- US stock markets are losing their bullish momentum after US intelligence reported that there are indications that Iran has begun laying sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
- The country's stockpile is expected to range from 2,000 to 6,000 locally produced, Russian, and Chinese mines. They are to be transported by small boats that can carry 2 to 3 such mines.
- This news caused oil prices to rebound above $88 per barrel in the last few minutes, and Wall Street indices lost some of their daily gains.
- Interestingly, however, according to Axios, the United States is asking Israel to halt attacks on Iranian energy facilities, which is Trump's first such intervention in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
- The US100 is currently up 0.67%, the US500 is up 0.55%, and the US2000 is up 0.9%.
- For the third time in the last 10 months, the US100 is defending the 200-day EMA zone, and today's upward momentum is pushing the contract above the 100-day EMA. In the medium term, this means that the upward trend defined by these curves remains intact.
- The residential real estate market in the US surprised positively, growing in the second month of 2026 despite expectations of slight declines. Despite occasional dips below 4 million, demand in the market appears stable.
- European markets ended trading significantly higher. The German DAX gained 2.25%, the French CAC40 2.16%, the British FTSE100 1.59%, and the Polish WIG20 2.16%.
- The Australian dollar is gaining the most on the Forex market today. The Japanese yen and Swiss franc are experiencing the biggest declines.
- Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) shares are down more than 3% today after the US FDA sent the company a warning letter regarding violations of adverse drug reaction reporting procedures, including Ozempic. According to the statement, an FDA inspection found that the company failed to report some serious cases — including two deaths and one suicide — within the required 15 days.
- Nvidia is developing a software layer around AI. According to Wired, the company is working on an open-source AI agent platform called NemoClaw, aimed primarily at enterprise customers. The platform will enable companies to delegate complex tasks to AI agents on behalf of their employees.
- On the wave of a rebound in Wall Street indices and a sharp drop in oil prices, the CBOE VIX (VIX) volatility index contract is down more than 2.5% today.
- The final reading of Japan's GDP for the fourth quarter of 2025 was revised significantly upward, erasing investors' pessimism following the previous decline in GDP in response to the chaos of US trade policy in 2025 and continued weak consumer spending. Quarter-on-quarter growth was raised from a disappointing 0.1% to 0.3% (1.3% annualized growth).
- For the first time in over a year, real wages also increased (+1.4%), which translated into higher consumption among Japanese consumers (+0.3% m/m vs. 0.1% forecast).
- Brent crude oil is currently down 1.3%, while WTI crude oil is down 4.5%. NATGAS is also experiencing declines, with prices falling by more than 2%.
- Precious and industrial metals are regaining ground. GOLD is currently up 0.85% and SILVER 0.77%. The COPPER contract is up 1.7% today.
- The improvement in market sentiment is also reflected in the crypto market, where Bitcoin is trading 2% higher intraday, close to the $70,000 zone.
Daily Summary: A Lull in the Pre-Holiday Calm
Market wrap 📌US indices in focus amid strong NFP data and $100 oil
BREAKING: NFP payrolls skyrocket 🚀 EURUSD back in red 📉
EURUSD catches breath before NFP 📈
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