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Asian equities gained on Monday and precious metals set records as investors digested news that the US Justice Department is probing the Federal Reserve, raising fears over US central bank independence.Fed Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the “unprecedented” move late on Sunday, which he blasted as part of US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign for another rate cut.Gold surged 1.6 percent to nearly $4,600 an ounce, while silver approached $85 an ounce — both records — as investors sought safe havens. The dollar fell about 0.2 percent against major peers, according to Bloomberg.”The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President,” Powell said in a statement.He said the bank received grand jury subpoenas on Friday related to his Senate testimony in June, which had been about a major renovation project of Federal Reserve office buildings.The Fed has indicated that it would hold interest rates steady in its closely watched meeting at the end of this month.”The subpoenas mark a clear break in the long-held boundary between politics and monetary policy, a line markets once assumed was untouchable,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management told AFP.”Investors are not weighing the odds of charges so much as the risk that political pressure has crept into the Fed’s decision-making,” he said.The probe will play into the outlooks for US dollar and Treasuries, Michael Brown of Pepperstone wrote in a comment.”Both the USD and USTs will now have to price a considerably higher risk premium, and hence are likely to face some headwinds in the short-term, and unimaginably brutal selling pressure if this matter were to progress to criminal charges, or a prosecution,” Brown said.The development came on the heels of Friday’s soft US jobs report that showed just 50,000 new positions in December, while unemployment slipped to 4.4 percent.Asian markets were up, led by gains in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei and Manila, tracking Wall Street’s record Friday close.Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Sydney were also in the green, while Mumbai, Bangkok and Wellington dipped.London and Paris opened in the red, while Frankfurt was up.Most stock markets have enjoyed a solid start to 2026, with indices in Frankfurt, London, Paris and Seoul hitting record highs last week, largely on optimism for the tech sector and gains in defence sector shares.Oil prices dipped slightly after gaining during afternoon trade, as protests in Iran and the US seizure of Venezuela’s oil supplies continued to stoke geopolitical risk.The US president has warned Tehran of repercussions if demonstrators were harmed, while Iran cautioned against foreign intervention.Trump said on Sunday evening he was considering potential military action against Iran following reports of a violent crackdown on protests leading to the deaths of hundreds of people.”We’re looking at it very seriously,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination,” he said.- Key figures at around 0815 GMT -Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.3 percent at 26,608.48 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.1 percent at 4,165.29 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: (closed for holiday)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 10,097.76Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1679 from $1.1635 on FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3450 from $1.3407Dollar/yen: DOWN at 157.80 yen from 157.88 yenEuro/pound: UP at 86.83 pence from 86.78 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $58.93 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 at $63.17 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 49,504.07 points (close)

A Japanese research vessel on Monday began a historic voyage to attempt to dig deep-sea rare earths at a depth of 6,000 metres to curb dependence on China.Scientific drilling boat called the Chikyu left Shimizu Port in Shizuoka around 9:00 am (0000 GMT) for the remote island of Minami Torishima in the Pacific, where surrounding waters are believed to contain a rich trove of valuable minerals.The test cruise comes as China — by far the world’s biggest supplier of rare earths — ramps up pressure on its neighbour after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could react militarily to an attack on Taiwan.Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to seize it by force if necessary.China has long used its dominance in rare earths for geopolitical leverage, including in its trade war with US President Donald Trump’s administration.Chikyu’s voyage, delayed by one day due to bad weather, could lead to domestic production of rare earths, said Shoichi Ishii, programme director at the Cabinet Office.”We are considering diversifying our procurement sources and avoiding excessive reliance on specific countries,” he told reporters at the port as the ship prepared to leave.”One approach I believe could be pursued is establishing a process to achieve domestic production of rare earths,” he said.Rare earths — 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth’s crust — are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and missiles.The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has touted the test as the world’s first at such depths.The area around Minami Torishima, which is in Japan’s economic waters, is estimated to contain more than 16 million tons of rare earths, which the Nikkei business daily says is the third-largest reserve globally.These rich deposits contain an estimated 730 years’ worth of dysprosium, used in high-strength magnets in phones and electric cars, and 780 years’ worth of yttrium, used in lasers, Nikkei said.”If Japan could successfully extract rare earths around Minami Torishima constantly, it will secure domestic supply chain for key industries,” Takahiro Kamisuna, research associate at The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), told AFP.”Likewise, it will be a key strategic asset for Takaichi’s government to significantly reduce the supply chain dependence on China.”The cruise is scheduled to last until February 14. Recent media reports said Beijing was delaying Japanese imports as well as rare-earth exports to Tokyo, as their two-month-old spat escalates. China this month blocked exports to Japan of “dual-use” items with potential military uses, fuelling worries in Japan that Beijing could choke supplies of rare earths, some of which are included in China’s list of dual-use goods.

