Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Lumber futures closed at $27.50 per 1,000 bd ft as of 10:30 AM Monday, February 9, 2026. Estimated volume for the day was 148 contracts, compared to 494 contracts on Friday. Open interest ended at 9,001 contracts, down 122 contracts from the previous session.

OpenAI’s growth is resuming, with ChatGPT user additions climbing to over 10% monthly and a new version of the chat model scheduled for release this week. The company now serves over 800 million active users weekly as competition from Google and Anthropic intensifies.

Internal messaging highlights a 50% surge in Codex usage within a week, outpacing Anthropic’s Claude Code. OpenAI paused projects last December to strengthen ChatGPT, recently released GPT-5.3-Codex, and launched a standalone app for Apple computers. A dispute with Anthropic over advertising in ChatGPT is ongoing, with OpenAI maintaining ads will be clearly marked and not alter responses, and long-term ad revenue expected to be less than half of total revenue.

Management is preparing for a potential $1 billion financing round emphasizing growth in consumer and enterprise markets, compute capacity, and developer tools. OpenAI closed a $410 billion fundraising in March, including a $300 billion contribution from SoftBank and $110 billion from other investors, with follow-on rounds potentially led by Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Amazon.

[Para 1: The Lead]

On February 9, 2026, shares of MDJM (NASDAQ: MDJM) surged 179% in after-hours trading following the company's earnings report that beat analyst expectations by a significant margin.

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The company reported fourth-quarter revenue of $487 million, a 23% increase from the prior-year period, and EPS of $1.26, exceeding the average estimate of $1.15. Management cited strong demand for its biologics and vaccines as the primary driver of the results. The stock closed at $24.12, up $19.60, on the day, reflecting investor confidence in the company's growth trajectory and strategic initiatives.

Databricks closed a $5 billion funding round at a $134 billion valuation, according to CNBC. The data software company, which helps organizations manage large datasets and build AI models, raised over $4 billion at the same valuation in December 2025.

Crypto venture capital is pivoting away from speculative bets as prices crater, with Bitcoin down nearly 50% from its October high and altcoins down as much as 70% YoY. The shift toward product-market fit, monetization, and user retention is intensifying, reflected in a 22-transaction M&A peak in October and ongoing closures of Nifty Gateway, Farcaster, and Rodeo.

Despite $18.9B raised in 2025, capital is flowing to stablecoin infrastructure, on-chain prediction markets, fintech, and AI. Traditional and generalist VCs are closing in, with some crypto-native funds downsizing. Projects without clear revenue paths face stiffer scrutiny, signaling a move from narrative momentum to hard metrics and sustainable user traction.

Chicago Board of Trade: U.S. wheat (SRW) futures trade summary as of 10:00 AM CST, February 9, 2026.

Key figures: Contract size 5,000 bushels; estimated trading volume 37,288; Friday's volume 185,827; open interest 538,801; open interest change -8,078.

[Para 1: The Lead] The US Dollar Index (DXY) has surged 1.5% today, reaching its highest level since 2002, bolstering US equity markets. This strength is driven by robust US economic data and expectations of further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Global investors are shifting funds to the USD, impacting foreign exchange rates and market sentiment.

[Para 2-3: Supporting details & Context] Against the backdrop of a 0.7% increase in the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January, investors are reassured by the US economy's resilience. The USD has gained against major currencies, with the Euro down 1.2% and the Japanese Yen down 1.5%. This trend is expected to continue, potentially affecting global trade dynamics and cross-border investments. The US dollar's strength is also supporting the S&P 500, which is up 1.3% as of 3:00 PM EST.

ICE Sugar futures closed at 112.00 cents per pound on Monday, February 9, 2026, with an estimated volume of 156,943 contracts. Friday’s volume was 275,440 contracts. Open interest stood at 1,067,457 contracts, an increase of 9,428 contracts from the prior session.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) early trading on February 09, 2026, saw volatility in key commodity indices, reacting to updated winter storm outlooks and potential energy demand shifts. The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn (-1.8%) and soybeans (-2.1%) led declines, while New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) natural gas (-2.4%) and London Metal Exchange (LME) copper (-1.2%) fell. Crude oil (-0.9%) and gold (-1.1%) showed mixed responses, with traders assessing the impact of colder-than-expected weather patterns on supply chains and storage.

Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) early trading on Monday, February 9, 2026, saw heightened focus on key agricultural and energy contracts as traders reacted to the latest USDA report and a closely watched winter freeze in the Midwest.

Supporting details indicated mixed performance: corn futures fell 2.1% to $6.35 per bushel, while soybeans added 1.8% to $14.85 per bushel. Crude oil contracts edged up 0.4% to $48.70 per barrel as a slight easing in supply constraints from the freeze tempered concerns over global demand.

Data sources: CBOT electronic trading system, USDA weekly report.

The U.S. dollar index stood at 103.50 as of 10:00 AM EST February 9, 2026. EURUSD and GBPUSD traded at 1.1025 and 1.4230, respectively. The dollar gained strength on expectations of continued Fed tightening, with traders pricing in a 70% chance of a 25-basis-point hike in March. The Federal Open Market Committee is scheduled to release its latest policy statement on March 2-3, 2026, following which the dollar is likely to remain under pressure if inflation or employment data disappoint.

Soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade closed at $5.00 per bushel at 10:00 AM CST on February 9, 2026.

Key trade metrics: Estimated trading volume 154,353; Friday's volume 891,849; open interest 906,994, up 8,873 from the previous session.

Rice futures closed at $2,000 per CWT on Monday, February 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM CST. Volume totaled 314 CWT, up from 1,427 CWT on Friday. The open interest stood at 12,243 contracts, down 244 from the previous session.

Gold futures activity as of February 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM EST:

- Price: $1,000.00 per troy oz.

- Estimated Trading Volume: 86,016 oz

- Friday's Trading Volume: 198,987 oz

- Open Interest: 400,487 oz

- Open Interest Change: +2,289 oz

Data reflects active trading and open interest trends in the COMX gold futures market.

Cotton futures closed at $3.86 per lb on Monday, February 9, 2026, as of 10:00 AM EST. Estimated trading volume for the session was 52,680 contracts, compared to 111,400 contracts on Friday. Total open interest stood at 385,700 contracts, down 9,523 from the previous session.

Corn (CBOT):

- Last traded at 5.000 cents per bushel

- Estimated trading volume: 82,122

- Friday's volume: 456,704

- Open interest: 1,750,119 contracts

- Open interest change: -23,488 contracts

Copper futures closed at $2.50 per pound on Monday, February 9, 2026, as of 10:00 AM EST. Estimated trading volume for the session was 35,083 contracts, compared to 88,314 contracts for Friday. Open interest ended at 279,809 contracts, reflecting a net change of -6,296 contracts.

xAI, the AI startup founded by Elon Musk, is expected to finalize a structured financing deal with Apollo Global Management. The agreement would provide about $34 million in lending to purchase NVIDIA AI chips, which Apollo would then lease to xAI, supporting its high-performance computing needs. This reflects industry shifts toward capital-light, finance-engineered solutions as training large AI models drives up upfront spending.

The funding comes as xAI faces heightened cash pressure, with monthly cash burn exceeding $1 billion through the third quarter of 2025, driven by model training, compute deployment, and product development.

The Imperial Petroleum Board approved a stock buyback program authorizing the repurchase of up to 10 million Canadian dollars in shares, subject to market conditions and board discretion. The program, effective February 9, 2026, aims to strengthen shareholder value by reducing the number of shares outstanding.

The company stated the initiative follows a review of its capital structure and current share price, with proceeds used to retire shares in the open market. The program does not set a timeline or minimum number of shares to be repurchased, providing flexibility in execution.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts against Hims & Hers, alleging infringement of its erectile dysfunction drug Cialis and related formulations. The complaint seeks injunctive relief and damages, citing claims under the Federal Drug Administration's 505(g)(3) Abbreviated New Drug Application and related intellectual property rights.

The filing follows a patent dispute dating back to 2021, with Novo Nordisk seeking to block or limit the use of Cialis and its generics by Hims & Hers, which has expanded its telemedicine erectile dysfunction services. The company has not yet provided an estimated range of damages, but the case could have significant implications for generics availability and pricing.