Nvidia Corp. provided technical support enabling Chinese startup DeepSeek to achieve near-state-of-the-art AI performance using restricted H800 chips, undermining U.S. export controls, according to Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) in a Jan. 29, 2026 letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Internal Nvidia records show DeepSeek-V3 required just 2.8 million H800 GPU hours for training, leveraging “co-designed” algorithms and frameworks. Nvidia also proposed packaging DeepSeek as an enterprise product for its hardware. The H800, a downgraded H100 variant, was permitted for sale to China until October 2023. Communications between the firms spanned June 2024 to May 2025.

Moolenaar urged strict enforcement of H200 export rules following Trump’s December 2025 policy easing. Nvidia countered that restricting sales aids foreign competitors and stressed China has ample domestic chips for military use. DeepSeek’s R1 model triggered a 3% Nasdaq 100 drop in 2025 amid cost-efficiency concerns.

Hyperliquid users faced $71 million in liquidations on gold, silver, and copper perpetual futures Thursday—second only to Bitcoin’s $121 million—as volatile price swings triggered mass position closures. The surge reflects growing trader exposure to real-world assets (RWAs) since October’s protocol upgrade enabling third-party commodity listings.

TradeXYZ, a Hyperliquid-based DEX, facilitated these trades; developers must stake HYPE tokens to list markets. Silver prices plunged 12% intraday to $106/oz before recovering to $116, fueling $1.6B in silver trading volume on Hyperliquid—trailing only Bitcoin’s $6.5B. Wall Street ETFs for silver and gold hit record daily volumes of $25B and $20B respectively by 1 p.m. ET.

HYPE token rose 50% over seven days to $32.83, outperforming Bitcoin amid renewed on-chain activity. Protocol fees totaled $62M this month, down from August’s $145M peak. Token burns from fee collection may be driving scarcity-driven demand.

Gold prices collapsed 5% on Thursday, January 29, 2026, retreating from an intraday record above $5,500 to $5,184 in London trading. Despite remaining 3% above Wednesday’s close, the whipsaw move underscores extreme commodity market volatility amid weakening dollar sentiment and geopolitical tensions.

Analysts warn of speculative excess. Ole Hansen of Saxo Bank called the rally “dangerous,” citing fear-of-missing-out dynamics pushing prices beyond fundamentals. Gold has surged nearly 100% over the past year; silver jumped 285%. Copper spiked 10% to $14,400/ton — its sharpest rise since 2009 — while oil hit a 7-month high after Trump threatened Iran. Bitcoin fell 7% to $83,653 as tech stocks sold off, led by Microsoft’s 12% drop following earnings.

SpaceX and xAI, both controlled by Elon Musk, are in talks to merge ahead of a potential SpaceX IPO targeted for June 2026, per Reuters. The combination would unite Grok AI, X platform, Starlink, and rocket operations under one entity.

Two Nevada entities — K2 Merger Sub Inc. and K2 Merger Sub 2 LLC — were formed January 21, 2026, signaling preparatory steps. Musk has previously expressed interest in deploying xAI data centers in space via Starlink infrastructure.

The move aligns with Musk’s consolidation strategy: SpaceX and Tesla each invested $2 billion in xAI in 2025. Last year’s acquisition of X valued xAI at $80B and X at $33B. SpaceX, founded in 2002, was last valued at $800B in secondary markets, making it the most valuable U.S. private company.

DePIN token prices remain depressed in early 2026, but on-chain revenues hit $72M in 2025, signaling a pivot from speculation to fundamentals, per Messari. Most tokens launched 2018–2022 trade 94–99% below all-time highs.

Leading DePIN networks now trade at 10–25x revenue—down from 1,000x+ in 2021. The sector’s $10B market cap masks a divergence: only projects generating real demand for storage, compute, or verifiable data are sustaining growth. “When token prices are flat, only real revenue matters,” said XYO co-founder Markus Levin.

Messari analyst Dylan Bane identifies InfraFi—using stablecoins to fund physical infrastructure—as a potential scaling path, though it carries credit and regulatory risks. Private funding remains strong: $1B raised in 2025 at seed/Series A. AI demand for reliable, provenance-tracked data may fuel next-phase growth, with investors now prioritizing unit economics over hype.

Oil futures declined on the New York Mercantile Exchange on January 29, 2026, as traders weighed persistent concerns over global demand and rising inventories.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled down 2.1% at $73.42 per barrel. Brent crude for March delivery fell 1.8% to $77.15. Analysts cite slowing industrial activity in Asia and Europe as key pressure points. The Energy Information Administration reported a surprise 4.2 million-barrel build in U.S. crude stocks last week, exceeding forecasts.

