The Finimize Daily Brief

China’s factory sector activity hit the brakes, producing fresh worries for investors, while British home prices perked up more than expected, starting the year on a high note. Today’s stories: China’s Factories Stumbled In December, Churning Out New Worries For Investors British Home Prices Looked Grand, Approaching All-Time Highs At The End Of The Year Try Finimize Pro  

Goldman Sachs sees strong growth in the US, and that's good news for the global economy, while 2025 might not be the best year for stocks – but there will be opportunities. Today’s stories: Goldman Sachs Is Expecting A Sparkling Year Ahead For The US Economy 2025 Looks Like A Happy New Year, Albeit A Bit Different To This One Try Finimize Pro

The global economy held up impressively well in 2024, despite investors’ worst fears, while stocks rallied this year like it was 2021 all over again. Today’s stories: 2024 Was A Good Year For The Big Picture, Even With All The Curveballs Markets Have Just About Wrapped For The Year, So Here’s What Played Out Try Finimize Pro

Novo Nordisk’s shares slimmed way down as investors felt disappointed by its latest obesity drug trial, while Oura raised $200 million from investors – proving it’s not just celebrities and executives who adore the Finnish smart rings. Today’s stories: Novo Nordisk’s Stock Went On A Crash Diet After The Firm’s Latest Clinical Trial Investors Demonstrated Their Love For Oura, Lifting The Smart Ring...

Perplexity’s AI search engine has been growing in popularity, and the startup’s valuation has grown too, while the US dollar hit a two-year high, with interest rates expected to stay lofty for longer. Today’s stories: AI Startup Perplexity’s Latest Funding Round Has Tripled The Firm’s Valuation The US Dollar Rose To A Two-Year High On Expectations Of Fewer Rate Cuts Next Year Try Finimize Pro  

Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan are reportedly considering a mega-merger, while AI firm Databricks landed $10 billion in new funding – the latest flex for private markets. Today’s stories: Honda And Nissan Might Join Forces To Create One Giant Carmaking Monster AI Firm Databricks Just Raised A Whopping $10 Billion In Venture Capital Funding Try Finimize Pro  

Bank of America’s latest survey just sent up a warning flare about stocks, while UK wage growth outpaced expectations, slamming the door on a December rate cut. Today’s stories: Fund Managers Have Been Stampeding Into US Stocks At Record Speed Speedy UK Wage Growth Has Made The Chances Of A Rate Cut Look Slim Try Finimize Pro  

Apple’s got plans for some new gadgets to try and boost sales, while China’s retail sales were weak – despite government efforts to inspire shopping sprees. Today’s stories: Apple Is Rumored To Be Zhuzhing Up The iPhone, Among Other Device Updates China Got A Harsh Reality Check, With Retail Sales Coming In Way Below Expectations Try Finimize Pro  

BlackRock suggested adding a bit of bitcoin to your portfolio, while the UK’s latest data has Brits worried about the possibility of a recession. Today’s stories: BlackRock Thinks That Bitcoin Has A Reasonable Place In Your Portfolio The UK’s Latest Economic Data Came In Weaker Than Anybody Wanted Try Finimize Pro  

The Nasdaq has officially made investors’ nice list, while the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank took the knife to interest rates again. Today’s stories: The Nasdaq Has Investors In Good Spirits, Charging Up To New Record Highs Two Central Banks Announced Interest Rate Cuts – In The Eurozone And Switzerland Try Finimize Pro  

US inflation was bang in line with expectations, all but guaranteeing an interest rate cut next week, while London’s stock debut scene has never looked drearier. Today’s stories: US Inflation Was Exactly As Expected, Making A Holiday Rate Rate Cut Look Likely London’s IPO Market Has Fallen – It’s Now Down To 20th Place Globally Try Finimize Pro  

Obscure bonds – backed by fast food and pop songs – have been booming, while a long dry spell in Brazil means your coffee might soon cost, ahem, a latte. Today’s stories: Wall Street’s Been Selling Bonds Backed By Chicken Wings And Music Royalties A Brazilian Dry Spell Has Caused A Headache, Driving Coffee Prices To Record Highs Try Finimize Premium  

