President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea, a key US ally in East Asia, arrived in Beijing at noon on Sunday for his first China trip since taking office. The four-day state visit comes at a moment when the global order is teetering, with old structures crumbling and a new world yet to emerge. Over 200 South Korean entrepreneurs, including the chairmen of Samsung and SK Group, are accompanying Lee on ...
President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea, a key US ally in East Asia, arrived in Beijing at noon on Sunday for his first China trip since taking office. The four-day state visit comes at a moment when the global order is teetering, with old structures crumbling and a new world yet to emerge. Over 200 South Korean entrepreneurs, including the chairmen of Samsung and SK Group, are accompanying Lee on his trip, which includes two days each in Beijing and Shanghai. Advertisement Lee will attend a Korea-China business forum on Monday morning, followed by a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are also expected to hold a memorandum signing ceremony, and Xi will later host a state banquet in Lee’s honour, according to South Korean media. Lee’s state visit unfolds amid a turbulent global landscape, where Seoul must delicately navigate US-China rivalry and China-Japan tensions while pursuing mutually beneficial opportunities with Beijing. Advertisement He is expected to strike a balance between regional issues – including North Korea’s nuclear threats and stability in the Korean peninsula – and forging stronger ties with Beijing.
Daniel J. Kritenbrink is a partner at The Asia Group. Previously, Kritenbrink served in the United States government as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and ambassador to Vietnam. His diplomatic career spans three decades and includes assignments in Japan, China, Kuwait and Washington. In this interview, Kritenbrink discusses the many nuances of the US-China relation...
Daniel J. Kritenbrink is a partner at The Asia Group. Previously, Kritenbrink served in the United States government as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and ambassador to Vietnam. His diplomatic career spans three decades and includes assignments in Japan, China, Kuwait and Washington. In this interview, Kritenbrink discusses the many nuances of the US-China relationship, from cooperation to competition to rivalry, and argues both countries should weigh the positives and negatives of ties fairly to avoid a “white-hot” conflict. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus . For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here Advertisement Given that commercial outcomes appear to be increasingly dependent on geopolitical shifts – export controls , tariffs, sanctions, cross-border data rules – how should multinational firms prepare themselves for shocks in US-China relations? At The Asia Group, what we tell our clients is that we are here to help them navigate the intersection of geopolitics and commercial strategy. Under the second [US President Donald] Trump administration, what we found is that geopolitical factors are more important to commercial strategy than any time in recent history. Advertisement The US-China relationship is already the world’s most consequential and complex relationship, and on top of that there are some priorities of the administration which have been focused on – trying to reduce the size of the trade deficit, drive supply chains back to the United States. So it is more important than ever before that corporations consider these geopolitical factors. It has been one of the more extraordinary years in US-China relations, after having fought a pretty bitter trade war, which started as a tariff war then evolved into a supply chain war. It has now stabilised, in perhaps a fragile truce.
Latvian police boarded a ship docked in the port of Liepāja and opened a criminal probe after an undersea communications cable was damaged. The ship and the crew haven’t been detained, and those on board are cooperating with law enforcement after the Jan, 2 incident that damaged an optical cable, Latvia’s police department said Sunday in a statement . Investigators didn’t name the cable owner or t...
Latvian police boarded a ship docked in the port of Liepāja and opened a criminal probe after an undersea communications cable was damaged. The ship and the crew haven’t been detained, and those on board are cooperating with law enforcement after the Jan, 2 incident that damaged an optical cable, Latvia’s police department said Sunday in a statement . Investigators didn’t name the cable owner or the ship. The Leta newswire reported that the cable is owned by Swedish company Arelion . The cable runs from Palanga. Lithuania, to Liepāja, Leta reported, without saying where it obtained the information. The damage hasn’t affected consumers in either country, Leta said. Finnish authorities seized a ship on Dec. 31 suspected of damaging a telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia. There has been a rash of incidents causing damage to undersea telecommunications cables, power connections and gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which is bordered by Russia and eight northern European countries.
NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 4:25 PM ET — Market closed Amazon shares closed down 1.9% at $226.50 on Friday, the first U.S. trading session of 2026. Chipmakers led the broader market higher while consumer discretionary names, including Amazon, weighed on the Nasdaq. Reuters Investors turn to U.S. jobs data on Jan. 9 and the still-unconfirmed timing of Amazon’s next earnings report. Bureau of Labor Stati...
NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 4:25 PM ET — Market closed Amazon shares closed down 1.9% at $226.50 on Friday, the first U.S. trading session of 2026. Chipmakers led the broader market higher while consumer discretionary names, including Amazon, weighed on the Nasdaq. Reuters Investors turn to U.S. jobs data on Jan. 9 and the still-unconfirmed timing of Amazon’s next earnings report. Bureau of Labor Statistics Amazon.com, Inc. shares (AMZN) ended Friday down 1.9% at $226.50, starting 2026 on the back foot after a choppy session that ranged from $224.71 to $235.39. The move matters now because investors are resetting positions after year-end and quickly repricing growth stocks around the interest-rate outlook. Small shifts in expectations on rates can swing valuation for big tech names like Amazon, where much of the investment case rests on future cash flows. Friday’s trade reflected a split market. Chip stocks rallied, but consumer discretionary shares — companies tied to non-essential spending — pressured parts of the Nasdaq, with Amazon among the decliners, Reuters reported. Reuters Joe Mazzola, head of trading and derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab, described the mood as “buy the dip, sell the rip” — a tactic of buying pullbacks and selling rebounds. Reuters Technically, traders will focus on Friday’s bookends: support near the session low at $224.71 and resistance near the $235.39 high. Amazon opened at $231 and finished $4.34 below its prior close. The next company catalyst is Amazon’s fourth-quarter results. In its last guidance, issued with third-quarter results in October, Amazon said it expected fourth-quarter net sales of $206.0 billion to $213.0 billion and operating income of $21.0 billion to $26.0 billion. Investors will likely keep the spotlight on Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company’s cloud unit, which reported third-quarter sales up 20% year-on-year to $33.0 billion. AWS competes most directly with Microsoft’s Azure and Alphabet’s Google Cloud, maki...
Key Points Fluor's engineering and construction business tends to be highly cyclical. The business has shifted away from set price contracts to variable ones. Fluor was an early investor in nuclear energy start-up NuScale Power. 10 stocks we like better than Fluor › Fluor (NYSE: FLR) is working diligently to make its business a more reliable source of cash flow. It has made significant progress as...
Key Points Fluor's engineering and construction business tends to be highly cyclical. The business has shifted away from set price contracts to variable ones. Fluor was an early investor in nuclear energy start-up NuScale Power. 10 stocks we like better than Fluor › Fluor (NYSE: FLR) is working diligently to make its business a more reliable source of cash flow. It has made significant progress as well. That's good news, but is it enough to justify buying the stock in the hope of setting yourself up for life? What if you add in Fluor's large ownership stake in an exciting nuclear power start-up? There's a lot to like about Fluor, but you still might want to tread with caution. Here's why. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » What does Fluor do? Fluor is an engineering and construction company. Essentially, businesses and governments hire Fluor to build things for them. These are massive structures, such as power plants, office buildings, and roads. And Fluor is good at what it does. However, Fluor has been changing its core business approach. Historically, it bid on many contracts with set prices. If construction costs ended up lower than the contracted price, Fluor retained the extra cash. If construction costs ended up higher than the contracted price, Fluor had to pay for the cost overruns. That exposed the company to significant financial risk and led to a fairly volatile income statement. The company decided that it needed to shift its focus so it could show Wall Street more consistent financial results. To that end, 82% of the company's $28.2 billion backlog is now made up of reimbursable contracts. That's great news, and investors should be pleased. However, there's still one small problem. Large construction projects tend to be a bit cyclical. When times are flush, things get built. During recessions, large construction projects are often canceled or put on hold...
Rubio says there's 'not a war against Venezuela' despite U.S. capture of Maduro toggle caption Molly Riley/AP/The White House U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday the United States is not at war with Venezuela, adding that the U.S. is "running policy" in Venezuela — not with troops on the ground but through financial leverage on the remaining allies of former-President Nicolas Maduro. "...
