US equity futures are modestly higher. Asian markets were broadly stronger, while European equities are trading firmer. Markets are stabilizing after pushback against earlier AI disruption fears, with sentiment helped by the Anthropic enterprise event emphasizing partnerships rather than displacement. A major AMD compute deal with Meta and expectations for Nvidia earnings are supporting the chip and AI infrastructure theme. President Trump’s State of the Union highlighted economic achievements and outlined retirement and healthcare proposals, while striking a measured tone on tariffs and Iran. Consumer confidence improved in the latest reading, though regional manufacturing data remained soft, and Fed officials signaled inflation progress has slowed, keeping rate expectations cautious.

Companies Mentioned: Microsoft, Unity Software