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U.S. Economy News 1 January 2026 - 5 January 2026

MercadoLibre stock slides into 2026 as MELI investors eye Feb. 24 earnings and a big U.S. data week

MercadoLibre stock slides into 2026 as MELI investors eye Feb. 24 earnings and a big U.S. data week

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 21:20 ET — Market closed MercadoLibre Inc shares closed down 2.0% on Friday at $1,973.70, capping a weak start to the new year for the Latin American e-commerce and payments bellwether. The decline matters because MercadoLibre is treated by many investors as a proxy for risk appetite in high-growth emerging-market tech, and the week ahead is packed with U.S. economic releases that can reset rate expectations. The stock also heads into Monday below key technical markers. MercadoLibre ended Friday about $110 under its 50-day moving average ($2,083.65) and roughly $294 below its 200-day moving average
5 January 2026
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GE Vernova stock jumps 4% into 2026 as dividend cutoff nears and key U.S. data looms

GE Vernova stock jumps 4% into 2026 as dividend cutoff nears and key U.S. data looms

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 18:14 ET — Market closed GE Vernova Inc shares ended Friday’s session up 3.98% at $679.55 and last traded at $680.55 in after-hours dealings, leaving the stock on watchlists ahead of Monday’s open. Marketwatch The timing matters because the shares trade ex-dividend on Jan. 5 — the first day the stock changes hands without the right to the next payout. Market calendars show GE Vernova’s next dividend is $0.50 per share, payable Feb. 2. MarketBeat GE Vernova flagged the dividend increase alongside a broader push to return cash to shareholders, and it paired that with
5 January 2026
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Exxon Mobil stock (XOM) in focus as U.S. presses oil majors on Venezuela ahead of Monday open

Exxon Mobil stock (XOM) in focus as U.S. presses oil majors on Venezuela ahead of Monday open

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 18:21 ET — Market closed U.S. officials have urged American oil executives to move quickly back into Venezuela and commit significant capital if they want to recover compensation tied to assets expropriated two decades ago, according to two people familiar with the outreach. Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), which exited Venezuela and later pursued arbitration, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters The timing matters because crude markets reopen on Sunday with Venezuela back at the center of supply risk after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Washington maintained an embargo
5 January 2026
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New York Stock Exchange owner ICE stock slips below $160 heading into key U.S. jobs week

New York Stock Exchange owner ICE stock slips below $160 heading into key U.S. jobs week

NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 07:53 ET — Market closed Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, last closed at $159.99 on Friday, down 1.2% on the day. The decline leaves the NYSE parent starting 2026 on a softer footing, with investors turning their focus to whether next week’s U.S. data resets interest-rate expectations and market activity. That matters for exchange operators because their transaction revenue is tied to how much investors trade. Clearing — the back-office process that guarantees both sides of a trade — can also benefit when volumes pick up. On Friday, the Dow
4 January 2026
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ExxonMobil stock in focus after U.S. strike on Venezuela as Trump flags “billions” oil rebuild

ExxonMobil stock in focus after U.S. strike on Venezuela as Trump flags “billions” oil rebuild

NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 18:28 ET — Market closed Exxon Mobil will be in focus when U.S. markets reopen after President Donald Trump said America’s biggest oil companies, including Exxon, would spend billions to rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry following Saturday’s U.S. operation that captured President Nicolas Maduro. Trump said the U.S. oil embargo remains in effect and that an American military presence would stay until Washington’s demands were met, Reuters reported. Peter McNally, global head of sector analysts at Third Bridge, said “it will take tens of billions of dollars to turn that industry around.”  Reuters Exxon shares closed
4 January 2026
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U.S. attack on Venezuela: Gas prices, inflation and the U.S. economy

U.S. attack on Venezuela: Gas prices, inflation and the U.S. economy

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 12:38 ET U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that U.S. forces attacked Venezuela overnight and captured President Nicolas Maduro, in Washington’s most direct intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion. The surprise operation has put the economic spotlight on oil, a key input for U.S. gasoline prices and inflation.  Reuters Oil prices matter for the U.S. economy because they feed into fuel bills for drivers and businesses, and can move inflation data watched by the Federal Reserve. Brent crude, the global benchmark, settled at $60.75 a barrel on Friday and U.S. West
3 January 2026
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Siemens Energy rebuffs wind spin-off call as Siemens targets 200,000 U.S. electricians by 2030

Siemens Energy rebuffs wind spin-off call as Siemens targets 200,000 U.S. electricians by 2030

