Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
Dollar Steadies Ahead of ECB and BoE Decisions as Markets Turn Risk-Off 
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off 
Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Stabilizes, Yen Weakens Ahead of Japan Election 
Asian Markets Slip as AI Spending Fears Shake Tech, Wall Street Futures Rebound 
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Warns Inflation Risks Remain as Rates Stay Steady 
Gold and Silver Prices Slide as Dollar Strength and Easing Tensions Weigh on Metals 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Australia’s December Trade Surplus Expands but Falls Short of Expectations 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Global Markets Slide as AI, Crypto, and Precious Metals Face Heightened Volatility 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
Singapore Budget 2026 Set for Fiscal Prudence as Growth Remains Resilient 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
US-India Trade Bombshell: Tariffs Slashed to 18% — Rupee Soars, Sensex Explodes 
Wall Street futures turned higher late Wednesday after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to end the longest government shutdown in American history. The move followed a volatile trading session that saw investors rotating out of major technology stocks and into cyclical sectors.
S&P 500 futures climbed 0.1% to 6,882.50, Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.2% to 25,684.50, and Dow Jones futures gained 0.2% to 48,449. The shift came after the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a record 48,225.07, lifted by gains in industrials and banks, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.3% amid tech sector weakness.
The House approved the government funding bill by a narrow 222–209 vote. The legislation, already passed by the Senate, will provide funding until at least January 30. President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law at 21:45 ET (02:45 GMT). The passage comes just hours before the shutdown would have entered its 43rd day, offering relief to investors optimistic about the resumption of federal operations.
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) surged 7.6% in after-hours trading after beating fiscal Q1 earnings expectations, driven by stronger demand for AI-related network infrastructure. However, tech sentiment remained fragile. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) dropped nearly 3%, while Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) each lost around 2%. Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR) fell 3.6%, and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) declined 1.6%.
Investor caution deepened following SoftBank Group’s $5.8 billion sale of its NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) stake, which fueled renewed fears of an AI valuation bubble. The Japanese conglomerate’s sale, intended to finance its $40 billion and $540 billion investments in OpenAI and the Stargate project, underscored growing concerns about excessive AI valuations.
As optimism builds around the government reopening, market focus remains on balancing exposure between high-growth tech stocks and value-driven cyclical sectors.
