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Japan data disappoints, but shares edge up on thinly traded holiday markets
The world's shares were stable on Monday, after Friday's decline - triggered by AI concerns - as the Lunar New Year holidays in Asia and Presidents Day made for thin trading. China, South Korea and Taiwan were all closed markets, but MSCI's broadest world share index, along with currencies and bonds, steadied. Stock futures continue to be traded, but the U.S. bond and stock markets remain closed. The European share market ended the day with gains after a recovery in the banking sector. This sector was impacted last week by AI-related concerns that spread to the financials. The STOXX 600 pan-regional index was the last to rise, around 0.3%. JAPAN’S WEAK GDP, REFLATIONARY HOPES The Japanese economy has reported a 0.2% annualised growth in the fourth quarter. This is far less than the 1.6% forecast, as the government's spending weighed on the activity. The figures are disappointing and highlight the difficult task ahead of Prime Minister Takaichi. She should push for more aggressive fiscal stimuli. Japan's Nikkei ended 0.2% lower after gaining 5% in the previous week. Some investors, however, remained optimistic in light of Takaichi’s election results. The landslide victory of the LDP in Japan's general elections has given Prime Minister Takaichi all the power she needs to pursue her reflationary agenda. Benjamin Melman, Global CIO at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management said in a Monday note that we remain overweight Japanese stocks. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq Futures, which traded on Monday, both gained 0.1% and respectively. This week a raft of economic information is expected, including preliminary readings on global business activity, U.S. Gross Domestic Product for the fourth quarter, and inflation rates for the UK, Canada, and Japan. In a note, Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank said that "our economists expect real GDP growth (in the U.S.) to slow down to 2.5% in Q4 - a significant step 'down' from the previous quarter's pace of 4.4%." CAPEX - MORE CAPEX = Fewer Buybacks Walmart will be the main attraction in the U.S. as it provides a reading on consumer spending after a disappointing retail sales December. The stock of the retailer has increased by 20% in value this year. Its market capitalisation is now over $1 trillion, making it the largest company in the consumer staples industry. This sector will grow by more than 15% by 2026. The rotation of defensive stocks out of the tech sector has been a boon to the stock market. This is due to concerns over the high cost of AI capex, and the disruptive impact of AI competition in sectors like software. Hyperscaler capital expenditure plans are now $660 billion, which is $120 billion more than they were at the beginning of earnings season. Goldman Sachs analysts noted that while capex is on the rise, S&P 500 buybacks are down 7% compared to a year earlier. Oliver Blackbourn is a portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors. He said that the fiscal stimulus in the U.S. and Germany, as well as Japan, would ultimately benefit the banking sector. The Federal Reserve is reducing interest rates to keep up with the economy and there's no shortage of money flowing into the bond market. Futures indicate that 68% of the time the Fed will reduce in June, and 62 basis point of easing is already priced into the futures for the entire year. The dollar index fell 0.8% to 96.890 last week, with the majority of the losses coming from a recovering Japanese yen. The dollar rose 0.4% on Monday to 153.31yen after falling 2.9% last week. Meanwhile, the euro fell 0.1% to $1.1854. Gold dropped around 1.25% on commodity markets to $4,976 per ounce. This follows a recent swing in the market as investors were forced out of leveraged position. Silver fell over 1.6%, to $76.18 per ounce. Brent oil prices increased 46 cents per barrel to $68.21, while U.S. crude oil rose 48 cents per barrel to $63.37. Investors digested a news report that OPEC was leaning toward a resumption in oil production increases starting April.
