Trending Market News

Barclays has made its first investment in the stablecoin sector by acquiring a stake in U.S.-based Ubyx, a clearing system for stablecoins that launched in 2025. The investment is part of Barclays' strategy to explore digital money opportunities and comes as major banks show increased interest in blockchain technology following rising crypto prices and supportive signals from President Trump's administration.

• Ubyx operates as a clearing system that reconciles stablecoins from different issuers, aiming to facilitate settlement across various token types
• Barclays is among 10 major banks, including Goldman Sachs and UBS, exploring the joint issuance of a stablecoin pegged to G7 currencies
• The stablecoin market has grown significantly, led by Tether with $187 billion in circulation, though the investment size and Ubyx valuation were not disclosed

President Trump announced that Venezuela's interim authorities will transfer 30-50 million barrels of oil to the United States, to be sold at market price with proceeds controlled by Trump to benefit both countries. The announcement follows the recent U.S. capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, who now faces federal drug-trafficking charges in New York.

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been directed to immediately execute the plan using storage ships to transport the oil directly to U.S. unloading docks
• Trump stated he will personally control the proceeds from selling the oil at market price to ensure funds benefit both Venezuelan and American people
• The oil transfer comes three days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who are now charged in a federal drug-trafficking conspiracy case

Chat platform Discord has confidentially filed for an IPO in the United States, according to Bloomberg News sources. The move comes as the U.S. IPO market regained momentum in 2025 after nearly three years of sluggish activity, though recovery has been tempered by tariff volatility, government shutdown, and AI stock selloffs. Discord, founded in 2015, provides voice, video, and text communication services primarily for gamers and streamers.

• Discord filed confidentially for a U.S. IPO, joining a recovering market after nearly three years of weak IPO activity
• The company, founded in 2015, specializes in communication tools targeting gamers and streamers through voice, video, and text platforms
• IPO market recovery in 2025 has been dampened by tariff-driven volatility, prolonged government shutdown, and late-year AI stock selloff

MSCI announced it will not exclude digital asset treasury companies (DATCOs) from its indexes, reversing a previous proposal. Companies like Strategy, which hold 50% or more of assets in digital assets, will remain in MSCI's global benchmarks through at least the February 2026 review. MSCI will instead launch a broader consultation on how to treat non-operating companies in its indexes.

• MSCI defines DATCOs as companies whose digital asset holdings account for 50% or more of total assets, maintaining their current index treatment
• Strategy will remain in MSCI global benchmarks for now, with the company calling it 'a strong outcome for neutral indexing and economic reality'
• The decision follows investor feedback expressing concern about DATCOs, prompting MSCI to conduct further research on distinguishing between investment companies and firms holding digital assets as core operations

Brazilian planemaker Embraer delivered 91 aircraft in Q4 2025, a 21% increase from the prior year quarter, bringing its full-year total to 244 aircraft. The deliveries met the company's annual forecast ranges for both commercial and executive jets, reflecting strong performance across its product lines.

• Q4 deliveries included 32 commercial jets, 53 executive jets, and 6 defense aircraft
• Full-year 2025 deliveries reached 244 aircraft (78 commercial, 155 executive), up 18% year-over-year
• Annual deliveries fell within guidance ranges of 77-85 commercial jets and 145-155 executive jets; Q4 earnings release scheduled for March 6

Mobileye Global announced it will acquire humanoid robotics startup Mentee Robotics for approximately $900 million, marking the self-driving technology firm's expansion into embodied AI. The deal, announced at CES in Las Vegas, combines Mobileye's autonomous driving technologies with Mentee's humanoid robot development capabilities. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2026, with commercialization targeted for 2028.

• Mentee Robotics was valued at roughly $162 million in a March funding round where it raised $21 million, making this acquisition a significant valuation increase to $900 million
• Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua co-founded Mentee Robotics and serves as the startup's co-CEO, highlighting close existing ties between the companies
• First proof-of-concept customer deployments are expected in 2026, with series production and full commercialization targeted for 2028

Bayer's Monsanto unit filed patent infringement lawsuits against major COVID-19 vaccine makers Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, alleging they misused mRNA stabilization technology originally developed by Monsanto in the 1980s for agricultural applications. Bayer seeks unspecified monetary damages but is not attempting to block vaccine production, adding to existing patent disputes over the lucrative COVID vaccine market.

