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EU regulation is like kryptonite to our enemies/Thread, one does not have to be pro Brussels to agree with that... Italy overtakes Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest exporter , Big! A step toward Europe's own hypersonic strike capability. Bavarian military startup Hypersonica's first missile test on the Scandinavian peninsula was successful, The modular design shortens development time by years and cuts cost by 80%, and Spain + few others standing up to the big Tech Bros, keep it going ! Markets : The AI disruption trade just hit financial services, Spain moving in against social media giants (Musk having a fit), JPY did not weaken on the huge JPN election result (surprise.. for the USD bulls..), China and many others keep divesting away from the U.S, many U.S brands been hammered over the last many months >>> beware consumer power to 'avoid US names', eventually USDollar will struggle/continue to weaken Geopolitics : French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a stark warning: Trump’s agenda could “dismember” Europe , and the EU can no longer rely on compromise, Escaping the special relationship: How Britain can leave its dangerous dependency on Trump’s America #TSLA Tesla is about to be a US only company like GM and ford are headed..... Spoiler alert: it's pure fiction...Elon Musk will not build a colony or an outpost or so much as an outdoor toilet on the Moon. Not in ten years. Not in twenty years. Not ever, as long as everyone believes him, he can take your tax dollars.. ECB Chief Christine Lagarde says the E.U urgently needs an alternative to Mastercard Read an Anthropic AI safety lead's exit letter: 'The world is in peril' Escaping the special relationship: How Britain can leave its dangerous dependency on Trump’s America – European Council on Foreign Relations Elon Musk’s xAI loses co-founder Tony Wu in latest senior departure xAI lost 10+ major managers in a single day... Incriminating Epstein documents circulating internally Illegal activities in business were identified or pure coincidence.. Urso: "Italy has surpassed Japan as the world's fourth-largest exporter." Read an Anthropic AI safety lead's exit letter: 'The world is in peril' Trump says Fed pick Kevin Warsh can juice economic growth to 15% Defence Index on X: "🚨🇫🇷🇪🇺 Macron Warns: Europe Must Brace for a Clash with the US! French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a stark warning: Trump’s agenda could “dismember” Europe, and the EU can no longer rely on compromise. Macron urges Europe to: ◾Prepare for potential conflict with the https://t.co/OimzBrD73q " / X Epstein Files, 4 Chan, Tech Bros., Silicon Valley & the Online Far Right | Education Training Society Brokerage Stocks Are the Latest Corner of the Market Getting Slammed by AI - Business Insider Palantir hosts party for MoD to celebrate £240m defence contract Shall we all go and crash the party ? Tesla (TSLA) can't find the bottom in Europe as 2026 starts with another brutal decline | Electrek ‘I saw the writing on the wall’: Austria offers safe haven for US academics as Trump wages war on universities Joni Askola on X: "1/12 EU regulation is like kryptonite to our enemies🧵 https://t.co/eLQcFqOrYK " / X It’s a continental embarrassment that Europe has produced 0 stealth fighters. We are forced to buy American just to stay relevant. Meanwhile, the France-Germany infighting on the 6th-gen fighter is pathetic. Either we get our act together or stop complaining about US dependency HealthRanger on X: "Why Elon's "moon cities" fantasy is pure fiction: The dream of a bustling lunar metropolis shatters against the unforgiving reality of lunar environmental science. First and foremost is the lethal radiation environment. The Moon has no protective magnetosphere or substantial" / X

EU regulation is like kryptonite to our enemies/Thread, one does not have to be pro Brussels to agree with that... Italy overtakes Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest exporter , Big! A step toward Europe's own hypersonic strike capability. Bavarian military startup Hypersonica's first missile test on the Scandinavian peninsula was successful, The modular design shortens development time by years and cuts cost by 80%, and Spain + few others standing up to the big Tech Bros, keep it going ! Markets : The AI disruption trade just hit financial services, Spain moving in against social media giants (Musk having a fit), JPY did not weaken on the huge JPN election result (surprise.. for the USD bulls..), China and many others keep divesting away from the U.S, many U.S brands been hammered over the last many months >>> beware consumer power to 'avoid US names', eventually USDollar will struggle/continue to weaken Geopolitics : French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a stark warning: Trump’s agenda could “dismember” Europe , and the EU can no longer rely on compromise, Escaping the special relationship: How Britain can leave its dangerous dependency on Trump’s America #TSLA Tesla is about to be a US only company like GM and ford are headed..... Spoiler alert: it's pure fiction...Elon Musk will not build a colony or an outpost or so much as an outdoor toilet on the Moon. Not in ten years. Not in twenty years. Not ever, as long as everyone believes him, he can take your tax dollars.. ECB Chief Christine Lagarde says the E.U urgently needs an alternative to Mastercard Read an Anthropic AI safety lead's exit letter: 'The world is in peril' #BTC Bitcoin (and mainly other silly coins. .) is in its final stages, totally lost it's 'new kids interest'...Hundreds of billions have been invested into something with literally zero utility or intrinsic value, it still isn't and won't be digital gold, inflation hedge or a store of value.. Escaping the special relationship: How Britain can leave its dangerous dependency on Trump’s America – European Council on Foreign Relations Elon Musk’s xAI loses co-founder Tony Wu in latest senior departure xAI lost 10+ major managers in a single day... Incriminating Epstein documents circulating internally Illegal activities in business were identified or pure coincidence.. Urso: "Italy has surpassed Japan as the world's fourth-largest exporter." Read an Anthropic AI safety lead's exit letter: 'The world is in peril' Trump says Fed pick Kevin Warsh can juice economic growth to 15% Defence Index