The Finimize Daily Brief

Amazon unboxed some better-than-expected results, but weak guidance left investors unimpressed, and forget interest rate cuts: the US president has a new tactic in mind. Today’s stories: Amazon Delivered Better-Than-Expected Results, But Investors Didn’t Like The Full Package The US President Has His Sights Set On Lowering The 10-Year Treasury Yield Try Finimize Pro  

Figure AI made a major breakthrough in humanoid development, while weight-loss drugmaker Novo Nordisk showed off its own new-and-improved results, reporting better-than-expected sales. Today’s stories: Robotics Firm Figure AI Just – Surprisingly – Bowed Out Of Its OpenAI Partnership Trim Results From Novo Nordisk Might Just Move The Needle On Its Shares Try Finimize Pro

Alphabet’s shares initially fell after Google’s parent company failed to clear the high bar it set for itself, while China hit back against new US tariffs with a targeted warning shot approach. Today’s stories: Google-Parent Alphabet’s Mixed Report Got A C For Effort From Investors In Response To The Latest US Tariffs, China Unveiled An Arsenal Of Its Own Try Finimize Pro

OpenAI launched its “deep research” tool, designed to cut the time you spend scouring the web so you can… uh, climb trees or something, while US tariffs on goods coming from Canada and Mexico were put on hold for a month – giving Americans precious time to stock up on tequila. Today’s stories: OpenAI Dropped Its “Deep Research” Tool, Giving The World Something To Chat About America’s Taxes On Cana...

OpenAI’s latest funding round looks set to value the AI darling near $300 billion, while Exxon eased past analysts’ expectations – earning bragging rights over less-fortunate Chevron. Today’s stories: OpenAI’s Laughing All The Way To The SoftBank In Its Latest, High-Value Funding Round Exxon And Chevron Posted Results, And The Latter Fell Short Of Its “Big Oil” Reputation Try Finimize Pro  

Weaker-than-expected sales in China took the shine off Apple’s record revenue quarter, while the European Central Bank cut interest rates – but the region’s fate may hinge on choices made across the pond. Today’s stories: Apple Announced A Crisp Crop Of Earnings, With Just A Couple Of Exceptions The European Central Bank Shaved Interest Rates For The Fifth Time Since June Try Finimize Pro  

Microsoft, Meta, and Tesla were first up to bat for Big Tech, but their earnings were far from a home run, while ASML reported order numbers that towered over analysts’ predictions – so investors thought the stock deserved a leg-up. Today’s stories: Microsoft, Meta, And Tesla Kept Each Other Company With Decidedly Mixed Results Investors Gave ASML’s Stock A Treat After The Firm Posted Chunky Earni...

Ray Dalio warned that US stocks remind him of the 90s – but in a dotcom bubble bursting way, not Tamagotchis and Spice Girls – while Europe’s biggest tech company, SAP, proved it deserves the top spot, revealing expectation-beating, AI-driven revenue. Today’s stories: Ray Dalio Thinks That US Stocks Look Like They Did During The Dotcom Bubble Europe's Biggest Software Firm, SAP, Reported Reve...

Chinese AI lab DeepSeek shook up the App Store... and investors’ nerves, while China’s factory activity hit its lowest level since August – indicating yet another slowdown in the already stuttering economy. Today’s stories: Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Is Already Storming Past America’s Best China’s Factories Are Feeling The Cold, Slowing Down After Months Of Growth Try Finimize Pro

A solid quarter from American Express highlighted how well high-end consumers are holding up, while one of India’s biggest conglomerates announced plans to build the world’s biggest AI-focused data center – at a cost that very few could afford. Today’s stories: American Express's Latest Results Revealed How The Other Half Have Been Living The World’s Biggest Data Center Is Coming To India, Al...

Top bank CEOs warned that US stocks might be too expensive right now, while GE Aerospace announced a strong fourth quarter, wrapping up its transformation from conglomerate to company. Today’s stories: According To The Bosses At Two Big Banks, US Stocks Are Expensive Right Now GE Aerospace Posted Expectation-Beating Results, And Its Stock Duly Took Off Try Finimize Pro  

The Stargate project came together to give AI spending more rocket fuel, and the US president’s tariff threats landed in China and Europe. Today’s stories: The Newly Announced Stargate Project Plans To Spend $500 Billion On AI Infrastructure The US President Extended Threats Of Fresh Tariffs To Both China And Europe Try Finimize Pro  

