China has set its target for 2026 GDP growth at 4.5% to 5%, Premier Li Qiang said Thursday. Li announced the goal — lower than last year’s target of around 5% — while delivering the government work report at the annual session of the country’s top legislature. The report also outlines other key economic projections for this year, all unchanged from last year: — Consumer price index growth of aroun...
China has set its target for 2026 GDP growth at 4.5% to 5%, Premier Li Qiang said Thursday. Li announced the goal — lower than last year’s target of around 5% — while delivering the government work report at the annual session of the country’s top legislature. The report also outlines other key economic projections for this year, all unchanged from last year: — Consumer price index growth of around 2%
Chinese officials pledged to stabilize the real estate sector at a crucial political meeting, but stopped short of announcing major policies some economists think are needed to turn around a yearslong slump. The central government will use city-specific policies to “control new supply and reduce inventory,” according to a government work report to the national parliament on Thursday. Policymakers ...
Chinese officials pledged to stabilize the real estate sector at a crucial political meeting, but stopped short of announcing major policies some economists think are needed to turn around a yearslong slump. The central government will use city-specific policies to “control new supply and reduce inventory,” according to a government work report to the national parliament on Thursday. Policymakers will also explore multiple ways to revitalize the existing housing stock, the statement said. They further repeated a vow to encourage the acquisition of existing housing inventory, primarily for use in affordable housing. The readout reiterated much of Beijing’s rhetoric on bringing an end to the property crunch, but it also showed that policymakers aren’t willing to announce sweeping stimulus at a time when the economy is losing steam. At the same meeting, the government set an economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for this year — the least ambitious goal since 1991. Despite the slump, real estate is likely to represent around 17% of China’s economic output this year, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, a sign of how important it is for Beijing to stem the pain. China Sets Lowest Growth Target Since 1991 as Old Model Falters China Plans $44 Billion in Bonds to Boost Capital at Top Banks China Keeps Budget Deficit Target at Record High to Spur Economy The financial hub of Shanghai eased homebuying rules last month, allowing more non-residents to purchase homes in its urban zones. Beijing ’s local government further relaxed rules for non-resident homebuyers in December. China’s more than $1 trillion new home market remains fragile, with sales value nationwide down more than half last year from its 2021 peak. The property crisis has triggered about $130 billion in defaults including the collapse of China Evergrande Group , once the country’s biggest developer. Some analysts think there is more pain to come. Home prices will keep falling for at least two more years, John Lam ...
After taking a quick look at the Polymarket odds for Bitcoin (BTC +6.37%), you'll probably be tempted to look elsewhere for upside in 2026. A clear majority of Polymarket traders think that Bitcoin will be rangebound between $55,000 and $75,000 for the rest of the year. But that doesn't mean you can't still make money on Bitcoin this year. Here are a few ideas for turning a profit in a down year f...
After taking a quick look at the Polymarket odds for Bitcoin (BTC +6.37%), you'll probably be tempted to look elsewhere for upside in 2026. A clear majority of Polymarket traders think that Bitcoin will be rangebound between $55,000 and $75,000 for the rest of the year. But that doesn't mean you can't still make money on Bitcoin this year. Here are a few ideas for turning a profit in a down year for Bitcoin. Bet against Bitcoin What's the old saying? "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." The same goes for Bitcoin. If you absolutely think Bitcoin is done for the year, then why not start predicting that Bitcoin will decline in price over the course of 2026? On Polymarket, traders are giving Bitcoin a 78% chance of hitting $55,000 this year, a 63% chance of hitting $50,000 this year, and a 51% chance of hitting $45,000 this year. You could easily buy event contracts at any one of those price points, and then cash in as soon as Bitcoin falls in price from its current level of $68,000. You can also predict that Bitcoin will go (almost) all the way to zero. Polymarket traders are giving Bitcoin a 4% chance of hitting rock bottom at a price of just $5,000. Just be forewarned: Those are roughly the same odds (5%) that Polymarket traders give Bitcoin to hit a price of $250,000 this year. Which one do you really think is more likely? Bitcoin-related stocks Another strategy for making money in a down crypto market is looking for different plays within the Bitcoin blockchain ecosystem. You can still get exposure to Bitcoin, but in a more indirect manner, by investing in Bitcoin-related stocks. For example, you could invest in Bitcoin mining stocks. The hottest players right now are Bitcoin miners that are transitioning some of their compute power to AI. These stocks give investors exposure to both Bitcoin and artificial intelligence. Expand NASDAQ : MSTR Strategy Today's Change ( 10.27 %) $ 13.62 Current Price $ 146.30 Key Data Points Market Cap $44B Day's Range $ 142.20 - $ 149.5...
The Daily Telegraph looks at which MPs were opposed to US military action in Iran and the use of British military bases, reporting that the "revolt" in the Commons was led by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. It says that Downing Street is strongly denying reports that the prime minister had initially been willing to let Donald Trump use the bases for preemptive strikes, but changed his mind after the...
The Daily Telegraph looks at which MPs were opposed to US military action in Iran and the use of British military bases, reporting that the "revolt" in the Commons was led by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. It says that Downing Street is strongly denying reports that the prime minister had initially been willing to let Donald Trump use the bases for preemptive strikes, but changed his mind after the opposition from his ministers.
Major U.S. indexes traded higher as investor concerns over the Iran conflict subsided. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.49% to 48,739.41, the S&P 500 advanced 0.78% to 6,869.50, and the Nasdaq climbed 1.29% to 22,807.48. These are the top stocks that gained the attention of retail traders and investors through the day: Broadcom’s shares rose by 1.18%, closing at $317.53. The stock reached ...
