Core Viewpoint - Gold prices have decreased as investors took profits after reaching a record high, influenced by reduced fears of U.S. military action against Iran and a softer stance from President Trump regarding the Federal Reserve Chair [1][2] Group 1: Market Reaction - Gold futures in New York fell by 0.6% to $4,608.60 per troy ounce, indicating a profit-taking trend among investors [2] - The easing of geopolitical tensions has contributed to a decline in demand for safe-haven assets like gold [1] Group 2: Economic Indicators - Investors are closely monitoring U.S. weekly jobless claims data for insights into the Federal Reserve's policy direction, as lower interest rates typically benefit non-yielding assets such as gold [2] - President Trump's comments about not planning to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell may also influence market sentiment regarding interest rates [1]

A fresh wave of political pressure on the Federal Reserve is rippling through financial markets, and cryptocurrencies are among the biggest beneficiaries. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and major altcoins moved higher after President Donald Trump sharply criticized Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling him a "jerk" and suggesting he "will be gone soon" during remarks at the Detroit Economic Club.The comments, combined with reports of a potential Department of Justice probe into aspects of Federal Reserve lead ...

The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president. I'm Eamon Javers, senior Washington correspondent for CNBC, and we've been watching this amazing story play out of this confrontation between the Department of Justice and the Federal Reserve over the past couple of days. This is a question about the future of the American economy. This is a question ...

Economic Data - The U.S. consumer prices rose +0.3% month-over-month in December, with annual inflation at +2.7%, consistent with expectations [1] - Core CPI, excluding food and fuel, increased by +0.2% month-over-month and +2.6% year-over-year, which was below expectations of +0.3% and +2.7% respectively [1] - U.S. new home sales fell -0.1% month-over-month to 737K in October, surpassing expectations of 716K [1] Market Performance - Wall Street's major indexes closed lower, with software stocks declining after Anthropic's new tool announcement, leading to Salesforce dropping over -7% and Adobe falling more than -5% [2] - Credit card companies also saw declines, with Visa down over -4% and Mastercard dropping more than -3% following President Trump's proposal for a cap on credit card interest rates [2] - Moderna's shares surged over +17% after the CEO announced plans for a combined flu and COVID-19 vaccine launch within two years [2] Corporate Earnings - The fourth-quarter corporate earnings season is underway, with major U.S. banks like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup set to report [7] - S&P 500 companies are expected to see an average quarterly earnings increase of +8.4% for Q4 compared to the previous year [7] Federal Reserve Insights - The Federal Reserve is expected to maintain current interest rates, with a 97.2% probability of no change and a 2.8% chance of a 25 basis point cut at the January meeting [6] - Fed officials expressed that inflation risks are easing, with expectations for prices to align with the central bank's target later this year [5] International Market Developments - The Euro Stoxx 50 Index decreased by -0.10% amid cautious sentiment ahead of U.S. economic data and bank earnings [13] - Japan's Nikkei 225 Index reached a new record high, driven by potential political changes and strong performances in healthcare, energy, and banking sectors [17][18] - China's trade surplus hit a record $1.19 trillion in 2025, with exports rising +5.5% year-over-year, indicating robust manufacturing strength [15]

Group 1 - The Supreme Court may issue an opinion on tariffs today, which could impact market direction as the S&P 500 is at a critical juncture [1] - The S&P 500 is showing signs of a topping area rather than a "melt-up," with low volatility still prevailing [1] - Economic data is not affecting long-term rates, as evidenced by the CPI report having no impact on the 30-year yield [1] Group 2 - Japan's 10-year government bond yield is rising, currently at 2.17%, with potential to reach 2.25% based on current patterns [1] - The USD/JPY currency pair has broken above resistance at 159, with a move towards 162 appearing likely due to Japan's fiscal spending plans [1] Group 3 - Software stocks have experienced significant declines, with Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Workday seeing substantial drops [1] - ServiceNow has returned to its 2021 highs, while Workday's performance appears even worse [1] - The market sentiment suggests concerns that these software companies may be negatively impacted by AI advancements [1] Group 4 - AI computing powers are transforming the stock market, with a significant portion of global portfolios outperforming benchmarks [2] - The Tech Titans strategy has notably doubled the S&P 500 within 18 months, featuring high-performing stocks like Super Micro Computer and AppLovin [2]

