Business news

• Why Asia's richest man and BlackRock CEO want Indians to pick equities over gold - Indians are among the leading buyers of gold in the world, but the country has been seeing increasing financialization of savings, with mutual funds growing in popularity.
• European stocks head for mixed open ahead of earnings from Shell, Maersk and more - European stocks are expected to open flat to lower as traders gear up for more regional earnings reports Thursday.
• U.S. proposes critical minerals trade bloc aimed at countering China’s grip - The U.S. is mobilizing allies into a preferential trade bloc for critical minerals as part of efforts to counter China's dominance in the market.
• Silver resumes its slide, plunging 13%, after short-lived rebound - Silver prices slid as much as 16% on Thursday, snapping a two-day rebound as investors continued to unwind positions.
• Sony profit jumps 22% in December quarter, beating expectations and lifting full-year outlook - TechSony profit jumps 22% in December quarter, beating expectations and lifting full-year outlookPublished Wed, Feb 4 202610:31 PM ESTDylan Butts@in/dylan-b-7a4
• China's Xi reasserts Taiwan stance in call with Trump, while U.S. president pushes trade - Beijing stressed Taiwan is the most important issue while Trump highlights the trade aspects of the bilateral relations.
• Shares of Arm plunge 8% after licensing revenue misses estimates, Qualcomm outlook adds pressure - Shares of UK-based semiconductor designer Arm Holdings fell in aftermarket trading, despite the company posting record revenues amid AI demand.
• Oil slides in volatile trading as upcoming U.S.-Iran talks revive de-escalation hopes - Oil prices fell on Thursday after Washington and Tehran agreed to hold talks in Oman on Friday, even as differences persist over the scope of the discussions.
• Asia markets mostly fall, tracking Wall Street losses as tech sell-off continues - In Asia, investors will keep an eye on tech and tech-related stocks in the region to watch for any spillover.
• Alphabet resets the bar for AI infrastructure spending - The search giant's proposed capex spend for 2026 exceeds that of its hyperscalers peers.