Core Insights - India's foreign exchange reserves experienced a significant decline of $9.8 billion, reaching $686.80 billion in the week ended January 2, marking the steepest weekly drop in over a year [2][3] - The decline was primarily driven by a sharp decrease in foreign currency assets, which fell by $7.6 billion to $552 billion, alongside a $2.1 billion reduction in gold reserves [2][3] Group 1: Reserve Decline Factors - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increased its efforts to stabilize the foreign exchange market, responding to pressure on the rupee amid ongoing capital outflows [3][7] - The decline in reserves was attributed to approximately $7 billion in dollar sales by the RBI, with an additional $2.7 billion loss due to revaluation from falling gold prices, which decreased by 4.4% week-on-week [4][8] Group 2: Market Conditions - The rupee depreciated by 0.38% against the US dollar during the reported week, influenced by corporate demand for dollars and uncertainties surrounding a delayed US trade deal [7][9] - The RBI's intervention aimed to mitigate volatility in the foreign exchange market, with no specific target level for the rupee but a focus on reducing excessive market shocks [8] Group 3: Future Outlook - The rupee has faced continued pressure, having depreciated 4.74% in 2025, with an additional decline of 0.32% noted in January [9] - Factors contributing to ongoing pressure include potential US sanctions, an unlikely trade deal, and a significant stock of maturing short forward positions, which reached $66.04 billion by the end of November [9]

Core Insights - A small group of credit cards that offered rewards on mortgage payments began to disappear in late 2025, indicating challenges in making mortgage rewards profitable [1][2]. Group 1: Company Actions - Mesa discontinued its Mesa Homeowners Visa Signature Preferred Card in December, while Rocket Mortgage phased out its Rocket Visa Signature Card earlier [2]. - These actions reflect the difficulties faced by companies in sustaining profitable mortgage reward programs [2]. Group 2: Card Features and Appeal - Mesa's card allowed homeowners to earn points on verified mortgage payments after meeting a spending threshold, along with over $800 in annual credits for brands like Costco and Lowe's, all with no annual fee [3]. - Rocket's card provided rewards that were most beneficial when applied toward down payments or closing costs with Rocket Mortgage [4]. Group 3: Industry Challenges - The profitability issue stems from transaction fees associated with processing mortgage payments via credit cards, which range from 1.5% to 3.5% across the industry [4]. - Some offers were deemed "too generous" to sustain long-term, impacting both card issuers and homeowners [5]. Group 4: Market Context - The median U.S. mortgage payment for households that moved in 2024 is approximately $2,225, which is often higher than combined spending on groceries, utilities, and insurance [6]. - Annually, this results in nearly $27,000 in mortgage payments without any rewards attached [6].

Core Insights - Bitcoin is currently trading at approximately $90,580, which is below the estimated miner production costs of around $101,000 per BTC, indicating a potential short-term rebound as macroeconomic policies evolve in the US [2][3]. Group 1: Bitcoin Price Dynamics - On-chain analyst Willy Woo suggests that investor flows into Bitcoin have been strengthening since December 24, 2025, despite a cautious outlook for 2026 due to declining liquidity [1]. - Historical trends indicate that trading below miner costs does not typically lead to panic selling; instead, miners tend to slow production, creating a temporary floor for prices [3]. Group 2: Macroeconomic Influences - President Donald Trump's proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10% could ease financial burdens for many Americans, potentially driving consumers towards Bitcoin and decentralized finance (DeFi) as traditional credit access becomes restricted for those with lower credit scores [5]. - Analysts warn that this shift may lead to increased adoption of alternative financial systems, including Bitcoin, as consumers seek options outside traditional banking [5]. Group 3: Market Behavior and Investor Sentiment - The actual spot inflows into Bitcoin, rather than market narratives or correlations with equity markets, are identified as key drivers for Bitcoin's price recovery [4]. - The potential macro catalyst of Trump's credit cap may intersect with the technical and flow-driven aspects of Bitcoin's market dynamics, suggesting a cautiously bullish sentiment in the near term [4].

Photographer: Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg Bond investors’ overarching wager on the path of the Federal Reserve and the Treasuries market in 2026 looks like it has room to run. Most Read from Bloomberg A much-anticipated employment report on Friday showed job growth was below forecasts last month, leaving intact expectations for additional Fed interest-rate cuts to support the economy. The result confirmed confidence in bets that short-maturity Treasuries, which are the most sensitive to the central ban ...

