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Wake up to the shifts shaping the future.
From boardroom shakeups and billion-dollar bets to the latest tech breakthroughs rewriting the rules, The Company Brief is your front-row seat to the stories moving markets and mindsets.
We cut through the noise so you can stay ahead of the curve, one bold business move at a time.
Tesla invests $2 billion in Musk's xAI
Tesla said on Wednesday it will invest $2 billion in CEO Elon Musk's artificial-intelligence company xAI - and that production plans for its Cybercab robotaxi were on track for this year. The news supported Musk's plan to pivot Tesla from an electric vehicle maker to an AI company, which is key to the company's roughly $1.5 trillion valuation, while reassurance of production plans is critical for investor confidence, as Tesla has repeatedly fallen short of promises made by Musk. But Musk's plan to build Cybercabs as well as humanoid robots, along with Semi trucks and Roadster sports cars, will mean a series of factory investments that will take capital expenditures above $20 billion this year, Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja said. That is more than twice the $8.5 billion in 2025. Shares rose about 3.5% in after-hours trading, but pared gains following the capex details to trade up 1.8%.
Asia tech seeks to extend January surge
Asian tech stocks looked to extend a month-long rally on Thursday with optimism over earnings undimmed into Apple's results, while the dollar remained shaky despite verbal support from both U.S. and European officials. Gold and silver climbed to all-time highs as investors continued their rush into physical assets, and oil prices hit a four-month top as U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran of possible attacks if it did not make a deal on nuclear weapons. The U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates alone as widely expected, while Chair Jerome Powell talked of a "clearly improving" economic outlook and broad support on the committee for a pause. Investors reacted by further paring the chance of another policy easing by April to 26%, with June seen as the next likely window at 61%.In the meantime, investors have been counting on earnings to keep equities in demand, and Samsung Electronics, duly obliged by tripling its operating profit as the race to build AI capability sent chip prices surging. South Korea stocks rose 0.6%, bringing gains for January so far to a thumping 23%. The tech-heavy Taiwan market is up almost 13% in the same time period. Japan's Nikkei edged up 0.2%, having been held back by wild swings in the yen and a steep rise in bond yields at home. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was little changed. Indonesia's market suffered a second session of painful losses after index provider MSCI warned about ownership and trading transparency, leading Goldman Sachs to cut its rating on the country's equities.
Gold nears $5,600 as investors seek safety
Gold extended its blistering rally on Thursday to hit a record just shy of $5,600 an ounce, as investors sought safety amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties, while silver came within a whisker of breaching $120.Spot gold shot up 2.6% to $5,538.69 an ounce, after hitting a record $5,591.61 earlier in the day. "Growing U.S. debt and uncertainty created by signs that the global trade system is splintering into regional blocs as opposed to a U.S.-centric model (are leading investors to pile into gold)," said Marex analyst Edward Meir. The yellow metal jumped past the $5,000 mark for the first time on Monday and has gained more than 10% so far this week, driven by a cocktail of factors including strong safe‑haven demand, firm central bank buying and a weaker dollar.