Asian equities posted gains Monday while the dollar dipped as investors digested news that the US Justice Department subpoenaed the Federal Reserve, raising fears over US central bank independence.Fed Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the unprecedented move late Sunday, which he blasted as part of US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign for another rate cut. The Fed has indicated it would hold rates steady.”The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President,” Powell said in a statement late Sunday.Powell said the bank received grand jury subpoenas on Friday related to his Senate testimony in June, which had been about a major renovation project of Federal Reserve office buildings.It came on the heels of Friday’s soft US jobs report showing just 50,000 new positions in December and unemployment slipping to 4.4 percent.The dollar fell about 0.2 percent against major peers, according to Bloomberg, while gold surged 1.5 percent as investors faced with political uncertainty sought safe havens.Asian markets posted gains in early trade. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei climbed, tracking Wall Street’s record close Friday.Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta were also up.Most stock markets have enjoyed a solid start to the year, with indices in Frankfurt, London, Paris and Seoul hitting record highs last week, largely on optimism for the tech sector and gains in defence sector shares.Oil prices saw a slight dip, but largely held after a rally last week, as protests in Iran continued to stoke geopolitical risk and the US seizure of Venezuela’s crude supplies added to concerns of a supply glut.President Trump has warned Tehran of repercussions if demonstrators were harmed, while Iran cautioned against foreign intervention.On Sunday evening, Trump said he was considering potential military action against Iran following reports of a violent crackdown leading to the deaths of hundreds of people in the country.”They’re starting to, it looks like,” Trump said, when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One if Iran had crossed his previously stated red line of protesters being killed.”We’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination,” he said.He also said that the Islamic republic’s leadership had called seeking “to negotiate” and that a meeting was being set up.- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.4 percent at 26,327.33Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 4,138.32Tokyo – Nikkei 225: (closed for holiday)West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $59.06 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $63.30 per barrelEuro/dollar: UP at $1.1656 from $1.1635 on FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3424 from $1.3407Dollar/yen: FLAT at 157.88 yen from 157.88 yenEuro/pound: UP at 86.83 pence from 86.78 penceLondon – FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 10,124.60 (close)New York – Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 49,504.07 points (close)

Tech giant Meta urged Australia on Monday to rethink its world-first social media ban for under-16s, while reporting that it has blocked more than 544,000 accounts under the new law.Australia has required big platforms including Meta, TikTok and YouTube to stop underage users from holding accounts since the legislation came into force on December 10 last year.Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$33 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply.Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta said it had removed 331,000 underage accounts from Instagram, 173,000 from Facebook, and 40,000 from Threads in the week to December 11.The company said it was committed to complying with the law.”That said, we call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans,” it said in statement.Meta renewed an earlier call for app stores to be required to verify people’s ages and get parental approval before under-16s can download an app.This was the only way to avoid a “whack-a-mole” race to stop teens migrating to new apps to avoid the ban, the company said.Meta said parents and experts were worried about the ban isolating young people from online communities, and driving some to less regulated apps and darker corners of the internet.Initial impacts of the legislation “suggest it is not meeting its objectives of increasing the safety and well-being of young Australians”, it argued.While raising concern over the lack of an industry standard for determining age online, Meta said its compliance with the Australian law would be a “multilayered process”.Since the ban, the California-based firm said it had helped found the OpenAge Initiative, a non-profit group that has launched age-verification tools called AgeKeys to be used with participating platforms.