Latest Finance-Economy News
Wall Street Rally Led by Nvidia Lifts Global Markets
U.S. stock indices rose on Wednesday with the S&P 500 gaining 0.6%, the Dow Jones adding 0.3%, and the Nasdaq climbing 0.8%. Nvidia surged 1.6% after Meta Platforms announced a long-term partnership to use millions of Nvidia chips for artificial-intelligence data centers
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Asian Shares Mixed as Australian and Southeast Asian Markets Surge
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.9% to 9,086.20, while Southeast Asian markets surged with Thailand's SET rising 1.7%. However, India's Sensex shed early gains to fall 0.8%
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UK Inflation Data Bolsters Rate Cut Expectations
London's FTSE 100 climbed 1.2% during European trading Wednesday following the latest inflation update, which bolstered expectations that the Bank of England may soon cut interest rates.
Strong Economic Data Signals Resilient U.S. Economy
Reports showed industrial production improved last month, orders for manufactured goods rose more than anticipated in December, and homebuilders broke ground on more homes than expected. This strong economic data could encourage the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates steady
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Federal Reserve Officials Want Further Inflation Decline Before Rate Cuts
Minutes released from the Fed's last meeting showed many officials want to see inflation fall further before supporting additional interest rate cuts this year. However, many on Wall Street expect the Fed to resume rate cuts during the summer after a new chair takes over
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Oil Prices Rise as Crude Benchmarks Gain Ground
U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 20 cents to $65.25 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, rose 15 cents to $70.50.
Precious Metals Strengthen with Gold and Silver Gains
Gold prices gained 0.5% while silver advanced 1.5%, reflecting investor demand for safe-haven assets amid economic uncertainty.
Bitcoin Declines Amid Market Concerns
The price of bitcoin fell 1.4% to approximately $67,000, as cryptocurrency markets respond to broader economic signals and Federal Reserve policy considerations
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U.S. Dollar Strengthens Against Major Currencies
The dollar bought 155.09 Japanese yen, up from 154.83 yen, while the euro rose to $1.1796 from $1.1782, reflecting shifts in global currency markets.
Corporate Clean Energy Investment Falls for First Time in a Decade
Global clean power purchase agreement volumes dropped 10% in 2025 to 55.9 gigawatts, marking the first decline in nearly a decade as power prices and policy risks redefined market activity. Big Tech companies accounted for 49% of global activity, led by Meta and Amazon
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U.S. Dominates Clean Energy Deals Despite Smaller Corporate Participation
The U.S. hosted a record 29.5GW of clean energy deals in 2025 driven by Big Tech's pivot to nuclear, hydro and geothermal sources. However, the number of unique corporate buyers in the U.S. dropped 51% year-on-year to just 33 as project costs and policy uncertainty increased
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Nasdaq Launches Three New Municipal Bond Indexes
Nasdaq announced the launch of three new indexes effective Thursday, February 19th, 2026, including the Nasdaq Municipal Bond CEF High Income Index designed to measure returns and income of U.S.-listed Municipal Bond Closed-End Funds. The new indexes will provide real-time data through Nasdaq's proprietary GIDS data feed
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