Group 1 - The 10-year Treasury yield decreased slightly as investors awaited December retail sales data, which is expected to rise by 0.4% month-on-month compared to 0.6% in November [2] - The market is anticipating a backlog of economic data due to a partial U.S. government shutdown, including the January nonfarm payrolls report and consumer price data, with inflation forecasted to cool to 2.5% [3] - Developments in China are being monitored, particularly regarding reports that authorities have advised banks to reduce their exposure to U.S. Treasurys due to concerns over concentration risk and volatility [4]

Core Viewpoint - Kering anticipates a return to growth despite reporting another quarter of sales declines, with Gucci underperforming in the new CEO's first quarter [1][2] Group 1: Financial Performance - Kering's fourth-quarter sales fell 3% on a comparable basis to 3.9 billion euros ($4.64 billion), slightly exceeding FactSet estimates [1] - Gucci experienced a 10% decline on a comparable basis in the quarter, which was also slightly better than consensus expectations [2] - In 2025, Kering's sales decreased by 10% to 14.7 billion euros, with recurring operating income down 33% year-on-year and operating margin declining to 11.1% due to weaker sales [2] Group 2: Leadership and Future Outlook - CEO Luca de Meo acknowledged that 2025 did not reflect Kering's full potential, indicating a need for improvement [2] - Following the earnings report, Kering's shares surged over 13% shortly after the market opened, reflecting investor optimism about future growth [1]

Group 1: U.S. Market Performance - U.S. markets closed higher, with Big Tech stocks rebounding; Oracle increased by 9.6% and Microsoft by 3.1%, contributing to a 0.47% rise in the S&P 500 and a 0.9% jump in the Nasdaq Composite [1] - The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a slight increase of 0.04%, reaching another record close [1] Group 2: Asian Market Trends - Asian stocks mostly followed Wall Street's upward trend, with Japan's Nikkei 225 rising over 2%, outperforming regional peers [2] - Investors are optimistic about Japanese equities due to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic policies [2] Group 3: Big Tech Concerns - Despite gains in U.S. and Asian equities, Big Tech faces heavy capital expenditure and financing concerns; Alphabet warned of potential "excess capacity" in data centers [3] - Alphabet plans to raise $20 billion through a U.S. dollar bond sale, including a bond with a 100-year tenor [4] Group 4: Industry Growth Indicators - ChatGPT is reportedly exceeding 10% monthly growth, as stated by CEO Sam Altman; sustained industry growth could mitigate Alphabet's "excess capacity" issues [5] - Oil prices dipped slightly amid the European Union's plans to sanction ports in Indonesia and Georgia over Russian oil handling [5] Group 5: European Market Focus - Key stocks to watch in European markets include AstraZeneca, Barclays, and Kering, which are reporting earnings today [6] - Standard Chartered's shares fell by 3.4% in Hong Kong following the unexpected departure of Diego De Giorgi, who was anticipated to be the next leader of the bank [6]

Core Viewpoint - BP reported fourth-quarter profit in line with expectations but suspended share buybacks to strengthen its balance sheet amid lower crude prices [1][2]. Financial Performance - BP's underlying replacement cost profit for Q4 2025 was $1.54 billion, matching analyst expectations [1]. - The full-year 2025 net profit was $7.49 billion, below the expected $7.58 billion, and down from nearly $9 billion in 2024 [2]. Strategic Decisions - The board decided to suspend share buybacks to fully allocate excess cash towards strengthening the balance sheet [2]. - BP's interim CEO highlighted progress in cash flow growth, cost reduction, and balance sheet strengthening, while acknowledging the need for further work [3]. Industry Context - The results were released during a challenging period for Europe's oil and gas sector, with oil prices experiencing their largest annual loss since the Covid-19 pandemic due to oversupply concerns [3]. - Competitors Equinor and Shell also reported weaker earnings, with Equinor reducing its share buybacks significantly and Shell maintaining steady buybacks [4].

Core Viewpoint - The U.K. has expanded the British National Overseas (BNO) visa scheme, allowing children of BNO status holders to apply independently, which has drawn criticism from China as an interference in its internal affairs following the sentencing of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison under a national security law [2][4]. Group 1: Visa Scheme Expansion - The U.K. expanded the BNO visa scheme to allow children of BNO status holders, who were under 18 at the time of Hong Kong's handover in June 1997, to apply independently [2]. - Since the launch of the BNO scheme in 2021, over 230,000 people have been granted visas, with nearly 170,000 relocating to the U.K. [3]. - The British government estimates that 26,000 people will arrive in the U.K. over the next five years due to the expanded visa route [7]. Group 2: Sentencing of Jimmy Lai - Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, received a 20-year sentence, the heaviest penalty under the national security law, for charges including collusion with foreign forces [4][5]. - Lai's case has prompted diplomatic tensions, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer raising the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping and calling for Lai's release [6]. - The British government has stated that the sentencing reflects a deterioration of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, which has led many to leave the territory [7]. Group 3: Reactions and Criticism - China's embassy in London condemned the U.K.'s visa scheme expansion as "despicable" and "reprehensible," asserting that it misleads Hong Kong residents [3]. - Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, defended Lai's sentencing, claiming he harmed citizens and colluded with foreign forces [8]. - International reactions include calls for Lai's release, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeling the ruling as "unjust and tragic" [8].

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's logo is seen in the background beside a printed circuit board.Taiwan has told Washington that its proposal to move 40% of the island's semiconductor supply chain to the U.S. was "impossible," Taipei's top tariff trade negotiator said in an interview. Speaking on a local television broadcast Sunday, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said she had made it clear to Washington that the country's semiconductor ecosystem, built over decades, could not simply be relocated. Tai ...

Group 1 - SoftBank Group Corp's shares increased over 10% following its telecom arm, SoftBank Corp, raising its full-year profit outlook and positive sentiment around Arm Holdings' AI exposure [1] - For the first nine months of fiscal 2025, SoftBank Corp reported an 8% revenue increase to 5.2 trillion yen and an 8% rise in operating income to 884 billion yen, marking a record for the period [1] - The telecom subsidiary revised its full-year revenue forecast to 6.95 trillion yen from 6.7 trillion yen and increased its operating income target to 1.02 trillion yen, indicating steady execution towards fiscal 2025 goals [2] Group 2 - The consumer business saw a modest revenue gain of 3%, with segment income rising by 6%, despite a loss of 100,000 smartphone subscribers in the third quarter due to a tightened customer-acquisition policy [3]

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), speaks during a press conference at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on February 9, 2026.There's nearly nothing that apparently can't be deployed as a trading strategy. We have the "TACO" trade, the Fed put trade, the artificial intelligence trade and, now, capturing traders' attention is the "Takaichi trade" — fueled by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's landslide victory in Sunday's elections. The Takaich ...

Tesla Vice President Raj Jegannathan, a 13-year veteran of the automaker, announced his departure from the company on Monday in a LinkedIn post. Jegannathan's most recent title was vice president of IT, AI-infrastructure, Business Apps and InfoSec. In his short LinkedIn post, Jegannathan wrote, "The journey at Tesla has been one of continuous evolution."Last year, Jegannathan was tasked with leading the electric vehicle maker's sales team after previous North America sales leader, Troy Jones, was dismissed. ...

As Alphabet returns to the debt market to fund its artificial intelligence buildout, the company is acknowledging new risks tied to the rise of AI and its hefty investments in infrastructure.In its annual financial report late last week, the Google parent highlighted the potential impact of AI on the company's core advertising business and the possibility of ending up with "excess capacity" from its costly commitments. "To meet the compute capacity demands of AI training and inference, as well as traditiona ...