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz left for India on Sunday for a visit to bolster economic and security ties between the top EU economy and the Asian population giant.Both Berlin and New Delhi face a turbulent world order and a set of economic and geopolitical challenges from the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China.Merz’s visit from Monday — his first to an Asian country since he took office last May — comes two weeks ahead of a planned EU-India summit and as India and the bloc are working on a free trade agreement.”This agreement is envisioned not just as a trade deal, but as a comprehensive partnership that addresses modern economic realities,” India’s commerce ministry said on Friday.During Merz’s two-day visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host him in Ahmedabad, in the premier’s western home state of Gujarat, before Merz travels to the southern technology hub of Bengaluru.The two leaders will attend a traditional kite festival and visit the Sabarmati Ashram, the spiritual retreat where Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence struggle, lived for many years.That Merz chose India for his first trip to Asia as chancellor “demonstrates how India, the world’s largest democracy, is an important strategic partner for Germany,” a government spokesman said on Friday in Berlin.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will be in New Delhi on January 26 for India’s annual Republic Day parade.- Submarine deal in the works -For India and Germany, security links could also be bolstered by a potential deal for German’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to build six submarines for the Indian Navy in a partnership with Indian state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders.That deal remains under negotiation, but would allow India to replace its ageing fleet of Russian-built submarines and likely include technology transfer provisions that would help build up its domestic defence industry.According to informed sources, the contract is not expected to be signed during the chancellor’s visit, but it should help move the discussions forward.Merz will be accompanied by a large business delegation, including executives from corporate giants such as Siemens and Airbus.”One of the main objectives of this trip is to deepen economic relations with India,” a German government official said.For Germany’s exporters, India and its 1.4 billion inhabitants represent significant opportunities, with a bilateral trade volume of almost 50 billion euros.Sales have slumped in China, and German firms now face fierce global competition from Chinese rivals in many industries.German-Chinese relations have also become strained, with Beijing limiting supplies of semiconductors and some rare earth elements.”German foreign trade is looking for growth markets, and India is precisely that,” said Florian Wenke of the state-run agency Germany Trade & Invest.- Skilled labour and students -In India, high US tariffs are creating uncertainty and the country is also re-evaluating its stance towards China, said economist Samina Sultan from the German Economic Institute.”This is certainly a time when India is striving to expand trade relations, such as with Germany or with Europe as a whole,” Sultan said.India offers potential growth markets for German green energy technology and defence exports, Sultan said, with India interested in broader partnerships “so as not to become so dependent on Russia, China or even the USA”.Jan Noether, head of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, said the timing of Merz’s visit is “absolutely ideal” –- especially as an EU-India free trade agreement appears within reach.Discussions will also focus on the recruitment of skilled labour, according to the German government official.With ageing Germany facing a chronic labour shortage, its companies have long relied on skilled Indian personnel, particularly in the IT sector. Germany is also looking to recruit more workers in the healthcare sector from India.German universities are also a popular destination for Indian students, and Merz and Modi are expected to discuss mobility rules for workers and students as well as cooperation on research.

