Covers President Trump's directives regarding Venezuela's oil industry, including attempts to solicit **$100 billion in investment from wary executives like Exxon's CEO, alongside ongoing US forces seizing Venezuelan oil tankers and broader geopolitical implications for global finance and relations** with China and Greenland.

• Trump’s $100 Billion Venezuela Oil Plan Gets a Cool Reception — The New York Times Business -
• Trump Presses Oil Executives to Invest in Venezuela—but Gets Lukewarm Reception — Wall Street Journal -
• Opinion | Oil Power vs. the People’s Revolution — Wall Street Journal -

• Trump Seeks New Powers to Pressure ‘Underperforming’ Weapons Makers — The New York Times Business -
• Trump Is Making a Power Play in Latin America. China Is Already There. — The New York Times Business -
• Opinion | From the Swamps of Louisiana to the Supreme Court — Wall Street Journal -
• Exxon tells Trump Venezuela ‘uninvestable’ without big changes — Financial Times -
• Opinion | How Trump Makes Good on His Threat to Iran — Wall Street Journal -
• What is to stop Trump upending the rules in global finance too? — Financial Times -
• Venezuela’s Oil Industry: A Timeline of Key Events — The New York Times Business -
• Trump unbound: unconstrained at home, adventurist abroad — Financial Times -
• Trump says he has ‘cancelled’ further strikes on Venezuela as US seizes another tanker — Financial Times -
• Trump to meet oil executives over $100bn Venezuela investment — Financial Times -
• Venezuelan currency plunges as economy choked by US blockade — Financial Times -
• Greenland floats meeting US alone without Denmark — Financial Times -
• China, Russia and Iran send ships to South Africa ahead of naval drills — Financial Times -
• The white man’s burden, Trump edition — Financial Times -
• U.S. Forces Board Fifth Tanker in Campaign to Track Down Venezuelan Oil — Wall Street Journal -
• Former CIA director William Burns: ‘Imitating autocrats is not a winning formula’ — Financial Times -
• What lies behind Trump’s retro oil plundering? — Financial Times -
• Wary of Investing in Venezuela, Big Oil Heads to the White House — The New York Times Business -
• ‘Front of the pack’: how Chevron’s boss bet big on Trump and Venezuela — Financial Times -
• Trump’s $50 Oil Price Goal Is Doable, but Painful — Wall Street Journal -
• EU fumbles for joint response to Trump’s Greenland threats — Financial Times -
• Venezuela starts release of ‘important number’ of prisoners — Financial Times -
• Trump takes on the world in week of shock and awe — Financial Times -
• Shale chiefs warn Trump that Venezuelan oil will hobble US drillers — Financial Times -
• The new era of resource imperialism — Financial Times -
• Wall Street scouts for investment wins in post-Maduro Venezuela — Financial Times -
• How Russia’s Venezuelan oil gambit went awry — Financial Times -
• Trump’s Risky Fixation With Other Countries’ Oil — Wall Street Journal -
• Trump Orders Fannie and Freddie to Buy $200 Billion in Mortgage Bonds — The New York Times Business -
• Trump says US housing agencies to launch $200bn mortgage bond-buying spree — Financial Times -
• A Shadow Fleet Smuggles Illicit Oil Across the High Seas. This Is How It Works. — Wall Street Journal -

Focuses on the December jobs report, revealing a modest hiring pace and weaknesses in job growth, sparking debate over Federal Reserve interest rate decisions and President Trump's early release of jobs data on social media.

• U.S. Hiring Continues at Modest Pace, but Weaknesses Are Evident — The New York Times Business -
• Jobs Report Shows U.S. Hiring Slowed One Year Into Trump’s Second Term — The New York Times Business -
• Trump posted jobs data early on Truth Social — Financial Times -

• If a jobs report leaks on a social media platform no one uses, does it move the market? — Financial Times -
• What to know about the report. — The New York Times Business -
• What to know about the report. — The New York Times Business -
• December’s Jobs Data Reinforces Fed’s Cautious Approach to Future Cuts — The New York Times Business -
• US December jobs report tees Fed up for a January hold — Financial Times -
• US economy undershoots expectations to add just 50,000 jobs in December — Financial Times -
• Minimum Wage Rises in Some States as Workers Struggle With Basic Costs — The New York Times Business -
• What to Know About the Latest Jobs Report — The New York Times Business -
• Economists are facing a recession — Financial Times -

Explores significant AI investments like **OpenAI and SoftBank's $1 billion for energy and data centers, controversies such as Elon Musk's Grok generating sexualized images, and the wider impact of AI demand driving up smartphone and PC prices** due to memory chip shortages.

• OpenAI and SoftBank to invest $1bn in energy and data centre supplier — Financial Times -
• Grok, Elon Musk’s A.I., Is Generating Sexualized Images of Real People, Fueling Outrage — The New York Times Business -
• X Sues Music Publishers, Alleging ‘Collusion’ Over Licensing Deals — The New York Times Business -

• Meta Unveils Sweeping Nuclear-Power Plan to Fuel Its AI Ambitions — Wall Street Journal -
• DeepSeek rival’s shares double in debut as Chinese AI companies rush to list — Financial Times -
• Smartphone and PC prices set to rise as AI boom drains memory chips — Financial Times -
• China’s AI chip dragons’ firepower is mostly mythical — Financial Times -
• Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance takes a beating — Financial Times -
• Nvidia Hires Google Veteran as Its First Chief Marketing Officer — Wall Street Journal -

Highlights major merger discussions between Glencore and Rio Tinto for a mining giant, Merck's potential acquisition of Revolution Medicines for cancer drugs, and financial movements including Bill Gates' divorce payout, California's proposed billionaire tax, and Saks' bankruptcy financing.

