Trump's Late Night Statements on Oil, Defense, Real Estate; State of the Union on February 24.

Trump: Venezuela's Oil Revenue to Purchase American Products

Overview

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media that Venezuela will use funds from a new oil agreement to exclusively purchase American-made products. This includes agricultural goods, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and infrastructure improvements for Venezuela's energy facilities.

U.S. Control Over Venezuelan Oil Sales

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that the U.S. will indefinitely control Venezuelan oil sales, including both current inventories and future sales. The revenue will be deposited into U.S. government-controlled accounts, benefiting both American and Venezuelan citizens.

Military Budget Increase Proposal

Trump proposed increasing the military budget to $1.5 trillion by 2027, citing the need for a strong military during turbulent times. He attributed the budget increase to revenue generated from tariffs.

Housing Market Intervention

Trump announced plans to prohibit large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, aiming to make homeownership more accessible for Americans, especially the youth.

Upcoming State of the Union Address

Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address on February 24, focusing on economic concerns and military actions related to Venezuela.

Anthropic Plans Major Funding Round

Funding Details

Anthropic, the developer of the chatbot Claude, is reportedly seeking to raise $10 billion at a pre-money valuation of $350 billion, nearly double its valuation from four months ago. The funding round is expected to close in the coming weeks.

Goldman Sachs on Silver Price Volatility

Goldman Sachs predicts continued volatility in silver prices, attributing recent fluctuations to liquidity issues in London and private investor inflows driven by the Federal Reserve's policies.

U.S. Economic Data Release Schedule

The U.S. Commerce Department announced the release dates for key economic data, including personal income and expenditure reports for October and November 2025, and GDP estimates for the fourth quarter.

Canadian Prime Minister's Upcoming Visit to China

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit China from January 13 to 17, marking the first visit by a Canadian Prime Minister since December 2017, to discuss trade and security issues.

Mixed Performance in U.S. Stock Markets

Market Summary

On Wednesday, U.S. stock indices showed mixed results, with the Dow Jones down 0.94% and the Nasdaq up 0.16%. Notably, Google surpassed Apple in market capitalization for the first time since 2019.

Notable Stock Movements

• Intel rose over 6% after announcing the mass production of AI chips.
• Lockheed Martin and Raytheon saw post-market rebounds following Trump's military budget announcement.

Chevron Negotiates Expansion of Venezuelan Operations

Chevron is in talks with the U.S. government to expand its oil extraction licenses in Venezuela, seeking authorization to supply Venezuelan oil to other buyers.

Arm Holdings Enters Robotics Market

Arm Holdings has established a Physical AI department to expand its presence in the robotics market, highlighting the potential for significant growth in this sector.

Morgan Stanley Comments on Nvidia's Impact

Morgan Stanley noted that Nvidia's recent comments on data center cooling solutions could negatively impact traditional HVAC companies.

Northbound Capital Inflows into Hong Kong Stocks

Recent data shows significant northbound capital inflows into Hong Kong stocks, with Tencent receiving substantial investments.

IPO Success for Zhipu and Jingfeng Medical

Zhipu's IPO saw a subscription rate of 1159.46 times, while Jingfeng Medical's IPO was oversubscribed by 1091.94 times, indicating strong investor interest.

Hengrui Medicine's New Drug Approval

Hengrui Medicine announced the approval of a new innovative drug, marking a significant milestone in cancer treatment.

Xiaomi's Upcoming Vehicle Launches

Xiaomi plans to launch four new car models next year, including two range-extended SUVs, as part of its automotive strategy.

UBS Forecasts Strong Growth for Chinese Assets

UBS predicts a 14% profit growth for the MSCI China Index in 2026, driven by technology and high-end manufacturing sectors.