MARKET SNAPSHOT
U.S. stocks extended gains, with the S&P 500 and Dow Industrials ending at fresh highs. Treasurys sold off mildly, sending benchmark yields slightly higher. The dollar gained. Gold rose, while oil settled below pre-weekend levels.
MARKET WRAPS
EQUITIES
U.S. stocks rallied, looking past the geopolitical gyrations stemming from the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The Dow industrials rose 1% to 49462, its first close above 49000 and its second straight record. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to its first record since Dec. 24. The Nasdaq added 0.7%.
The Trump administration is already in contact with oil companies about opportunities in Venezuela, a White House official said. Energy shares slid Tuesday, after leading indexes higher Monday.
Investors will turn to economic data later this week, with the official jobs report for December slated for Friday and other employment data coming Wednesday. On Tuesday, the S&P services purchasing managers index for December came in slightly weaker than expected.
Earlier Tuesday stocks in Asia also rose.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and China's Shanghai composite both rallied roughly 1.5%. The Shenzhen composite ended 1.4% higher, while the ChiNext Price Index rose 0.8%.
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.3% to a record close, with bank and brokerage shares leading gains. The rally has broadened from chip stocks to include metals and machinery producers, such as Sumitomo Metal Mining.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index slipped 0.5%.
New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 Index gained 0.6%.
COMMODITIES
Crude futures gave back gains made in the wake of the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S., settling below their pre-weekend levels.
If the U.S. were to lift sanctions on Venezuelan oil it could release barrels "and only add to the surplus that the market is already experiencing," said Mizuho's Robert Yawger.
A substantial increase in Venezuelan production is widely expected to be a long-term prospect, although from around 1 million barrels a day at present "Venezuela could get to 1.5 million rather quickly," Yawger said. "And I think Gulf coast refiners would be happy to take those barrels."
WTI settled down 2% at $57.13 a barrel, compared with $57.32 Friday. Brent fell 1.7% to $60.70 a barrel.
Front month gold settled 1% higher, up for a second consecutive session, while silver climbed 5.7% to a new record high.
TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES
Supreme Court Sets Friday as an Opinion Day, Raising Prospects of a Tariff Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court set Friday as an opinion day, raising expectations that the court could rule on the case regarding global tariffs President Donald Trump imposed using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The court doesn't signal which decision or decisions it will render on a particular date. Rulings are issued at 10 a.m. Eastern time on decision days.
Analysts have been waiting for a ruling on the tariffs case, with many expecting it to come by the end of January.
Fed's Miran Hasn't Spoken With Trump About Fed Chair Job
Federal Reserve governor Stephen Miran hasn't spoken with President Trump about serving as the Fed's next chair and hasn't raised his hand for the job, Miran said in a TV interview.
Miran said on Fox Business Tuesday morning that he is not among the finalists Trump is considering for the role, a group of candidates he described as "extremely credible."
"It's not something I put myself forward for," Miran said.
xAI Raises $20 Billion in Series E Funding Round, Surpassing Initial Target
xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, completed a $20 billion Series E funding round, surpassing its $15 billion target.
The company behind the Grok large language model said Tuesday that investors in the funding round included the Qatar Investment Authority, Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, MGX and Baron Capital Group, and Fidelity Management & Research Company.
xAI also listed Nvidia and Cisco Investments as strategic investors in the round.
Eli Lilly Nears Deal for Biotech Ventyx
Eli Lilly is in advanced talks to acquire Ventyx Biosciences for more than $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
A deal for Ventyx, which specializes in developing pills that can treat inflammatory diseases, could be announced imminently, the people said.
Ford Sales Rise on Increased Demand for Lower-Priced Trucks
Ford recorded more fourth-quarter sales compared with the prior year, as lower-priced truck sales helped it more than offset a decline in electric vehicles.
Ford's total vehicle sales rose 2.7% to 545,216. The company recorded a 5.4% increase in Ford truck sales, making up for a 2.5% decline in Ford SUV sales.
Sales of the company's Maverick truck rose 54% while its Ranger truck saw a 46% increase in sales. The two are the company's lowest-priced trucks and Ford said the sales reflected "customer demand for affordability."
Meta Pauses European Rollout of Smart Ray-Bans as Americans Lap Up Supply
Facebook-owner Meta said it would delay rolling out its latest smartglasses model to countries outside the U.S. amid high demand from American customers.
The Ray-Ban Display smartglasses, developed in partnership with Franco-Italian eyewear group EssilorLuxottica, had been planned to be made available for sale in Canada, France, the U.K. and Italy early this year. But soaring demand and limited stock mean that rollout will be delayed, Meta communications manager Lisa Brown Jaloza wrote in a blog post on the tech group's website.
"Since launching [the model] last fall, we've seen an overwhelming amount of interest, and as a result, product wait lists now extend well into 2026," Brown Jaloza wrote. "Because of this unprecedented demand and limited inventory, we've decided to pause our planned international expansion."
Expected Major Events for Wednesday
00:30/JPN: Dec Japan Services PMI
00:30/AUS: Nov Building Approvals
00:30/AUS: Nov Consumer Price Index
01:00/PHI: Nov Labour Force Survey
03:30/THA: Dec CPI
08:00/TAI: Dec Price Indexes: Consumer Prices (CPI)
08:30/HK: Dec Foreign Exchange Reserves
09:00/SIN: Dec Official Foreign Reserves
09:59/PHI: Dec Gross International Reserves
09:59/CHN: Dec Foreign Exchange Reserves
All times in GMT. Powered by Onclusive and Dow Jones.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 06, 2026 16:45 ET (21:45 GMT)
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