Market participants remain cautious ahead of next week’s OPEC+ monitoring committee meeting, where production policy adjustments may be discussed. Volatility remains elevated amid geopolitical uncertainty and mixed signals from central banks on interest rate trajectories.

Gold and silver futures declined Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange as stronger dollar sentiment pressured precious metals.

February gold settled at $1,945.20 per ounce, down 0.8%. March silver fell 1.2% to $22.63 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.5%, reducing appeal for dollar-denominated commodities. Analysts cite rising Treasury yields and Fed rate-hike expectations as near-term headwinds.

Trading volume was moderate ahead of Friday’s U.S. jobs report, which may influence Fed policy outlook. No major supply disruptions or geopolitical catalysts were reported during the session.

Dromos Labs will launch Aero, a unified decentralized exchange merging Velodrome and Aerodrome, in Q2 2026 — expanding to Ethereum mainnet to directly compete with Uniswap and Curve.

Aerodrome currently holds $500M in TVL and briefly exceeded $1B in December 2025, capturing ~25% of Base chain’s liquidity. CEO Alex Cutler argues exchanges, not blockchains, will anchor onchain value as institutional adoption grows. He criticizes Uniswap’s “UNIfication” proposal for diverting fees from liquidity providers to token holders, calling it unsustainable. Aero targets cross-chain retail traders and embeds institutional-grade automation, compliance, and risk controls at the protocol level.

ResMed Inc. (RMD) will host its fiscal Q2 2026 earnings conference call today, January 29, 2026, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time. Management will discuss financial results and operational updates for the quarter ended December 31, 2025.

Investors and analysts can access the live webcast via ResMed’s investor relations website. A replay will be available post-call. The company is expected to provide guidance on revenue, margins, and key growth drivers in sleep and respiratory care markets.

No preliminary financial figures were disclosed ahead of the call. Market participants will focus on device demand trends, supply chain stability, and pricing dynamics in core geographies.

Deckers Outdoor Corporation (NYSE: DECK) will host its third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings conference call today, January 29, 2026, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time. Management will discuss financial results and operational performance for the period ended December 31, 2025.

Investors and analysts can access the live webcast via the company’s investor relations website. A replay will be available post-call. Deckers, known for UGG, HOKA, and Teva brands, last reported quarterly revenue growth of 18.7% year-over-year in Q2 FY26, driven by strong HOKA demand.

The stock closed at $98.42 on January 29, 2026, down 2.1% ahead of earnings. Market participants will focus on gross margin trends, inventory levels, and full-year guidance updates.

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) will host its fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings conference call today, January 29, 2026, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time to discuss financial results and business outlook.

Investors and analysts can access the live webcast via the company’s investor relations website. A replay will be available shortly after the call concludes. The company is expected to report revenue, gross margin, and guidance amid ongoing demand fluctuations in NAND and HDD markets. Management will address supply chain dynamics and capital allocation strategy during the Q&A session.

Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) will host its Q4 2025 earnings conference call today, January 29, 2026, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time. Investors await updated financial guidance, margin performance, and commentary on orthopedic and neurotechnology demand trends.

The medical technology giant is expected to report results amid ongoing supply chain normalization and pricing pressures in elective surgical markets. Analysts project Q4 revenue of $6.2B–$6.4B and adjusted EPS of $3.10–$3.25. Management’s 2026 outlook and capital allocation strategy — including M&A appetite — will be closely monitored.

A live webcast will be available via Stryker’s investor relations site. Consensus estimates imply 7% YoY sales growth for the quarter.

Robert Half International (RHI) will host its Q4 2025 earnings conference call today, January 29, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET. Investors and analysts will receive updates on financial performance, revenue trends, and forward guidance.

The call follows the company’s scheduled release of quarterly results earlier today. Management is expected to address labor market dynamics, staffing demand across key sectors, and margin pressures. A replay will be available post-call on the investor relations website.

Analysts currently project RHI’s Q4 revenue at $1.52B, down 3.2% YoY, with EPS estimated at $1.08. Shares closed at $48.72 prior to the announcement.

Tesla pivots from electric vehicles to prioritize autonomous driving, Optimus robots, and energy storage, with its Megapack business now generating 36 of 38 billion USD in 2025 net profit. Revenue fell 3% YoY to 94.8B USD—the first decline in 12 years.

Megapack deployments surged 49% to 46.7 GWh, supporting 18M homes for one hour. The segment delivered 12.8B USD revenue at nearly 30% margin, becoming the world’s top grid-scale storage provider. Shanghai and Lathrop plants form dual-core manufacturing. Tesla plans a 50 GWh/year Megablock factory in Houston and will convert Fremont to robot production (1M units/year target).

