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Boeing reached a tentative labor agreement with approximately 1,600 white-collar workers at Spirit AeroSystems, which Boeing acquired for $4.7 billion in December 2025. The union's negotiation team unanimously recommends approval of the contract, which includes significant wage increases and enhanced benefits, with members voting by January 30.

• The proposed contract offers a 20% increase to wage pools over five years, a $6,000 ratification bonus, 50% annual increase in promotional funds, and 10% 401(k) match starting in 2027
• The agreement covers SPEEA non-engineering unit workers in Wichita, Kansas, and includes improved medical and dental benefits plus additional vacation time
• Contract negotiations began after Boeing's acquisition closed on December 8, with talks initially delayed until January 5 due to labor law restrictions and Boeing's unpreparedness

Oil prices remained flat on Friday as concerns about potential U.S. military strikes on Iran diminished following President Trump's comments that Tehran's crackdown on protesters was acceptable. Both Brent crude and WTI erased earlier weekly gains that had pushed prices to multi-month highs, with the 'Iran premium' unwinding quickly.

• Brent crude fell 3 cents to $63.73 per barrel while WTI rose 4 cents to $59.22, reversing from twelve-week highs reached earlier in the week
• U.S. inventory data showed larger-than-expected builds in crude and gasoline stocks, further pressuring prices alongside reduced geopolitical risk
• Shell released a bullish long-term outlook estimating primary energy demand could be 25% higher by 2050 compared to current levels

The U.S. has completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil worth $500 million following the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright reporting prices approximately 30% higher than previous levels. The Trump administration plans to continue selling Venezuelan oil indefinitely and has announced at least $100 billion in planned investments to rebuild the country's energy sector. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven crude reserves at 303 billion barrels, though output has declined to 800,000 barrels per day from a 1990s peak of 3.5 million bpd.

• The U.S. is securing about 30% higher prices for Venezuelan crude compared to sales from three weeks ago, with the first $500 million sale completed and more expected in coming days and weeks
• Trump met with oil industry leaders from Exxon, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, Valero and Marathon to discuss at least $100 billion in investments to rebuild Venezuela's energy sector
• Venezuela owes billions in outstanding claims from arbitration cases to Exxon and ConocoPhillips after seizing their assets in 2007, raising concerns about long-term political continuity for potential investors

Retail investors have poured a record $921.8 million into silver ETFs over the past 30 days, making it the most crowded commodity trade in the market according to Vanda Research. Silver prices have surged 31.3% year-to-date, reaching above $91 per ounce and setting new records above $93 intraday. This rally surpasses the 2021 'Silver Spike' driven by meme-stock speculation, with analysts now viewing it as structural accumulation rather than purely speculative trading.

• Silver prices traded at $91.90 per ounce, up from $72.62 at the start of the year, after hitting record intraday highs above $93 on Wednesday and Thursday
• The current retail-driven rally has exceeded the 2021 meme-stock silver spike, with Vanda Research calling it 'structural accumulation' that warrants treating silver as a core macro trading asset
• Invesco's alternatives ETF strategist warned that silver took 45 years to break $50 per ounce but has 'zoomed past $80 in less than three months', suggesting caution about the rapid price appreciation

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon announced he plans to remain in his position for at least five more years, addressing long-standing Wall Street speculation about his succession. Dimon, who has led the largest U.S. lender for two decades, stated his continued passion for the role during a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event, though he acknowledged the board ultimately decides his tenure.

• Dimon has already served as CEO for 20 years, making him one of the most prominent executives in corporate America
• His succession planning has been a subject of intense speculation across Wall Street due to his influential role in the banking industry
• Dimon emphasized his decision depends on maintaining his energy and passion, stating 'as long as I have the energy and the spirit in the eye and the fire in the gut' he wants to continue

The California Public Utilities Commission approved Verizon Communications' $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications, a fiber-optic internet provider, after Verizon agreed to certain conditions. The deal, which includes $9.6 billion in purchase price and $10 billion in assumed debt, had previously received FCC approval in May 2024.

• Verizon agreed to end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs to secure FCC approval, which raised concerns from California regulators
• The acquisition will enable Verizon to expand Frontier's fiber network across 25 states and deploy fiber to 1 million or more American homes annually
• The original deal was announced in September 2024 for $9.6 billion in equity value plus $10 billion in Frontier debt assumption

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva publicly defended central bank independence and expressed support for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who faces a Trump administration investigation over $2.5 billion in renovation cost overruns. The statement comes amid escalating tensions between Trump and Powell over interest rate policy, with Trump dismissing concerns that undermining Fed independence could weaken the dollar and spark inflation.