• Bayer claims the companies copied Monsanto's 1980s technology for strengthening mRNA in crops to stabilize genetic material in COVID vaccines
• Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna each earned over $3 billion from their vaccines in 2024, though this represents a fraction of peak pandemic sales
• Bayer did not develop COVID vaccines itself and is only seeking monetary compensation, not production injunctions, while J&J already discontinued its vaccine in the U.S. in 2023

Meta has appointed Curtis Joseph Mahoney, a former Microsoft legal executive and Trump administration deputy U.S. trade representative, as its new chief legal officer. Mahoney replaces Jennifer Newstead, who is leaving Meta to become Apple's general counsel in March. The appointment comes as Meta faces numerous child-safety related lawsuits across the country.

• Mahoney most recently served as Microsoft's corporate vice president and general counsel for product, services and go-to-market legal, a role he assumed in 2025 after joining the company in 2021
• He previously served as deputy U.S. trade representative during President Trump's first term in the White House
• Meta is currently facing a wave of child-safety lawsuits, including an ongoing case in New Mexico alleging the company failed to protect children from harm on its platforms

Lockheed Martin announced a seven-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to triple annual production capacity of PAC-3 Patriot missile interceptors from approximately 600 units to 2,000 units. The expansion responds to growing demand from the U.S. and allied nations seeking enhanced air defense capabilities amid heightened geopolitical tensions. Lockheed currently supplies these missiles to 17 countries including Sweden, Qatar, Japan, and Poland.

• Production has already increased 60% over the past two years, with 620 units delivered in 2025, demonstrating accelerating demand prior to this agreement
• In September 2025, Lockheed received the largest-ever order for Patriot missiles with a contract for 1,970 units
• Initial contract award is expected in final fiscal year 2026 Congressional appropriations, with full implementation of the tripled capacity occurring over the seven-year agreement period

The U.S. government is actively processing license applications for Nvidia to ship H200 chips to China following President Trump's reversal of a longstanding export ban. Nvidia's CFO stated the company faces strong Chinese demand for the advanced chips but lacks clarity on when approvals will be granted.

• Nvidia CFO Colette Kress disclosed at CES that the U.S. is 'working feverishly' on export licenses but approval timing remains uncertain
• Strong demand for H200 chips from China has emerged after Trump reversed the previous administration's export restrictions
• The licensing uncertainty affects Nvidia's ability to capitalize on the Chinese market for its advanced AI chip technology

Marvell Technology announced it will acquire networking equipment provider XConn Technologies for approximately $540 million in a cash-and-stock deal to expand its AI data center capabilities. The acquisition strengthens Marvell's networking portfolio, which is critical for connecting hardware across servers and determining data processing speeds in AI infrastructure. The transaction is expected to close in early 2026.

• The deal consists of approximately 60% cash and 40% stock, with Marvell issuing around 2.5 million shares valued at its 20-day volume-weighted average price
• XConn products are projected to contribute about $100 million in revenue by fiscal 2028, with sales and profit contributions beginning in the second half of fiscal 2027
• The acquisition adds engineering expertise in networking devices as Marvell competes with Broadcom and Nvidia in the AI data center switching and connectivity market

Ford Motor reported a 6% increase in U.S. vehicle sales for 2025, reaching 2.2 million units, its best annual performance since 2019. The Detroit automaker finished as the third-largest seller in the U.S. market, outperforming industry averages for 10 consecutive months despite production challenges with its F-Series trucks.

• Ford sold 2.2 million vehicles in 2025 (up 6%) with Q4 sales rising 2.7% to over 545,200 units, though still below 2019's 2.42 million total
• F-Series pickup sales increased 8.3% annually but declined 3.1% in Q4 due to production issues from an aluminum supplier fire at a New York Novelis plant
• EV sales plummeted 14.1% for the year and 52% in Q4, partially offset by a 22% increase in hybrid vehicle sales, while traditional combustion engines still represent 86% of volume

U.S. private equity firm TPG is close to acquiring UnitedHealth's Optum UK business for between £1.2 billion and £1.4 billion ($1.62-1.89 billion), according to Sky News. The deal, which could be announced in coming weeks, involves a major supplier of electronic patient record systems to most of Britain's general practitioners.