on X: "🚨🇫🇷🇪🇺 Macron Warns: Europe Must Brace for a Clash with the US! French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a stark warning: Trump’s agenda could “dismember” Europe, and the EU can no longer rely on compromise. Macron urges Europe to: ◾Prepare for potential conflict with the https://t.co/OimzBrD73q " / X Epstein Files, 4 Chan, Tech Bros., Silicon Valley & the Online Far Right | Education Training Society Brokerage Stocks Are the Latest Corner of the Market Getting Slammed by AI - Business Insider ... a startup that launched an AI tax planning tool isn't going to replace Schwab anytime soon. But its a real product doing in minutes what advisors charge thousands for. Palantir hosts party for MoD to celebrate £240m defence contract Shall we all go and crash the party ? Tesla (TSLA) can't find the bottom in Europe as 2026 starts with another brutal decline | Electrek ‘I saw the writing on the wall’: Austria offers safe haven for US academics as Trump wages war on universities Joni Askola on X: "1/12 EU regulation is like kryptonite to our enemies🧵 https://t.co/eLQcFqOrYK " / X It’s a continental embarrassment that Europe has produced 0 stealth fighters. We are forced to buy American just to stay relevant. Meanwhile, the France-Germany infighting on the 6th-gen fighter is pathetic. Either we get our act together or stop complaining about US dependency HealthRanger on X: "Why Elon's "moon cities" fantasy is pure fiction: The dream of a bustling lunar metropolis shatters against the unforgiving reality of lunar environmental science. First and foremost is the lethal radiation environment. The Moon has no protective magnetosphere or substantial" / X

Pam Bondi says America will "collapse" if what's truly in the Epstein files were to be released... just the beginning.. quite a few more BIG company CEO's and politicians will implode and take early retirement...MASSIVE cover-up..bigger than Watergate... Markets :  Insurance brokers crushed after OpenAi approved the first insurer-built Ai app on ChatGPT (fabulous... one company who hardly employs anyone, nor pays any taxes, crushes a perfectly legitimate businesses...) , Gold and Rates correlation breakdown (Apollo) >>> patches of weakness in some sectors, but overall, markets holding up well, precious metals found a base after the initial 'margin call, forced liquidation few days'.. USdollar not doing a whole lot, overall soft(er), USDJPY let's hear how drastic new PM wants to be with spending, etc.. Geopolitics : Iran's Ballistic Missiles put US Bases on notice, EU-US tensions over Greenland and tech are far from over, says Macron See list of personal data you now need to share to enter the US. Otherwise you may need to go home at your expense / Thread Stephen Miran  advocated a smaller Fed balance sheet while maintaining the option for large-scale asset purchases during crises.  Christopher Waller  said the crypto euphoria sparked by Trump’s election may be waning amid a market selloff. (BBG) Donald Trump’s effort to ban investment firms from buying single-family homes is meeting resistance from Republican lawmakers. (WSJ) Much to the frustration of the quant community, when the Fed started raising interest rates in 2022, the strong correlation between gold and real rates broke down, see chart below (imho it's all about debt and debasement, 100bps here and there make no difference..), Trump and Co will run down the U.S in debt...and isolate itself (China again on UST's selling over the weekend) New020926-Chart_v2.pdf China is “selling” America, but the rest of the world is still buying | Invezz EU-US tensions over Greenland and tech are far from over, says Macron The January jobs report is coming. The White House braces for bad news Iran's Ballistic Missiles Put US Bases on Notice. This Is The Pentagon's Red Zone | Middle East - Times Now Insurance brokers : From GS – “The immediate feedback still is a degree on confusion & the top question is 'Why would this primarily impact the brokers (who primarily do commercial .. think there's only home insurance at the majors for high net worth)' .. with a few arguing it's 1) more negative for personal insurance carriers given greater price transparency/shopping/competition, and 2) Insurance brokers dealing in more specialty products should be better insulated given complexity. All that said, there's certainly a degree of 'don't fight the narrative' .. and this is all very fresh/fluid at the moment” Brian Allen on X: "🚨 Rep. Stansbury doesn’t mince words: “The United States government is engaged in an active cover-up of the largest sex-trafficking and influence-peddling scandal in our history — and Donald Trump is right at the center of it.” That’s a sitting member of Congress saying it out https://t.co/m3DnOD93p3 " / X Top 10 most shocking revelations from the Epstein Files – 5Pillars Japan’s ruling party secures historic election victory – but challenges lie ahead Novo Nordisk sues Hims & Hers over knockoff weight loss drugs Volvo Car AB stock sinks 22% as Q4 profit slumps and tariffs bite Blue Owl Founders Pledged $1.9 Billion Stake Before Stock Plunge Decline in travel to United States set to continue - SWI swissinfo.ch The Hijacking of Bitcoin Quite honestly... in recent months, this is when the coins should have rallied... they pretty much all got destroyed, still not a payment system, still not a currency, let alone a reserve currency, still not a safe heaven (clearly..), so what good it it for exactly ?,,,,apart from burning energy and facilitating fraud... ?.. OH yes there was this the other day too... total fraud...   George Noble on X: "Jim Cramer is a FRAUD. This guy really just went on CNBC and said the government is buying Bitcoin at $60,000. Let me tell you why his narrative (and Bitcoin) is COMPLETE NONSENSE: Friday, Bitcoin crashes to $60,000. Down 52% from its October high. Over $1.2 trillion in value https://t.co/Z2zGrYgjIx " / X Emmanuel Pernot-Leplay on X: "🇺🇸✈️Here is the list of personal data you now need to share to enter the US. Otherwise you may need to go home at your expense 👇 - Social media accounts (last 5 years) - Email addresses (10 years) - Biometrics: face, DNA, iris, fingerprint - IP addresses & metadata from photos" / X

