Venezuela Oil Exports Rise, Output Cuts Continue
Venezuela’s oil exports under a flagship $2bn supply deal with the U.S. reached around 7.8 million barrels on Wednesday, vessel-tracking data and st...
Wall Street closed higher on Tuesday, boosted by optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) and a strong rally in Moderna shares, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average approaching a record high.
Moderna jumped almost 11% after BofA Global Research raised its price target, lifting the S&P 500 healthcare index by 1.96%. Memory and storage technology stocks also surged following Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on upcoming AI processors. SanDisk rose 27%, Western Digital 17%, Seagate 14%, and Micron 10%, all hitting record highs. The PHLX chip index gained 2.75%, bringing its early 2026 gains to roughly 8%.
Investors are awaiting fresh U.S. economic data as the effects of a 43-day federal government shutdown fade.
Key reports this week include ADP job figures and job openings on Wednesday (7 January), followed by December’s official employment report on Friday. Weaker-than-expected data could bolster arguments for central bank rate cuts.
The S&P 500 ended up 0.62% at 6,944.82 points, the Nasdaq gained 0.65% to 23,547.17, and the Dow rose 0.99% to 49,462.08. Trading volumes were relatively heavy, with 18.7 billion shares changing hands compared with a 20-session average of 16.1 billion.
Energy shares slipped after strong prior gains, with Exxon Mobil down 3.4% and Chevron 4.5%. Concerns over cooling demand for data centres following Nvidia’s AI chip comments saw Johnson Controls fall 6.2% and Trane Technologies 2.5%. AIG shares tumbled 7.5% after CEO Peter Zaffino announced his resignation.
Within the S&P 500, advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a ratio of more than three to one, with 62 new highs and 8 new lows. The Nasdaq recorded 126 new highs and 42 new lows.
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
Several locally-developed instant messaging applications were reportedly restored in Iran on Tuesday (20 January), partially easing communications restrictions imposed after recent unrest.
There was a common theme in speeches at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday (20 January). China’s Vice-Premier, He Lifeng, warned that "tariffs and trade wars have no winners," while France's Emmanuel Macron, labelled "endless accumulation of new tariffs" from the U.S. "fundamentally unacceptable."
Dozens of beaches along Australia's east coast, including in Sydney, closed on Tuesday (20 January) after four shark attacks in two days, as heavy rains left waters murky and more likely to attract the animals.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would “work something out” with NATO allies on Tuesday, defending his approach to the alliance while renewing his push for U.S. control of Greenland amid rising tensions with Europe.
Argentina’s economic activity fell by 0.3% in November 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier, marking the country’s first monthly contraction of the year, the national statistics agency INDEC said on Wednesday.
Wall Street closed sharply lower on Tuesday as global markets fell after U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariff threats against Europe unsettled investors and revived fears of renewed volatility.
Global markets are rattled after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland, sending the euro to a seven-week low and raising concerns about renewed transatlantic trade tensions.
Hong Kong and Shanghai will sign a memorandum of understanding next week to establish a cross-border gold trade clearing system, a move aimed at boosting Hong Kong’s role as an international gold trading hub, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said.
Elon Musk is seeking up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing that the companies profited unfairly from his early support of the artificial intelligence firm, according to a court filing made public on Friday.
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