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Wednesday's tech-led jump in U.S. equity indexes, infused by Trump's plan to boost investment in artificial intelligence and impressive Netflix results, saw the S&P500 clock a new intraday record and volatility gauges subside to the lowest of the year so far. Benign inflation readings from the United States, Canada and Europe have helped and, at 46 basis points, the estimated "term premium" embedded in 10-year Treasuries has slipped back to its smallest of the year. Also helping has been the retreat in U.S. crude oil prices to two-week lows, in part due to Trump's pro-drilling push.

Americans everywhere have been feeling the sting of inflation, but high prices are hitting some states harder than others.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has suggested that Bitcoin could reach a price of $700,000 if concerns about currency debasement and economic instability persist.

(Bloomberg) -- Asian oil refiners — from Chinese teapots to processors in Singapore and South Korea — are either cutting run rates or considering it as the impact of US sanctions on Russia ripple through the market.Independent Chinese refiners in Shandong province are the hardest-hit after Washington’s strictest package of measures targeting Moscow crippled flows of their favored ESPO grade from the Pacific port of Kozmino. In other parts of Asia, so-called merchant processors, which are more de

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's economy barely grew in the fourth quarter of 2024, as the country's worst political crisis in decades hurts already weakened domestic demand and threatens to further sap growth in a year of rising external risks under a second Trump presidency. In December, consumer and business sentiment dampened amid political chaos, after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and suspended from duties over his short-lived bid to impose martial law, followed by the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. That impact saw gross domestic product (GDP) expand just 0.1% from a quarter earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Bank of Korea's advanced estimates showed on Thursday.

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea’s economy continued to sputter last quarter after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law battered consumer confidence just as businesses and policymakers were already fretting about the possibility of Donald Trump imposing trade tariffs.Most Read from BloombergHow Sanctuary Cities Are Preparing for Another Showdown With TrumpTexas HOA Charged With Discrimination for Banning Section 8 RentersDonations to LA Fire Victims Rise Past $200 Million M

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