Spain's PM Pedro Sanchez is proving to be the kind of leader Europe needs Markets : Spain stands UP to social media GIANTS , AI isn't going to disappear, but it's been overinflated, overvalued, and its use cases overexaggerated, only a few Tech Bros benefit (AI peak..unlike in China where everyone down below benefits, SME's etc), the US yield curve has steadily steepened, the 2s/10s is now the widest going back to January 2022, JOLTs Job Openings Rise To 8.04 Million (higher than exp) , even Trump’s own billionaire donors are bailing, AMZN a beat + a huge CAPEX announced, RioTinto breaks Glencore merger talks >>> margin calls hitting many strategies, momentum, quants, techs, crypto coins and stocks (it's all too often the same trade, it is again..), continue to think Warsch won't be that accommodative (he wants to reduce FED balance-sheet), so a general 'sell tech-crowded trades-rallies, reduce risk' is wise, while looking for opportunities in the value sector, keep rotating ! (DOW so far unch..) Geopolitics : US and Iranian officials are scheduled to meet in Oman for talks today. The US virtual embassy in Iran is advising American citizens to leave the country,   EU Commission trials European open source communications software Australia has passed a Bill that will limit the total spending on a party by billionaires like Elon Musk to Just $50,000 The Week Anthropic Tanked the Market and Pulled Ahead of Its Rivals. Once a distant second or third in the AI race, the company is moving to the front with a focus on caution, coding and business clients. (WSJ) #BTC Bitcoin has now closed below the previous cycle's peak of roughly $69,000 from November 2021. This is the first time in its entire 15-year existence that price has dropped back under the prior cycle's all-time high after breaking above it Tom Lee, the chairman of BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), is sitting on a whopping +$8 billion unrealised loss on his ETH holdings... US job openings fall to lowest level in over 5 years, signaling sluggish labor market | AP News Commission trials European open source communications software | Euractiv US Treasury's Bessent says he was wrong when he said tariffs could be inflationary | Reuters Spain's leader wants the EU to ‘make social media great again.’ Here's how | The Independent Behind its booming economy, Sanchez' Spain is charting course other EU countries may follow: de-risking from US; standing up to Trump; regulating digital space; advocating strategic autonomy; promoting social programs; backing Palestine; regulating migration Anthropic’s AI Coup Sends Shockwaves Through Tech: Winners, Losers, and What’s Next | Strykr | Strykr Anthropic is releasing a new version of its most powerful AI model that’s designed to carry out financial research, days after the company’s push into legal services upended the stocks of legacy software makers.  The company on Thursday unveiled Claude Opus 4.6, which it says can scrutinize company data, regulatory filings and market information to come up with detailed financial analyses that would normally take a person days to complete Tom Lee's Bitmine now $8 billion underwater as ether tumbles below $2,000 Scrap Palantir UK contracts over Mandelson links, Zack Polanski says | The National I’m sorry for appointing Mandelson and believing his Epstein lies, Starmer says | The Independent Amazon stock falls after earnings on $200 billion capex plan Glencore shares slide after Rio Tinto merger unravels Big Tech’s ‘breathtaking’ $660bn spending spree reignites AI bubble fears The facts and timeline of Trump and Epstein’s falling out | PBS News French Response on X: "Hola Spain, we’ve been there🤝 – Platform owner weaponises it to blast every user against national law – Attacks gov – Gets backed by Russian &tech bros – Harbors drug retail channels – Plays victim of “oppression” – Starts all over again Hold the line,🇪🇸 It’s platform regulation" / X Bitcoin treasury Strategy posts $12.4b Q4 loss but Saylor tells investors not to panic Bitcoin Drops Below $61,000, Wiping Out Gain Since Trumps Win Novara Media on X: "Jeffrey Epstein co-owned a venture capital fund controlled by Peter Thiel, founder of spytech firm Palantir which is now deeply embedded in the British state. The latest Epstein files drop from the US Ministry of Justice shows that billionaire Thiel maintained a business https://t.co/7wEP2VVJje " / X NoLimit on X: "*THIS IS YOUR WARNING* I just left a private meeting with three UHNW individuals. The situation is significantly worse than I thought. They’re aggressively liquidating public equity positions to cover margin calls and holes in their private portfolios. They believe the cycle" / X They’re aggressively liquidating public equity positions to cover margin calls and holes in their private portfolios

Markets : Epstein files could well be bigger than watergate!, tip of the iceberg so far , Spain PM calls social media out, Fed's Cook 'wait and see' on rates, Trump warns Iran's supreme leader, UK's Starmer looks on his way out (First of many heads to roll), Amundi to reduce US investments over next 12months (Amundi is not just a ''small Danish PF... ''...overvalued anyway..makes sense..) >>> software, techs etc clearly under the hammer/momentum breaking/quants selling, sell rallies overall, reduce, look for new opportunities in the value world (there are plenty..), BTC on lows (Saylor and Co..?), FX pretty zzz''s to be honest, 10's UST 4.27% pretty quiet too (yields on recent highs though) Trade deals : EU and Australia sign a massive trade and security deal, after Mexico, Mercosur, India.. this will bring Europe to a superpower, about time! Geopolitics : U.S., Iran Agree to Discuss Nuclear Issues Friday in Oman. Talks had been in danger of collapsing over the agenda and location. (WSJ) Palantir owner Peter Thiel, who holds hundred million pounds of sensitive UK Govt contracts facilitated by Epstein associate Peter Mandelson, was co-owner of billion dollar fund with Jeffrey Epstein. Both connected to senior Russian officials Private credit is headed for a 'software' shock , quant-momentum trades unwound (Thread) not too dissimilar to previous sharp corrections, NVDA investment into OpenAi has seemingly vanished (we warned about these 'circular investments'..), The US has $38 trillion in debt. It grows by $6 billion per day —not per year, per day. The US added $1 trillion in debt in just 71 days last year, probably nothing to worry about.. Amundi, Europe's largest asset manager with $2.4 Trillion in AUM, will reduce exposure to the U.S. over the next 12 months Jeffrey