Netflix broke records after its Squid Game-studded quarter, while the new US president threatened fresh trade tariffs almost as soon as he returned to the Oval Office. Today’s stories: Netflix Is Going Full Stream Ahead After A Record-Breaking Quarter The US President Threatened New Tariffs As Almost His First Order Of Business Try Finimize Pro

Bitcoin broke its own record as two presidential meme coins entered the market, while the US ban on TikTok lasted mere hours – but the app hasn’t been granted permanent residency yet. Today’s stories: Two Presidential Meme Coins Launched, And Bitcoin Hit A New Record High TikTok Popped Back Up On US Devices Just Hours After Being Disappeared Try Finimize Pro  

US companies are expected to report their best quarter since 2021, while China’s economy grew faster than expected. Today’s stories: Analysts Have High Hopes For S&P 500 Companies This Earnings Season China’s Economy Outran Predictions At The Tail End Of Last Year Try Finimize Pro

Bank of America and Morgan Stanley announced better-than-expected results, while TSMC rode the AI wave with mega growth forecasts and big expansion plans. Today’s stories: Fresh Updates From Two Big Banks Showed That The US Is Still Streets Ahead Investors Applauded TSMC’s Latest Results, And Its Plans For The Future Too Try Finimize Pro  

A key US inflation measure cooled, delivering relief to the market, while investors plowed record sums into S&P 500 equal-weighted funds, betting the rest of the market will beat tech. Today’s stories: Core US Inflation Landed Cooler Than Expected, In A Welcome Relief To All Investors Grew More Tech Shy Last Year, Opting For S&P 500 Equal-Weighted Funds Try Finimize Pro  

The US president-elect is reportedly considering a plan to ramp up tariffs gradually, rather than all at once, while Chinese banks made fewer loans last year – a rare drop and a troubling sign. Today’s stories: The US President-Elect Might Be Considering A Softer Approach To Tariff Hikes Chinese Banks Handed Out The Fewest New Loans In Over A Decade Last Year Try Finimize Pro

Oil prices climbed above $80, with aggressive new sanctions against Russian exporters expected to squeeze supply, while global temperatures broke a key climate threshold – rising 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. Today’s stories: Oil Prices Hit A Five-Month High After The US Imposed New Sanctions On Russia Global Temperatures Rose 1.5°C Last Year, Breaking A Key Climate Thresho...

The US economy ended the year on an unexpectedly high note, creating 256,000 new jobs in December, while TSMC shot the lights out in its latest quarter, boosting hopes that AI hardware spending will continue its blistering pace. Today’s stories: The US Economy Overachieved Again, Creating Far More Jobs Than Expected Chipmaker TSMC Posted Record-Smashing Revenue In The Fourth Quarter Try Finimize P...

Global bond markets sold off, and that’s not a great sign for stocks, while quarterly updates from two major British grocery chains hinted at lower inflation pressures. Today’s stories: Global Bond Markets Took Some Big Hits, Sending Yields Skyrocketing Two UK Grocery Giants Delivered Festive Updates That Hinted At Lower Inflation Try Finimize Pro

China amped up its stimulus machine again, hoping to give consumer spending and the economy a boost, while AI startup Anthropic is closing in on a $60 billion valuation – triple the level it hit just last year. Today’s stories: China’s Pulling Out The Stops To Get Its Consumers Spending Again AI Startup Anthropic Is Getting Mighty Close To A $60 Billion Valuation Try Finimize Pro

Nvidia blew the doors off a big tech show in Vegas, with a glimpse of the humanoid, driverless, supercomputer future, while the Pentagon blacklisted tech firm Tencent and battery maker CATL for alleged ties to the Chinese military. Today’s stories: Nvidia Took Showing Off To The Next Level In Its Latest Tech Reveal The Pentagon Just Blacklisted Tencent And CATL, Stirring Up Markets Try Finimize Pr...

Foxconn delivered a record-shattering quarter, with AI demand still firing on all cylinders, while private equity has been hinting about selling some assets – and that could lead to an IPO revival. Today’s stories: Foxconn Busted Out The Confetti With An Absolutely Record-Shattering Quarter If Private Equity Firms Sell Off Their Assets This Year, The US Could See An IPO Revival Try Finimize Pro

Mined diamonds had a rough year, as lab-grown stones chipped away at their market share, while multi-strategy hedge funds did well in 2024 – and you can borrow from their playbook. Today’s stories: Fierce Competition From Lab-Grown Diamonds Has Been Making Natural Ones Cheaper Multi-Strategy Hedge Funds Did Well Last Year, And You Can Replicate Their Approach Try Finimize Pro