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Climate Challenge: Ten Years After Paris Agreement
New climate data released ten years after the Paris Agreement came into effect show that the world is warming faster than ever. 2025 will be among the hottest years on record, with ocean heat and sea level crossing new thresholds. U.S. president Donald Trump is a "climate change sceptic" who has reversed a number of 'environmental' policies over the last year. He has also called climate change a hoax, which has led to environmental agendas being challenged around the world. The annual United Nations meeting held in Brazil last summer saw a number of countries agree to more funding to help poorer countries adapt to extreme weather. However, the countries failed to reach an agreement on more specific plans to phase-out fossil fuels or to strengthen emission-cutting plans. Global warming has increased significantly since mid-2010s, according to data from the world's most prestigious scientific agencies. Emissions: A Widening Gap Scientists say that the?World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch Network shows that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous dioxide are climbing to record-highs, which is driving the temperature spike observed between?2023 and 2025. Global carbon budget report says that fossil fuel emissions will reach a record high of 38.1 billion tonnes by 2025. This is due to the increasing use of coal, oil, and gas, despite the rapid growth in renewable energies. The report, produced by a?international team of over 130 scientists?, estimates that global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels will increase 1.1% in the next year. This will push atmospheric CO2 levels to approximately 52% higher than pre-industrial levels. Researchers say that only 170 billion tonnes more CO2 can be emitted at the current rate of emission if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The United States, China, India and the European Union are all expected to see an increase in emissions, while Japan is projected to decrease, despite the fact that China has invested heavily in renewable energy. TEMPERATURES - A DECADE IN ACCELERATION NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies said that the Earth's surface was 1.19degC warmer in 2025 than the average for 1951-1980. This is a tie with 2023 for the title of 'one of the hottest years ever measured'. WMO's consolidated data places 2025 as 1.44degC warmer than pre-industrial temperatures, making it one of the three hottest years in the last 176 years. ARCTIC: RAPID COLLISION OF SEA ICE The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s 2025 Arctic Report Card confirms that the period October 2024 to September 2025 was the hottest since 1900. And the region continues warming more than twice as fast as the global average. According to the U.S. national ice?Center, the sea-ice extent reached its lowest winter maximum in March 2025 at approximately 14.47 million sq km. SEAS RISING AND HEATING THE OCEANS According to NOAA, and Berkeley Earth, the oceans have absorbed "record" amounts of heat, setting a global record for upper-ocean temperature. The sea level continues to rise, as measured by satellites and tide gauges. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a rise of 0.20 to 0.29 meters by 2050 compared to 1995-2014.
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Japan data disappoints, but shares edge up on thinly traded holiday markets
The world's shares were stable on Monday, after Friday's decline - triggered by AI concerns - as the Lunar New Year holidays in Asia and Presidents Day made for thin trading. China, South Korea and Taiwan were all closed markets. MSCI's broadest world share index rose by 0.1% as currencies and bonds stabilized. Stock futures continue to be traded, but the U.S. bond and stock markets will not open. The European stock market rose on the back of a recovery in the banking sector. This sector was severely hit by AI-related concerns last week, when they spread to the financials. The STOXX 600 pan-regional index, which had been last in the market, rose by around 0.4%. The Japanese economy has reported a 0.2% annualized growth in the fourth quarter. This is far less than the 1.6% forecast, as the government's spending weighed on the activity. The figures are disappointing and highlight the difficult task facing Prime Minister Takaichi. She should continue to push for more aggressive fiscal stimuli. Japan's Nikkei ended 0.2% lower after gaining 5% in the previous week. Some investors, however, remained optimistic in light of Takaichi’s election results. The landslide victory of the LDP in Japan's general elections has given Prime Minister Takaichi all the power she needs to continue with her reflationary program. Benjamin Melman, Global CIO of Edmond de Rothschild Asset management said on Monday that we remain overweight Japanese stocks. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq Futures that were trading Monday gained 0.4%. This week will bring a slew of economic data, including the inflation rates for the UK and Canada, and the preliminary readings of the global business environment and the U.S. Gross Domestic Product for the fourth quarter. In a Monday note, Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid stated that "Our economists are expecting (U.S. )real GDP to slow down to 2.5% in Q4. This is a'meaningful step back from the previous quarter's pace of 4.4%." CAPEX - MORE CAPEX = Fewer Buybacks Walmart will be the main attraction in the U.S. for the earnings season. This is after a disappointing retail sales performance in December. The stock of the retailer has increased by 20% in value this year. Its market capitalisation is now over $1 trillion, making it the largest company in the consumer staples industry. This sector will grow by more than 15% by 2026. The rotation of defensive stocks out of the tech sector has been a boon to the stock market. This is due to concerns over the high cost of AI capex, and the disruption caused by AI competition in certain sectors such as software. Hyperscaler capital expenditure plans are now $660 billion. This is $120 billion more than they were at the beginning of earnings season. Goldman Sachs analysts noted that while capex surged, S&P buybacks dropped by 7% compared to a year earlier. Oliver Blackbourn is a portfolio manager for Janus Henderson Investors. He said that the fiscal stimulus?currently being implemented in the U.S.A., Germany, and Japan will also benefit the banking sector. The Federal Reserve is reducing interest rates and there's no shortage of money flowing into the bond market as investors exit stocks. Futures indicate that 68% of the time the Fed will reduce in June, and 62 basis points are priced into the year. The dollar index fell 0.8% to 96.890 last week, with the majority of the losses coming from a recovering Japanese yen. The dollar rose 0.4% to 153.34yen on Monday, after falling 2.9% the previous week, and the euro fell 0.1% to $1.1855. Gold fell?almost 1 percent to $4.995 per ounce on the commodity markets. This comes after it had swung dramatically in recent weeks, as investors were forced out of leveraged position. Silver fell 0.7%, to $76.85 per ounce. Brent oil prices increased by 4 cents, to $67.79 per barrel. U.S. crude oil rose by 3 cents, to $62.92 a barrel. Investors digested a news report that OPEC was leaning toward a resumption in oil production increases starting April. (Reporting and editing by Sonali, Paul, Kate Mayberry, and Andrei Khalip.)