• Powell is under investigation for cost overruns on a $2.5 billion Fed headquarters renovation project, which he calls a pretext for pressure to lower interest rates in response to Trump's demands
• Georgieva emphasized that central bank independence is 'precious for Americans' and 'very important for the rest of the world' given the dollar's role as a reserve currency
• Trump stated he doesn't care about warnings that eroding Fed independence would undermine the dollar and cause inflation, while also attempting to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook in a case heading to the Supreme Court

The U.S. and Taiwan have reached a trade deal worth $500 billion focused on semiconductor manufacturing expansion in the United States. Under the agreement, Taiwanese companies will invest $250 billion and Taiwan's government will contribute another $250 billion, according to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

• The deal splits investment equally: $250 billion from private Taiwanese companies and $250 billion from Taiwan's government
• The agreement focuses specifically on expanding semiconductor chip manufacturing capacity in the U.S.
• Commerce Secretary Lutnick announced the deal details in an interview with CNBC

Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment have signed a multi-year global agreement making Netflix the exclusive streaming destination for Sony films after their theatrical and video-on-demand releases. The deal, rolling out gradually starting late 2025 with full worldwide availability expected by early 2029, includes major titles like 'Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,' a live-action 'Legend of Zelda,' and four Beatles films by Sam Mendes.

• Netflix expands its existing regional Sony deals (U.S., Germany, Southeast Asia) to global exclusivity, securing steady studio content as it increases reliance on licensed programming
• Sony gains guaranteed distribution for its theatrical slate amid industry-wide streaming disruption, covering franchises like Spider-Man, Venom, and adaptations of Uncharted and Nintendo properties
• The announcement coincides with Netflix's reported move to acquire Warner Bros Discovery's studio and streaming assets, though financial terms were not disclosed

Ford and Chinese automaker BYD are in discussions about battery supply for hybrid vehicles, according to the Wall Street Journal. The talks come as Ford navigates declining demand for electric vehicles and seeks alternative powertrain solutions. This potential partnership would involve one of China's largest EV and battery manufacturers supplying components to a major American automaker.

• The negotiations focus specifically on batteries for hybrid vehicles rather than full electric vehicles
• Ford is pursuing this deal amid waning consumer demand for EVs, suggesting a strategic shift toward hybrid technology
• BYD, a leading Chinese manufacturer, would supply battery technology to Detroit-based Ford if an agreement is reached

Amazon filed an objection to Saks Global's bankruptcy financing plan after the luxury retailer filed for Chapter 11 protection, claiming its $475 million investment made during Saks's acquisition of Neiman Marcus in December 2024 is now worthless. Amazon alleges Saks burned through hundreds of millions of dollars in less than a year and failed to meet obligations, including launching a 'Saks at Amazon' storefront that guaranteed $900 million in payments over eight years.

• Amazon invested $475 million in Saks's $2.7 billion Neiman Marcus acquisition in exchange for technology partnership and presence on Amazon's platform, which it now considers worthless
• Amazon argues the bankruptcy financing plan harms creditors by adding new debt and pushing Amazon lower in the repayment hierarchy
• Amazon threatens 'more drastic remedies' including appointment of an examiner or trustee if concerns aren't addressed; judge approved Saks tapping $1.75 billion in bankruptcy financing

Morgan Stanley is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings before the bell Thursday, with Wall Street expecting revenue of $17.77 billion. The bank is anticipated to benefit from active trading desks, renewed investment banking momentum from increased M&A and IPO activity, and record-high stock markets boosting its wealth management division.

• Analysts surveyed by LSEG expect revenue of $17.77 billion for the fourth quarter
• Trading desks have been busy over the past year while investment banking showed renewed momentum with a pickup in mergers and IPOs
• Record-high stock markets could provide a significant boost to Morgan Stanley's massive wealth management business

Boston Scientific announced it will acquire Penumbra in a deal valued at approximately $14.5 billion to expand its vascular pipeline. The transaction values Penumbra at $374 per share and is expected to close in 2026.

• Deal value: $14.5 billion total, pricing Penumbra at $374 per share
• Strategic rationale: Acquisition aimed at expanding Boston Scientific's vascular product pipeline
• Transaction expected to be completed in 2026

Spotify announced on January 15 that it will raise the price of its monthly premium subscription service by $1 to $12.99 for existing subscribers in select markets. The new pricing will take effect on consumers' billing dates starting in February 2025.