• Merck in Talks to Buy Revolution Medicines for Around $30 Billion — Wall Street Journal -
• Bill Gates Makes a Multibillion-Dollar Divorce Payout — The New York Times Business -
• Glencore and Rio Tinto Restart Talks to Create a Mining Giant — The New York Times Business -

• California’s divisive plan to tax billionaires — Financial Times -
• High costs and family fallouts prompt wealthy to close investment offices — Financial Times -
• Google Co-Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page Reduce Ties to California — The New York Times Business -
• Saks Closes In on Bankruptcy Financing Package — Wall Street Journal -
• Bob’s Discount Furniture Files for IPO — Wall Street Journal -
• Will Stock Markets Sizzle Into 2026? — The New York Times Business -
• Nick Train apologises again for poor fund performance — Financial Times -
• FirstFT: Glencore and Rio Tinto discuss mining megadeal — Financial Times -
• Where are the hated stocks? — Financial Times -
• Rio Tinto, Glencore Restart Talks to Form World’s Biggest Miner — Wall Street Journal -
• Can Glencore and Rio Tinto make it work this time? — Financial Times -
• Apollo searches for new European head as it steps up dealmaking in the region — Financial Times -
• Merck in talks to buy cancer drugmaker Revolution Medicines for up to $32bn — Financial Times -

Covers the formation of a major EU and South America free-trade zone, examines China's dominance in EV exports and its impact on foreign carmakers, and assesses India's logistics needs to capitalize on global trade shifts.

• E.U. and South America to Form Free-Trade Zone With 700 Million People — The New York Times Business -
• EU member states back Mercosur trade deal — Financial Times -
• Argentina repays US financial lifeline as Milei emerges from market crisis — Financial Times -

• Meloni blames Germany and Brussels for Italy’s economic woes — Financial Times -
• UAE cuts funds for citizens keen to study in UK over Muslim Brotherhood tensions — Financial Times -
• China’s EV Dominance at Home Is Squeezing Out Foreign Carmakers — Wall Street Journal -
• India Needs Logistics Overhaul to Seize on Trade Shifts, Port Operator Says — Wall Street Journal -
• Chinese car exports set to jump as domestic sales cool — Financial Times -

Reports on the escalating protests and internet blackout in Iran spurred by economic grievances, alongside UK political discussions on worker rights and defense spending, and US domestic tensions related to law enforcement actions.

• Iran hardens crackdown on protests — Financial Times -
• The exiled royal urging Iranians on to the streets — Financial Times -
• Starmer should not be afraid to pick a fight to get things done — Financial Times -

• Trump trouble: Starmer's tricky start to 2026 — Financial Times -
• The UK’s great worker rights experiment — Financial Times -
• JD Vance defends ICE killing of woman in Minneapolis — Financial Times -
• UK armed forces warn of £28bn defence funding shortfall — Financial Times -
• No, Reform hasn’t peaked — Financial Times -
• Iranians protest over economic pain — Financial Times -
• Largest Protests in Years Sweep Through Iran’s Capital — Wall Street Journal -

Features updates from the auto and transport industry with market talks and legal disputes, examines retail performance with Pandora's disappointing sales and Sainsbury's outlook, and delves into Netflix's unique deal for 'The Rip'.

• Opinion | Uber’s Lesson for the Marijuana Market — Wall Street Journal -
• Auto & Transport Roundup: Market Talk — Wall Street Journal -
• With ‘The Rip,’ Netflix Makes an Exception for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon — The New York Times Business -

• The Feds Need to Bail Out the Pizza Industry — Wall Street Journal -
• Bad News, Drivers: Maryland Doesn’t Think Your 2005 Toyota Camry Is Historic — Wall Street Journal -
• First Brands sues founder’s brother and its largest lender for fraud — Financial Times -
• Pandora Sales Growth Disappoints After Weak Holiday Period — Wall Street Journal -
• Sainsbury’s Raises Free-Cash-Flow Outlook After Sales Growth — Wall Street Journal -
• Treadmills out, dumbbells in: how weight-loss drugs are changing UK gyms — Financial Times -
• LG Electronics Expects First Quarterly Operating Loss in Nine Years — Wall Street Journal -

Discusses the decline in U.S. natural gas prices due to supply outlook, Europe's push for carbon capture technology, and calls for mandatory lead testing in English homes, with a Supreme Court case involving Big Oil highlighting environmental legal challenges.

• Opinion | A Big Oil Case at the Supreme Court — Wall Street Journal -
• U.S. Natural Gas Falls on Loose Supply Outlook — Wall Street Journal -
• Europe goes ‘full blast’ on carbon capture but fears of ‘expensive distraction’ persist — Financial Times -

• Homes on sale in England should be tested for lead, says water watchdog — Financial Times -