COMPANIES. Microsoft names new gaming chief. Microsoft APPOINTS ASHA SHARMA as executive vice president and chief executive of its gaming division. Phil Spencer steps down and remains in an advisory role during the transition. The company aligns gaming more closely with artificial intelligence and devices. The change reshapes leadership of Xbox and first party studios. THE ECONOMY. United States gross domestic product grows ONE POINT FOUR PERCENT. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports the economy EXPANDED AT ONE POINT FOUR PERCENT annualized in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty five. Growth slowed from FOUR POINT FOUR PERCENT in the third quarter. Consumer spending and investment supported activity while government spending and exports weighed on the headline number. The data signals slower momentum entering twenty twenty six. POLITICS. Supreme Court blocks global tariffs. In a SIX TO THREE decision the Court rules the president exceeded authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The ruling invalidates the legal basis for broad global tariffs. INNOVATION. Nvidia targets THIRTY BILLION DOLLAR OpenAI deal. Nvidia moves to finalize a THIRTY BILLION DOLLAR equity investment in OpenAI as part of a broader funding round that could exceed ONE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS.

COMPANIES. ANALOG DEVICES BEATS ESTIMATES AND RAISES DIVIDEND. Analog Devices reported revenue of 3.16 billion dollars for the quarter ended January 31, 2026. Adjusted earnings per share reached 2 dollars and 46 cents. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 11 percent to 1 dollar and 10 cents. It returned 1 billion dollars to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. Management projects about 3.5 billion dollars in revenue next quarter, plus or minus 100 million dollars. THE ECONOMY. INFLATION SIGNALS REMAIN MIXED. The Cleveland Federal Reserve nowcast points to slower year over year inflation. At the same time, forecasts for core personal consumption expenditures show monthly readings still above the 2 percent target. Policymakers signal caution on rate cuts as they wait for sustained disinflation. MARKETS. OIL HITS SIX MONTH HIGH. Brent crude settled near 71 dollars and 66 cents a barrel. West Texas Intermediate closed around 66 dollars and 43 cents. United States stock indexes ended lower as investors weighed energy prices and interest rate expectations. INNOVATION. NVIDIA SIGNS MULTIYEAR AI CHIP DEAL. Nvidia will supply millions of artificial intelligence processors to Meta under a multiyear agreement, reinforcing large scale infrastructure spending.

COMPANIES. Boeing secures 30 BILLION DOLLAR jet orders. Three Vietnamese airlines signed agreements with Boeing for 90 aircraft valued at about 30 BILLION DOLLARS. The contracts cover single aisle models and include long term delivery schedules, financing support and maintenance services. The deal strengthens Boeing’s production backlog as travel demand expands across Southeast Asia. THE ECONOMY. United States manufacturing jumps ZERO POINT SIX PERCENT in January. Data from the Federal Reserve show manufacturing output ROSE ZERO POINT SIX PERCENT, the biggest monthly gain in eleven months. December was flat. The increase exceeded market forecasts and signals resilience in the industrial sector as interest rate expectations remain under debate. POLITICS. Trump convenes Board of Peace on Gaza. President Donald Trump leads the first meeting of the Board of Peace with more than FORTY FIVE nations. The agenda includes reconstruction financing and governance structure. Key issues remain unresolved, including representation and oversight of pledged funds. MARKETS. Wall Street climbs on artificial intelligence stocks. Nvidia led gains, lifting major indexes as investors focused on artificial intelligence spending momentum.