• Premium subscription price increases from $11.99 to $12.99 per month, representing an 8.3% price hike
• Price change applies to existing subscribers and will roll out based on individual billing cycles beginning in February
• The increase affects select markets, though specific geographic regions were not detailed in the announcement

Ford and GM are pivoting into the energy storage business, repurposing billions invested in EV battery factories as electric vehicle demand weakens. Ford is converting a Kentucky battery plant and spending $2 billion additional on energy storage, while GM launched its PowerBank product and GM Energy division. Rising electricity demand from data centers and state mandates for utilities to consider energy storage are driving the market shift.

• Ford is repurposing factories after investing nearly $6 billion in EV battery production, adding $2 billion more for energy storage conversion amid EV sales dropping from 10% to under 6% of the market in Q4 2024.
• Electricity demand is surging after years of flat growth, driven by data centers with projections showing potential threefold increase by 2028, creating new market opportunities for battery storage systems.
• Automakers face significant challenges competing against established players like Tesla (in energy storage since 2015) due to workforce gaps, different customer bases, and lack of direct experience in the energy storage sector.

Maersk announced it will resume shipping through the Red Sea and Suez Canal for its MECL service connecting the Middle East and India with the U.S. east coast, starting January 26. The move marks a gradual return to the critical trade route more than two years after shipping companies began rerouting around Africa due to Yemeni Houthi attacks on vessels. The decision follows a ceasefire in Gaza that has raised hopes for normalized Red Sea traffic.

• The Suez Canal route, which previously accounted for about 10% of global seaborne trade, is the fastest link between Europe and Asia
• Shipping companies diverted vessels around Africa for over two years following Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea, which the group said were in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza
• The Gaza ceasefire, in place since October, has reduced major combat but both sides report regular violations, with over 440 Palestinian and three Israeli soldier deaths since the truce

Wikipedia's Wikimedia Foundation announced partnerships with major tech companies including Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon to monetize AI training access to its content. The deals address rising costs from companies scraping Wikipedia's 65 million articles across 300+ languages to train AI models, with the non-profit's primary funding coming from small public donations. The enterprise product allows tech firms to pay for structured data access that supports their large-scale AI training needs.

• Wikipedia content maintained by 250,000 volunteer editors is crucial for training generative AI chatbots, but scraping has driven up server costs for the donation-funded non-profit
• Partners now include Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Perplexity, Mistral AI, and previously Google (2022), marking a shift from free scraping to paid commercial access
• Wikimedia named former U.S. Ambassador Bernadette Meehan as new CEO effective January 20, as the organization scales its enterprise monetization strategy

Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings is targeting a $30 billion valuation for its retail unit A.S. Watson Group through dual listings in Hong Kong and London planned for Q2 2026. Singapore's Temasek, which holds a 25% stake acquired in 2014 at a $22 billion valuation, is seeking to exit its investment through the IPO. The health and beauty retailer operates over 17,000 stores across 31 markets including Watsons and Superdrug chains.

• Goldman Sachs and UBS are advising on the IPO, which could raise $2 billion and aims for completion by mid-2026
• A.S. Watson reported $24 billion in fiscal 2024 revenue and plans to open 1,000 new stores in 2025, expanding in the Middle East and Southeast Asia
• The listing is part of CK Hutchison's broader strategy to spin off units for value extraction, including an ongoing $30 billion sale of its ports business to a BlackRock-led consortium

Amazon Web Services launched its European Sovereign Cloud in Germany, a physically and logically separate infrastructure designed to comply with EU data regulations and address concerns about U.S. tech dominance. The cloud will be locally controlled by EU citizens and operated independently from other AWS regions, with plans to expand to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

• AWS created a new parent company for the sovereign cloud that will be locally controlled in the EU and run by EU residents, with no critical dependencies on non-EU infrastructure
• Amazon plans to invest 7.8 billion euros ($9.1 billion) in the AWS European Sovereign Cloud in Germany through 2040
• U.S. cloud providers AWS, Microsoft, and Google currently control 70% of the European cloud computing market, prompting regulatory scrutiny under the EU's Digital Markets Act

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, reported a record fourth-quarter net profit of T$505.7 billion ($16.01 billion), representing a 35% year-over-year increase. The results exceeded analyst expectations, driven by surging demand for semiconductors used in artificial intelligence applications from major customers including Nvidia and Apple.

• Q4 net profit reached T$505.7 billion ($16.01 billion), surpassing the LSEG SmartEstimate of T$478.4 billion
• The 35% profit jump was fueled by strong demand for AI-related semiconductors
• TSMC's major customers include leading tech companies Nvidia and Apple