Rubio says there's 'not a war against Venezuela' despite U.S. capture of Maduro toggle caption Molly Riley/AP/The White House U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday the United States is not at war with Venezuela, adding that the U.S. is "running policy" in Venezuela — not with troops on the ground but through financial leverage on the remaining allies of former-President Nicolas Maduro. "We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction because not only do we think it's good for the people of Venezuela, it's in our national interest," Rubio said in an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. Rubio, who is also President Trump's interim national security adviser, said the U.S. will enforce its influence through an existing "oil quarantine" imposed by U.S. naval vessels near the coast of Venezuela. Sponsor Message "Our military is helping the Coast Guard conduct a law enforcement function, which is not just the capture of Maduro, but the enforcement of our sanctions," Rubio said on the program. "And we think that's just tremendous leverage, incredible crippling leverage, which we intend to continue to use until we see the changes that we need to see." Since September, U.S. forces have struck at least 35 alleged drug boats, killed at least 115 people on board and seized oil tankers near Venezuela. The comments offer the first glimpse of what U.S. policy toward Venezuela will look like following the weekend raid that captured the country's leader, and Trump's remarks that the U.S. will "run" Venezuela. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., echoed Rubio in calling for a pressure campaign against Maduro's allies who still control the country. Cotton specifically named interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who previously served as vice president under Maduro. "They have control of the military and security services," Cotton told CNN. "We have to deal with that fact." During a Sunday interview with The Atlantic magazine, Trump said Rodriguez would "pay a ve...
Who Is Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's Deputy? Venezuela’s former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez is now president of the country, U.S. President Donald Trump said, hours after a U.S. military operation captured former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Jan. 3. “She was just sworn in, but she was, as you know, picked by Maduro,” Trump said. He said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio “i...
Who Is Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's Deputy? Venezuela’s former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez is now president of the country, U.S. President Donald Trump said, hours after a U.S. military operation captured former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Jan. 3. “She was just sworn in, but she was, as you know, picked by Maduro,” Trump said. He said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio “is working on that directly. Just had a conversation with her, and she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. Very simple. ” The overnight surprise attack resulted in Maduro and Flores being shipped to New York to face charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Courtesy of Jacki Thrapp via The Epoch Times, here is what we know about Rodríguez. Who Is Rodríguez? Rodríguez was born and raised in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on May 18, 1969. The 56-year-old leader graduated from Universidad Central de Venezuela, became a lawyer, and quickly rose through the political system in the past decade. Rodríguez served as the Communication and Information Minister in 2013 before she pivoted to a Foreign Ministry position from 2014 to 2017 and eventually served as the head of the Constituent Assembly, which expanded Maduro’s powers. Vice Presidency Maduro selected Rodríguez as his vice president in June 2018, describing her as “a young woman, brave, seasoned, daughter of a martyr, revolutionary, and tested in a thousand battles.” In August 2024, Maduro assigned Rodríguez to manage sanctions on oil between the United States and Venezuela. Acting Leader Trump announced from Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 3 that the United States will “run” Venezuela until a peaceful transition can be made, while saying that Rodríguez has agreed to work with the United States after being “sworn in” as Venezuela’s new preside...
NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 16:16 ET — Market closed Microsoft shares fell 2.21% on Friday to $472.94. The stock lagged even as chipmakers surged, leaving the Nasdaq little changed. Traders are watching U.S. jobs and inflation data next week, plus Microsoft’s still-unannounced earnings date. Microsoft Corp shares slipped on Friday, falling 2.21% to close at $472.94 after trading between $470.19 and $48...
NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 16:16 ET — Market closed Microsoft shares fell 2.21% on Friday to $472.94. The stock lagged even as chipmakers surged, leaving the Nasdaq little changed. Traders are watching U.S. jobs and inflation data next week, plus Microsoft’s still-unannounced earnings date. Microsoft Corp shares slipped on Friday, falling 2.21% to close at $472.94 after trading between $470.19 and $487.15. The drop matters because Microsoft is one of the biggest weights in U.S. equity indexes and a bellwether for the “AI trade,” shorthand for bets that artificial intelligence will drive a new leg of growth. That makes the stock particularly sensitive to shifts in interest-rate expectations. Higher rates tend to pressure richly valued growth names because they reduce the present value of profits expected further out. Friday’s tape underscored the split. The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index jumped 4%, while Microsoft and Apple fell, keeping the Nasdaq essentially flat on the first trading day of 2026. Joe Mazzola, head of trading and derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab, called it a “buy the dip, sell the rip” market — trader slang for buying pullbacks and selling sharp rallies. Reuters Rate expectations are in focus after fresh Fed commentary over the weekend. Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson signaled further cuts may take time as officials weigh whether cooling inflation and a stabilizing labor market are durable. Reuters The next catalysts land fast. The U.S. Employment Situation report for December is scheduled for Jan. 9 at 8:30 a.m. ET, and the Consumer Price Index for December is due Jan. 13 at 8:30 a.m. ET; the Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting is set for Jan. 27-28. Bureau of Labor Statistics Microsoft’s own calendar is a moving target. The company’s investor relations page says its next earnings release date will be announced soon, while third-party earnings calendars list late January for the report but flag the timing as unconfirmed. Microsof...
NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 16:23 ET — Market closed Apple shares ended Friday down about 0.3% as investors weighed valuation into late-January earnings. Raymond James resumed coverage with a neutral rating, citing limited near-term catalysts. U.S. jobs data on Jan. 9 and the Fed’s late-month meeting are key macro swing factors for megacap tech. Apple Inc shares closed Friday down about 0.3% at $271.01...
NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 16:23 ET — Market closed Apple shares ended Friday down about 0.3% as investors weighed valuation into late-January earnings. Raymond James resumed coverage with a neutral rating, citing limited near-term catalysts. U.S. jobs data on Jan. 9 and the Fed’s late-month meeting are key macro swing factors for megacap tech. Apple Inc shares closed Friday down about 0.3% at $271.01, giving back a slice of their late-2025 run. Raymond James resumed coverage with a “market perform” rating — Wall Street shorthand for a neutral view — citing a rich valuation and a thin near-term catalyst calendar, according to an Investors Business Daily report. The stock is valued at roughly 30 times trailing earnings, a price-to-earnings ratio that measures what investors pay for each dollar of profit. Investors The timing matters because Apple’s next big checkpoint is its holiday-quarter update, when it will have to show that iPhone demand and Services growth can keep pace with expectations. Investors are also looking for clearer signs that Apple Intelligence, the company’s branded suite of AI features, can translate into higher device upgrades and stickier services revenue rather than marketing sizzle. More broadly, the first session of 2026 underscored how quickly money can rotate within Big Tech. The Dow and S&P 500 finished higher on Friday, lifted by chipmakers, while Apple and Microsoft fell and helped keep a lid on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, Reuters reported. Joe Mazzola, head of trading and derivatives strategy at Charles Schwab, described the tone as a “buy the dip, sell the rip” market — traders buying pullbacks and taking profits quickly on bounces. Reuters Apple also disclosed a management change in a filing dated Jan. 2. The company said its board appointed Ben Borders as principal accounting officer, effective Jan. 1, succeeding Chris Kondo as part of a previously announced transition plan. SEC On the chart, Apple is about 6% below its 52-week high of $288....
Key Points The asset management firm acquired 510,000 shares of Antero Midstream in the third quarter. The transaction represents about 1.94% of reported 13F AUM. The shares were worth about $9.91 million at quarter-end. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › New York City-based Ripple Effect Asset Management disclosed a new position in Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE:AM), a...
Key Points The asset management firm acquired 510,000 shares of Antero Midstream in the third quarter. The transaction represents about 1.94% of reported 13F AUM. The shares were worth about $9.91 million at quarter-end. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › New York City-based Ripple Effect Asset Management disclosed a new position in Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE:AM), acquiring 510,000 shares valued at approximately $9.91 million, according to its November 14 SEC filing. The firm also reported holding put options underlying 600,000 shares and call options underlying another 225,000 shares. What Happened According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dated November 14, Ripple Effect Asset Management LP initiated a new stake in Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE:AM), purchasing 510,000 shares. The estimated value of the new holding was $9.91 million at the close of the third quarter, based on the quarterly average price. The position accounts for 1.94% of the firm’s 13F reportable assets. What Else to Know Top holdings after the filing include: NYSE: VST: $27.90 million (16.1% of AUM) NYSE: EQT: $25.31 million (14.6% of AUM) NASDAQ: TLN: $17.42 million (10.0% of AUM) NYSE: KGS: $15.53 million (8.9% of AUM) NYSE: XIFR: $15.26 million (8.8% of AUM) As of Friday, shares of Antero Midstream were priced at $17.94, up 16% over the past year, which was relatively in line with the S&P 500's nearly 17% gain in the same period. Company Overview Metric Value Revenue (TTM) $1.25 billion Net Income (TTM) $472.42 million Dividend Yield 5% Price (as of Friday) $17.94 Company Snapshot Antero Midstream owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure, including gathering pipelines, compressor stations, and water handling facilities; revenue is primarily generated from gathering, processing, and water services. Its primary customers are upstream natural gas and liquids producers in the Appalachian Basin, with a strong focus on suppor...