China announced a dramatic new shift in policy, aiming to boost growth, while Omnicom’s Interpublic deal would create the world’s biggest ad firm – but in the digital arena, even giants can get knocked out. Today’s stories: China's Cutting Loose, Unveiling A Dramatic New Policy Change Omnicom And Interpublic Might Team Up, Creating The World's Biggest Ad Agency Try Finimize Premium  

US electricity demand is set to surge thanks to AI, while the recent rally in stocks and crypto has stirred a sudsy warning from Bank of America. Today’s stories: US Electricity Demand Is Set To Jolt Higher Over The Next Five Years Bank Of America Sees A Potential Bubble Building In US Stocks And Crypto Try Finimize Premium  

Bitcoin just notched a brand-new high, and it’s a big one, while Nerd-adored Games Workshop – maker of Warhammer – got tapped to join London’s blue-chip stock index. Today’s stories: Bitcoin Is Looking Bigger Than Ever, Hitting Six Figures For The First Time Games Workshop – Maker Of Warhammer – Just Got Shuffled Into The FTSE 100 Index Try Finimize Premium

Amazon’s AWS is building a honking AI supercomputer, aiming to chip away at Nvidia’s dominance, while exclusive data from the Modern Investor Pulse showed that investors think 2025 will be just peachy. Today’s stories: Amazon Web Services Is Building An AI Supercomputer Using Its Own Chips Retail Investors Are Expecting A Strong 2025, According To The Modern Investor Pulse Try Finimize Premium

SpaceX is reportedly preparing for an insider share sale that could boost its market value, while more Americans had loan applications rejected this year – potentially spelling trouble ahead. Today’s stories: SpaceX Might Send Its Valuation To The Moon With An Insider Share Sale This Year, It’s Been More And More Difficult For Americans To Take Out Loans Try Finimize Premium

OpenAI said it’s got a plan to quadruple its ChatGPT user base in the coming year, while China's manufacturing grew in November, driven by a bounceback in export demand. Today’s stories: OpenAI Wants A Billion ChatGPT Users Next Year, And It Has A Plan To Get There China’s Manufacturing Sector Might Just Have A Recovery In The Making Try Finimize Premium  

European inflation jumped up in November, in line with expectations, while India’s economic growth hasn’t been this sluggish in almost two years. Today’s stories: Inflation In The Eurozone Came In Above Target For The First Time In A While India Broke Stride, With Disappointing Economic Growth In The Latest Quarter Try Finimize Premium

French government bonds briefly yielded more than Greek ones on Thursday – a financial first that's turning heads, and Chip equipment companies had a reason to be thankful on Thursday, as their stocks rallied amid holiday cheer and whispers of lighter US sanctions against China. Try Finimize Premium  

The US central bank’s preferred measure of inflation sped up, while the mood in Germany dimmed – with folks fearing job losses and a widening downturn. Today’s stories: US Inflation Sped Up, But Not By More Than Economists Were Expecting Consumer Confidence In Germany Sure Looks Down In The Dumps Try Finimize Premium

Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic could be covered by Medicare and Medicaid under a new proposal, while the US president-elect pledged new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. Today’s stories: Millions Of Americans Could Become Eligible To Receive Weight-Loss Drugs The President-Elect Put The Chevy To The Levy, Pledging Fresh Trade Taxes Try Finimize Premium

Amazon cozied up to AI firm Anthropic with another big investment, while the pick for the US Treasury’s top job kept markets happy. Today’s stories: Amazon Doubled Its Stake In Anthropic, Hoping For A Leg Up In The AI Race Investors Seemed To Approve Of The Latest Pick For US Treasury Secretary Try Finimize Premium  

Demand for MicroStrategy's latest fundraising exceeded expectations, while business activity in the eurozone slowed sharply in November. Today’s stories: MicroStrategy Raised $3 Billion To Add To Its Huge Cryptocurrency Stash Business Activity In Europe Looks Downright Down In The Slumps Try Finimize Premium

US justice officials say Google should be forced to sell Chrome, while Elon Musk’s xAI hit a hefty $50 billion valuation. Today’s stories: Google May Be Forced To Sell Chrome, If The US Justice Department Gets Its Way Elon Musk’s AI Startup Raised Funds At A $50 Billion Valuation Try Finimize Premium