 
Rio Tinto Raises 2025 Copper Output Outlook as Oyu Tolgoi Expansion Accelerates 
Dollar Holds Steady as Markets Shift Focus to 2026 Rate Cut Expectations 
Wall Street Rebounds as Investors Eye Tariff Uncertainty, Jobs Report 
Anthropic Reportedly Taps Wilson Sonsini as It Prepares for a Potential 2026 IPO 
Oil Prices Rise as Geopolitical Tensions and Supply Risks Intensify 
The S&P 500 plunged 1.6% on Friday after a stronger-than-expected December jobs report heightened fears of a prolonged Federal Reserve rate pause. The Dow Jones dropped 707 points (1.7%), while the NASDAQ Composite also fell 1.6%.
The U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs in December, surpassing expectations of 164,000, while November's figures were revised down to 212,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.1% from 4.2%. These robust numbers suggest the Fed may delay rate cuts further. Jefferies noted that current data favors steady rates at the Fed's January and March meetings. Market odds for unchanged rates in January climbed to 98%, with the next potential cut now projected in mid-2024, according to Investing.com's Fed Rate Monitor Tool.
Treasury yields surged, with the 10-year yield reaching 4.765%, the highest since November 2023, dampening growth sectors, particularly technology. Analysts warned that breaching the 5% yield threshold could trigger renewed equity sell-offs.
Chipmakers NVIDIA and AMD led tech declines, with AMD facing pressure from a Goldman Sachs downgrade citing revenue concerns.
Looking ahead, Q4 earnings season kicks off next week. Major banks like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are set to report.
Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines soared over 9% on better-than-expected earnings, driven by strong travel demand. Walgreens Boots Alliance jumped 27% after surpassing Q1 earnings estimates and issuing an optimistic annual forecast.
Investors remain cautious as economic data and Fed policy weigh heavily on market sentiment.