FRANKFURT, January 2, 2026, 12:30 ET Siemens Energy has rejected pressure from activist investor Ananym Capital to spin off its loss-making wind turbine business Siemens Gamesa, the Financial Times reported, sticking with a plan to restore the unit’s profitability. The newspaper said Siemens Energy is targeting a 3% to 5% operating margin — profit from core operations as a share of sales — for Gamesa by 2028. Financial Times The standoff lands as demand for gas turbines and power-grid equipment keeps climbing, pushing Siemens Energy and its rivals deeper into multi-year investment cycles. Siemens Energy said in November it plans
2 January 2026
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Natural gas price slides today, pulling EQT, Antero stocks lower as U.S. warmth caps demand

Natural gas price slides today, pulling EQT, Antero stocks lower as U.S. warmth caps demand

NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 10:04 ET — Regular session U.S. natural gas-linked stocks slipped on Friday as gas futures fell on expectations of weaker heating demand in early January. The move matters because winter weather changes can quickly swing consumption, storage withdrawals and cash flow expectations for producers that are most exposed to the U.S. benchmark price. It also sets the tone for the first full trading day of 2026 after a late-December selloff tied to a smaller storage withdrawal and milder forecasts. U.S. natural gas futures were trading at about $3.58 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), down
2 January 2026
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Lumentum stock slips into 2026 as New Year’s Day shuts U.S. markets; earnings next in focus

Lumentum stock slips into 2026 as New Year’s Day shuts U.S. markets; earnings next in focus

NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 4:38 PM ET — Market closed Lumentum Holdings Inc. shares were unchanged on Thursday with U.S. stock markets shut for New Year’s Day, after the optical components maker closed down 0.7% at $368.59 in the final session of 2025. MarketBeat That year-end dip comes with the stock still up about 339% over the past 12 months through Dec. 31, leaving little room for disappointment as investors reset positioning for 2026. Trefis Wall Street ended 2025’s final session lower, with the S&P 500 down 0.74% and the Nasdaq off 0.76%, as traders took profits after an
1 January 2026
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Rare metals stocks today: Critical Metals in focus after Greenland offtake target, U.S. stake talks

Rare metals stocks today: Critical Metals in focus after Greenland offtake target, U.S. stake talks

NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 13:11 ET — Market closed Critical Metals (CRML.O) is targeting early 2026 to finalize the last quarter of customer offtake agreements for its Tanbreez rare earths project in Greenland and is open to a potential U.S. government investment, its chief executive told Reuters. “Would welcome it, even though we didn’t ask for it,” CEO Tony Sage said, adding the company had sought grant support under the U.S. Defense Production Act. Reuters The update lands as investors in rare metals stocks look for clearer signs of how the U.S. and its allies will fund supply chains
1 January 2026
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Oracle (ORCL) stock ends 2025 lower as New Year holiday shuts U.S. markets — what’s next

Oracle (ORCL) stock ends 2025 lower as New Year holiday shuts U.S. markets — what’s next

NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 10:18 ET — Market closed. Oracle Corp (ORCL.N) shares fell 1.17% to $194.91 on Wednesday, tracking a dip in U.S. stocks as 2025’s final session ended. Trading volumes were thin in the holiday-shortened week, and U.S. markets are closed Thursday for New Year’s Day. MarketWatch+1 The year-end slide leaves Oracle starting 2026 with investors still focused on the cost of its AI push. In its latest quarterly report, Oracle forecast higher spending and said fiscal 2026 capital expenditures would be about $15 billion higher than the $35 billion it estimated in September. Reuters “The ramp
1 January 2026
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Webull stock today: BULL ends 2025 down 2% as U.S. markets shut for New Year’s Day

Webull stock today: BULL ends 2025 down 2% as U.S. markets shut for New Year’s Day

NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 07:10 ET — Market closed. Webull Corporation shares (BULL) last closed down 2.0% at $7.77 on Wednesday, the final U.S. trading day of 2025, after trading between $7.67 and $7.95. About 21.3 million shares changed hands. The year-end dip matters because Webull trades like a pure read-through on retail risk appetite. When investors turn cautious, online brokers can feel it quickly through softer trading activity and less enthusiasm for higher-volatility names. Wall Street also finished 2025’s last session lower, with the S&P 500 down 0.74% and the Nasdaq down 0.76%, while volumes stayed light in
1 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

Walmart stock jumps to $131 as traders brace for CPI and Feb. 19 earnings

Walmart stock jumps to $131 as traders brace for CPI and Feb. 19 earnings

7 February 2026
Walmart shares rose 3.3% Friday to $131.18, up 10% since Jan. 30, as the Dow closed above 50,000 for the first time. The retailer’s market value crossed $1 trillion this week. Investors await January inflation data on Feb. 13 and Walmart’s quarterly results on Feb. 19 for signs of continued momentum.
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