Epstein 'Co-Owned' Venture Fund with Palantir Founder as it Entered UK Government – Byline Times SO many skeletons to come out of all this !, Thiel the one 'in charge'...by the looks... Mandelson-Epstein files: Keir Starmer may be facing his very own Profumo scandal | Politics News | Sky News Jeff Bezos's Washington Post guts staff, shrinks news coverage | Reuters Trump warns Iran’s supreme leader should be 'very worried' U.S. proposes critical minerals trade bloc aimed at countering China’s grip Be ‘prudent’ about supplying arms to Taiwan, Xi tells Trump in call | China | The Guardian Trump, Xi discuss Taiwan and trade ahead of planned summit Amundi says it will cut exposure to US over coming year – The Irish Times Fed's Cook says it's time to 'wait and see' on rates | Reuters Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott believes Fed Chair Powell committed no crime in testimony Qualcomm (QCOM) Q1 2026 earnings Shares of Arm plunge 8% after licensing revenue misses estimates, Qualcomm outlook adds pressure Nvidia's $100 billion OpenAI deal has seemingly vanished - Ars Technica Elon Musk Calls Spain’s PM ‘Tyrant’ Over New Social Media Rule Why Michael Saylor Still Says Buy Bitcoin and Hold? This will hurt a lot of 'investors'.. Nigel Farage is a 'person of interest' in FBI's Trump-Russia investigation | The Week UK Private Credit Is Headed for a Software Shock - Articles - Advisor Perspectives (3) Craig Shapiro on X: "Another quant unwind day in factor land. This is now 5 days in a row. I think we are getting closer and closer to having a larger episodic volatility event, similar to August 2024 and February 2018, as this de-grossing and alpha unwind ultimately begets a beta faceplant https://t.co/wDMdXoHmHg " / X

#NVDA is in a real bind, on one hand if they don’t fund OpenAI their largest customer maybe dies/struggles, on the other hand, if they do it’ll be explicitly to give money to OpenAI so they can give some of it to Oracle so they can give some of it to Foxconn/Quanta to give to NVIDIA.. #circulareconomy The US has $38 trillion in debt. It grows by $6 billion per day —not per year, per day. The US added $1 trillion in debt in just 71 days last year, probably nothing to worry about.. Markets : Epstein files 'it only just began', France could freeze the financial assets of Elon Musk and Jail him for foreign Election interference, Russia's KGB involvement is pretty clear in all this >>> feels like a REAL moment, voter properly unhappy, huge anti social media moves globally, Epstein, power push back and so on.. this is bigger than what anyone has ever known, one can fear... markets pretty quiet, too quiet perhaps, a few 'big' CEO's could be early retired..or worse Polish Finance Minister supports German push for core EU (E6) to speed up integration and establish the Capital Market Union. Other states could always join later as Draghi pointed out, whaoo, let's go ! How China’s export controls, 90% ownership of metal refining threatens the AI industry Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez: Starting next week, my government will implement the following actions: First, we will change the law in Spain to hold platform executives legally accountable for many infringements taking place on their sites, Social media has become a failed state/ Thread, need more than Spain to do it.. French prosecutors have raided the Paris offices of Elon Musk's social media platform X , This is a French judicial procedure, not an EU regulatory action, under investigation for organized crime and worse.Elon Musk says France's raid on X's office is a "political attack." French Government: "Maybe that logic flies on some island. Doesn't fly in France." Software's forward 12m P/E has compressed from 33.1x to 23.2x, multiple contraction of 30%. Valuations are now approaching the 2022 and Covid lows... Whaoo.. Ted Lieu on Trump: It Was a Crime to Party With Epstein Epstein files: Trump DOJ releases several million more pages of records This is going to be HUGE, and we've not even scratched the surface In Putin’s Orbit: The Crypto Politics of Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Thiel  – Byline Times 'Painful times in my marriage': Melinda Gates on Epstein files, STD claim tied to Bill Gates - BusinessToday Anonymous on X: "This is the tip of the iceberg: how the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Russia conspired to install Trump, undermined Ukraine, expanded their control in the Middle East, and got wealthier at the expense of everyone. From Epstein to Musk, the fix is in. https://t.co/zKY1w2kQGR " / X Nigel Farage is a 'person of interest' in FBI's Trump-Russia investigation | The Week Nigel Farage has a Russia problem Clash Report on X: "Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez: Starting next week, my government will implement the following actions: First, we will change the law in Spain to hold platform executives legally accountable for many infringements taking place on their sites. Second, we will turn algorithmic https://t.co/cCr6MtoTxe " / X Netherlands latest European country to mull social media ban for children | The Record from Recorded Future News Lithuania follows Poland in opening a pre trial investigation into Epstein files, other will now all follow Why French Prosecutors Raided Elon Musk's X Offices in France - World En.tempo.co 🇦🇺Craig Tindale on X: "For two decades, the global economy treated metals refining as a solved problem. Ore could be mined anywhere, shipped anywhere, processed cheaply, and delivered just in time. That assumption sat quietly underneath AI, energy transition plans, and the data-center buildout now" / X Blue Owl, Ares Lead Private Market Firms Bashed by Software Risk - Bloomberg This is going to go down as one of the biggest 'ponzi' of all times Why Michael Saylor Still Says Buy Bitcoin and Hold? Jacob King on X: "So let me get this straight… Jeffrey Epstein admits he spoke with Satoshi, paid the salaries of roughly 60% of Bitcoin’s core developers, was a lead investor in Blockstream (responsible for the majority of major protocol changes, the centralized Lightning Network, and" / X

