In today’s Market Brief - After Hours, markets opened 2026 with a selective and cautious tone as the FTSE 100 briefly crossed the historic 10,000 level, European equities rallied on banks and defence stocks, and US markets delivered a mixed start to the year amid rotation within technology. We break down the divergence between semiconductor strength and software weakness on Wall Street, record moves in South Korea driven by chip demand, volatility in gold and silver prices, softer oil markets, and key shifts across major FX pairs including EUR/USD, GBP/USD and AUD/USD. The episode also covers notable stock movers in AI, energy and retail as investors position for a more selective trading environment in the year ahead.

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