Economy
- Private payrolls rose 41,000 in December, slightly below expectations, ADP says - Private sector job creation turned positive in December though at a bit softer pace than expected.
- Euro zone inflation hits 2% in December, in line with forecasts - Euro zone inflation stood at 2% in December, flash data from Eurostat showed on Wednesday.
- Iran unrest deepens as U.S. attack in Venezuela sharpens Trump intervention threat - The widespread unrest, fueled by a long-running economic crisis in Iran, killed at least 29 people while more than 1,200 people have been arrested.
- U.S. stocks show little reaction to Trump's extraordinary Venezuela action. Why investors see a bull case - Geopolitical shocks historically have little impact on the stock market, and, additionally, investors do not expect the attack will escalate further.
- RH, Wayfair shares rise after Trump delays furniture tariffs again - Shares of furniture retailers rose in early Friday trading after President Donald Trump delayed an increase in tariffs.
- Meet the 2026 stock market. It's the same AI-reliant market of 2025 - Tech's outperformance to start the new year suggests the AI trade still has legs, at least for now.
- Will he stay or will he go? Powell is not saying whether he'll stay on Fed board when chair term ends - Fed Chair Jay Powell has so far skirted the question of whether he'll stay on with the Fed when his term ends this year.
- Singapore fourth-quarter GDP jumps 5.7%, beats expectations on strong manufacturing - The advance figure was also up from the 4.2% growth in the quarter before, and pushed the country's full year GDP to 4.8%
- Economist Mark Zandi sees the Fed surprising with three rate cuts in first half of 2026 - Markets and Fed officials themselves see only modest easing in the year ahead.
- Fed minutes show officials were in tight split over December rate cut - The Federal Reserve on Tuesday released minutes from its December meeting.