Markets : Epstein files (so grim - many should-must end up with fraud, criminal investigations ..the whole system is-was - got to be a LOT of early career ending stories coming up..), Lord Mandelson gave Jeffrey Epstein advance notice of a €500bn bailout to save the Euro (think about that...) and this ''The blueprint for a 20-year financial architecture designed to turn pandemics into a profit center, designed pre 2019...''... , RBA hikes for 1st time since late 2023, as inflation hits 2y highs, France finally passes 2026 budget, Meloni/Merz cut Macron out of engine of Europe, Mario Draghi calls for EU ‘federation’ to avoid being ‘picked off’ by US and China >>> precious metals found a bid yesterday, after an early rout, and everything bounced pretty easily, USD didn't really do much, AUDUSD breaking up on RBA Trade : Reeves takes aim at Trump as she calls for UK and EU to speak with one voice on trade, A White House official told Reuters that the U.S. was rescinding a punitive 25% duty on all imports from India over its purchases of Russian oil that had stacked on top of a 25% "reciprocal" tariff rate, Geopolitics : Iranian officials say Tehran may suspend or shut down nuclear program to ease tensions with US, Ukraine agrees multi-tier plan for enforcing any ceasefire with Russia. European forces would be dispatched and backed by US military in case of repeated Russian violations, #RARE Trump Unveils $12 Billion Mineral Reserve With Record Ex-Im Loan Hundreds of private equity firms are now drowning in a sea of competition, searching for lifeboats of new capital as they cling to portfolios of nearly unsaleable investments. Meanwhile, their investors are losing patience/Forbes Cornwall voted to leave the EU They've gone from £100 million a year in EU support 5 years ago to effectively nothing from April Today 78% want to #RejoinEU   Wall Street waits for Fed interest rate cuts under Kevin Warsh Fed’s Bostic expects no rate cuts in 2026 due to worries GOP tax bill might fuel inflation Mario Draghi calls for EU ‘federation’ to avoid being ‘picked off’ by US and China Trump Unveils $12 Billion Mineral Reserve With Record Ex-Im Loan | Financial Post Brexit bites after Cornwall’s EU cash dries up 'choices have consequences' - Cornwall Live France finally passes 2026 budget – POLITICO Meloni cuts Macron out of engine of Europe Why Private Equity Is Suddenly Awash With Zombie Firms Trump says U.S. and India reached trade deal, will lower tariffs immediately Iranian officials say Tehran may suspend or shut down nuclear program to ease tension Australia raises rates for first time since late 2023 as inflation hits six-quarter high Reeves takes aim at Trump as she calls for UK and EU to speak with one voice on trade SpaceX buys xAI in $1.25tn deal to unite crucial parts of Elon Musk’s empire Musk's xAI quarterly net loss widens to $1.46 billion, Bloomberg News reports | Reuters Police assess reports of alleged misconduct after Mandelson emails published .. criminal investigation? Switzerland eases arms export rules as its industry is shunned by Europe - SWI swissinfo.ch Palantir’s Q4: The AI story finally looks like a business Sayer Ji on X: "1/🚨 The DOJ just released thousands of pages of Epstein files. And buried inside them may be one of the biggest bombshells no one is talking about: The blueprint for a 20-year financial architecture designed to turn pandemics into a profit center. Offshore vaccine funds. https://t.co/2tA4pqhe26 " / X

Trump is petrified apparently that someone in his inner circle intentionally leaked the unredacted Epstein files... whaoo some pretty shocking ones out there.. pretty GRIM stuff !!! that's for sure Nvidia halts plan to invest $100 billion in OpenAI, WSJ says Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for the yuan to become global reserve currency Markets : clearly a proper 'margin call' last Friday, MSFT, precious metals, Bitcoin, miners.., we hit an air pocket (expect higher margin requirements ahead, CME etc....) , whatever the reasons for last week/Friday, new FED Chair doesn't like QE/wants to reduce FED balance-sheet-maybe, way way overbought momentum in precious metals, meme-stocks like price action lately, it is/was time for a correction/consolidation..JPM closed their short right on the lows (totally normal!!??).. FX pretty quiet in all this (still), equity may well have some troubles ahead.... #AI BlackRock said it: “The real constraint isn’t chips—it’s LAND and ENERGY.” Kevin Warsh’s desire to shrink Fed’s balance sheet sets up clash with Trump, say investors..Long-term yields ticked up after president nominated former governor to lead US central bank Xi Jinping calls for building strong global connection | Xi Jinping calls for building 'strong' yuan to boost global role, challenge dollar dominance - Telegraph India Nvidia halts plan to invest $100 billion in OpenAI, WSJ says War Pulse on X: "While the world was busy watching the U.S. buildup around Iran, China quietly dispatched 16 Y-20 strategic airlifters to Iran, reportedly fully loaded with missiles and air defense systems, with their transponders turned off. Now, any U.S. attack against Iran could become very https://t.co/ABaPU9brRT " / X China’s genius plan to win the AI race is already paying off Kevin Warsh’s desire to shrink Fed’s balance sheet sets up clash with Trump, say investors Are Vladimir Putin and Jeffrey Epstein Friends? US Officials Reveal 'World's Largest Honeytrap' Blackmail Plot | IBTimes UK Only ‘half’ of Epstein files have been released, says lawmaker who led efforts to unearth them DANNY on X: "🚨 WARNING: SILVER RUG WAS PLANNED, SOLID PROOF!!! No rage bait or other bullshit, hear me out.. Silver went from ~$121 to ~$74, then settled around ~$78. And you know what? A COMEX report says JPMorgan closed their short positions at the absolute exact second it hit the https://t.co/i0ioDUvuTO " / X Mandelson tried to change bankers' bonus policy at Epstein's request Totally bent !   Dan Neidle on X: "Yesterday evening, Peter Mandelson told me "I've never owned property in Brazil and never will". Then we discovered the Brazilian company he incorporated, "for the purpose of purchasing and selling real estate". Thread:" / X Silver, gold sell off as precious metals markets nosedive Proper margin call!...as expected, but whaooo nonetheless.. Peter Schiff Asks Michael Saylor What's Funding Dividend Payouts On Strategy's Preferred Stock: 'MSTR Is Losing Money'

