In 2026, US battery supply will outstrip demand, ending dependency on imports.

The US dollar began 2026 stronger on Friday, snapping last year’s slump against most currencies as investors look ahead to a critical week of economic data that could steer Federal Reserve policy and global markets.

Dreams about the vast potential of artificial intelligence will collide with cold, hard reality as the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Euro zone manufacturing activity shrank further in December but Asia’s factory powerhouses closed 2025 on a firmer footing backed by a rebound in export orders and growing demand for artificial intelligence, private surveys showed.

The artificial intelligence boom will upend how chips are made. For decades, the majority of the world’s semiconductors have been built on know-how developed by two players. That is starting to change as companies seek out alternatives, including a promising open-source technology known as RISC-V. Pronounced “risk five”, it’s a niche product at present but could have its breakout moment in the year ahead.

The Bank of Japan is expected to hike interest rates Friday for the first time since January, pushing them to their highest level in 30 years and potentially exacerbating turmoil in debt markets.

Global shipments of thermal coal - burned in power stations - have posted their first annual decline since 2020 on the back of lower coal-fired power generation in key Asian markets.

Three years after ChatGPT made OpenAI the leader in artificial intelligence and a household name, rivals have closed the gap and some investors are wondering if the sensation has the wherewithal to stay dominant.

Trading in the Hungarian forint, long a niche emerging market currency, has more than doubled since US President Donald Trump took office in January, with trader interest only growing since his sweeping “Liberation Day” import tariffs announcement.

Despite policy shifts and tariff barriers in the US, the number of electric vehicles on the road is forecast to jump 30 percent, with Plug-in Hybrids gaining crucial market share.

The United States on Thursday announced a pact with allies to secure supply chains for minerals needed for artificial intelligence, hoping to secure a key resource as China quickly takes a lead.

Nvidia has told Chinese clients it is evaluating adding production capacity for its powerful H200 AI chips after orders exceeded its current output level, according to two sources briefed on the matter.

Netflix says it must acquire Warner Bros Discovery to compete with YouTube, but antitrust experts doubt regulators will buy that argument.

Chinese firms are expanding in Vietnam, leading investment inflows and sending record shipments to Hanoi in defiance of US calls for decoupling, as the Communist neighbours beef up ties.

China’s exports topped forecasts in November, driven by a surge in shipments to non-US markets as manufacturers deepen trade ties with the rest of the world in light of President Donald Trump’s prohibitively high tariffs.

Gold prices rose on Friday as mounting expectations of a US Federal Reserve rate cut next week buoyed sentiment, while silver soared to a record high.

Bargain-hunting Americans clicked their way through Thanksgiving, spending $8.6 billion online so far on Black Friday, as more consumers turned to laptops and phones instead of braving brisk weather to snap up deals over the crucial shopping weekend.

The US dollar was heading for its worst weekly performance since late July on Friday as traders increased bets that the Federal Reserve will cut rates again next month.

Chattogram port on Wednesday night cleared the first transit shipment for Bhutan, which is expected to reach Burimari land port by this afternoon.

Made in China 2025 is “very insulting”, then-US President Donald Trump complained in 2018, because it “means in 2025, [the country is] going to take over, economically, the world...that’s not happening”.