Crude Oil Rises Sharply; US Consumer Sentiment Edges Higher In January

Market Performance - U.S. stocks showed positive movement, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining approximately 150 points on Friday [1] - The Dow increased by 0.38% to 49,453.05, while the NASDAQ rose by 0.66% to 23,635.11, and the S&P 500 climbed 0.48% to 6,954.85 [1] - Utilities sector shares increased by 1.5%, while health care stocks experienced a decline of 0.5% [1] Commodity Prices - Oil prices rose by 2.7% to $59.34, gold increased by 1.2% to $4,514.50, silver surged by 6.3% to $79.895, and copper rose by 2% to $5.9150 [5] European Market Trends - European shares were generally higher, with the eurozone's STOXX 600 gaining 0.91%, Spain's IBEX 35 Index rising 0.01%, London's FTSE 100 increasing by 0.85%, Germany's DAX up by 0.43%, and France's CAC 40 rising by 1.23% [6] Asian Market Trends - Asian markets closed mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei 225 gaining 1.61%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index up by 0.32%, China's Shanghai Composite rising by 0.92%, while India's BSE Sensex fell by 0.72% [7] Company-Specific Movements - Rich Sparkle Holdings Ltd saw its shares increase by 115% to $52.00 after signing a $39 million offering of 3 million ordinary shares at $13 per share [9] - Quanterix Corp shares surged by 31% to $8.54 following the appointment of Everett Cunningham as President and CEO [9] - CG Oncology Inc shares rose by 24% to $52.18 after announcing an expedited timeline for clinical trial data [9] - Aquestive Therapeutics Inc shares dropped by 40% to $3.72 due to an FDA letter identifying deficiencies [9] - Pacira Biosciences Inc shares fell by 13% to $22.70 after reporting preliminary FY25 revenue results [9] - Beta Bionics Inc shares decreased by 31% to $21.98 following preliminary fourth-quarter financial results [9] Economic Indicators - Nonfarm payrolls increased by 50,000 in December, slightly below expectations of 60,000 [10] - The unemployment rate decreased from 4.5% in November to 4.4%, below expectations [10] - Average hourly earnings rose by 0.3%, matching forecasts [10] - Housing starts declined by 4.6% to an annualized rate of 1.246 million units, while building permits fell by 0.2% to an annualized rate of 1.412 million [10] - The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index rose to 54.0 in January, the highest since September 2025 [10]