Coinbase encourages users to hold USDC on its exchange by offering 3.5% rewards on their Coinbase One balances, for example. If the market-structure bill bans that incentive, fewer people may hold stablecoins on the exchange, and Coinbase’s total stablecoin revenue - projected to have reached $1.3 billion in 2025, according to Bloomberg data - could potentially decline.For Coinbase, the rewards are an important issue. The exchange and Circle Internet Group Inc. share some interest income generated from the ...

Core Insights - The CES exhibition in the US catalyzed developments in the AI sector, while China's manufacturing PMI unexpectedly rebounded to 50.1% in December 2025, indicating a return to growth [1] - The A-share market experienced a strong start to the year, with the Shanghai Composite Index breaking the 4000-point mark and reaching a ten-year high of over 4100 points by the end of the week [1][2] - The defense, military, and media sectors performed well, while the banking and transportation sectors lagged behind [1] Weekly Market Review - All three major indices in the A-share market rose, with the Shanghai Composite Index increasing by 3.82%, the Shenzhen Component Index by 4.4%, and the ChiNext Index by 3.89% during the week from January 5 to 9 [2] - The average daily trading volume in the A-share market was approximately 2.85 trillion yuan, reflecting a 33.7% increase compared to the previous week [3] Sector Performance - The defense, military, media, non-ferrous metals, computer, and pharmaceutical sectors led the market with cumulative returns of 14.56%, 13.55%, 8.66%, 8.42%, and 7.7% respectively [3] - Conversely, the banking, transportation, oil and petrochemicals, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and telecommunications sectors showed weaker performance, with cumulative returns of -1.88%, -0.03%, 0.17%, 0.99%, and 1.61% respectively [3] ETF Fund Flows - Over the last five trading days (December 31, 2025, to January 8, 2026), there was a cumulative net outflow of approximately 14.48 billion yuan from ETFs, with broad-based ETFs experiencing overall net outflows [3] - However, products related to the CSI 500 saw significant net inflows, indicating a divergence in industry-specific ETF subscriptions and redemptions [3] Future Outlook - Short-term opportunities may arise for consensus stocks that have adjusted, while long-term focus should be on sectors with lower heat and concentration but increasing attention and catalysts, along with potential improvements in long-term ROE [8] Industry Insights - In the rare metals sector, demand for copper is expected to grow due to monetary easing and accelerated AI and power grid infrastructure [9] - The domestic AI industry and semiconductor localization remain strong, with expectations for a new wave of high-end AI computing chip releases by 2026 [10] - The commercial aerospace sector in China is advancing, with improvements in reusable rocket technology and potential IPOs for core companies [11] - Chinese engineering machinery companies are increasing their overseas market share, with over 40% of revenue from international markets expected by 2024 [12]

Wall Street had a stellar first full trading week of 2026, shaking off a barrage of uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump 's social media posts and the surprise military operation in Venezuela. The S & P 500 turned in a record high close Friday, following weaker-than-expected December job growth. The government reported that nonfarm payrolls increased by 50,000 last month, less than the 73,000 that economists had forecasted, adding to the case for more Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. For the week ...

Have you wondered why the recently-issued Adani Enterprises’ five-year non-convertible debenture (NCD) offers a coupon of 8.9 per cent, while a five-year fixed deposit from a PSU bank pays only about 6.5 per cent? That 2.4 percentage-point gap is not accidental—it reflects how the bond market prices risk, credit quality and liquidity.For fixed-income investors considering corporate bonds or State and Central government securities, understanding this difference is crucial. One of the most important yet lesse ...

Lucigerma / Shutterstock Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. One surprise that might hit you in your first few years of retirement — even after saying goodbye to work expenses and retirement account contributions, you may end up spending more than when you had a job. As you approach retirement, you may hear financial planners cite three retirement phases that dictate spending habits: Go-Go, Slow-Go and No-Go. In the Go-Go years, typically 6 ...

Americans are more worried about the job market and their job security than they are about inflation, according to the latest Survey of Consumer Expectations from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Survey respondents said they expect inflation to drop to 3% within the next three to five years, the NY Fed reported. Respondents also believe credit is easier to get now than it was in the recent past, and that trend should continue. Although reduced inflation and loosened credit should bode well for the ec ...