COMPANIES. Palo Alto trims profit forecast. Palo Alto Networks CUT its full year profit outlook after reporting quarterly results. Revenue rose, but costs tied to acquisitions and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE investments pressured margins. Shares FELL in extended trading after the announcement. The shift signals tighter profitability in cybersecurity despite solid demand. ECONOMY. Fed signals possible rate cuts. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said the Federal Reserve could deliver SEVERAL rate cuts in twenty twenty six if inflation moves back toward the two percent target. The central bank has kept rates on hold in recent meetings. Markets adjusted expectations for the timing of easing as investors recalibrated bets. INTERNATIONAL. Ukraine talks end in Geneva. Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia stopped after a short session in Geneva. Delegations described the talks as difficult. Oil reacted immediately. Brent traded near sixty eight dollars and United States crude around sixty three dollars per barrel, reflecting renewed geopolitical tension. INNOVATION. Nvidia signs multiyear AI chip deal. Nvidia agreed to supply Meta with MILLIONS of AI chips under a multiyear contract covering Blackwell and future Rubin systems. The agreement secures large scale demand and reinforces Nvidia’s dominance in AI infrastructure.

COMPANIES. U.S. Airlifts Nuclear Microreactor. The United States transported a nuclear microreactor built by Valar Atomics from California to Utah aboard a C seventeen aircraft. The unit can generate up to FIVE MEGAWATTS of power. Officials said the reactor moved without nuclear fuel. The project advances toward initial operation at scaled capacity before reaching full output. The demonstration highlights federal backing for compact nuclear systems and signals potential commercial and defense applications. THE ECONOMY. Gross Domestic Product and Inflation Data in Focus. Investors await the first reading of fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product and the January Personal Consumption Expenditures index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge. Markets watch closely for any deviation from forecasts. The numbers will influence expectations for INTEREST RATES and monetary policy in the coming months. INTERNATIONAL. Airstrikes Raise Tensions in Gaza. Israeli airstrikes killed at least eleven people in Gaza. Israel said Hamas violated a truce. Diplomatic talks on reconstruction continue amid renewed violence. INNOVATION. Pentagon Pressures Artificial Intelligence Firm. The Pentagon signaled it could cut ties with Anthropic over restrictions on military artificial intelligence use, including access to classified networks and limits on autonomous weapons policies.

COMPANIES. LOWE’S CUTS 600 CORPORATE JOBS. Lowe’s will eliminate ABOUT 600 corporate and support roles, less than 1 PERCENT of its workforce. The company says it will redirect resources to frontline store employees. Affected staff will receive financial assistance and continued benefits during a transition period. Management frames the move as a shift toward customer facing operations and stronger in store execution. THE ECONOMY. UNITED STATES INFLATION SLOWS TO 2 POINT 4 PERCENT. The Consumer Price Index rose zero point 2 PERCENT in January. Annual inflation eased to 2 POINT 4 PERCENT, down from 2 point 7 percent in December. Core inflation increased zero point 3 percent on the month and 2 POINT 5 PERCENT year over year. Lower gasoline prices helped moderate the headline figure. POLITICS. SENATORS SEEK REVIEW OF 500 MILLION DOLLAR CRYPTO STAKE. Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to review a reported 500 MILLION DOLLAR, 49 PERCENT stake linked to a United Arab Emirates investor in World Liberty Financial. Lawmakers set a March 5 deadline for a response. INTERNATIONAL. NEW UKRAINE TALKS SET FOR NEXT WEEK. The Kremlin confirmed a new round of negotiations will take place next week as diplomatic efforts continue.

COMPANIES. Moderna faces Food and Drug Administration setback on flu vaccine. Moderna confirmed that the United States Food and Drug Administration refused to file its biologics license application for its messenger RNA influenza vaccine. The agency cited concerns about the Phase Three comparator design, not safety or efficacy. Moderna will seek a meeting with regulators and continue submissions outside the United States. The decision delays a potential new revenue stream in the respiratory market. THE ECONOMY. Markets await January Consumer Price Index data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the January Consumer Price Index today. Economists project a monthly increase and closely watch core inflation. The data will shape expectations for Federal Reserve interest rates. Investors focus on whether inflation shows renewed momentum at the start of the year. POLITICS. House votes to overturn Canada tariffs. The United States House passed a resolution to rescind tariffs on Canadian imports. Six Republicans joined Democrats in the vote. The measure now heads to the Senate and could face a presidential veto. INNOVATION. China prepares wave of low cost artificial intelligence models. One year after DeepSeek, Chinese developers plan a new generation of lower cost large language models targeting broader adoption and reduced computing costs. Competition in artificial intelligence is intensifying.

