📈 Stocks / Finance

Intel Rallies on Vance’s AI Chip Push

Yahoo Finance

Intel stock jumped 6% after VP JD Vance pledged to prioritize US-made AI chips, though specifics remain unclear. Intel lags TSMC in advanced chipmaking and faces internal struggles, including leadership changes. Despite recent gains, shares remain down over 50% YoY, with its foundry unit still unprofitable.

Investor Skepticism Grows as AMD Lags in AI Race

Tipranks

Top investor JR Research remains unconvinced that AMD can challenge Nvidia in AI, citing its unclear revenue projections and lack of aggressive investment. Despite a $500B AI chip TAM by 2028, JR rates AMD as a Hold, while Wall Street remains bullish, projecting a 34% upside with a $148.03 target.

January Inflation Surges, Challenging Fed Rate Plans

Yahoo Finance

January CPI rose 3% YoY, with core inflation hitting 3.3%, reversing prior easing. Egg prices surged 15.2% MoM, fueling food inflation, while used car prices climbed for a fourth month. Sticky service costs and new tariffs complicate the Fed’s rate-cut path, prompting markets to scale back expectations for near-term easing.

🪙 Crypto

Bitcoin Falls as Hotter CPI Data Shakes Markets

Investing

Bitcoin dropped 1.9% to $95,340 after January CPI rose 0.5%, exceeding forecasts and reinforcing a hawkish Fed stance. Core CPI hit 3.3%, prompting speculation of delayed rate cuts. Goldman Sachs expanded Bitcoin ETF holdings by 114% to $1.52B, while Trump-backed WLF launched a token reserve to stabilize crypto markets.

🌎 Global Economy

Globalization Stalls Amid Uncertainty and Automation

CEPR

The halt in globalization since 2008 stems from rising economic uncertainty and automation advancements. Firms, facing trade risks, are reshoring production, especially in robot-intensive industries. A one-standard-deviation uncertainty shock raises domestic input use by 7%, with reshoring tripling post-GFC, but without supply chain diversification.

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