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Trafigura's Nyrstar shipments first antimony from Australia plant
Trafigura's Nyrstar unit has announced that it shipped its first shipment of commercial-grade Antimony from the?Port Pirie Metals Processing Facility in South Australia on Monday. This is a "milestone" for the country as they strive to improve their domestic supply chains. In a statement, the company announced that the first shipment will be delivered to a local manufacturer. The company expects to export future cargoes?to clients in Europe, Asia and America. Antimony is used in semiconductors, automotive components, and defence applications. Canberra has designated it as a 'priority critical mineral' and part of the U.S. Australia critical minerals framework to diversify supply away from dominant suppliers. Nyrstar is owned by Trafigura, a global commodities trader. The facility processes a variety of local and international concentrates using its existing metals infrastructure. It is capable of producing up to 5,000 tons of antimony annually, which represents roughly 15%?of?global?supply and almost equal to the total U.S. Imports in 2023. The company said that the Australian and South Australian governments supported the accelerated development of the demonstration plant. Nyrstar has begun exploring the production of other critical minerals, such as tellurium and bismuth at Port Pirie zinc works and germanium in its Hobart zinc plant. (Reporting and editing by Harikrishnan Nair in Bengaluru)
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As a partner, Japan's Sojitz will expand its Australian rare earth imports
Sojitz plans to 'expand the imports of Australian Rare?Earth Elements from Lynas?Rare?Earths, a spokesperson said Monday. Tokyo is looking to reduce its dependency on China. Sojitz began importing rare earths, such as dysprosium (used in magnets) and terbium (used in magnets), from the Australian miner last October. Japan will benefit from the expansion of imports of samarium (a raw material for permanent magnetic materials), which is used in medical and high-tech equipment. Japan, the United States and their allies are working to build supply chains outside China as Beijing tightens its?export control on critical minerals. JD Vance, the U.S. vice president, announced plans earlier this month to rally allies in a preferential trading bloc for essential minerals. He proposed coordinated price floors. LYNAS EXPANDS RARE EARTH OFFERING, MOVES UP SATARIUM LAUNCH Due to high demand, Lynas has accelerated the production of samarium to the first half of 2026 from the initial 2027. The spokesperson stated that Sojitz plans to add'samarium' to its imports starting in April. It also aims to source six medium and heavy rare Earths from Lynas by the middle of 2027. The spokesperson said that these include gadolinium which is used in medical imaging diagnostics as well as reactor control rods. It also includes yttrium which is an ingredient in superconducting material for'medical equipment. Sojitz refused to comment on import volume. Nikkei Business first reported Sojitz's plans to import rare earth elements from Australia on Monday. (Reporting and editing by Yuka Obasashi)
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Climate Crossroads - A Decade after the Paris Agreement
Newly released climate datasets reveal that ten years after the Paris Agreement came into effect, the world is warming faster than ever. 2025 will be among the three "hottest" years in recorded history, with sea-ice, ocean temperatures and sea level crossing new thresholds. The world is on track to miss the climate goals despite efforts?to reduce climate-damaging fuels. Some of the most prestigious scientific agencies in the world have reported that global warming has increased significantly since the mid-2010s. Emissions: A Widening Gap Scientists say that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch Network shows that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous dioxide are climbing to record levels, which is driving the temperature spike observed between 2023 and 2025. According to the Global Carbon Budget Report, global fossil fuel CO2 emissions will reach a record high of 38.1 billion tonnes by 2025. This is due to the increasing use of coal, oil, and gas despite rapid growth from renewable energy. The report, produced by a team of 130 international scientists, estimates that global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels will increase 1.1% in the next year. This will push atmospheric CO2 concentrations to 52% higher than pre-industrial levels. Researchers say that if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, then only 170 billion tonnes of CO2 can be emitted. This is equivalent to about 'four years worth of emissions. The regional trends are mixed. Emissions are expected to rise in China, India and the United States, but fall in Japan. TEMPERATURES - A DECADE IN ACCELERATION NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies said that the Earth's surface was 1.19degC warmer in 2025 than the 1951-1980 average. This is a tie with 2023 for the warmest year ever measured. WMO's consolidated data places 2025 1.44degC over pre-industrial levels. This makes it one of the three warmest years in the 176 years that temperatures have been recorded. ARCTIC: RAPID COLLISION OF SEA ICE The 2025 Arctic Report Card of the U.S.