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.

Spot gold lost 0.3 percent to $4,290.33 per ounce

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.

US gold futures gained 0.6 percent to $4,354.00 an ounce

Retail sales, a key indicator of consumption, edged up 1.3 percent year-on-year in November

Copper is closing in on the $12,000 a metric ton mark as expectations of soaring demand from data centres that power artificial intelligence and tight supplies collide with shortages outside the United States.

Gold discounts in India widened this week as demand fell despite the wedding season after prices scaled record highs, while Chinese demand remained muted amid volatility and high spot prices.

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.

China is already the world's largest market for industrial robots

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.

Experts say at event organised by the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association

Indian dealers were offering a discount of up to $34 per ounce

Netflix insists the deal is needed to challenge Alphabet’s YouTube

A divided US Federal Reserve lowered interest rates Wednesday for a third consecutive time this year, but signaled that it could hold off further reductions in the coming months.

India’s blistering growth has a quality problem. GDP is speeding ahead at 8 percent in the world’s fifth-largest economy but the government is doing the heavy lifting on investment.

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.