• Optum UK supplies electronic patient record systems to most of Britain's GP practices and could be combined with TPG's existing U.S.-based EMR software provider Nextech
• UnitedHealth acquired the UK unit (EMIS) just two years ago for £1.24 billion in a deal that required an in-depth Phase 2 competition probe before clearance in 2023
• Bank of America is advising on the sale process, which has attracted interest from other buyout firms including Blackstone, though the deal has not been finalized and could still fall apart

American Airlines announced on Tuesday it will offer free in-flight Wi-Fi to loyalty program members through a partnership with AT&T. The service will begin rolling out in January 2026 and be available on nearly all flights by early spring, as airlines increasingly compete on complimentary onboard internet access to attract and retain customers.

• The free Wi-Fi rollout begins in January 2026 and will cover nearly all American Airlines flights by early spring
• American Airlines is following competitors Delta Air Lines (which partnered with T-Mobile in 2023) and United Airlines in offering free in-flight internet
• Access is limited to members of American's loyalty program, positioning the benefit as a retention tool for frequent flyers

Meta has paused the international rollout of its Ray-Ban Display smart glasses due to overwhelming US demand and supply constraints. Product waitlists now extend into 2026, prompting the company to prioritize fulfilling domestic orders while re-evaluating its global expansion strategy. The glasses, developed with EssilorLuxottica, feature photo capture, content streaming, and AI assistant capabilities.

• Waitlists for the smart glasses now extend well into 2026 due to 'overwhelming' interest since the fall 2025 launch
• Meta will prioritize US order fulfillment while pausing international expansion due to 'extremely limited inventory' for what it calls a 'first-of-its-kind product'
• New features announced at CES include a teleprompter function and expanded pedestrian navigation to 32 cities total, controlled via Meta's Neural Band wrist device

Morgan Stanley has filed with the SEC to launch exchange-traded funds tied to bitcoin and solana, deepening its involvement in cryptocurrency markets. The move comes two years after the first U.S. spot bitcoin ETF approval and reflects growing institutional adoption of digital assets amid improved regulatory clarity under the Trump administration.

• The bank is seeking approval for ETFs tracking both bitcoin and solana, expanding beyond bitcoin-only products offered by other institutions
• Regulatory environment has shifted favorably, with the OCC allowing banks to engage in crypto transactions in December, narrowing the gap between traditional finance and digital assets
• ETFs provide investors with greater liquidity, security, and simplified compliance compared to directly holding cryptocurrencies, driving institutional preference for these vehicles

Volkswagen is recalling 356,649 vehicles in the United States due to a software error that causes problems with rearview camera image display. The recall was announced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

• The recall affects over 356,000 Volkswagen vehicles across the U.S. market
• The issue stems from a software error rather than a hardware defect in the rearview camera system
• Problems with rearview camera display pose potential safety risks for drivers during reversing maneuvers

Nestle is voluntarily recalling specific batches of its SMA infant formula and follow-on formula in the UK and Ireland due to potential contamination with cereulide, a heat-stable toxin that can cause nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. No illnesses have been confirmed so far, and the company is offering refunds to affected customers.

• The toxin cereulide is highly heat stable and cannot be destroyed by boiling water or cooking, meaning standard formula preparation methods will not eliminate the risk
• Britain's Food Standards Agency published a list of affected batch numbers and warned of rapid onset of symptoms if the contaminated product is consumed
• Nestle emphasized the recall is precautionary under its 'strict product quality and safety protocols' with no confirmed illness reports to date

Sony Honda Mobility unveiled a new EV prototype at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, bucking the trend as most U.S. automakers scale back electric vehicle plans. The joint venture, combining Honda's engineering with Sony's software expertise, aims to deliver its first model (Afeela 1) to California customers later this year and a new prototype-based model by 2028.

• The Afeela 1, priced from $89,900, is scheduled for delivery to California customers in late 2026, with a second model based on the new prototype planned for 2028
• The unveiling contrasts sharply with broader industry trends, as weakening EV demand, tariffs, and removal of the $7,500 federal tax credit have led most automakers to cancel or pause EV production
• Sony Honda Mobility was formed in 2022 to leverage Honda's vehicle-building experience and Sony's gaming and software expertise to compete in the EV market

Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su announced the launch of the MI455 GPU chips at the CES trade show in Las Vegas on January 5. The unveiling represents AMD's latest product entry in the competitive graphics processing unit market. The announcement was made at one of the technology industry's largest annual events.

• AMD's new MI455 GPU chips were unveiled by CEO Lisa Su at CES in Las Vegas
• The launch occurs amid increased competition in the AI and graphics chip market, with rivals like Nvidia also presenting at the same event
• GPU chips are critical components for AI applications and high-performance computing workloads