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that the period October 2024 to September 2025 was one of the warmest since 1900. In addition, the region is continuing to warm twice as fast as the global average. According to the U.S. National Ice Center, the sea-ice extent reached its lowest winter maximum in March 2025 at approximately 14.47 million sq km. SEAS RISING AND HEATING THE OCEANS According to NOAA and Berkeley Earth, the oceans absorbed a record amount of heat in 2025. This is a global high for upper-ocean temperature. The sea level continues to rise, as measured by satellites and tide gauges. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a rise of 0.20 to 0.29 meters by 2050 compared to 1995-2014.
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Japan data disappoints, but shares edge up on thinly traded holiday markets
The world's shares were steady on Monday, after Friday's plunge triggered by AI concerns. In Asia, the Lunar New Year holiday was in place and in the U.S. President's Day. China, South Korea and Taiwan were among the markets closed. MSCI's broadest global index of shares rose 0.1% as currencies, bonds, and world shares steadied. Stock futures continue to be traded, but the U.S. bond and stock markets will not open. European shares opened higher on Monday, boosted by a recovery in the banking sector. The heavyweight sector was hit last weekend when AI-related concerns spilled over into the financials. The STOXX 600 pan-regional index, which had been last in the market, rose by around 0.4%. The Japanese economy has reported a 0.2% annualised growth in the fourth quarter. This is far less than the 1.6% forecast, as the government's spending was a drag on the activity. The disappointing numbers highlight the "tough task" that Prime Minister Sanae Takayi faces and should encourage her to push for more aggressive fiscal stimuli. Japan's Nikkei ended 0.2% lower after gaining 5% in the previous week. Some investors, however, remained "bullish" despite Takaichi’s election results. The landslide victory of the LDP in Japan's general elections has given Prime Minister Takaichi all the power she needs to continue with her reflationary program. "We remain overweight Japanese stocks," stated a Monday note by?Benjamin Melman Global CIO of Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq Futures that were trading Monday gained 0.4%. This week, a slew of economic data will be released, including preliminary readings on global business activity, U.S. Gross Domestic Product for the fourth quarter, and inflation rates for the UK, Canada, and Japan. In a Monday note, Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid stated that "Our economists are expecting (U.S. )real GDP to?slow down to 2.5% in Q4, which is a significant step?down" from the previous quarter's pace of 4.4%. CAPEX - MORE CAPEX = Fewer Buybacks Walmart will be the main attraction in the U.S. for the earnings season. This is after a disappointing retail sales performance in December. The stock of the retailer has increased by 20% in value this year. Its market capitalisation is now over $1 trillion, making it the largest company in the consumer staples industry. This sector will grow by more than 15% by 2026. The rotation of defensive stocks out of the tech sector has been a success, as investors have become concerned about the high cost of AI capital expenditures and the disruptive effects of AI on sectors like software. Software's market value dropped by 24% over the last three months. Hyperscaler capital expenditure plans are now $660 billion higher than they were at the beginning of earnings season, a $120 billion increase. Goldman Sachs analysts noted that as capex surged, S&P buybacks dropped by 7% compared to a year earlier. In a note, they said: "This marks the third quarter in a row of stagnation." We expect that the "increasing scarcity" of free cash flow and buybacks, will increase the premium paid by companies that are focused on returning cash to shareholders. The Federal Reserve is reducing interest rates to keep up with the economy and there's no shortage of money flowing into the bond market. Futures indicate that 68% of the time the Fed will reduce in June, and that 62 basis point of easing is already priced into the market for the entire year. The dollar index fell 0.8% to 96.890 last week, mainly due to the resurgent Japanese yen. The dollar was 0.4%?firmer at 153.34yen on Monday, after sagging 2.9%?last week. Meanwhile, the euro was flat at $1.1866. Gold fell?0.6% on the commodity market to $5,013 per ounce, after swinging wildly over recent weeks, as investors were forced out of leveraged position. Silver fell 0.3%, to $77.25 per ounce. The Brent oil price dropped around 20 cents, to $67.57 per barrel. U.S. crude oil fell about 17 cents, to $62.72 a barrel. Investors digested a recent report that OPEC was leaning toward a resumption in oil production increases starting April. (Reporting and editing by Sonali, Kate Mayberry, and Andrei Khalip.)
