Friday's News Links

[CNBC] Stocks are little changed as AI trade drives market to fresh highs, shutdown grinds on: Live updates

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Gold Set for Seventh Weekly Gain as US Shutdown Clouds Rate Path

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Democrats Dismiss Trump Firing Threats as US Shutdown Drags On

[CNBC] Trump administration puts on hold $2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects, Vought says

[Axios] Trump charts path to total control amid government shutdown

[Yahoo/Reuters] Bessent Sees China Progress as Soy Fight Echoes Rare-Earth Spat

[Yahoo/Reuters] AI startup valuations raise bubble fears as funding surges

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Fed’s Use of Balance Sheet Wasn’t Unconventional, Says New York Fed’s Williams

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] BlackRock Nears $40 Billion Data Center Deal in Bet on AI

[CNBC] The wealth of the top 1% reaches a record $52 trillion

[Yahoo/Reuters] BOJ's Ueda warns of global uncertainty, keep markets guessing on next hike

[Bloomberg] Dudley: Maybe the Fed Shouldn’t Be Cutting Interest Rates

[Bloomberg] Shutdown Gives Trump’s New Hatchet Man Chance to Shine

[Bloomberg] Subprime Credit Troubles Send Shares of Consumer Lenders Reeling

[Bloomberg] Gas Turbine Shortage Is Forcing Companies Back to Coal

[NYT] The Jobs Report That Wasn’t Leaves Economists Guessing

[NYT] A.I. Is Driving a Stock Market Rally in China, Too

[WSJ] Lawmakers From Both Sides Pressed Pentagon on Legal Basis for Drug Boat Strikes

[WSJ] Bank of Japan Still on Path to More Rate Hikes, Governor Says

[WSJ] Europe to Push Back as Illegal Drone Incursions Multiply

[FT] Tett: Investors could face a bonfire night surprise on Trump tariffs

[FT] Short seller Jim Chanos predicts more First Brands fiascos in private credit

[FT] Jeff Bezos hails AI boom as ‘good’ kind of bubble

Thursday Evening Links

[CNBC] Stock futures are little changed as AI trade drives market to fresh highs, shutdown grinds on: Live updates

[AP] Trump says US is in ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels after ordering strikes in the Caribbean

[Axios] Trump embraces Project 2025 after disavowing it during 2024 campaign

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Applied Materials Warns of Sales Hit From Latest Curbs on China

[AP] Putin praises Trump but warns supplies of US long-range missiles to Ukraine will badly hurt ties

[Bloomberg] The First Brands Disaster Began With Business as Usual

[Bloomberg] First Brands’ Fallout Exposes Risks of Lending Private Credit

[Bloomberg] Brazil and China Team Up to Create New Investment Fund

[WSJ] Nine Colleges in Hot Seat as Trump’s Sweeping ‘Compact’ Sparks Sharp Reactions

[FT] Utah-based leasing giant challenges First Brands rescue loan

Thursday Afternoon Links

[AP] US stocks drift near their records as tech keeps rising and Wall Street keeps ignoring DC’s shutdown

[Yahoo/Reuters] Argentina's bonds wobble as investors eye US Bessent's support pledge

[AP] Federal shutdowns usually don’t do much economic damage. There are reasons to worry about this one

[AP] Trump uses government shutdown to dole out firings and political punishment

[Axios] Six months later, the future of Trump's tariffs is murkier than ever

[AP] Trump asks 9 colleges to commit to his political agenda and get favorable access to federal money

[AP] Trump declares drug cartels operating in Caribbean unlawful combatants

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Bridgewater Soars 26% to Lead Pack of Biggest Hedge Funds

[Bloomberg] Private Credit Gets Creative as Fundraises Take Longer Than Ever

[Bloomberg] Fed’s Logan Sees More Work to Do in Reaching Inflation Target

[Bloomberg] Greenland Deepens EU Ties in Rebuff to Trump’s Bid for Influence

[WSJ] Trump Threatens Far-Reaching Cuts at Federal Agencies

[WSJ] Trump’s Budget Chief, Slayer of Big Government, Moves Quickly in Shutdown

[WSJ] Can China Save Itself if the Rest of the World Won’t?