India is aggressively seeking trade deals to open markets for exporters and soften the blow of steep US tariffs, as efforts to secure an agreement with Washington remain elusive.Relations between Washington and New Delhi plummeted in August after President Donald Trump raised tariffs to 50 percent, a blow that threatens job losses and hurts India’s ambition of becoming a manufacturing and export powerhouse.That pressure, experts say, has pushed New Delhi into a rapid diversification drive beyond its biggest market.India signed or operationalised four trade agreements last year, including a major pact with Britain — the fastest pace of dealmaking it has seen in years — and is now eyeing fresh deals.Negotiations are underway with the European Union, the Eurasian Economic Union, Mexico, Chile and the South American Mercosur trade bloc, either for new deals or to expand existing agreements.If successful, India would have trade arrangements with “almost every major economy”, said Ajay Srivastava, from the New Delhi-based Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).Srivastava said 2025 was “one of the most active years” for trade agreements, which he said aimed to “spread risk” rather than to pivot from Washington.- ‘Expand its destinations’ -Washington’s punishing tariffs aimed at stopping India’s purchases of Russian oil — which it says finances Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine — have driven New Delhi’s desire to grow other markets.”The strategy was a reaction, as I read it, to what Trump did,” trade economist Biswajit Dhar told AFP. “This has now become an imperative for India to actually expand its destinations.”Major deals will help labour-intensive sectors hurt by tariffs.India’s apparel export promotion council projects that the UK trade deal could help double garment exports to Britain over the next three years.The gains from a potential EU agreement could be even bigger.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, expected to visit New Delhi later in January, has said it would be the “largest deal of this kind anywhere in the world”.Although the two sides missed a deadline to conclude talks by the end of 2025 — reportedly over disputes related to steel and auto exports — Indian negotiators remain optimistic.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit India and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, holding talks on “intensifying cooperation in trade and investment”, Modi’s office said in a statement.Smaller agreements also matter.Trade between Oman and India totalled less than $11 billion last financial year, but a December deal with Muscat offers “a gateway to the broader Middle East and Africa markets”, and a template for a wider “Gulf engagement strategy”, analysts at Nomura suggested.And while a free trade agreement (FTA) with New Zealand added little to Indian export growth, it secured $20 billion in foreign investment, increased visa access and showed Washington that New Delhi is willing to compromise.”The New Zealand FTA makes concessions on agricultural produce like apples, even though farmers here may have concerns,” said an Indian commerce ministry official, who declined to be identified. “Who says we can’t be flexible?” – ‘Eggs in one basket’ -India’s goods exports rose a surprising 19 percent in November 2025, reversing an October decline.While the surge was helped by electronics shipments — still exempt from US tariffs — marine product exports also posted gains.”Diversification has certainly happened,” KN Raghavan, of the Seafood Exporter Association of India said.”We have increased exports to the EU and China,” he said, adding they were the top markets after the United States.But exporters caution that alternative markets cannot fully replace the United States, with Raghavan saying a US deal is “paramount”.That remains in limbo.India’s imports of Russian oil fell sharply in December to 1.2 million barrels per day from 1.8 million per day in November, according to Kpler trade data.It is unclear if that will be enough for Trump.Pankaj Chadha, chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council, said diversification had become a necessity to lessen dependence on the “biggest and the most lucrative” market.”It’s better not to put all your eggs in one basket,” he said.

