China Construction Bank Class A stock (601939) in focus: PMI slump and new gold rules set up Monday trade

China Construction Bank Class A stock (601939) in focus: PMI slump and new gold rules set up Monday trade

China Construction Bank will raise the minimum regular contribution for its personal gold accumulation plan to 1,500 yuan starting Feb. 2. The bank’s A-shares closed at 8.72 yuan Friday, down 0.57%, as China’s official manufacturing PMI fell to 49.3 in January. Spot gold plunged 9.5% Friday after Kevin Warsh was named Fed chair nominee. The Shanghai Composite dropped 0.96% to 4,117.95.
Merck stock jumps to $110 as MRK heads into a big earnings week

Merck stock jumps to $110 as MRK heads into a big earnings week

Merck shares rose 1.8% to $110.27 Friday, outperforming a falling S&P 500 and closing about 2% below their 52-week high. Trading volume topped 19 million shares, well above rivals. Investors await Merck’s Feb. 3 earnings call and new inflation data that could affect rate expectations. Markets reacted to President Trump’s Fed pick and mixed inflation signals.
Philip Morris stock price rises into weekend as PM investors brace for Feb. 6 earnings webcast

Philip Morris stock price rises into weekend as PM investors brace for Feb. 6 earnings webcast

Philip Morris International shares closed Friday up 0.87% at $179.44, trading between $175.14 and $180.09 on volume of 8.24 million. The company will report fourth-quarter and full-year earnings on Feb. 6, the same day as the U.S. jobs report and a wave of major corporate results. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Friday after Donald Trump named Kevin Warsh as his pick for Federal Reserve chair.
IBM stock price: Insider buy, new board pick and shutdown risk set up Monday trade

IBM stock price: Insider buy, new board pick and shutdown risk set up Monday trade

IBM shares closed at $306.70 on Friday, down 0.82% after a volatile session. The company named Ramon L. Laguarta to its board, effective March 1, and director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares at $304 each. IBM reported Q4 operating earnings of $4.52 per share on $19.7 billion revenue, with software sales up 14%. Traders are watching Washington’s funding talks and upcoming jobs data for market direction.
Goldman Sachs stock slides into the weekend as rate bets reset — what matters before Monday

Goldman Sachs stock slides into the weekend as rate bets reset — what matters before Monday

Goldman Sachs shares fell 0.5% to $935.41 Friday as traders reacted to Kevin Warsh’s Fed chair nomination and a higher-than-expected 0.5% rise in December wholesale inflation. The S&P 500 closed down 0.43%. Treasury yields rose, and CME futures showed less than a 50% chance of a rate cut before June. Job openings data is due Feb. 3, with the U.S. jobs report set for Feb. 6.
PetroChina A shares rise on Dalian refinery restart report — what matters before Monday

PetroChina A shares rise on Dalian refinery restart report — what matters before Monday

PetroChina’s Class A shares closed up 1.2% at 11.02 yuan in Shanghai Friday after reports that CNPC plans to restart a 200,000-barrel-per-day unit at its Dalian refinery to process discounted Russian crude. The move awaits regulatory approval. The Shanghai index fell about 1%. Investors are watching OPEC+’s Sunday meeting and fresh China economic data next week.
Utilities stocks brace for Monday after Warsh Fed pick jolts rates; XLU ends week lower

Utilities stocks brace for Monday after Warsh Fed pick jolts rates; XLU ends week lower

U.S. utility stocks fell Friday as long-term Treasury yields jumped after President Trump named Kevin Warsh as his pick for Fed chair. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF closed down 0.2% at $43.25. Producer prices rose 0.5% in December, exceeding forecasts and fueling inflation concerns. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields climbed to 4.245%.
Morgan Stanley stock price: $6 million insider sale and Trump’s Fed pick loom over Monday trade

Morgan Stanley stock price: $6 million insider sale and Trump’s Fed pick loom over Monday trade

Morgan Stanley co-president Daniel Simkowitz sold 32,968 shares for about $6.0 million, leaving him with 357,342 shares, a regulatory filing showed Friday. Morgan Stanley stock closed up 0.2% at $182.80. The sale comes as markets react to Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair and rising U.S. producer prices.
Basic materials stocks limp into February after metals crash — what to watch next week

Basic materials stocks limp into February after metals crash — what to watch next week

U.S. basic materials stocks led declines Friday, with the S&P 500 materials index down 1.9% as gold, silver, and copper prices fell sharply from record highs. Newmont dropped 11.5%, Freeport-McMoRan lost 7.5%, while Air Products rose 6.4%. Spot gold sank 4.7% to $5,143.40 an ounce; silver tumbled 11%. Investors weighed weak China demand and the nomination of Kevin Warsh to head the Fed.
AstraZeneca share price: $18.5 billion China obesity-drug deal puts AZN stock in focus for Monday

AstraZeneca share price: $18.5 billion China obesity-drug deal puts AZN stock in focus for Monday

AstraZeneca agreed to license obesity drug candidates from CSPC Pharmaceutical in a deal worth up to $18.5 billion, paying $1.2 billion upfront. AstraZeneca shares rose 0.65% in London, while CSPC shares fell nearly 12% in Hong Kong. The deal gives AstraZeneca rights outside Greater China and includes a once-monthly GLP-1/GIP agonist entering Phase I trials. AstraZeneca will also delist its ADS from Nasdaq and move to the NYSE.

Stock Market Today

Caterpillar stock price jumps 7% to $726 as Dow cracks 50,000 — what matters next week

Caterpillar stock price jumps 7% to $726 as Dow cracks 50,000 — what matters next week

7 February 2026
Caterpillar shares surged 7.1% to $726.20 Friday, driving the Dow above 50,000 for the first time. The move erased recent losses and followed insider selling by Group President Bob De Lange earlier in the week. Deere and CNH Industrial also gained as investors rotated into industrial stocks. Markets await next week’s U.S. jobs and inflation data.
Amazon stock slides as $200B AI spending plan meets cautious profit outlook

Amazon stock slides as $200B AI spending plan meets cautious profit outlook

7 February 2026
Amazon shares fell 9% Friday after the company announced plans for $200 billion in 2026 capital spending, mainly for AWS and AI, and issued a first-quarter profit outlook below estimates. The stock drop could erase $200 billion in market value. Fourth-quarter net sales rose 14% to $213.4 billion, while free cash flow declined due to higher spending on AI infrastructure.
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