US business leaders and diplomats warned UK Labour officials on February 3, 2026, that soaring energy prices are undermining Britain’s appeal for American investment. At a BritishAmerican Business conference in London, executives from 3M, Amazon, and Honeywell cited uncompetitive electricity costs—50% higher than in France or Germany and up to four times those in the US—as a key deterrent.

3M UK head Sophia Oliphant said the case for UK manufacturing “has become weaker and weaker,” noting the firm reduced its UK plants from 14 to three. US Embassy economic diplomat Jennifer Bachus urged greater North Sea oil and gas exploitation, while BP’s Louise Kingham called for reform of the windfall tax, saying a new fiscal regime is “sitting on a shelf ready to go.” Labour trade adviser Varun Chandra acknowledged shortcomings but asked for “patience” as the government pursues economic stability and industrial policy reforms.

Tether launched MiningOS (MOS) on February 3, 2026, an open-source operating system for Bitcoin mining aimed at reducing reliance on closed, vendor-controlled platforms. The stablecoin issuer positions MOS as a transparent, modular alternative that scales from hobbyist rigs to industrial operations.

Built on Holepunch peer-to-peer protocols and released under the Apache 2.0 license, MOS uses a self-hosted architecture to eliminate centralized dependencies. Operators can manage hardware and adjust settings via a companion platform tailored to their scale and output needs. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino described it as a “complete operational platform” enabling global deployment without lock-in. The move aligns Tether with other open-source mining initiatives, including those by Block, and follows its initial announcement of the project in June 2025.

RTX (NYSE: RTX) subsidiary Collins Aerospace has extended its FlightSense predictive maintenance and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) agreements with All Nippon Airways (ANA) through 2031. The multi-year renewal covers ANA’s fleet of Boeing 787 and Airbus A320 family aircraft.

The FlightSense program provides real-time health monitoring and predictive analytics to optimize aircraft maintenance scheduling. The expanded MRO scope includes component support and engineering services. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the extension reinforces Collins’ long-standing partnership with Japan’s largest airline, which began in 2015.

Nordex (ETR: NDX1) has won a contract from Swedish developer OX2 to supply turbines for the 189 MW Fagersen wind farm in Sweden, with delivery scheduled for 2027. The deal includes supply, installation, and a multi-year maintenance agreement.

The project will feature Nordex’s latest N163/5.X turbines, each rated at 5.7 MW. Located in Västernorrland County, Fagersen is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 150,000 Swedish households annually. This order reinforces Nordex’s position in the Nordic onshore wind market amid growing regional demand for renewable energy.

Former President Donald Trump announced on February 2, 2026, that his administration is seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, escalating a legal and ideological clash over campus protests, alleged antisemitism, and federal funding. The claim directly contradicts a New York Times report that the White House had dropped its earlier $200 million demand amid political pressures.

Trump dismissed the report as “completely false” and rejected a proposed vocational training settlement from Harvard as inadequate, calling the university’s conduct “egregious and unlawful.” His administration accuses Harvard of fostering anti-Israel protests that endangered Jewish students and promoting “woke” ideology—part of a broader campaign targeting elite universities.

Harvard has previously sued the administration twice, winning a September 2025 ruling that found the government illegally froze research grants. While most funds have been restored, the administration has appealed. Harvard has not yet responded to the new $1 billion claim.

Investors in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs are sitting on average paper losses of 8% to 9%, with an estimated average cost basis of $84,100 per BTC versus a current price near $78,500 as of February 3, 2026. Bitcoin has fallen over 35% from its 2025 peak, briefly dipping below $77,000 amid low trading volumes.

Analysts cite weakening inflows, shrinking liquidity, and fading macro tailwinds as key drags on price. Glassnode’s Sean Rose noted that capital deployed since mid-2024 is now largely underwater, while earlier positions remain profitable. Despite a surge in ETF inflows in early January 2026, recent weeks have seen sustained net outflows, signaling cooling demand from both retail and institutional investors. K33 analyst Vetle Lunde added that while panic selling is absent, the market remains stuck in a wait-and-see mode, lacking new catalysts to reignite momentum.

