Group 1 - European stocks are expected to open higher, with the U.K.'s FTSE index and Germany's DAX projected to rise by 0.4%, France's CAC 40 by 1.1%, and Italy's FTSE MIB by 0.5% [1] - The positive market sentiment follows a mixed closing on Wednesday as investors evaluated a series of corporate earnings reports [2] - A busy earnings day is anticipated, with major companies such as Siemens, L'Oreal, Anheuser-Busch Inbev, British American Tobacco, Mercedes-Benz Group, Adyen, and Deutsche Borse set to report [2] Group 2 - Japan's Nikkei 225 index reached 58,000 for the first time, marking a continuation of its post-election rally [3] - U.S. futures related to the Dow Jones Industrial Average showed little change after the index's three-day winning streak ended [3]

Group 1 - Chinese artificial intelligence stocks experienced a rally, with several companies unveiling upgraded models and policymakers advocating for broader technology adoption [1][3] - Zhipu AI, trading as Knowledge Atlas Technology, saw a 30% surge in shares after launching its GLM-5 open-source large-language model, which boasts enhanced coding capabilities [1][2] - MiniMax's shares jumped 11% following the launch of its M2.5 open-source model, designed for Max coding and agentic workflows [2] Group 2 - The Shanghai STAR AI Industry Index increased by 1.7% before reducing its gains, reflecting the overall positive sentiment in the AI sector [2] - DeepSeek upgraded its flagship AI model, adding support for a larger context window and more current knowledge, indicating ongoing competition among Chinese developers [3] - Ant Group released its open-source AI model, Ming-Flash-Omni 2.0, which can generate speech, music, sound effects, and visuals, showcasing advancements in multimodal AI capabilities [4] Group 3 - Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized the need for a comprehensive push to implement AI across diverse scenarios to unlock its potential [4]

Core Insights - Chinese factories and ports are experiencing heightened activity ahead of the Lunar New Year, despite the impact of U.S. tariffs, indicating resilience in the manufacturing sector [1][2]. Group 1: Manufacturing Activity - Factory activity in China typically surges at the beginning of the year as manufacturers rush to fulfill orders before the Chinese New Year holiday [2]. - A Guangdong-based electronics manufacturer reports operating at nearly full capacity, with American customers continuing to place orders despite tariff concerns [2][3]. - The China Beige Book indicates that factories have seen a significant increase in orders, production, and earnings ahead of the holiday [3][4]. Group 2: Export and Shipping Trends - Industrial output in January is estimated to have increased significantly compared to the previous year, with both domestic and export orders accelerating sharply [4]. - Major Chinese ports handled 40% more containers during the week ending February 1 compared to the same period last year, marking the fastest year-on-year growth in over 12 months [5]. - Ports in Ningbo are operating beyond capacity, with individual vessels overbooked by more than 20%, leading to a suspension of container gate-in [6].

Jeffrey Epstein and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group CEO of DP World.House Oversight Committee Democrats U.S. officials made new disclosures from the Epstein files on Monday, naming who they believe was the recipient behind a disturbing email sent by the deceased financier and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, in which he referenced a supposed "torture video."That name is Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, one of the Emirates' most powerful business figures, who, for years, maintained a relationship with Epstein, with th ...

Group 1: Job Market Insights - U.S. jobs grew by 130,000 in January, significantly exceeding expectations of 55,000 additions, and marking an increase from December's revised 48,000 [1][2] - The strong jobs report has reduced the likelihood of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, negatively impacting market sentiment [2] - Job gains remain concentrated in health care-related sectors, raising concerns about employment opportunities for displaced and new workers [2] Group 2: Market Reactions - U.S. stocks fell, with the Dow ending a three-day winning streak following the jobs report [1] - AI-related fears have negatively affected stock markets, particularly impacting software companies like ServiceNow and Salesforce, which saw declines of more than 5% and over 4%, respectively [4] - Bitcoin is on track for a fourth consecutive week of losses, hovering around the $67,000 mark, indicating ongoing challenges in the crypto market [4] Group 3: Economic Context - The revised Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicates job gains last year were only 15,000, leading to a cautious approach from investors regarding the jobs market [3]

