🧪 Trade War Drama!

Good Morning!

this week’s markets are serving up a cocktail of cautious optimism and spicy headlines. Powell’s cool rate pause, Musk’s headline-grabbing plays, and Trump’s tariff drama are keeping everyone guessing, while inflation data looms like the plot twist we all know is coming.

Meanwhile, earnings season is still dishing out surprises. Cisco’s report tonight could set the tone for tech, and don’t sleep on heavy hitters like Deere, Crocs, and Coinbase dropping their numbers later this week. Oh, and oil’s taking a breather after a fiery run. Is this the calm before the storm? You bet.

Let’s get into it 👇

🌡 TradingLab’s Headline Roundup

Stock Markets

• Dow Jones Ekes Out Tiny Gain as Powell Talks Tariffs, Musk, and Rate Pauses

• DoorDash Stock Pops 6% on Strong Q4 Revenue, Upbeat Guidance

• SoftBank Swings to Surprise $2.4 Billion Loss as Vision Fund Sinks Bottom Line

Crypto

• Goldman Sachs boosts Ethereum ETF holdings by 2,000%, Bitcoin ETFs to $1.5B

• SEC Opens Public Comment on Four Solana ETFs in Next Step Toward Possible Approval

• Monex Takes $67M Hit from Coincheck's Nasdaq Debut Despite Crypto Boom

• A16z's Crypto Policy Head Brian Quintenz Picked to Lead CFTC

Commodities/Forex

• Euro Gains to $1.0380 Ahead of Key Inflation Data. What to Expect?

• Yen Falls After BoJ’s Ueda Vows to Keep Rates Flat Despite Soaring Inflation

• Gold Blasts Off to Record Above $2,940 but Traders Fink Out and Rally Sputters

Upcoming Earnings

📅 Wednesday, 12 February

• CME Group (CME)

• Dominion Energy (D)

• Generac (GNRC)

• Vertiv (VRT)

• Cisco Systems (CSCO)

• Paycom Software (PAYC)

📅 Thursday, 13 February

• Deere (DE)

• Duke Energy (DUK)

• Crocs (CROX)

• Datadog (DDOG)

• US Foods Holding (USFD)

• Roku (ROKU)

• Airbnb (ABNB)

• DraftKings (DKNG)

• Coinbase (COIN)

• Palo Alto Networks (PANW)

📅 Friday, 14 February

• Moderna (MRNA)

• Portland General Electric (POR)

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📈 What’s Moving Markets Today?

Well, folks, it's one of those mornings where the market's about as lively as a Monday without coffee. U.S. stock futures are hovering near the flatline as traders play the waiting game ahead of some juicy inflation data.

Key Points:

• Dow futures dipped by 30 points (0.1%), while S&P 500 futures slid 4 points (0.1%). The Nasdaq 100 futures? Barely budged.

• Yesterday, the market gave us a mixed bag: the Dow inched up 0.3%, the S&P 500 stayed flat, and the Nasdaq took a 0.4% hit.

🤔 Inflation Anticipation: What's the Fed Thinking?

All eyes are on the upcoming Consumer Price Index (CPI) report. Word on the street is that headline consumer prices might have grown at a 2.9% annual rate in January, mirroring December's pace. If that's the case, it could back up Fed Chair Jerome Powell's recent stance that there's no rush to tweak interest rates.

Key Points:

• Core inflation (excluding the usual suspects like food and energy) is expected to dip slightly to 3.1% from 3.2% year-over-year.

• On a monthly basis, both headline and core measures are projected to rise by 0.3%.

Tariff Tango: Trump's Trade Moves

In the latest episode of "Trade Wars," President Trump's team is reportedly gearing up to introduce sweeping reciprocal tariffs. This move could crank up international trade tensions another notch.

Key Points:

• Earlier this week, Trump slapped a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, ruffling feathers in the EU, Canada, and Mexico.

• Companies affected are scrambling to adjust before these tariffs kick in next month.

Earnings on Deck: Cisco and Friends

Earnings season isn't over yet. Cisco Systems (CSCO) is set to report after the bell today. Analysts are keen to see how the demand for AI-powered networking gear is shaping up.

Key Points:

• CVS Health (CVS) and Robinhood (HOOD) are also on the docket.

• Later this month, keep an eye out for Nvidia's (NVDA) numbers, especially with all the AI buzz.

Oil's Slippery Slope

After a three-day rally, oil prices took a breather. An industry report hinted at an unexpected surge in U.S. crude stockpiles, which took the wind out of oil's sails.

Key Points:

• U.S. crude futures (WTI) dropped 1% to $72.59 a barrel.

• Brent crude fell 0.9% to $76.33 a barrel.

So, there you have it. The market's in a bit of a holding pattern, waiting for the next big move. Stay sharp, and let's see where the chips fall.

Stay ahead, stay informed, and most importantly, stay profitable.

‘til next time,

TradingLab