Is it for today ?.. Donald Trump is set to nominate Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, people familiar said. The president plans to announce his pick today, other contenders include Kevin Hassett, Christopher Waller and Rick Rieder. Stocks fell along with Treasuries on speculation Warsh, an historically hawkish former Fed governor, will lead the central bank. The dollar extended gains, while gold dropped >>> Warsh nomination could well have a decent impact on markets, and further flush USD shorts and risk-on trades, IF confirmed >>> beware, and it's month-end, after a month of massive momentum trades.. Markets : It's not often you see a MEGA cap like MSFT losing over 10% in a day (in fact it's never happened..), APPL a beat 'what else', META investigation over WhatsApp, Amazon is said to be in talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI (more circular deals), SpaceX merger talks,. Trump says Europe is weak, the data says NOPE (Thread) >>> MSFT mainly (and SAP earlier, UNH etc) the trigger for a 'cross asset flush' into month-end ! (timing, positioning is the key..) >>> when margin calls kick in with 'hot momentum trades', IMHO a welcome short-term flush in precious metals, and MAG7 and the PLTR of this world are well overdue a decent correction (circular deals, more debt, higher costs etc), BTC another leg lower too, month-end flows could be quite interesting today! no-one can complain that there is no volatility ! what a start to 2026 Commods : ALU used to cost the same in the U.S as it did in Europe (no longer..nope), Copper up here will ADD, Copper move could add up to 1% in U.S core CPI >>> ''a welcome sell-off into month-end after an absolutely WILD Jan..'' Geopolitics : Trump said Vladimir Putin agreed to halt the bombing of Ukraine as the country prepares for an extreme cold snap Trade : The US president warned the UK and Canada against striking new business deals with China, after their leaders visited Beijing this month in an effort to deepen ties Gandalv on X: "Trump Says Europe Is Weak. The Data Says He’s Wrong." / X US Aluminum Premium Tops $1 a Pound for First Time - Bloomberg Earnings live: Sandisk stock surges on huge profit beat, Deckers stock soars, Apple earnings beat estimates Trump says deal struck with Democrats to avoid government shutdown over ICE reforms | LBC Gold prices hit record high as 2026 starts with a rally US trade deficit widens by the most in nearly 34 years in November Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Tesla and xAI may merge: What we know so far Trump Says Putin Agreed to Halt Ukraine Bombing During Cold Snap | Mint Trump pressed to turn retired jet engines into power for AI supercomputers US investigates claims Meta could access private WhatsApp messages | Tech News - Business Standard Bambi Burnham has boosted Labour's rivals The strategic block of Andy Burnham’s by-election candidacy is a self-inflicted wound that signals weakness, invites challenges from internal rivals, and elevates a local contest into a national stress test of Keir Starmer’s leadership, says Helen Thomas UK citizens to be able to travel to China visa-free, Starmer announces in Beijing - BBC News Voters Growing More Concerned About the National Debt UBS kickt immer mehr alte CS-Kunden auf Strasse – Inside Paradeplatz Trump says ‘very dangerous’ for UK to do business with China, after Starmer hails progress in Beijing | China | The Guardian Source: Amazon could invest up to $50B in OpenAI in coming weeks First Brands founder and brother indicted on US fraud charges Indonesian stock exchange CEO resigns after $84 billion market wipe out

US layoffs have surged to recessionary levels: US employers announced 1,206,374 job cuts in 2025, up +58% YoY, the highest since the 2020 Crisis. Excluding 2020, this was the worst year since the 2008 Financial Crisis, and the first layoffs announcement in 2026 are getting bigger Markets : MAGA is turning on Donald Trump, peak Trump 'impact' in markets, not that he can't go loopy still, clearly he can and he will no doubt..,  a central goal of the "Mar-a-Lago Accord"—an economic framework proposed by advisors within the Trump administration—is to deliberately weaken the U.S. dollar (market been doing just that..(THREADs below), and FWIW as we been writing about for nearly a year..., markets may push further than they wish for... at which point the ECB can start to say that EURUSD is too high.... SILVER 'it is different this time' - prepare for 100+ for a long while...(Thread-HECLA President reveals why) >> earnings in full swing (MSFT ''rising costs..'' + circular deal NVDA and OpenAI), SAP drops to 2y lows!, metals still in focus, USD bounced a little after Bessent and weakened again overnight, 10's UST's quietly selling off 4.27% now (steeper curve with Rieder..), Iran building up for something big, UK PLC's to benefit from CHINA rapprochement, commodity boom continues to support the likes of AUD, NOK, LATAMs, Brazil, CHILI ETF's etc.. Geopolitics : Trump says a "massive Armada" is heading to Iran and "like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to fulfil its mission." "Time is running out, make a deal, the next attack will be far worse,", EU expected to put Iran guards on 'terrorist list', Trump weighs major new strike on Iran as nuclear discussions show no progress The world is adapting, shifting away from America : PetroChina has stopped buying “stolen” Venezuelan oil that is being marketed under U.S. control , France to replace Microsoft Teams and Zoom with its own video platform, Visio, across all Govt departments by 2027 , there will be many more of those, EU-India trade deal is the same, net net the U.S isolated itself and will lose out long-term, Trump is single-handedly turning long-term traditional allies away from the US towards China and Europe..EU’s Kaja Kallas: Europe is no longer Washington’s primary center of gravity. The shift has been ongoing for a while. It is structural, not temporary... let that sink in..Keir Starmer going to China, with 50 UK CEOs, is a huge deal, it’s a break from the autopilot politics of the UK centre-left, where America is always alpha and omega, to a more pragmatic approach.... good for UK PLC's long-term The former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González stated: "I personally believe, and I say this with all due respect, that Trump is completely insane. A fool who is given power destroys his people." Slovak PM Robert Fico (and old friend of Trump..)