Hotel Shilla Co. (008770.KS) reported a narrower net loss in Q4 2025, driven by stronger revenue from its duty-free and hospitality segments. The South Korean luxury hotel and retail operator posted a net loss of KRW 18.7 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, compared to a KRW 35.2 billion loss in the same period a year earlier.

Revenue rose 12.4% year-over-year to KRW 486.3 billion, with duty-free sales up 15% and hotel occupancy improving amid increased inbound tourism. For the full year, Hotel Shilla cut its net loss to KRW 52.1 billion from KRW 112.6 billion in 2024, signaling a recovery trajectory as travel demand rebounds.

AudioCodes Ltd. (AUDC) reported fourth-quarter net income of $1.9 million, or 7 cents per share, on revenue of $62.6 million for the period ended December 31, 2025. Adjusted earnings excluding stock-based compensation and one-time items totaled 16 cents per share.

For full-year 2025, the company posted net profit of $9 million, or 31 cents per share, on annual revenue of $245.6 million. AudioCodes shares have declined over 2% year-to-date as of February 3, 2026, and are down 16% over the past 12 months.

Airbus is grappling with persistent supply chain disruptions and a growing backlog of aircraft deliveries, CEO Guillaume Faury said on February 3, 2026, at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. Engine procurement remains the most acute bottleneck for production in both 2025 and 2026.

Faury also noted a surge in demand for defense products and acknowledged the rising presence of Chinese rival Comac, stating the market is large enough to accommodate multiple players.

OpenAI is reallocating resources toward enhancing its ChatGPT chatbot and away from long-term foundational research, triggering a wave of senior executive departures, according to a February 3, 2026 Financial Times report.

The shift—driven by intensifying competition from Google (GOOGL-US) and Anthropic—has redirected focus to refining the large language models underpinning ChatGPT. Ten current and former employees told FT the strategic pivot has been underway for months. Recent high-profile exits include Research VP Jerry Tworek, model policy researcher Andrea Vallone, and economist Tom Cunningham.

Originally launched as a “research preview” in 2022, ChatGPT catalyzed the generative AI boom. Under CEO Sam Altman, OpenAI has evolved from a research lab into a major Silicon Valley player—but now faces mounting pressure to justify its $500 billion valuation through commercialization.

Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY) has signed a mandate to repurchase up to €1 billion of its own shares, effective February 3, 2026. The French pharmaceutical giant authorized the buyback as part of its capital allocation strategy to return value to shareholders.

The program will be executed on regulated markets and in accordance with applicable regulations, including EU Market Abuse Regulation. Sanofi stated the repurchases will be funded through available cash and are expected to be completed by year-end 2026. This move follows the company’s prior €2 billion buyback concluded in 2025.

Akzo Nobel reported a sharp rise in fourth-quarter net income despite lower revenues, and projected adjusted EBITDA growth for full-year 2026. The Dutch paints and coatings company posted Q4 net income of €389 million, up from €178 million a year earlier, while sales fell 5% year-over-year to €2.6 billion.

The company attributed the profit surge to cost savings and portfolio optimization. Akzo Nobel reaffirmed its target for mid-single-digit percentage growth in adjusted EBITDA for fiscal year 2026, driven by pricing discipline and operational efficiencies. CEO Gregorio Lucente emphasized ongoing restructuring efforts and strategic divestments as key levers for future profitability.

Sartorius AG (SRTGF, SART.DE) reported a preliminary net profit increase for fiscal year 2025, which ended December 31, 2025, driven by strong demand in its lab and bioprocessing segments. The German life sciences company cited robust sales growth and operational efficiency as key contributors to the improved earnings.

The company expects net profit to rise approximately 12% year-over-year, reaching around €850 million. Revenue is projected to grow roughly 9% at constant currencies, totaling about €4.7 billion. Sartorius also confirmed its full-year guidance for underlying EBITDA margin to remain stable at approximately 28%. Final audited results are scheduled for release on March 12, 2026.

Perspective Therapeutics (Nasdaq: PRSP) priced a public offering of 24.3 million shares and pre-funded warrants at $7.20 per share on February 3, 2026, raising approximately $175 million in gross proceeds. The offering includes 19.4 million common shares and 4.9 million pre-funded warrants, each exercisable for one common share at $0.01.