Market Overview - Asian markets reacted to stronger-than-expected U.S. payroll data, which dampened expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts and negatively impacted U.S. stocks [1] - Japan's Nikkei 225 index reached 58,000 for the first time, driven by renewed confidence in domestic politics and the ruling administration's economic agenda [1] - Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures were lower at 27,206 compared to the last close of 27,266.38 [1] U.S. Market Performance - Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index increased by 0.42% in early trading [2] - The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended a three-day winning streak, dropping 66.74 points (0.13%) to close at 50,121.40 [2] - The S&P 500 index remained nearly flat at 6,941.47, while the Nasdaq Composite fell by 0.16% to 23,066.47 [2] Employment Data - The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a job growth of 130,000 in January, significantly higher than the Dow Jones estimate of 55,000 [3] - December's job growth was revised down to 48,000, indicating a stronger labor market that has reduced the likelihood of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve [3] Consumer Spending - A separate report indicated that consumer spending in December was flat, missing the expected 0.4% monthly gain [4]

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins appears at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 2026.Cisco reported better-than-expected quarterly results on Wednesday, but the stock dropped about 7% in extended trading as earnings guidance for the current period only met estimates. Here's how the company did in comparison with LSEG consensus:Earnings per share: $1.04 adjusted vs. $1.02 expected Revenue: $15.35 billion vs. $15.12 billion expectedCisco's revenue grew about 10% from $14 billion a year earlier, ...

Core Viewpoint - Instagram's chief Adam Mosseri testified that while there can be problematic usage of social media, he does not classify it as addiction, emphasizing the distinction between clinical addiction and problematic use [1][2] Group 1: Testimony and Legal Context - Mosseri acknowledged that the term addiction can be used casually, differentiating personal feelings of excessive use from clinical definitions [2] - The ongoing trial in Los Angeles involves a plaintiff alleging that social media platforms, including Instagram, misled the public about app safety and contributed to mental health issues in young users [2][4] - TikTok and Snap were initially part of the lawsuit but have settled, leaving Instagram as the primary focus regarding its impact on the plaintiff's mental health [3] Group 2: Company Decisions and Responsibilities - The plaintiff's lawyer questioned Mosseri about Instagram's design choices that may lead to negative mental health effects, highlighting the role of executives in decision-making [5] - Mosseri stated that the protection of minors is a priority, asserting that safeguarding children aligns with long-term business interests [6] - The trial is part of a broader trend of legal scrutiny on social media platforms concerning their safety and awareness of potential risks to children [6]

Core Insights - SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced a reorganization of the xAI venture, which involved layoffs to enhance execution speed [1] - xAI co-founders Jimmy Ba and Tony Wu have exited the company, following the departure of several other founding members [2] - SpaceX acquired xAI in a record-setting all-stock transaction, valuing SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion post-merger [3] Company Developments - The reorganization at xAI comes as SpaceX prepares for a public offering later this year [3] - xAI is currently facing regulatory probes in multiple jurisdictions, including Europe, Asia, and the U.S., related to potential violations of regional regulations [4] - The regulatory scrutiny is focused on xAI's Grok chatbot, which has been implicated in the creation and distribution of non-consensual explicit images [4] Historical Context - xAI was launched in 2023 with the goal of competing against major players like OpenAI and Google, aiming to "understand the true nature of the universe" [4] - Musk previously used xAI to acquire the social network X (formerly Twitter) in another all-stock transaction announced in March 2025 [3]

Core Viewpoint - McDonald's reported strong quarterly earnings and revenue that exceeded analysts' expectations, driven by a focus on value and affordability, leading to increased customer traffic [1]. Financial Performance - The company reported a fourth-quarter net income of $2.16 billion, or $3.03 per share, an increase from $2.02 billion, or $2.80 per share, a year earlier [1]. - Excluding restructuring charges, McDonald's earned $3.12 per share, surpassing the expected $3.05 [5]. - Net revenue rose by 10% to $7 billion, exceeding the expected $6.84 billion [5]. Same-Store Sales Growth - Same-store sales increased by 5.7%, outperforming Wall Street's projection of 3.9% [2]. - U.S. same-store sales grew by 6.8%, rebounding from a decline of 1.4% in the previous year due to an E. coli outbreak [3]. - Internationally, same-store sales growth was reported in nearly all markets, with the international operated markets segment achieving 5.2% growth and the international developmental licensed markets division seeing a 4.5% increase [4]. Promotions and Value Offerings - The company attributed its sales growth to successful promotions, such as the Grinch meal and Monopoly, which enhanced customer traffic and sales [3]. - McDonald's expanded its value offerings by relaunching Extra Value Meals, providing approximately a 15% discount on combo meals [3].