COMPANIES. Musk reorganizes xAI ahead of IPO. Elon Musk RESTRUCTURED xAI after merging it with SpaceX. The company created FOUR divisions focused on Grok models, coding systems, multimedia generation and machine learning infrastructure. Executives cited access to a large graphics processing unit cluster and plans for orbital data centers. The group is preparing a PUBLIC OFFERING to fund expansion. THE ECONOMY. United States ADDS 130 THOUSAND jobs in January. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 130 thousand and the unemployment rate stood at 4.3 PERCENT. Health care, social assistance and construction led gains. Federal government and financial activities cut positions. Benchmark revisions reduced prior job estimates for 2025. Markets reduced bets on near term rate cuts. POLITICS. House votes to rescind tariffs on Canada. The United States House approved a resolution challenging tariffs on Canadian goods. The measure passed with bipartisan support. The vote is symbolic and does not automatically remove the tariffs. It signals pressure inside Congress over trade policy. MARKETS. Gold falls as yields rise. After the jobs report, Treasury yields climbed and the dollar strengthened. Gold prices moved lower. Investors adjusted expectations for Federal Reserve policy. Rate cuts now appear LESS IMMEDIATE.

COMPANIES. Paramount raises bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount Skydance sweetened its offer to 30 dollars per share in cash and added a 25 cent quarterly ticking fee after December 31, 2026 if the deal does not close. The company also agreed to cover a 2 point 8 billion dollar termination fee tied to Warner’s agreement with Netflix. The move intensifies the takeover battle and pressures shareholders ahead of a scheduled vote. ECONOMY. Fed signals rates may stay on hold. Federal Reserve officials said interest rates could remain unchanged for quite some time. At the same time, the New York Federal Reserve reported rising household credit stress at the end of 2025. Inflation expectations eased, but delinquency trends increased. The data keeps markets focused on the path of monetary policy in the United States. POLITICS. House rejects tariff shield. The House voted 217 to 214 against a measure that would have blocked challenges to President Trump’s tariffs until July 31. The narrow vote keeps a legislative path open to contest trade actions. INTERNATIONAL. European Union clears 32 billion dollar Google deal. The European Commission approved Alphabet’s acquisition of Wiz valued at 32 billion dollars, removing a major regulatory hurdle for Google’s largest purchase ever.

COMPANIES. ALPHABET TAPS EUROPEAN DEBT MARKETS. Alphabet launched a MULTI TRANCHE bond sale in SWISS FRANCS, its FIRST issuance in that currency. The deal follows a recent large bond transaction in the UNITED STATES and expands the company’s funding beyond the dollar market. Investors focused on demand for HIGH GRADE corporate debt amid global interest rate uncertainty. The move strengthens Alphabet’s liquidity and diversifies long term financing. POLITICS. UNITED STATES FACES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DEADLINE. Lawmakers and the White House exchanged proposals as Congress works to approve funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The deadline is approaching and failure to pass a bill could trigger a PARTIAL FUNDING LAPSE. Negotiations focus on budget levels and immigration related provisions, keeping political risk elevated in Washington. MARKETS. RISK OFF HITS TECH AND CRYPTO. SOFTWARE stocks moved lower as investors reduced exposure ahead of key economic data. In digital assets, BITCOIN fell below SEVENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS during intraday trading. The pullback reflects caution around VALUATIONS and short term volatility. INNOVATION. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MEMORY TALKS AT THE TOP. SK GROUP CHAIRMAN Chey Tae won met NVIDIA chief executive Jensen Huang in the United States. Discussions focused on HIGH BANDWIDTH MEMORY and artificial intelligence chips, highlighting pressure to scale hardware supply for DATA CENTERS worldwide.