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Reliance Retail, India to test search and discovery platform for multi-channel push
A top executive at India's Reliance Retail?unit said on Monday that the company is piloting a platform for search and discovery in an effort to better integrate their store and online shopping experiences. Reliance Retail is the largest retailer in the country, with 19,340 stores across the nation. They sell everything from electronics to apparel to groceries for more than 349,000,000 customers. Reliance Retail's chief executive officer for Grocery Retail, Damodar Mall said that the company has piloted this platform in its clothing stores, such as Trends, Yousta and Smart Bazaar, and plans to implement it at Smart Bazaar by the end of this year. Mall, speaking at the Retail Leadership Summit in Mumbai, said that customers can scan a QR code to access the platform. This allows them to discover and search for products that are tailored to their tastes. He didn't disclose the amount invested or any other operational details about the new platform. Online shopping platforms like Amazon's India and Walmart's Flipkart are gaining market share, while companies such as Swiggy Instamart, Eternal Blinkit?and Zepto are grabbing up the remaining market. JioMart, Reliance's online food delivery service, will expand to compete in the "10-minute delivery" segment by 2025. The retail business saw its core margins fall to 8% from 8.6% in the third quarter of last year due to festive discounting, investments in hyperlocal delivery and an unforeseen impact from India's labour code. Mall noted that the pace of change in India's Retail sector is intense. However, it is taking place against a backdrop of an expanding consumption market, which provides room for shifts in share without limiting overall growth. (Reporting by Chandini Monnappa and Praveen Paramasivam in Mumbai; Writing by Surbhi Misra and Abinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
Entergy increases spending plan to meet growing demand for data centers
Entergy, a U.S.-based electric utility, raised its long-term capital expenditure plan by $2 billion on Thursday as power producers scramble to meet the growing demand for AI-driven data centers.
In afternoon trading, shares of the company rose 1.7%.
The U.S. utility sector is supported by a steady demand for electricity from consumers and small to mid-sized businesses. However, high regulatory, financing, and operating costs continue the pressure on this sector.
As data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and other technologies expand and customers electrify heating systems and transportation, power consumption will also rise.
According to the company, current data center contracts will provide around $5 billion in fixed costs that will offset residential rates for the duration of the agreement.
Entergy Louisiana filed a request in December to purchase the natural gas-fired Cottonwood generating station for $1.5 billion.
New Orleans utility forecasts capital expenditures of $43 billion from 2026-2029, with $11.6 billion for this year.
In 2025, Entergy will have total retail sales of 30,017 gigawatt-hours (GWh), compared to 29,497 last year.
However, the company's performance was impacted by an increase in debt, which grew nearly 7% from year to year, reaching $31 million.
Entergy’s operating and maintenance costs rose 8.6% on an annual basis in the fourth quarter to $26.67 for a megawatt hour (MWh), and full-year O&M expenses and nuclear refueling expenses increased by 1.2% to $20.02 per MWh.
According to LSEG data, the utility now expects to achieve a full-year adjusted net profit of between $4.25 and $4.45 per share. The midpoint is lower than the average analyst estimate of $4.41.
Entergy's adjusted profit per share for the quarter ended December 31 was 51 cents, missing analysts' average estimates of 52 cents. (Reporting and editing by Maju Samuel in Bengaluru, Pranav Mathur from Bengaluru)
(source: Reuters)