Watch the AMD CES 2026 Keynote here AMD’s hosting CES 2026’s premiere keynote – Watch it here AMD is hosting the premiere keynote of CES 2026, with CEO Lisa Su taking the stage to discuss the world’s most powerful technologies. During this event, we expect AMD to discuss its AI solutions and its vision for the future. 2026 is set to be a big year for AMD. With its Instinct MI400, AMD aims to lead ...
Watch the AMD CES 2026 Keynote here AMD’s hosting CES 2026’s premiere keynote – Watch it here AMD is hosting the premiere keynote of CES 2026, with CEO Lisa Su taking the stage to discuss the world’s most powerful technologies. During this event, we expect AMD to discuss its AI solutions and its vision for the future. 2026 is set to be a big year for AMD. With its Instinct MI400, AMD aims to lead the world of AI and surpass Nvidia. On the CPU side, AMD’s preparing its next-generation Zen 6 processors. Furthermore, AMD’s expected to deliver “advancements” that are “driven by Ryzen CPUs and Radeon graphics.” With these points in mind, we can expect AMD to discuss AI, the CPU market, and the gaming industry. In her keynote, Dr. Su will outline how the broad AMD portfolio of CPUs, GPUs, adaptive computing, and AI software and solutions empowers customers and partners to solve the world’s most important challenges. From the leadership of AMD EPYC processors in the data center, to the acceleration enabled by AMD Instinct GPUs, and the advancements driven by Ryzen CPUs and Radeon graphics in AI PCs and gaming, AMD technology continues to spur innovation. Dr. Su has been recognised as TIME’s 2024 CEO of the Year and one of Fortune’s 100 Most Powerful People in Business. – CES Press Release AMD’s Lisa Su wouldn’t be hosting CES 2026’s biggest keynote if AMD didn’t have something big to talk about. In November, AMD unveiled its CPU and GPU roadmaps, giving its fans and customers a glimpse at what is to come. At CES 2026, AMD will give the world another glimpse of the future. What do you expect to see? You can join the discussion on AMD’s CES 2026 keynote on the OC3D Forums.
Denmark's prime minister says 'stop the threats' of U.S. annexing Greenland toggle caption John Thys/AFP via Getty Images Denmark defended its authority over Greenland on Sunday after President Trump and the wife of a Trump adviser renewed calls for the U.S. to annex the territory. On Saturday, Katie Miller, wife of President Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted a picture of the Am...
Denmark's prime minister says 'stop the threats' of U.S. annexing Greenland toggle caption John Thys/AFP via Getty Images Denmark defended its authority over Greenland on Sunday after President Trump and the wife of a Trump adviser renewed calls for the U.S. to annex the territory. On Saturday, Katie Miller, wife of President Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted a picture of the American flag covering Greenland on X. She captioned the photo with the word "SOON." Then on Sunday, Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic that Greenland could be subject to future U.S. intervention. "We do need Greenland, absolutely," Trump said. "We need it for defense." Sponsor Message Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement Sunday that the U.S. has "no right to annex" territories of Denmark and has told the U.S. to "stop the threats" about taking over Greenland. Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark's ambassador to the U.S., responded to Miller's post, saying "we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark." "Just a friendly reminder about the U.S. and the Kingdom of Denmark: We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," he said. Greenland has been under Danish control since the early 18th century but was granted home rule in 1979. Miller's post on Saturday came hours after the U.S. military conducted airstrikes in Venezuela's capital and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Trump said at a press conference that the U.S. will "run" Venezuela until there is a transition of leadership. Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in annexing Greenland from Denmark for its strategic location in the Arctic. He appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland last month, which sparked diplomatic concerns in Europe.
A truck transports ore from a pit at the TFM copper-cobalt mine in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, 2023. It is one of the world’s largest copper-cobalt mines. Photo: Emmet Livingstone/Visual China Group In early December, the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a strategic partnership with the United States, trading preferential American access to its copper, cobalt a...
A truck transports ore from a pit at the TFM copper-cobalt mine in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, 2023. It is one of the world’s largest copper-cobalt mines. Photo: Emmet Livingstone/Visual China Group In early December, the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a strategic partnership with the United States, trading preferential American access to its copper, cobalt and lithium resources for U.S. security assurances. The agreement followed a February letter from Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi to the White House proposing mineral access in exchange for U.S. support in brokering a peace deal with Rwanda to end a 30-year conflict in the east of the country.
