On January 15, 2026, TSMC reported fourth-quarter results with net income of NT$505.74 billion, up 35% year over year, topping LSEG SmartEstimates' NT$478.37 billion. Revenue reached NT$1.046 trillion (US$33.09 billion), and chips at 7nm or smaller made up 77% of wafer revenue.

China is drafting rules to cap domestic purchases of Nvidia's H200 AI chips, opting for quotas and approvals rather than a full ban. Local firms have ordered over two million units at about $27,000 each, while Nvidia's inventory is roughly 700,000. The U.S. has cleared H200 sales to China, and Beijing will determine which companies receive chips and in what quantities.

On January 14, 2026, Nvidia's NVDA was down 2.6% year to date, with Q4 earnings slated for February 26. Analysts from Freedom Capital Markets, Wolfe Research, Baird, and Bernstein cited weak AI sentiment, competition, and rotation from growth stocks, while still highlighting price targets and valuation. According to TradingView, Alphabet (+77% YTD), AMD (+91%), and Broadcom (+51%) have outperformed.

During a live virtual event, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said AI has practical uses while characterizing cryptocurrency as speculative for consumers. He projected steady U.S. growth with inflation easing toward the Fed's 2% goal, but said he's unsure whether it will settle near 2.5% by year-end, and rejected claims that balance-sheet expansion amounts to QE.

On January 14, 2026, Oracle's stock declined 5% in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange after bondholders filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in New York state court against Larry Ellison, senior executives, and multiple underwriting banks. The investors claim they purchased $18 billion of Oracle bonds issued on September 25, before the company allegedly planned a further $38 billion in borrowing tied to a massive OpenAI data center deal, and argue the extra leverage hurt the value of their securities.

On January 14 2026, Figure announced OPEN, an On-Chain Public Equity Network built on the Provenance blockchain for issuing real equity as tokenized shares. The platform is designed to let companies place stock directly on-chain and have those tokens trade on a decentralized venue, while investors can lend or borrow shares with fewer intermediaries. Figure, which raised $787.5 million in its September IPO, expects digital-asset treasury firms such as Strategy Inc. to use OPEN so investors can buy shares with cryptocurrencies like Solana.

A report dated January 14, 2026 says Elon Musk’s Starlink is providing free internet access inside Iran after a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. The move follows nationwide shutdowns amid anti‑regime protests, with over 1,800 deaths reported and rights groups warning the toll may be higher. Authorities have allegedly begun jamming Starlink and seizing equipment.

Elon Musk said Tesla will remove the option to buy Full Self-Driving as a one-time purchase after February 14, making it available only via a $99 per month subscription in the U.S. The FSD system, which still requires drivers to stay alert and often take control, currently costs around $8,000 to buy outright but that offer will be withdrawn. In 2025, Tesla's vehicle deliveries fell nearly 9% while BYD sold 2.26 million EVs and overtook Tesla in fully electric vehicle sales.

China ended 2025 with a $1.19 trillion trade surplus, which markets rounded to $1.2 trillion, after a strong December export performance and relatively weak imports. Official customs data showed December exports rising 6.6% year-on-year in U.S. dollar terms, with imports up 5.7%, while full-year exports grew 5.5% and imports were flat, widening the surplus by 20% from 2024. Trade with the United States contracted sharply over the year, as shipments fell and officials in Washington and global institutions voiced concern over the growing imbalance.