Towering accordion steps and a fantastical spiral staircase greet visitors to a massive bookstore in northern China’s Tianjin, where its striking interior is a bigger draw for selfie snappers than scholars.Sales of hard-copy books across the country have failed to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels, data shows, despite authorities’ efforts to boost domestic consumption and an e-commerce boom.Yet in recent years the number of physical bookshops has “maintained steady growth”, the head of a publishing industry group said last January.”A wave of bookstores with unique characteristics” has emerged, Ai Limin said.Tianjin’s Zhongshuge, which opened in September 2024, on social media draws comparisons to Harry Potter’s gothic Hogwarts.”The photos come out looking really beautiful,” said graduate student Li Mengting, who stepped inside to snap some pictures when visiting the city with a friend.But the 24-year-old, wearing a fuzzy cropped parka and a matching shoulder bag, struggled to find the perfect spot because there were “truly a lot of people inside”, she said.Tourists wielding selfie sticks and tripods thronged the central cobalt-coloured stairs, which extend into massive three-storey columns that arch onto the ceiling.Faded prints that read “The Best Spot for Photos” were plastered on the ground.- Renewed shelf life -Some bookstores in China now invest in creating interiors meant to be photographed, said Beijing-based architect Zheng Shiwei.”This has become relatively mainstream,” Zheng, whose firm the China Architecture Design and Research Group is also involved in bookstore projects, said. But, he warned, “that might lead to a lot of people going not just for the purpose of reading, which may result in some unintended consequences”.Last June, a bookstore in the eastern city of Nanjing that had become a tourist hotspot posted a notice banning flash photography, tripods, loitering and photoshoots staged without permission.The nonstop pictures at Librairie Avant-Garde “interfered with reading,” said finance worker Yuan Jia, who is from Nanjing and an avid reader.But Zheng, the architect, said bookstores curating photo-taking spaces should be encouraged.”At least people are ‘punching in’ at bookstores, right? Instead of doing that elsewhere,” Zheng said.At a bookstore in the heart of Beijing converted from a former Taoist temple, dozens of tourists strolled in to browse tables of trinkets and order tea.”Books bring in relatively low profit,” said founder Juli Hu, who opened the store in 2024.She said she welcomes people who take photos to post online and frequently sets up new cultural displays.”Selling books definitely cannot be the core of what sustains an entire bookstore,” Hu said. “There must be other things.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday will begin a state visit to China, the first in eight years for a Canadian leader, with aims to talk trade and rebuild ties after years of diplomatic tensions.Chinese President Xi Jinping invited Carney last October during a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which Carney described as a “turning point” in the two nations’ strained relationship.The January 13-17 trip seeks to “strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade, energy, agriculture and international security,” a Carney spokeswoman told AFP.”It’s a huge step forward,” said Gordon Houlden, a former Canadian diplomat and director of the University of Alberta’s China Institute.Houlden told AFP that if “some of the commercial problems that are affecting our exports had a political origin, then solving the political origin may, or should, have some positive effect on the trade.”The last Canadian leader to visit China was Justin Trudeau, in December 2017.Ties withered in 2018 after the arrest of a senior executive from Chinese tech giant Huawei on a US warrant in Vancouver and China’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.China has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections in recent years.- ‘The elephant in the room’ -Carney will meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and business leaders for the trade negotiations, which will focus on efforts to attract new investors and secure strategic partnerships.In the face of protectionism and attacks from US President Donald Trump, he also will seek to develop new markets in order to lessen Canada’s economic dependence on its neighbor to the south.China is currently Canada’s second-largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching $118.7 billion Canadian dollars ($85.3 billion) in 2024.”This visit is important because China is obviously an inescapable superpower,” Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada’s ambassador to China from 2012-2016, told AFP.He said a deal on Chinese energy supplies and electric vehicles were possible outcomes from the talks.But “the elephant in the room,” he mentioned, is the thorny issue of tariffs.Since the summer of 2024, Ottawa and Beijing have clashed on trade, with Canada imposing tariffs on electric vehicles and Chinese steel, while Beijing has retaliated with levies on agricultural products including canola.”Whatever agreements Canada has with China will be scrutinized in Washington and might have implications” for three-way talks with Washington and Mexico on a free trade agreement, set to be renegotiated this year, said Vina Nadjibulla, vice president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Carney’s challenge is “going to be to advance economic objectives while not sacrificing our national security and economic security priorities,” she added.After his trip to Beijing, Carney is scheduled to travel to Qatar for a bilateral visit and then head to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos.