Major U.S. indexes traded higher as investor concerns over the Iran conflict subsided. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.49% to 48,739.41, the S&P 500 advanced 0.78% to 6,869.50, and the Nasdaq climbed 1.29% to 22,807.48. These are the top stocks that gained the attention of retail traders and investors through the day: Broadcom’s shares rose by 1.18%, closing at $317.53. The stock reached an intraday high of $322.64 and a low of $311.74, with a 52-week range of $138.10 to $414.61. The stock rose 5.27% to 334.25 in the after-hours trading. The company’s first-quarter revenue of $19.31 billion exceeded analyst expectations of $19.20 billion. Broadcom also reported adjusted earnings of $2.05 per share, surpassing estimates of $2.02 per share. The AI revenue more than doubled, contributing significantly to this performance. Rigetti Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) Rigetti’s stock increased by 4.72%, closing at $17.76. It hit an intraday high of $17.96 and a low of $16.88, with a 52-week range of $6.86 to $58.15. The stock fell 4.3% to $16.99 in extended trading. Rigetti Computing reported fourth-quarter losses of three cents per share, in line with consensus estimates, while revenue of $1.87 million missed the $2.34 million analyst estimate. As of Dec. 31, 2025, the company had $589.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale investments. Following the report, shares fell in Wednesday's extended trading. Nebius Group NV (NASDAQ:NBIS) Nebius saw a 12.65% increase, closing at $97.78. The stock’s intraday high was $98.48, with a low of $90.15, and a 52-week range of $18.31 to $141.10. Nebius advanced its U.S. expansion after the Independence City Council approved plans for a 400-acre AI factory campus with up to 1.2 gigawatts of capacity. The project is expected to create about 1,200 construction jobs and 130 permanent roles, and generate more than $650 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes over 20 years. Okta’s shares fell by 1.08%, closing at $71.74. Th...
Even if the stock is still under pressure from wider worries about large-cap chipmakers, Broadcom’s most recent earnings announcement caused an after-hours rally. Stock Performance and Market Reaction Broadcom Inc. (Nasdaq: AVGO) has been in retreat since early December, reflecting investor caution toward mega-cap semiconductor names. However, sentiment shifted following the company’s first-quarte...
Even if the stock is still under pressure from wider worries about large-cap chipmakers, Broadcom’s most recent earnings announcement caused an after-hours rally. Stock Performance and Market Reaction Broadcom Inc. (Nasdaq: AVGO) has been in retreat since early December, reflecting investor caution toward mega-cap semiconductor names. However, sentiment shifted following the company’s first-quarter fiscal 2026 results, with shares jumping in after-hours trading as investors responded positively to stronger-than-expected performance and upbeat guidance. Strong First-Quarter Financial Results For the quarter ended February 1, 2026, Broadcom reported revenue growth of 29% year-over-year and significant expansion in earnings and cash flow. It also continued operating leverage supported by high EBITDA margins. Semiconductor solutions led the way, surging 52% year-over-year and increasing their contribution to total revenue. Free cash flow remained robust, reinforcing the company’s strong capital generation profile. Record Revenue Broadcom achieved record first-quarter revenue, fueled by continued strength in AI semiconductor solutions. AI revenue reached $8.4 billion, up 106% year-over-year, while growth was driven by strong demand for custom AI accelerators and AI networking Management expects AI semiconductor revenue to rise further to $10.7 billion in Q2. CEO Hock Tan highlighted accelerating AI momentum as a key growth engine.
Alibaba Group Holding Limited is consolidating its AI efforts under a single brand while expanding its tools and infrastructure to strengthen its position in the fast-growing artificial intelligence market. Alibaba Unifies AI Models Under “Qwen” Brand The Chinese e-commerce juggernaut unified its large model brand under the name “Qwen.” The company will use “千问大模型” as the Chinese brand name and “Q...
Alibaba Group Holding Limited is consolidating its AI efforts under a single brand while expanding its tools and infrastructure to strengthen its position in the fast-growing artificial intelligence market. Alibaba Unifies AI Models Under “Qwen” Brand The Chinese e-commerce juggernaut unified its large model brand under the name “Qwen.” The company will use “千问大模型” as the Chinese brand name and “Qwen” in English, while Tongyi Lab will remain the organizational name of its AI research unit. Alibaba said the Qwen portfolio includes foundation models and domain-specific models, and the Qwen app serves as its flagship consumer-facing AI application, Technode reported on Monday. Don't Miss: Earlier this year, Alibaba open-sourced Qwen 3.5 and later released several smaller Qwen 3.5 models. During the Lunar New Year period, users placed nearly 200 million “one-sentence” orders through the Qwen app, according to Alibaba. Cloud Unit Launches Low-Cost AI Coding Tool Alibaba is stepping up its AI push as it works to unlock more value from the fast-growing sector. The company’s cloud unit introduced a new AI-powered coding platform that gives developers low-cost access to several leading Chinese AI models. The platform runs on open-source systems, including Alibaba’s Qwen 3.5 and models from Zhipu AI, Moonshot AI, and MiniMax, and lets users switch between models under one subscription. Alibaba priced the lite version at 7.9 yuan ($1.15) for the first month and 40 yuan after that. The pro version costs 39.9 yuan for the first month and 200 yuan thereafter, according to Bloomberg. Trending: Disney Was Built on Character IP — This Pre-IPO Company Is Using the Same Playbook Alibaba Unveils In-House AI Chip Alibaba also rolled out a high-end, self-developed AI chip as U.S. export restrictions limit China’s access to advanced Nvidia Corp semiconductors. Its chip unit, T-Head, introduced the Zhenwu 810E, an application-specific chip built for AI training and inference. Alibaba said ...