New York, Jan 4, 2026, 16:21 ET — Market closed Micron shares rallied 10.5% on Friday to $315.42 after touching $319.60 intraday. Bernstein lifted its Micron price target to $330 from $270 as it pointed to a memory price upcycle tied to AI demand. Tiger Brokers Next up: U.S. data starts Monday with ISM manufacturing, with CPI on Jan. 13 and a Fed decision on Jan. 28 looming. Scotiabank Micron Tech...
New York, Jan 4, 2026, 16:21 ET — Market closed Micron shares rallied 10.5% on Friday to $315.42 after touching $319.60 intraday. Bernstein lifted its Micron price target to $330 from $270 as it pointed to a memory price upcycle tied to AI demand. Tiger Brokers Next up: U.S. data starts Monday with ISM manufacturing, with CPI on Jan. 13 and a Fed decision on Jan. 28 looming. Scotiabank Micron Technology (MU) heads into Monday’s U.S. reopen after a sharp Friday rally that lifted the memory-chip maker 10.5% to $315.42. The stock hit an intraday high of $319.60, reflecting heavy momentum into the first full week of 2026. The move matters because Micron sits near the center of the “AI buildout” trade: more servers and accelerators typically mean more demand for memory chips, which can lift prices and margins when supply is tight. Investors have treated memory pricing as the swing factor, and Friday’s jump suggests the market is still rewarding bullish calls on the cycle. Bernstein said a “record price upcycle” in memory is being driven by sustained AI-related demand and constrained supply, and it raised price targets across major memory makers, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. It also highlighted high-bandwidth memory, or HBM — a premium form of DRAM used alongside AI accelerators — as a key driver for 2026 demand. Investing Bernstein raised its price target on Micron to $330 from $270 and kept an “outperform” view, Reuters reported in a markets note. Data compiled by LSEG showed Micron’s average analyst rating is “buy,” with a median price target of $300, after the stock more than tripled in 2025. Tiger Brokers Bernstein SocGen Group analyst Mark Li wrote that Micron is positioned to benefit “as AI makes data center demand balloon but supply expansion takes time,” and he pointed to rising DRAM — dynamic random access memory, the working memory used in PCs and servers. Li also forecast a 20% to 25% sequential increase in DRAM prices in Micron’s fiscal second ...
China will be patient and play the long game as it views the new geopolitical chessboard, recalibrating carefully in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s move on Saturday to decapitate Venezuela’s leadership, analysts said. In a daring predawn raid, US forces descended on ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and airlifted him shackled and blindfolded to New York to face charges of “narcot...
China will be patient and play the long game as it views the new geopolitical chessboard, recalibrating carefully in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s move on Saturday to decapitate Venezuela’s leadership, analysts said. In a daring predawn raid, US forces descended on ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and airlifted him shackled and blindfolded to New York to face charges of “narcoterrorism conspiracy” and illegal weapons trafficking. “China is likely to thread this needle effectively. Beijing will condemn US actions,” said Bonnie Glaser, vice-president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “But I doubt that China will do much more than that. Venezuela isn’t among China’s core interests, and there is more downside than upside to taking actions that would complicate Trump’s ability to achieve a win.” Advertisement In part, this wait-and-see strategy is wise, analysts said, especially given how much uncertainty and contradictory developments are coming out of Venezuela. These include questions over the country’s future leadership, what form of government will follow, how much Washington will be involved in governance and how big a role the nation’s long-suffering opposition will have. Pro-government, armed civilians at a protest in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday. Photo: AP Trump provided something of a blueprint for his view of the region when he released his National Security Strategy last month that espoused an aggressive “Trump corollary” to the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, which two centuries ago warned foreign nations to stay out of the western hemisphere.
This ETF tracks U.S. dollar-denominated government bonds from emerging markets, aiming for cost efficiency and broad diversification. Chicago-based GP Brinson Investments disclosed a buy of 50,100 shares of the Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF (VWOB +0.01%) in a Friday SEC filing, with an estimated transaction value of $3.38 million based on quarterly average pricing. What Happened Ac...
