Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Thursday's News Links

[CNBC] S&P 500 falls for a third day as Alphabet, bitcoin and silver slide: Live updates

[Reuters] Europe struggles to shake off tech rout, silver savaged again

[CNBC] Bitcoin drops below $70,000 as sell-off continues

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Bitcoin Falls Below $70,000 as Market Faces a ‘Crisis of Faith’

[Reuters] Gold, silver falter as speculators retreat, dollar firms

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Options Traders Pile Into Tech Hedges After Software Rout

[Reuters] Morning Bid: Skittish investors haunted by tech sell-off

[AP] US applications for jobless benefits jump by 22,000 to 231,000 last week, the most in 2 months.

[CNBC] Layoffs in January were the highest to start a year since 2009, Challenger says

[Reuters] Hedge Flow Hedge funds hit by AI sell-off, Goldman Sachs says

[Axios] AI arms race approaches IPO reckoning

[AP] Iran seizes 2 foreign oil tankers in Persian Gulf, state media says

[Bloomberg] The Pessimist’s Guide to the Credit Boom

[Bloomberg] Another Cold Blast to Grip US Northeast, Testing Power Demand

[Bloomberg] Dovish Bank of England Hold Spurs Bets on Faster Rate Cuts

[Bloomberg] US and Russia Enter Uncertain Era as Key Nuclear Pact Expires

[Bloomberg] Seoul Apartment Prices Rise Further Even as Lee Hardens Resolve

[WSJ] Fed’s Cook Focused on Inflation Risks as Greater Threat to Economy

[WSJ] The American and Chinese Economies Are Hurtling Toward a Messy Divorce

[FT] Kevin Warsh channels Alan Greenspan in AI productivity bet

[FT] Bank of England holds rates steady at 3.75% in knife-edge vote

[FT] ECB holds interest rates at 2%

[FT] Private credit group Ares defies market jitters with record inflows

[FT] Cuba hit by blackouts as threat of Trump oil blockade bites

Wednesday Evening Links

[CNBC] S&P 500 futures rise after latest earnings; traders weigh Alphabet results: Live updates

[AP] Iran and the US will hold nuclear talks Friday in Oman as tensions remain high

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Trump Says Iran Should Be ‘Very Worried’ as Talks Set for Friday

[Bloomberg] Trillion-Dollar Tech Wipeout Ensnares All Stocks in AI’s Path

[Bloomberg] What’s Behind the ‘SaaSpocalypse’ Plunge in Software Stocks

[Bloomberg] Fed’s Cook Says Central Bank Must Maintain Inflation Credibility

[NYT] Bessent Says Fed Lacks Accountability and Has Lost Public Trust

[WSJ] Google to Double Spending as Earnings Beat Wall Street Expectations

Wednesday Afternoon Links

[CNBC] S&P 500 falls for a second day, Nasdaq sheds 2% as chip stocks decline, led by AMD: Live updates

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Bitcoin-Led Crypto Rout Erases Nearly $500 Billion in a Week

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Oil Surges on Report that US-Iran Talks Have Hit a Snag

[Reuters] Dip-buyers go missing as software selloff slams stocks

[Axios] Scoop: Plans for Iran nuclear talks are collapsing, U.S. officials say

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Kevin Warsh's tenure as Fed governor shaped by inflation concerns, central bank credibility

[Yahoo/Reuters] Bessent: Fed lost trust of American people over inflation, threatening independence

[Yahoo/CBS] Millions of Americans face higher utility bills after rate hike approvals

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Trump, Xi Discuss Taiwan and Trade Ahead of Planned Summit

[Bloomberg] Distressed Software Loans Swell by $18 Billion in Span of Weeks

[Bloomberg] US Services Sector Maintains Fastest Growth Since 2024

[WSJ] Top Republican Senator Says Fed’s Powell Didn’t Commit a Crime

[WSJ] U.S. Services-Sector Activity Continues to Rise in January