The company intends to use the net proceeds for clinical development of its oncology pipeline, including its lead candidate PT-01, and for general corporate purposes. The offering is expected to close on or about February 7, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Sartorius Stedim Biotech (EPA: DIM) reported higher full-year 2025 earnings on February 3, 2026, and projected sustained growth for 2026 and beyond, driven by strong demand in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The company cited robust order intake and expanding capacity utilization across its filtration and fluid management segments.

Revenue for FY25 rose 8% year-over-year to €2.15 billion, while adjusted EBITDA margin held steady at 31.2%. Management expects mid-single-digit sales growth in FY26, supported by long-term industry tailwinds including increased biologics production and outsourcing trends. The firm also reaffirmed its 2028 financial targets.

Bitcoin and major cryptocurrencies staged a relief rally on February 3, 2026, recovering from a weekend crash that drove BTC to $74,000—its lowest level since April 2025—and triggered billions in derivatives liquidations. Bitcoin traded near $79,000 in Asian hours, while ether rose above $2,340; Solana, BNB, XRP, and Cardano gained 3%–6% in 24 hours.

Despite the bounce, most large-cap tokens remain down up to 20% over seven days. CF Benchmarks’ Gabe Selby said the weekend’s “massive long liquidations” marked the end of a bearish sequence stemming from the October 10, 2025 deleveraging event. He cited stalled U.S. crypto legislation and hawkish Fed repricing as key headwinds. Asian equities also rebounded, with the MSCI Asia Pacific Index posting its best session since April.

OpenAI has launched a standalone desktop version of its Codex AI coding tool, initially for macOS with a Windows release forthcoming, marking a strategic shift toward multi-agent software development. The app transforms Codex from a conversational assistant into a command center that orchestrates multiple AI agents across the full software lifecycle—design, coding, testing, and deployment.

Codex introduces "worktrees" for isolated, parallel code modifications via Git integration, reusable "Skills" that encapsulate tools and workflows, and scheduled "Automations" for background tasks like issue triage and CI error analysis. In a demo, Codex autonomously built a 3D racing game using over 7 million tokens, acting as designer, developer, and tester. CEO Sam Altman called the output “more impressive than I imagined.” The app features dual interaction modes and a system-level sandbox restricting access by default. Over 1 million developers used Codex in the past month. Free and Go-tier ChatGPT users gain limited access, while paid tiers receive higher rate limits.

Chunghwa Telecom Co. (CHT) reported fourth-quarter net income of $299.3 million, or $0.39 per share, on revenue of $2.12 billion, the company announced on February 3, 2026.

For the full year 2025, the Taiwanese telecom giant posted net profit of $1.24 billion, or $1.60 per share, on annual revenue of $7.58 billion. The results reflect steady performance in its core telecommunications and digital services segments.

SoftBank Corp (9984.T) and Intel (INTC-US) announced a partnership on February 3, 2026, to co-develop a new high-capacity, low-power memory technology targeting AI data centers. Their joint effort focuses on commercializing the "Z-Angle operation memory technology" architecture.

SoftBank’s subsidiary Saimemory will integrate Intel’s next-generation DRAM bonding technology, aiming to deliver a prototype as early as early 2028. The initiative addresses soaring computational demands from generative AI models. The collaboration aligns with Intel’s broader strategy to strengthen its AI chip portfolio amid intense competition. SoftBank Group Corp, parent of SoftBank Corp, committed $2 billion to Intel in mid-2025.

Food inflation across the EU averaged 2.8% in 2025, but key items saw double-digit increases, with chocolate up 17.8%, frozen fruit 13%, and beef and veal 10%, according to Eurostat. Turkey recorded the highest national food inflation at 32.8%, while Switzerland was the only country with a decline (−1.1%).

Eastern and Southeastern Europe saw the steepest regional increases, led by Romania (6.7%). Among major EU economies, Italy had the highest food inflation at 2.5%, while France’s was just 0.7%. Olive oil prices dropped sharply by 22.9%, and sugar fell 11%. National disparities were stark: chocolate prices surged over 30% in Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, while beef and veal rose more than 20% in the Netherlands, Croatia, and Latvia. Egg prices jumped over 20% in five countries, including Kosovo (30%) and Czechia (29%).