US manufacturing is rebounding as the ISM index soared to 52.6, its highest since August 2022. While production and new orders surged, economists warn of unsustainable inventory building and high prices linked to tariffs.

Commodities and foreign stocks led the performance race in January for the major asset classes, based on a set of ETF proxies.

The January ISM Manufacturing report signals a strong shift toward expansion, with the headline index hitting a multi-year high of 52.6.

The markets have been rocked by news of a possible intervention to control the Japanese yen slump, after it reached a forty-year low relative to the US dollar.

Weeks ago, I speculated that Bitcoin would soon fall to “75,000-ish“. Well, I was awfully close! The low from trading last night matched with literally 99.99% accuracy the Liberation Low from back in April.

Although the benchmark indices opened lower, they traded negatively throughout the session and ultimately closed red.

The stock market was jolted on Friday following a Wall Street Journal report that Nvidia was reconsidering its massive $100 billion investment in OpenAI.

Gold price analysis suggests the probability of further downside as the stronger dollar weighs on the precious metal.

The top news at the start of the week is the ongoing meltdown in the metals market.

The S&P 500 had a remarkably subdued week compared to other markets.

The COT currency market speculator bets were overall decisively higher this week as ten out of the eleven currency markets we cover had higher positioning while the other one markets had lower speculator contracts.

Gold fell over 10% last Friday, and that was the good news from the metals.

Market cycles are once again at the center of the investment narrative as we head into 2026.

UK hiring conditions are weak, and pay growth is slowing rapidly.

The Fed is not in a good spot.

The price action seen over the course of the past 3 trading days has been nothing short of historic, with the nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair sending shockwaves throughout markets.

Disney exceeded Q1 expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.63 and revenue of $25.98 billion, driven by strength in its entertainment business.

In the Philippine flood-control corruption scandal, the multibillion-dollar net losses are huge. But without adequate resolution, international pressures could multiply the damage.

USDJPY rose to 154.98 on Monday, with the yen continuing to fall. Pressure on the currency increased after statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Over the weekend, President Trump suggested that a workable deal with Iran could happen. That reduced fears of war, which had been pushing market prices higher.