This ETF tracks U.S. dollar-denominated government bonds from emerging markets, aiming for cost efficiency and broad diversification. Chicago-based GP Brinson Investments disclosed a buy of 50,100 shares of the Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF (VWOB +0.01%) in a Friday SEC filing, with an estimated transaction value of $3.38 million based on quarterly average pricing. What Happened According to its SEC filing released Friday, GP Brinson Investments LLC increased its stake in the Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF (VWOB +0.01%) by 50,100 shares. The estimated value of this share purchase was $3.38 million, calculated using the average closing price for the quarter. The quarter-end value of the VWOB position increased by $3.42 million, reflecting both the additional shares and price changes. What Else to Know This buy brought VWOB to 3.97% of GP Brinson’s reportable 13F AUM as of December 31. Top holdings after the filing: NYSEMKT: VTI: $92.48 million (39.8% of AUM) NYSEMKT: VEA: $48.59 million (20.9% of AUM) NYSEMKT: AGG: $28.03 million (12.1% of AUM) NYSEMKT: VWO: $19.33 million (8.3% of AUM) NASDAQ: AAPL: $11.42 million (4.9% of AUM) As of December 31, VWOB shares were priced at $67.45, up about 7% over the past year and underperforming the S&P 500, which is instead up close to 17% in the same period. ETF Overview Metric Value AUM $5.84 billion Yield 6% Price (as of market close Friday) $67.45 1-year total return 13% ETF Snapshot Investment strategy: Seeks to track the performance of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated government bonds from emerging market countries, employing a sampling approach to replicate index characteristics. Portfolio composition: Primarily invests at least 80% of assets in bonds included in the target index across diverse emerging markets. Fund structure: Operates as a non-diversified ETF designed for cost-efficient access to emerging markets government debt. The Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF...
元旦假期國內出遊1.42億人次 總花費847.89億元 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】內地今年元旦假期消費增長強勁。 文化和旅遊部公布元旦假期國內出遊人次1.42億，總花費847.89億元人民幣。...
元旦假期國內出遊1.42億人次 總花費847.89億元 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】內地今年元旦假期消費增長強勁。 文化和旅遊部公布元旦假期國內出遊人次1.42億，總花費847.89億元人民幣。商務部數據顯示，3天假期的餐飲消費同比增長2.8%，78個重點步行街和商圈每日平均客流量及營業額，跟去年同期相比分別增長5.9%和4.9%，如在成都商圈，有零售店表示元旦假期人流比平日多一至兩倍；而在「以舊換新」政策帶動下，智能健康和穿戴設備的銷售額分別錄得兩成和逾一成半增長。
Good morning, welcome back — and happy New Year. We start today with extraordinary scenes out of Venezuela, where the US swooped into Caracas on Saturday, seized President Nicolás Maduro and took him to New York to face trial. President Donald Trump stunned the world by declaring Washington would now “run” Venezuela, even as his administration offered few details on what that actually means or who...
Good morning, welcome back — and happy New Year. We start today with extraordinary scenes out of Venezuela, where the US swooped into Caracas on Saturday, seized President Nicolás Maduro and took him to New York to face trial. President Donald Trump stunned the world by declaring Washington would now “run” Venezuela, even as his administration offered few details on what that actually means or who is in charge. There’s no plan — at least for now — to deploy US troops or administrators. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says leverage over oil will be used to force change. Adding to the confusion, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez — whom Trump cast as a partner in rebuilding the country — has condemned the operation as “barbaric” and a “kidnapping.” — Ainsley Thomson, deputy wealth team leader. What’s happening now Staying with the fallout from the action in Venezuela, OPEC+ stuck with plans to pause supply increases in the first quarter, as global markets face a surplus and the group awaits clarity on whether the situation in the county will impact supplies. Meanwhile, Venezuelan bonds are poised to gain after the US captured Maduro, setting the stage for a potential regime change that investors in $60 billion worth of securities have long been betting on. The last time the US removed a loathed dictator by force, its biggest mistake was to leave the country it liberated with a vacuum of power , write Bloomberg Opinion editors. Has this White House learned the lesson of Iraq? In the short term, the raid that plucked Maduro out of Caracas is a clear win for the administration. At the same time, the longer-term risks are enormous. Back in Australia, home-price growth decelerated in December and the two biggest markets edged lower, as the risk of renewed interest-rate hikes weighed on both sentiment and the outlook for property in the year ahead. The Home Value Index in major cities advanced 0.5% from a month earlier, with both Sydney and Melbourne dipping 0.1%, property consu...