Market Overview - The Dow Jones led a market retreat from recent highs, with financials and software sectors experiencing declines [4][5] - Google and other AI-related stocks are noted to be performing well despite the overall market downturn [4] Economic Indicators - The ongoing dispute between President Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell regarding interest rates is expected to continue, potentially impacting market sentiment [4] - Recent inflation data has influenced investor behavior, contributing to the market's reaction [7] Company-Specific News - Delta Air Lines has announced a deal with Boeing and provided guidance for 2026 amid increasing demand [6] - JPMorgan and Bank of New York Mellon have reported diverging earnings results, indicating varied performance within the banking sector [7] - The upcoming earnings season is highlighted by key companies such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Taiwan Semiconductor [9]

What's going on, guys? Today we got a great conversation with John Pompiano. In this conversation, we talk about what's going on with Jerome Powell. He's in hot water, inflation, monetary policy, how it's impacting the market, what's going on with Bitcoin, and then we talk a little bit about the NYC token and what Eric Adams got himself into as well. All that and more in this conversation with John Pompiano. All right, John, what's the first topic? >> All right, Jerome Powell seems to be the guy, talk of th ...

Economic Indicators - Core consumer prices rose 0.2% month-over-month in December, matching November's pace and below the 0.3% consensus, resulting in a year-over-year increase of 2.6%, slightly under the 2.7% forecast [2] - Headline CPI increased by 0.3% month-over-month and 2.7% year-over-year, aligning with monthly expectations but slightly exceeding annual forecasts, with shelter costs being the largest contributor at 0.4% [2] Central Bank Actions - Global central bank officials, including leaders from the ECB, BoE, BOC, and RBA, issued a statement supporting Fed Chair Jay Powell and emphasizing the importance of central bank independence for economic stability [5] Company Earnings and Guidance - JPMorgan Chase's stock rose after providing optimistic guidance for 2026, with net interest income expectations surpassing consensus and expenses projected to be in line [6] - Delta Air Lines guided 2026 EPS to a range of $6.50–$7.50, slightly below the $7.20 consensus, resulting in a slight decline in its stock [7] - Intel and AMD stocks gained after being upgraded to Overweight by KeyBanc, driven by strong demand for server CPUs amid increasing data center and AI needs [7] Mergers and Acquisitions - Denny's shareholders approved a $620 million buyout by TriArtisan Capital Advisors, which owns TGI Fridays and P.F. Chang's, along with Treville Capital and Yadav Enterprises [8] Industry Challenges - Wells Fargo issued a warning for cable operators, downgrading Charter Communications, Comcast, Altice's Optimum, and Cable One to Underweight, anticipating a loss of approximately 1 million residential broadband subscribers this year due to competition from fixed wireless and fiber [10][11]

The Fed chairman is under fire. My initial reaction, frankly, is this entire thing sucks for America. We are being distracted.Instead of doing the things that are important in terms [clears throat] of getting interest rates down, spurring innovation and economic growth, and also making life more affordable for Americans, we instead now are sitting here all talking about the fact that the Federal Reserve chairman may or may not have lied to Congress about renovations that are using billions of dollars of pub ...

Core Insights - Grocery prices have surged, but this increase has been offset by lower price increases for appliances and vehicles, indicating a mixed inflationary environment ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate meeting [1] Group 1: Grocery Prices - The report highlights a significant rise in grocery prices, which is a key concern for consumers and policymakers [1] Group 2: Appliances and Vehicles - In contrast to grocery prices, the increases in prices for appliances and vehicles have been lower, suggesting some relief in these sectors [1] Group 3: Federal Reserve Context - This report is the last one before the Federal Reserve convenes to discuss interest rates, making it particularly relevant for monetary policy considerations [1]