Global Markets React to AI Boom, China Gold Tax Shift, and RBA Hold
Stock Market News·2025-11-04 00:08

AI Sector Developments - The AI sector is experiencing significant growth, highlighted by a $38 billion cloud computing deal between OpenAI and Amazon Web Services, which provides OpenAI access to extensive Nvidia GPUs and CPU capacity for AI infrastructure development [2][3] - Major tech companies, including Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta, are projected to collectively spend over $380 billion on AI-related capital expenditures in 2025, indicating a strong commitment to AI infrastructure [3] Gold Market Changes - China has announced a change in its precious metals taxation framework, ending a VAT exemption on gold sales, reducing it from 13% to 6% for specific purchases, effective November 1, 2025 [4][5] - This policy change is expected to increase gold purchasing costs for consumers, potentially dampening retail demand, as spot gold prices fell below $4,000 an ounce following the announcement [5] Monetary Policy in Australia - The Reserve Bank of Australia has maintained its official cash rate at 4.35% amid economic complexities and persistent inflation, a decision anticipated by financial markets [6][7] - Recent economic indicators, including a trimmed mean inflation miss, influenced the RBA's decision to keep rates steady, with forecasts indicating inflation may remain elevated [7] Automotive Industry Updates - Stellantis has terminated its binding offtake agreement with Novonix for synthetic graphite material due to disagreements on product specifications, leading to a significant drop in Novonix shares [10][11] - The agreement was initially for a minimum of 86,250 tonnes and aimed at supporting Stellantis's North American cell manufacturing partners from 2026 to 2031 [10] Streaming Services Dispute - A contract dispute between YouTube TV and Disney has resulted in a blackout of Disney-owned channels for 9-10 million subscribers since late October 2025, stemming from disagreements over carriage fees [12][13] - Despite the ongoing blackout, Disney requested a temporary restoration of ABC for Election Day, which YouTube TV declined, emphasizing the complexities in content distribution and rising costs in the streaming industry [13]