Gold Prices Dip as Markets Absorb Dovish Fed Outlook; Silver Eases After Record High 
China’s Small Bank Consolidation Struggles as Profits Fall and Risks Persist 
Korea Zinc Plans $6.78 Billion U.S. Smelter Investment With Government Partnership 
South Korea Extends Bond Market Stabilization Measures Amid Rising Financial Risks 
Russia Stocks End Flat as Energy and Retail Shares Show Mixed Performance 
Wall Street Futures Dip as Broadcom Slides, Tech Weighed Down Despite Dovish Fed Signals 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
Modi and Trump Hold Phone Call as India Seeks Relief From U.S. Tariffs Over Russian Oil Trade 
Global Markets Slide as Tech Stocks Sink, Yields Rise, and AI Concerns Deepen 
S&P 500 Slides as AI Chip Stocks Tumble, Cooling Tech Rally 
Oil Prices Rebound as U.S.-Venezuela Tensions Offset Oversupply Concerns 
China’s November Economic Data Signals Slowing Industrial Output and Weak Consumer Demand 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
U.S. Dollar Slides for Third Straight Week as Rate Cut Expectations Boost Euro and Pound 
Japan Business Sentiment Hits Four-Year High, Boosting Expectations of BOJ Rate Hike 
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.
