From Nasdaq:

1) Consumer prices rose by 0.3% in December, pushing the annual inflation rate to 3.4%, exceeding expectations. Equity markets are feeling uncertainty with the potential paring back of rate cut odds. Earnings and buybacks are expected to be key drivers for market performance in 2024.

2) Last year, renewable energy capacity grew by 50% to 510 gigawatts, with solar power accounting for three-quarters of the new capacity installed worldwide. Texas is barring public pensions from investing in funds that “boycott” the oil and gas industries, impacting asset management giants like BlackRock and Invesco.

3) In corporate news, Ali aims to double business by 2028 and Netflix’s ad tier has more than 23 million monthly active users. Shari Redstone is launching an auction of Paramount Global’s holding company, while Skydance Media CEO is considering an all-cash bid to take control of Paramount. OpenAI is in talks to license content with CNN, Fox, and Time, and HPE CEO anticipates no challenge in their $14 billion Juniper Networks deal. Oil and energy headlines include Asia’s steady demand for Saudi oil and Ecuador’s statement that its oil, mining, and energy sectors are operating normally despite violence.

4) Equity markets are mixed, with gold and the dollar higher, and oil prices up by 2%. Global M&A deal count has “collapsed,” and there’s significant dispersion across markets in 2023. Recent comments suggest that the FOMC will move more cautiously as it approaches the stopping point for balance sheet runoff. This week’s key highlights include US CPI and PPI data, along with Taiwan’s presidential election.



Read more: Stubborn Inflation: Consumer Prices Come in Higher Than Expected