Stocks

Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 3.4% to a record 57,000 after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's landslide win and a proposed $135 billion stimulus, according to the report. Gold pushed past $5,000 per ounce, while Bitcoin briefly hit $72,000 before holding above $70,000. A Trump post dated February 8, 2026 added to upbeat sentiment.

In a February 8 newsletter, Lyn Alden said the Federal Reserve is likely to expand liquidity in a measured way by growing its balance sheet broadly in line with bank assets or nominal GDP. She expects this backdrop to favor scarce, high-quality assets while cautioning against overheated segments, and she does not foresee large-scale stimulus in the near term.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said in an X post that he remains long‑term bullish and views volatility as a normal feature of the crypto market. Bitcoin reached $126,210 in October 2025 and traded near $63,000 by early February 2026, while Coinbase diversified revenue with subscriptions and services and set up a quantum‑risk advisory board as COIN fell about 45% in three months.

Block Inc., led by Jack Dorsey, is preparing to eliminate roles during annual performance reviews, with as much as 10% of staff at risk, Bloomberg reported on Saturday. Earlier cuts removed 931 positions in March 2025 and about 1,000 in January 2024. The company plans to release fourth-quarter results on Feb. 26.

In early 2026, US technology shares fell on weak earnings and concern over massive AI capital expenditure, while Hong Kong-listed Chinese tech slid largely on sentiment spillover. Mainland Chinese investors used the downturn to increase positions in names like Tencent and Alibaba, attracted by lower valuations such as a 16x P/E for the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF. At the same time, Chinese AI firms including MiniMax and Zhipu AI completed major IPOs in Hong Kong, drawing strong demand and underscoring the city’s push to become a leading AI listing venue.

According to Strategy, it held 713,502 BTC valued at about $59.75 billion as of February 1, with a total cost basis of $54.26 billion and an average purchase price of $76,052. With Bitcoin near $60,000, the position sits below cost, even as 2025 delivered a 22.8% BTC yield and the quarter showed a net loss of $12.4 billion.

On February 8, 2026, Kevin Warsh was nominated as the next Fed chair, a move that, according to Catenaa, revived debate over shrinking and potentially "privatising" portions of the central bank's about $6.6 trillion Treasury and MBS holdings. Supporters see scope to let bonds roll off and tweak rules so banks hold more government debt, while critics warn of duration risk and fiscal-driven balance-sheet growth.

On February 06, 2026, U.S. technology stocks and bitcoin staged a sharp rebound after three straight sessions of heavy selling. The Nasdaq Composite rose 2.2 percent, trimming its weekly decline to 1.8 percent, while bitcoin gained about 12 percent to trade above $70,000 as broader equity indices also advanced. Analysts indicated the move reflected a mix of bargain hunting and tentative sector rotation from high-priced AI names into cyclicals and value stocks.

On February 8, 2026, Elon Musk's net worth was reported at $845 billion, making him the first individual to exceed $800 billion. A $1.25 trillion SpaceX takeover of xAI left him with about 43% of the combined company, a stake valued at more than $530 billion. Tesla shareholders also approved a performance-based pay package that could reach $1 trillion.

Tokenized equities are approaching $1 billion in value, with three venues—Ondo, Backed/Kraken, and Securitize—holding over 93% of market share. In December 2025, the SEC advanced a DTCC tokenization pilot and clarified broker‑dealer custody, while monthly transfers reached $2.4 billion and Ethereum, Solana, and Algorand led chain distribution.