Breaking News: Markets

• U.S. payrolls rose 50,000 in December, less than expected; unemployment rate at 4.4% - Nonfarm payrolls were expected to rise by 73,000 in December as the unemployment rate moved lower to 4.5%.
• Trump to meet with oil executives at White House. What we know about U.S. plans for Venezuela - The oil industry has been mostly silent on Venezuela as the security situation and stability of the government in Caracas is far from clear.
• Rio Tinto and Glencore restart talks over mega-merger that would create the world's largest mining firm - If completed, the deal would see the formation of the world’s biggest mining company.
• Hanwha Aerospace soars 11%, leading Asian defense stocks rally - Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Friday as investors parsed China's inflation data.
• China inflation hits near three-year high in December as full-year CPI misses target - China's consumer inflation accelerated in December to the fastest pace in more than two years, while factory-gate deflation extended for over three years.
• Trump instructs 'representatives' to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds, aiming to lower rates - President Donald Trump said he is "instructing my Representatives" to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds.
• Why Trump is going after institutional homebuyers: They dominate markets like Atlanta, Jacksonville - Trump's message may be aimed at places like Atlanta and Jacksonville, metropolitan areas where investor ownership is more visible than elsewhere.
• Global defense stocks surge after Trump calls for $1.5 trillion military budget in 2027 - U.S. defense stocks rallied in pre-market moves, following their European counterparts.
• European defense stocks extend rally amid geopolitical tensions - European stocks opened lower on Thursday despite a defense rally amid U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to annex Greenland.
• Asia-Pacific markets open mixed as Trump rattles defense firms and oil prices slide - Overnight, the S&P 500 and the Down Jones Industrial Average snapped a three-day winning streak.