Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Market Moves
US equity futures investing.com fell after a tech-led stock rally. The S&P 500 dropped 1.2% ft.com marking its first two-week loss since June. Eurozone business activity investing.com rose at its fastest pace in three months. UK private sector recovery bloomberg.com accelerated in February, with firms boosting output at their quickest rate in almost two years.
Tech & AI
Nvidia finance.yahoo.com is moving into Intel and AMD's home turf with new AI chips. Google's VP finance.yahoo.com warned that two types of AI startups may not survive the competitive landscape. Amazon's service ft.com was taken down by an AI coding bot in December, with the tech giant blaming "user error, not AI error." Big Tech's soaring spending bloomberg.com on AI is eating into stock buybacks, as companies rein in investor returns to fund artificial intelligence development.
Trade & Tariffs
Trump yahoo.com announced he's considering limited strikes as Iranian tensions escalate. The Supreme Court struck down Trump's tariffs bloomberg.com under emergency powers, sending CEOs back to company war rooms. US and Indonesia bloomberg.com secured a trade deal slashing tariff rates to 19%. South Korea bloomberg.com said its US trade deal remains intact after the tariff ruling. US accepted Iran's bid bloomberg.com to maintain uranium enrichment, according to Iranian reports.
Energy & Commodities
Copper bloomberg.com headed for its third weekly decline as inventories stack up. Egg prices bloomberg.com collapsed after once-empty shop shelves became overstuffed. Oil bloomberg.com extended gains on reports of potential US intervention in Iran. Natural gas investing.com braced for volatile Sunday open amid blizzard warnings.
M&A & Deals
Centerview wsj.com settled a lawsuit over analyst working hours shortly before trial. Latham & Watkins wsj.com poached two more partners from rival Wachtell Lipton in the latest legal M&A talent war. Saba and Cox bloomberg.com launched a tender offer for Blue Owl BDCs amid bubbling risks in the lending market. Honeywell bloomberg.com considered walking away from its acquisition of Johnson Matthey's Catalyst Technologies business.
Private Markets
Private equity owners ft.com slashed the valuation of Swiss watchmaker Breitling after luxury brand performance faltered. The world's biggest PE houses ft.com struggled to exit China deals while other dealmaking returned. Apollo's Marc Rowan bloomberg.com said Japan is poised for a big comeback, bringing partners to Tokyo to see changes firsthand. Apollo on private credit bloomberg.com emphasized they "don't do what banks do" in discussing Japan's financing needs.
Earnings & Outlook
Deere wsj.com boosted its outlook, seeing construction and small agriculture demand recovering. The company's shares climbed the most in six years bloomberg.com as the world's largest farm-machinery maker anticipated an upturn in the agriculture economy. Moncler's shares wsj.com surged after delivering strong results for the crucial winter season. Walmart shares investing.com remained flat amid a conservative annual outlook.
Regulatory & Legal
DOJ probes bloomberg.com Netflix's power over filmmakers in its Warner deal review, scrutinizing the streaming giant's behavior. Ripple CEO Garlinghouse investing.com said the Clarity Act is 90% likely to pass by April. Centerview settled ft.com a lawsuit over a young banker's need for 8 hours' sleep, fueling debate about junior bankers' working hours.
International Markets
Germany bloomberg.com is about to find out whether its recovery is real as data sheds light on economic revival. Indian bonds bloomberg.com declined as a rise in crude prices stoked inflation concerns. Investors favored bloomberg.com short-term Senegal bonds at an auction as long-term debt sustainability concerns lingered. Brazil beef companies finance.yahoo.com could each ship at least 8,000 metric tons annually to China, according to documents.
Risk & Volatility
The riskiest CLO funds investing.com flashed a warning sign as fear of rising defaults spread from the leveraged loan market. Listless US stock market bloomberg.com masked record volatility beneath the surface, with dramatic swings threatening more turbulence ahead. Earnings and AI fears ft.com drove "extreme" churn in the US stock market, with a gap between large individual equity moves and subdued index performance hitting its highest since the global financial crisis.
Corporate Strategy
Live Nation investing.com signaled a record 2026 as global demand surges. Lamar Advertising investing.com reported a Q4 earnings miss while highlighting sales momentum and 2026 outlook. Morgan Stanley investing.com upgraded Garmin on a stronger 2026 outlook and steadier margins. OpenAI bloomberg.com funding round approached $100 billion amid AI sector developments.