... told EU leaders he was alarmed after meeting Donald Trump on Jan. 17 at Mar-a-Lago, calling Trump’s state of mind “dangerous” and raising concerns about his “psychological state,” The Fed holds interest rates steady despite pressure from Trump Powell 'irrelevant' for markets, ALL about next FED Chair, Rick Rieder still odds-on Scott Bessent shuts down report of potential U.S. currency market intervention; U.S. dollar rebounds Clash Report on X: "EU’s Kaja Kallas: Europe is no longer Washington’s primary center of gravity. The shift has been ongoing for a while. It is structural, not temporary. No great power in history has ever outsourced its survival and survived. The risk of a return to coercive power politics and https://t.co/fTsool2E2s " / X Bonjour Visio: France turns digital sovereignty into policy ALL ABOUT THAT USDOLLAR POLICY... Long-term USD dominance over, which started last year on the Mar-a-Lago 'deal'.....'they want a weaker USDollar, they will get a weaker USdollar... China’s ‘gold fever’ sparks US$1 billion scandal as trading platform collapses | South China Morning Post Samantha LaDuc on X: "1973 IS COMING - BUT NOT FOR OIL There is falling global dollar AND treasury demand, but not for US equities. 25% of USTs are owned by foreigners (down from 33% a decade ago) 25% of US Equities are owned by foreigners (up from 18%) USD share of global foreign reserves as https://t.co/efmDeSGpoi " / X Again, irrespective of what anyone things, this is what the market been doing for while...and what we been talking about for months... debasement, usd decline, GOLD reset, hard assets, government debt ever higher etc... Ole S Hansen on X: "From Gemini: A central goal of the "Mar-a-Lago Accord"—an economic framework proposed by advisors within the Trump administration—is to deliberately weaken the U.S. dollar. The plan is named in reference to the 1985 Plaza Accord, where major world powers agreed to devalue the" / X AlexandruC4 on X: "BREAKING: Slovak PM Robert Fico told EU leaders he was alarmed after meeting Donald Trump on Jan. 17 at Mar-a-Lago, calling Trump’s state of mind “dangerous” and raising concerns about his “psychological state,” according to EU diplomats. The White House rejected the account, https://t.co/3TciS5qePk " / X SILVER it is different this time, here is why : Mark on X: "$100+ SILVER UNLOCKED – FORMER HECLA PRESIDENT PHIL BAKER REVEALS WHY THIS MOVE IS DIFFERENT Former Hecla Mining president and Silver Institute veteran Phil Baker explains why this isn't just hype—it's a fundamental shift in the silver market that's here to stay. THE HISTORIC https://t.co/ggvehKkMgE " / X Talks with US over Chagos Islands deal have reopened, confirms Keir Starmer Trump faces fury as majority of Americans turn against ICE after fatal shootings Will Britain follow the Carney Doctrine? - UnHerd EU expected to put Iran guards on 'terrorist list' Trump weighs major new strike on Iran as nuclear discussions show no progress | CNN Politics Pakistan tightens border surveillance over Nipah virus threat as India confirms two cases China plans space‑based AI data centres, challenging Musk's SpaceX ambitions Sam Altman said OpenAI is planning to 'dramatically slow down' its pace of hiring Deutsche Bank Q4 earnings 2025 results SAP plunges to 17 month low as AI panic wipes out $130B Circular deals again OpenAI and NVIDIA Announce Strategic Partnership to Deploy 10 Gigawatts of NVIDIA Systems | NVIDIA Newsroom Earnings live: IBM stock surges, Whirlpool slides; Meta, Microsoft, Tesla report beats across the board

Markets : #USD IMF prepares for global run on US dollar (now with Trump adding to risk..), Scott Bessent is already showing signs of a meltdown in reaction to the European Union’s FTA with India (Thread), FED unchanged tonight, presser always interesting particularly ahead of new FED Chair announcement shortly, worst U.S confidence numbers in 12years y'day, Rick Rieder (odds on fav) wants 1% cut, steeper curves and probably not too worried about the USD either.. so long as UST market remains steady, with all the mountain of debt that needs to be rolled in 2026 #shadowFED effectively.. >> The US has almost never seen so much debt coming due: 26.4% of US federal debt is maturing within 12 months, near the highest % in 26 years!!, mass 48K UPS layoffs, AMZN cuts too, ASML big beat >>> When the U.S. weaponizes the dollar, threatening sanctions, freezing assets, using currency as a political tool, that trust evaporates... (UST long end sold off a little again #duration risk ),... markets have to 'prepare, hedge'' for a 10-15pct move lower in major USD pairs...without the $$$ as a world currency, the U.S becomes a regional power, with HUGE debt issue..''BE careful what you wish for Donald...'' GOLD, Silver , PLAT prices were hit hard during NYC hours last few days, right back and higher again this morning !! this is the debasement full on.. The White House is in full blown panic mode right now . Kristi Noem is throwing Stephen Miller under the bus, Miller is throwing Greg Bovino under the bus, Republican senators are calling for Noem to be fired… it’s a mess. SPX : if you measure SPX return in GOLD terms, the stock market is 'collapsing'.. #USD : IMF prepares for global run on US dollar. The EU should issue more common debt to provide investors with an alternative safe asset to gold and US Treasuries, the Fund's managing director said Ray Dalio just said the quiet part out loud. "If you depreciate the money, it makes everything look like it's going up." The Stock Market boom is a lie… We are witnessing the death of the Dollar, not the growth of the economy EU now has its own 'secure and encrypted' satellite communication system Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday he told U.S. President Donald Trump that he meant what he said in his speech at Davos, and told him Canada plans to diversify away from the United States with a dozen new trade deals..to EU, China.. IMF prepares for global run on US dollar | Euractiv The Kobeissi Letter on X: "Most people don't realize what Trump just said: For 12+ months, the US Dollar has been in a sharp decline, falling -10% in 2025 in its worst year since 2017. Minutes ago, for the first time, President Trump commented on the decline in the USD: "The value of the Dollar is https://t.co/qTORxvmg3H " / X The President doesn't make USD policy, but there you go.. Global Markets Investor on X: "🚨The US has almost never seen so much debt coming due: 26.4% of US federal debt is maturing within 12 months, near the highest % in 26 years, according to Tavi Costa's analysis. This