Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Market Volatility and Tech Turmoil
The S&P 500 investing.com slid sharply as investors grappled with Trump tariff uncertainty and an AI disruption research report that rattled Wall Street. AI-powered capex growth investing.com is expected to peak later this year according to Goldman estimates, while fears of artificial intelligence spelling trouble for software giants have been pressuring stock market valuations for months. Now, those same fears are creeping into private markets too, prompting scrutiny in the hot private markets trade.
Tech stocks rebounded finance.yahoo.com as Anthropic partnerships eased AI disruption fears, with software stocks staging a recovery after the AI threat signals prompted investors to shift bets to builders rather than coders. The AI trade is punishing Big Tech broadly, but not Apple, which has shown relative resilience amid the sector-wide volatility.
Energy Markets and Geopolitics
Crude oil inventories wsj.com rose by 16 million barrels, posting their biggest weekly increase in three years as imports rose, exports fell and refineries cut their capacity use. Meanwhile, Saudi oil exports bloomberg.com are surging to a three-year high amid Iran tensions, with the kingdom on course to ship the most oil from its ports in almost three years this month. The North Sea crude market is flashing signs of weakness as heavy buying from Vitol Group and Total Energies SE subsides, removing a key pillar of support just as more supply is set to return to the Atlantic Basin.
Copper eased bloomberg.com as traders weighed the impact of the US tariff shift on China, while the options market is signaling heightened concern about US-Iran tensions, with investors heavily hedged for a more challenging outcome in Iran.
Earnings and Corporate Moves
TJX Cos. wsj.com posted a jump in profit and sales during the fourth quarter as it continued to scoop up market share, though the discount retailer guided for growth to slow slightly over the coming year. Sandoz wsj.com shares jumped 6.4% after the company bumped up its revenue guidance thanks to growth in its biosimilar product range.
Blue Owl ft.com and private credit's structural problems are making investors nervous about the wider industry, while Ardian bloomberg.com says it will turn down some software deals on AI risk as the sector grapples with challenges posed by developments in artificial intelligence.
Banking and Financial Services
Bank of Montreal wsj.com logged a stronger-than-expected rise in earnings for the latest quarter on the back of strong fee growth in its markets-facing businesses. National Bank of Canada bloomberg.com beat analyst estimates in its fiscal first quarter after reporting stronger results across the board, boosted by the bank's purchase of Canadian Western Bank. The shares hit a record high following the results.
Citi has assembled bloomberg.com a banking team focused on AI infrastructure comprised of leaders from its investment banking and corporate banking teams, while UBS upgraded IBM investing.com after a 22% slide as valuation resets.
International Markets and Policy
European and UK stocks bloomberg.com hit records powered by banks and miners, even as the FTSE 100 closed in the red amid AI fears and uncertainty. European banks bloomberg.com are telling the ECB they're set to benefit from AI as artificial intelligence shakes up their business models.
South Africa's stock rally bloomberg.com is missing an economic engine, with markets riding a wave of optimism that hasn't been seen in years. Whether that lasts depends on one thing: economic growth. Meanwhile, Colombia is preparing bloomberg.com a regulation to shift billions of dollars in private pension savings to its public retirement system, a move that could help ease a funding shortfall.
Technology and Innovation
Nvidia earnings are on deck as tech stocks rebound, with the chip equipment maker ASML saying AI will be the main engine of demand growth. European AI chip startup Axelera finance.yahoo.com raised an additional $250 million, while Intuit partnered investing.com with Anthropic to bring custom AI agents to businesses.
Oracle was lifted investing.com to Buy at Oppenheimer as risk-reward turns favorable post-selloff, while Arm Holdings investing.com could see greater CPU share according to Bof A analysis.
Real Estate and Construction
John Lewis ditched ft.com plans to build 10,000 homes, pulling the plug on the venture due to changes in UK economic conditions and property market slowdown. Owens Corning wsj.com widened its loss as sales fell, hurt by challenged end markets across multiple businesses.
Healthcare and Biotech
Eli Lilly slipped investing.com on Novo Nordisk price cut plans, while large cap pharma investing.com is seen as a defensive AI winner according to RBC, which backs Lilly & Abb Vie. Sandoz improved its guidance thanks to biosimilar product range growth.
Consumer and Retail
Boston Beer wsj.com reported lower revenue in the fourth quarter and said shifting tariff policies could significantly impact its guidance for the year. Bloomin' Brands wsj.com posted a narrower loss amid turnaround efforts, with its Outback Steakhouse chain reporting its first quarter of positive traffic in four years.
Private Markets and M&A
Apotex bloomberg.com seeks up to $730 million in a first-half IPO, with the Canadian generic drug manufacturer looking at the first half of the year for an initial public offering in Toronto that could raise as much as C$1 billion. Canada's IPO market bloomberg.com is looking for revival with AGT and Apotex deals, showing glimmers of hope after years of false starts.
Blue Owl and private credit's structural problems are making investors nervous about the wider industry, while Ardian will turn down some software deals on AI risk.