Analysts warn autonomy and robotics remain years from monetization. Morgan Stanley forecasts 64 GWh Megapack volume in 2026, but CFO flags margin pressure from tariffs and pricing wars.

Gold prices reversed an early sharp decline on January 29, 2026, recovering amid escalating Middle East geopolitical risks and renewed concerns over a potential U.S. government shutdown.

Spot gold climbed back to $1,985/oz after briefly dipping below $1,950 earlier in the session. Investors flocked to the safe-haven asset as regional conflict flared and congressional budget negotiations stalled. Market-implied odds of a partial federal shutdown by February 7 rose to 42%, according to Bloomberg data. The dollar index fell 0.6%, easing pressure on dollar-denominated bullion.

Analysts note gold’s resilience reflects its dual role as both inflation hedge and crisis buffer. “Geopolitical fractures override short-term rate expectations,” said Maria Chen, commodities strategist at Horizon Capital.

Brent crude surged 5.2% to $92.30/barrel and WTI rose 4.8% to $89.15/barrel on January 29, 2026, after former President Donald Trump issued a public ultimatum to Iran, escalating Middle East tensions and triggering fears of supply disruptions.

Analysts at Rystad Energy warn any closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of global oil flows — could remove up to 17 million barrels per day from markets. U.S. officials have not confirmed military mobilization, but energy traders are pricing in geopolitical risk premiums. ICE Brent futures volume spiked 140% above 30-day average.

Iran’s oil exports averaged 1.6 million bpd in December 2025, per IEA data. While not under current sanctions, renewed U.S. pressure threatens to choke off Iranian supply. Markets remain sensitive ahead of OPEC+’s February 5 meeting.

Meridian Corporation (MRDN) reports higher fourth-quarter net income as of January 29, 2026, driven by improved operational efficiency and stronger-than-expected demand in core markets.

Net income climbed 18% year-over-year to $42.3 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, up from $35.8 million, or $0.48 per share, in Q4 2025. Revenue rose 9% to $312 million. CEO James Lowell stated, “Our disciplined cost controls and product mix optimization delivered margin expansion despite macro headwinds.”

The company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 guidance, projecting revenue growth of 6–8% and operating margin improvement of 50–70 basis points. Shares rose 3.2% in after-hours trading following the release.

PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM) shares climbed 3.4% to $127.47 on January 29, 2026, after reporting Q4 revenue of $4.61B — 6% above estimates — though EPS of $2.56 missed the $2.83 forecast. Investors prioritized the 16% free cash flow margin (up from 11% YoY) over declining backlog and earnings.

The stock’s reaction reflects market focus on cash generation and top-line strength amid housing sector headwinds. PHM has seen 11 moves >5% in the past year; today’s gain follows a similar 3.5% pop 21 days prior on Citizens’ “Market Outperform” rating and $145 price target, citing its move-up/active-adult buyer focus and Del Webb community expansion.

OFG Bancorp (NYSE: OFG) shares rose 4.6% on January 29, 2026, after announcing a $0.35 quarterly dividend — up $0.05 from prior — and a new $200 million share repurchase program.

The capital return initiatives signal management’s confidence in financial stability and future earnings. Buybacks reduce share count, potentially boosting per-share value, while higher dividends offer direct investor returns. The stock has seen only five moves exceeding 5% in the past year, underscoring today’s move as market-significant.

OFG shares trade at $39.63, down 3.4% YTD and 12.9% below its July 2025 high of $45.47. The rally follows an 8.9% drop seven days prior after Q4 2025 results missed on efficiency (56.7% vs. est. 52.53%) despite beating EPS ($1.27) and matching revenue ($185.4M). Five-year holders saw 130.6% total return.

Origin Bancorp (OBK) reported Q4 2025 revenue of $102.9M (+14.5% YoY), beating estimates, with non-GAAP EPS of $0.99 — 15.3% above consensus. CEO Drake Mills credited the “Optimize Origin” initiative and market disruption for outperformance.

Loan growth, cost discipline, and strategic hires in Texas and Louisiana drove results. President Lance Hall said OBK will invest ~$10M in 2026 to onboard new banking teams. Management forecasts mid- to high-single-digit loan and deposit growth, contingent on hiring pace and tech cost timing. Shares rose to $41.98 from $40.73 pre-earnings.

Investors should monitor: (1) ROI on new banker hires, (2) net interest margin recovery post-rate compression, and (3) tech contract savings. Market disruption remains a key expansion catalyst.