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Economic Trends News 31 January 2026 - 6 February 2026

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding shares slide 5% as Maersk warning jolts shipping-linked stocks

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding shares slide 5% as Maersk warning jolts shipping-linked stocks

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding shares fell about 5% to S$3.20 by Friday afternoon in Singapore, erasing over S$700 million in market value. The drop followed Maersk’s warning that lower freight rates and increased ship supply could hit earnings through 2026. Investors shifted focus to shipping-rate trends and Yangzijiang’s earnings due in March. Broader Singapore and Asian markets also declined.
6 February 2026
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Oil prices slide more than 1% as U.S.-Iran Oman talks ease supply fears; Brent, WTI retreat

Oil prices slide more than 1% as U.S.-Iran Oman talks ease supply fears; Brent, WTI retreat

Brent crude fell 86 cents to $68.60 a barrel and WTI dropped 82 cents to $64.32 Thursday as markets reacted to news of a U.S.-Iran meeting set for Friday in Muscat. U.S. crude inventories declined by 3.5 million barrels last week, according to EIA data. Gulf stock markets also slipped, with Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index down 1.1%.
5 February 2026
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Natural gas price snaps back after Monday’s 30-year plunge as “draw for the ages” nears

Natural gas price snaps back after Monday’s 30-year plunge as “draw for the ages” nears

NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas futures climbed 3.6% to $3.43 per mmBtu Wednesday, rebounding after Monday’s 25.7% plunge, the steepest since 1995. Traders await Thursday’s EIA storage report, with analysts expecting a record 366 bcf withdrawal for the week ended Jan. 30. U.S. gas stocks and funds were mixed in early trading. Weather forecasts and storage data continue to drive volatile price swings.
4 February 2026
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Goldman Sachs stock closes lower after Epstein-email report; debt filing and rates loom next

Goldman Sachs stock closes lower after Epstein-email report; debt filing and rates loom next

Goldman Sachs shares fell 0.8% to $938.99 Tuesday after U.S. Justice Department documents showed its top lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, accepted gifts from Jeffrey Epstein. The bank also issued $2.5 billion in long-dated subordinated notes. The S&P 500 dropped 0.84% and the Nasdaq lost 1.43%. Investors are watching for Friday’s U.S. jobs report.
4 February 2026
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Mastercard stock pops 3% as a shutdown delays the jobs report — what traders watch next

Mastercard stock pops 3% as a shutdown delays the jobs report — what traders watch next

Mastercard shares rose 3.1% to $555.37 as U.S. stocks rebounded, with the S&P 500 up 0.54%. The U.S. government’s partial shutdown delayed Friday’s jobs report, with the House set to vote Tuesday on restoring funding. Mastercard last week reported higher profits and announced plans to cut 4% of its workforce.
3 February 2026
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Dow Jones futures slide before U.S. open as silver rout and Fed-chair jitters bite

Dow Jones futures slide before U.S. open as silver rout and Fed-chair jitters bite

Dow futures fell 0.4% and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 1.1% in early trading Monday, while gold slid 3.2% and silver lost 3.4% after the CME raised margin requirements. Oil prices tumbled over 5% as Brent crude hit $65.69 a barrel. The moves followed a stronger dollar and President Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh as Fed chair. Traders awaited U.S. factory data due later in the day.
2 February 2026
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Robert Kiyosaki says gold, silver and bitcoin are “on sale” as margin hikes deepen rout

Robert Kiyosaki says gold, silver and bitcoin are “on sale” as margin hikes deepen rout

Gold and silver plunged Monday in Asia, with gold down as much as 7.5% and silver dropping 14.2%, after CME Group raised margin requirements on metal futures. Bitcoin fell below $80,000 following President Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair and signals of tighter liquidity. Robert Kiyosaki said he is buying gold, silver, and bitcoin after the selloff, calling it a buying opportunity.
2 February 2026
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BHP share price (ASX:BHP) faces a fresh test as China PMI slips and RBA decision looms

BHP share price (ASX:BHP) faces a fresh test as China PMI slips and RBA decision looms

BHP shares closed Friday down 1.82% at A$50.57 after China’s official factory PMI fell to 49.3, signaling contraction. ASX futures pointed to a weaker open as metals and mining stocks slid. Investors await China’s private PMI Monday and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s policy decision Tuesday. BHP’s half-year results are due Feb. 17.
1 February 2026
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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.
31 January 2026
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Gold price set for a bumpy week after historic slide from record highs

Gold price set for a bumpy week after historic slide from record highs

Spot gold plunged 9.5% to $4,883.62 an ounce Friday, its sharpest daily drop since 1983, after Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to lead the Fed and the dollar rose. U.S. gold futures fell 11.4%. Shares of Barrick Mining dropped 11.33% in Toronto, while Newmont fell 11.5% in New York. Despite the selloff, gold remains up over 13% for January.
31 January 2026
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Your electric bill may stay high in 2026 — here’s what’s keeping rates up

Your electric bill may stay high in 2026 — here’s what’s keeping rates up

U.S. residential electricity prices are projected to reach 17.9 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2026, up from 17.3 cents in 2025, according to the Energy Information Administration. Utilities have requested nearly $31 billion in rate hikes for 2025, with over half already approved. Unpaid bills and shutoffs are rising, prompting regulatory action. Federal emergency orders are keeping some coal plants running, adding costs for consumers.
31 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

Blockchain’s New Pitch: Tracking Supply-Chain Emissions for a Price

Blockchain’s New Pitch: Tracking Supply-Chain Emissions for a Price

7 February 2026
Blockchain industry groups are promoting supply-chain emissions tracking and data transparency, not crypto trading, as key business uses. Companies face mounting pressure to map Scope 3 emissions, which are often hard to verify. Past blockchain supply-chain projects, including Maersk’s TradeLens, struggled with adoption when partners failed to participate.
Ashtead share price in focus as buyback rolls on and NYSE switch clocks closer

Ashtead share price in focus as buyback rolls on and NYSE switch clocks closer

7 February 2026
Ashtead shares closed Friday at 4,936p, up 1.09%, after the company bought 88,872 shares under its repurchase program. The group is set to shift its primary listing to New York on March 2, pending court approval, and will be removed from the FTSE UK index the same day. Ashtead paid a half-year dividend of 37.5 U.S. cents per share on Friday.
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