Thursday's News Links

[AP] New Year’s Day: What’s open? Retailers. What’s closed? Government and banks

[Axios] Photos: New Year's Eve events around the world, as nations ring in 2026 

[Reuters] One defining photo from every week of 2025

[MSN/WP] Flu cases are rising with a new strain that makes older people sicker

[Reuters] What just happened? Ten charts to help make sense of markets in 2025

[Reuters] Dire year for dollar has little light at end of tunnel in 2026

[Axios] 2026 is AI's "show me the money" year

[Axios] What 2026 could hold for the housing market

[AP] Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes

[CNBC] Dust to data centers: The year AI tech giants, and billions in debt, began remaking the American landscape

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Tesla Sales Outlook Darkens Despite Musk’s Self-Driving Euphoria

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] US Sanctions Chinese Companies, Tankers With Venezuela Links

[AP] Cash machines in Bulgaria issue euros for the first time after joining the currency union

[Reuters] Ukraine condemns Russian new year drone attack on power infrastructure

[Reuters] Several reported killed in Iran protests over economic woes

[Bloomberg] Trump Delays New Tariff Hike on Furniture, Kitchen Cabinets

[Bloomberg] Sovereign Funds Push Into Tech as Assets Swell to $15 Trillion

[Bloomberg] Taiwan’s Lai Pledges Robust Defense After China Military Drills

[WSJ] The Year of the $100 Million House

[WSJ] As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance

[WSJ] China Signals It Won’t Give an Inch to the U.S. in Latin America

[WSJ] Russia’s Strikes on Odesa Aim to Cut Ukraine’s Economic Lifeline

[WSJ] North Korea’s Kim Welcomes 2026 With a Salute to Russia

[FT] Chip shortages threaten 20% rise in consumer electronics prices

[FT] SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic prepare to launch landmark IPOs

[FT] Trump’s momentous second year

Wednesday Evening Links

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Dollar Posts Worst Year Since 2017 With More Fed Cuts Expected

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Gold, Silver Stumble at the End of Best Year Since the 1970s

[Yahoo/Reuters] Bitcoin set for first yearly loss since 2022 as macro trends weigh on crypto

[CNBC] What to expect from the housing market in 2026—and the 10 major cities where prices could fall the most

[CNBC] Trump’s first vetoes of his second term hit bipartisan infrastructure projects, draw accusations of retribution

[Reuters] Trump says National Guard being removed from Chicago, LA and Portland

[Reuters] Zelenskiy says he won't sign weak deal that will only prolong war

[Bloomberg] First Brands Creditors Hire Firm That Probed FTX Bankruptcy

[WSJ] U.S. Finds Ukraine Didn’t Target Putin in Drone Strike

[WSJ] Iran Says Regime Loyalist Killed as Protests Turn Violent

Wednesday's News Links

[CNBC] S&P 500 moves slightly as benchmark gets set to close out 2025 with 17% gain: Live updates

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Copper Set for Biggest Annual Gain Since 2009 on Supply Bets

[Reuters] Markets in 2025: Gold, Goldilocks and the dollar bears

[AP] US applications for jobless benefits fell below 200,000 last week with layoffs historically low

[AP] A rough year for journalists in 2025, with a little hope for things to turn around

[AP] China factory activity picks up in December as orders rebound ahead of holidays

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Xi Declares China’s Economy Set to Hit 5% Growth Goal in 2025

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Japan CEOs Halt Annual China Trip for First Time in 13 Years

[Reuters] Taiwan stays on high alert as Chinese ships pull back after massive drills

[AP] China announces it ‘successfully completed’ Taiwan military maneuvers

[NYT] A.I. Held Up Wall Street in 2025. Will That Continue?

[NYT] Inside China’s Six-Decade Campaign to Dominate Rare Earths

[WSJ] Six Stories That Show How Trump’s Trade War Changed the World Economy

[WSJ] Boston Went Big on Luxury Condos. The Buyers Didn’t Show Up.

[WSJ] Five Takeaways From China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan

[FT] Iran replaces central bank head in effort to contain cost-of-living protests