is ~$10 TRILLION of debt. However, it has to be refinanced at way higher rates than the https://t.co/Wz0AqpPtp1 " / X Crude Rallies on Weather Disruptions and Fresh Geopolitical Nerves | OilPrice.com Mark Carney stands firm on Davos speech, plans new Canada trade deals | AP News EU now has its own 'secure and encrypted' satellite communication system, Kubilius says | Euronews Activists say Iran's crackdown has killed at least 6,221 people, as the country's currency plunges Consumer confidence collapses to lowest level since 2014 | CNN Business ECB would need to act if euro keeps gaining, says Austria’s central bank governor We've hardly moved a few pct.. sure, if EURUSD went rapidly to 1.35+ they would Shubhangi Sharma on X: "Scott Bessent is already showing signs of a meltdown in reaction to the European Union’s FTA with India. The Trump administration will find it a lot harder to justify its policy towards India. The whole thing is backfiring. https://t.co/AgTq8nNwXs " / X Sam Altman, Jamie Dimon, and more CEOs on ICE in Minnesota The boss been fired.. Top White House aide Stephen Miller acknowledges possible breach of protocol before Alex Pretti’s shooting Gandalv on X: "Trillions Lost Forever: MAGA as the Most Expensive Political Project in U.S. History" / X When the U.S. weaponizes the dollar, threatening sanctions, freezing assets, using currency as a political tool, that trust evaporates. China and Brazil are already trading in yuan. India and Russia are using rupees. The European Union is pushing for euro-denominated energy contracts. Each of these shifts is small. But they add up. And they don't reverse . Australia's Woodside beats Q4 revenue estimates despite oil slump, flags lower 2026 output | Reuters Exclusive: Amazon plans thousands more corporate job cuts next week, sources say | Reuters UPS Mass Layoffs as 48,000 Jobs Cut - Newsweek UnitedHealth stock crashes despite market-beating earnings - but CMS update cautions against buying the dip Dutch tech giant ASML to cut around 1,700 jobs even as orders beat expectations - CNA

Markets : Now Rick Rieder is odd-on favourite for FED (big business supporter, cut rates, keep inflation high, never mind folks..keep the super rich happy..), U.S NastGas prices jump higher again now highest in 3years, Trump barks again with higher tariffs on Korea (''bully them'', and now seems Korea now going to sign trade deal, so no reaction in markets), Minnesota de-escalation.. >>> Silver ETF flows are NUTS, see below ! ! !..not just silver mind... anything goes..it's clearly going a little to fast too quickly, trading like a meme stock.. and mining stocks doing properly crazy stuff.. 10y, 100x, uranium too as flagged las few months... USDJPY looks to have found bids below 154 (no new news..markets covers shorts in USDJPY Geopolitics : Xi has absolute control over China’s military. Now he wants more, GS fires precious metal chief, Trade : India and European Union have closed a ‘landmark’ free trade deal, Prime Minister Modi says, Keir Starmer said in an interview that the UK won’t be forced to choose between the US and China, Stung by Trump, America’s Top Trading Partners Cozy Up to China. Some U.S. allies are weighing closer ties to Beijing as they seek alternative markets. (WSJ), Volkswagen CEO threatens to end plans for U.S. factory unless Trump reduces tariffs Brussels opens a Digital Services Act investigation into X over Grok deepfakes, widening scrutiny while U.S. lawmakers sharpen enforcement tools ‘Humanity needs to wake up’ to dangers of AI, says Anthropic chief . Dario Amodei posts 20,000-word essay detailing potentially catastrophic risks from powerful technology in years to come. (FT) New Year, new bad developments in Private Credit. Bloomberg News today: “ BDC BlackRock TCP Capital plunged the most since 2020 following write downs that cut its net asset value by 19%.” Eric Balchunas on X: "WHOA: The volume in the $SLV is $32b.. that 15x its avg and by far the most volume of any security on the planet. For context, $SPY is $24b, $NVDA and $TSLA $16b. Can't remember the last time something so relatively small took over like this. Game Stop maybe. https://t.co/s6lVajUq4J " / X Analysis: Xi has absolute control over China’s military. Now he wants more | CNN Starmer says he won't 'choose between' the US or China South Korea scrambles to pass U.S. investment bill after Trump threatens higher tariffs India and European Union have closed a 'landmark' free trade deal, Prime Minister Modi says VW may cancel U.S. Audi plant without tariff rethink from Trump - Automotive News Darth Powell on X: "This Blackrock used car salesman is Rick Rieder is now the odds-on favorite to become the next Fed Chairman. He thinks destroying America is fine as long as you help the rich. https://t.co/RD7fY5aNtT " / X Meet Rick Rieder: The BlackRock executive in the running to lead the Federal Reserve Goldman’s top precious metals trader exits bank - MINING.COM Got caught short sir ? US natural gas prices soar to highest level in 3 years after winter storm US natural gas prices soar to highest level in 3 years after winter storm Jump expected to push up consumer bills as White House faces criticism that it has failed to deliver on affordability Chart https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/natural-gas US Treasury market is a ticking time bomb – The Armchair Trader EU opens probe into Musk’s Grok over sexualized deepfakes Target, Best Buy, more CEOs urge 'deescalation of tensions' in Minnesota Trump’s border enforcer in Minneapolis, Greg Bovino, is leaving the city following public outcry over the shooting of US citizens. The backlash has prompted Trump to indicate a change in tack, looks like he's been fired Anthropic CEO Worries Humanity May Not be 'Mature' Enough for Advanced AI BlackRock cuts value of private debt fund by 19%, waives fee - The Business Times This could be big news, if it is the beginning of many more to come...definitely 'a must follow' story in that sector, for overall risk sentiment Apollo Took Loss on Zeroed Out Asset-Backed Loan Deemed Safe (2) Global Markets Investor on X: "⚠️The Japan bond market, the world's 3rd-largest, is trading like an emerging market: The market dislocation index for Japanese government bonds spiked to 9.5 basis points, the highest ever and way higher than in the Great Financial Crisis. This index measures the divergence of https://t.co/5ns9I7JnKO " / X