Friday's News Links

[CNBC] Stocks are little changed after S&P 500, Nasdaq pullback from record highs: Live updates

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Shutdown Pain Ripples Through US Economy With No Deal in Sight

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Trump Renews Threats With Congress Mired in a Shutdown Brawl

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] China Targets Qualcomm, US Ships as Xi and Trump Seek Leverage

[Yahoo/Reuters] China steps up customs crackdown on Nvidia AI chips, FT reports

[CNBC] CNBC Daily Open: He who controls the rare earth metals, controls tech’s future

[Reuters] Morning Bid: Bubble, bubble toil and trouble

[Yahoo/Reuters] Waller on interview for Fed chair: Went 'great'

[Yahoo/Telegraph] Fears rise over $3tn shadow banking crisis

[BBC] Tech billionaires seem to be doom prepping. Should we all be worried?

[Reuters] Le Pen's far right waiting in the wings as France's crisis unfolds

[Bloomberg] Tricolor’s Busted Money Machine Has Wall Street Rethinking Risks

[Bloomberg] After $12 Billion Bond Losses, Japanese Bank at Risk Again From US Firm's Bankruptcy

[Bloomberg] Retail Crowd Beats the S&P 500 as Soaring Trading Sparks Concern

[Bloomberg] Japan’s Decades-Old Ruling Coalition Collapses, Jolting Markets

[Bloomberg] ECB Officials Warn Against High Asset Price Valuations

[Bloomberg] Germany Calls New China Rare Earth Curbs a ‘Great Concern’

[Bloomberg] Ray Dalio Warns of Soaring Debt and ‘Civil War’ Brewing in US

[Bloomberg] The Big Dollar Short Is Turning Into a Pain Trade for Investors

[Bloomberg] Margin Access Cut Sparks Slide in China’s Expensive Chip Shares

[Bloomberg] NATO Launches Annual Nuclear Drill as Europe Rethinks Deterrence

[NYT] Big Investors Await Windfall From Trump’s Argentina Bailout

[WSJ] Senators Try to Craft Exit Ramp for Shutdown as Tensions Rise

[WSJ] Americans Are Falling Behind on Their Car Payments

[WSJ] China’s Rare-Earth Escalation Threatens Trade Talks—and the Global Economy

[FT] Insurers prepare for wave of First Brands claims

[FT] China launches customs crackdown on Nvidia AI chips

[FT] Japan’s ruling coalition collapses in setback for new LDP leader Sanae Takaichi

[FT] Tett: America is sucking in growth from the rest of the world

[FT] Taiwan accelerates ‘T-dome’ missile plan against China threat

Thursday Evening Links

[AP] US buys Argentine pesos, finalizes $20 billion currency swap

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] First Brands Collapse Blindsides Wall Street, Exposing Cracks in a Hot Corner of Finance

[Axios] China threatens access to supplies vital to the most important U.S. industries

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Shutdown Cuts Off Flood Insurance Program During Storm Season

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Trump, Pulte Threats Fuel $19.5 Billion Homebuilders Rout

[Bloomberg] Aegon’s Junk Debt Chief Braces for Credit Pain as Cracks Spread

[Bloomberg] Microsoft Forecasts Show Data Center Crunch Persisting Into 2026

[Bloomberg] Why China’s Plenum on Its Five-Year Plan Matters for the Global Economy

[WSJ] The Latest Beltway Deficit: $1.8 Trillion

[FT] US Treasury intervenes in Argentina’s currency market

Thursday Afternoon Links

[CNBC] S&P 500, Nasdaq retreat from record highs: Live updates

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Oil Declines With Gaza Peace Plan and Risk-Off Mood in Focus

[The Hill] Live updates: Democrats block GOP bill to end shutdown

[AP] Average long-term US mortgage rate eases to 6.3%, back to its lowest level in about a year

[Axios] 22 states are in recession or close to it, new analysis finds

[AP] Israel and Hamas will exchange hostages and prisoners after agreeing to a pause in the war in Gaza

[The Hill] La Niña is officially here. What does it mean for winter weather?

[Bloomberg] Private Credit Investors Sour on Funds as Rate Cuts Hurt Payouts

[Bloomberg] Rising Inflation Expectations Pose Risk for the Fed, Study Says

[Bloomberg] Fed’s Barr Calls for Caution Toward Additional Rate Cuts

[Bloomberg] Month-End Treasury Trading Trounces Other Days, NY Fed Finds

[WSJ] Federal Workers and Troops to Miss Paychecks Soon. Here’s What to Know.

[WSJ] Fed’s Barr Urges Caution With Further Rate Moves, Underscoring Committee’s Divisions

[FT] US justice department launches inquiry into First Brands Group

[FT] Trump’s militarisation of law enforcement

[FT] Jane Street is getting physical