Stock Rally Fades, Gold Slips, $3T in Market Cap Set to Report Earnings

Market Trends & Global Economy - US indices finished up more than 1% yesterday, but exhaustion is expected today [1] - NASDAQ 100 is up 20% year-to-date, and the S&P is up 14.5% [2] - The 10-year yield is firmly below 4%, with the 30-year down 4.55% and the two-year yield at 3.45% [2][3] - The UK government borrowed $96 million more than forecast in the first six months of the fiscal year [23] Rare Earths & Trade - The U S is turning to Australia for a supply of rare earths with a landmark pact, the biggest deal of its kind between two Western nations [1][9] - China increased its rare earth export restrictions, putting the world on notice it has control over the supply chains [10] - Australia has the capacity to produce about 1/10 of what China can in terms of rare earth processing [12] - The U S Army has asked private equity to pitch strategic projects to help service fund $150 billion infrastructure overhaul [38] Corporate Earnings & Individual Movers - Regional banks are showing better-than-expected earnings, with Zions erasing its drop after last week [4][5] - Core Scientific shares are up 3.5% in premarket because a key proxy advisor has advised them to reject the bid from Coreweave [6] - DocGo shares are up 32% after announcing it has acquired Steady MD, a telehealth provider [7] - Unilever pushed back its merger with Magnum Ice Cream due to the government shutdown [62] - Pop Mart reported strong earnings following the release of a new series of Labubu dolls [63] AI & Technology - Core Scientific is changing from a Bitcoin miner to infrastructure for AI computing capacity [6] - European enterprises need to adopt AI solutions more quickly, with some clients taking six months to sign a deal [29] - The market is grappling with the dual mandate of efficiency and productivity gains from AI impacting the bottom line [50] - Ongoing AI spending is being monetized with additional attention on supply chain indicators, book-to-bill ratios, and data center power timelines [49] Japan - Sanae Takaichi has won the parliamentary vote to become Japan's first female Prime Minister [15][41] - A more positive attitude toward stimulus is expected from the new Japanese administration [16][18] - The Yen is above 151, and JGB's are under pressure [21]