Stock markets advanced Friday despite mixed US jobs data, while the Supreme Court held off from a widely-anticipated ruling on many of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs for now.Meanwhile, oil prices continued to surge higher as traders worried about conditions in Iran and Venezuela.Data released early Friday showed that the US economy added 50,000 jobs last month, below market expectations, capping off a year of labor market weakness that prompted the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.However, the unemployment rate slipped to 4.4 percent and average wages continued to rise.”The key takeaway is that the low unemployment rate will temper concerns that consumer spending and the economy will slow rapidly due to a weak labor market,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.”It will also likely keep the Fed’s next rate cut at bay,” he added.The report is expected to play a key role in the central bank’s decision-making at its next policy meeting this month.The Fed has indicated that its next move could be a pause after three successive cuts, and Friday’s data ended market hopes for a January reduction.Yet Wall Street’s main indices advanced to end the day, with the Dow and S&P 500 both closing at new highs.Expectations that the Fed will be gradually cutting rates in 2026 were reinforced by the mixed jobs numbers, said Angelo Kourkafas of Edward Jones.Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, added that the weakening labor market and strong GDP growth also signal that US productivity is surging.Most stock markets have enjoyed a solid start to the new year, with indices in Frankfurt, London, Paris and Seoul hitting record highs this week. This was largely on optimism for the tech sector and gains in defense sector shares.Swiss mining giant Glencore jumped to top London’s FTSE 100 index after confirming it was in merger talks with Australian-British rival Rio Tinto, which fell. Europe’s main markets closed higher, with Paris setting a fresh all-time high, even as France’s opposition failed to derail EU approval of the trade deal with Brazil and other nations in the Mercosur bloc.Investors are also keeping watch on a potential US Supreme Court ruling on the legality of many of Trump’s punishing tariffs. A ruling against the government would prove a temporary setback to its economic and fiscal plans, although officials have noted that tariffs can be re-imposed by other means.Oil prices extended their gains as growing geopolitical risks, which could disrupt supplies, outweighed concerns about oversupply.Political tensions in Venezuela and civil unrest in Iran — potentially tightening crude availability — pushed oil prices higher, said analyst Axel Rudolph at the IG trading platform.Oil prices already rallied more than three percent Thursday, following Trump’s threat to hit Iran “very hard” if authorities killed protesters amid mounting civil unrest over an economic crisis.- Key figures at around 2125 GMT – New York – Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 49,504.07 points (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 0.7 percent at 6,966.28 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 23,671.35 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 10,124.60 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 1.4 percent at 8,362.09 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.5 percent at 25,261.64 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.6 percent at 51,939.89 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 26,231.79 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 4,120.43 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1635 from $1.1652 on ThursdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3407 from $1.3432Dollar/yen: UP at 157.88 yen from 157.16 yenEuro/pound: UP at 86.78 pence from 86.75 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 2.4 percent at $59.12 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 2.2 percent at $63.34 per barrelburs-rl-bys/jgc

AI took over CES 2026, powering coffee machines to brew the perfect espresso, a device to create your perfect scent, and ball-hitting tennis robots that make you forget it’s human against machine.- Alexa, make me an espresso -German group Bosch presented a new feature for its fully automated 800 Series coffee machine (sold from $1,700) that can be synchronized with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. After a short night’s sleep, users can order a double espresso with voice commands only, and the coffee maker will deliver. Some 35 different espresso options are available.”We’re one of the first manufacturers to really lean in with AI,” explained Andrew de Lara, spokesperson for Bosch. The century-old company, positioned at the high end of the market in the United States, wants to gradually bring AI into the kitchen, notably through its Home Connect mobile app, which already allows users to control several appliances remotely. – Scent of AI -South Korean company DigitalScent has developed a machine, already available in some airports, that creates a personalized fragrance based on your mood and preferences. Once you have picked your preferences, it releases a scent that gives you an idea of the final result. You can then make adjustments before making your final decision. Once you have placed your order, the machine uses AI to produce a virtually unique fragrance in a matter of seconds, choosing from a range of over 1,150 combinations. The fragrance is contained in a small, portable vial, costing $3 to $4, according to a spokesperson.- Game, set, AI -Several start-ups unveiled new-generation ball machines powered by artificial intelligence. While Singapore-based Sharpa already offers a convincing humanoid table tennis robot with a reaction time of just two hundredths of a second, there is no equivalent on the market for tennis. A few days ago, China’s UBTech posted a video online of its Walker S2 robot playing rallies with a human, but at a slow speed and without any real movement. UBTech’s robots are designed for industrial use rather than tennis courts and, in all likelihood, the video was produced solely to demonstrate the agility of the Walker S2 to attract business customers.While we wait for the humanoid robot that can volley at the net, another Chinese company, Tenniix, is marketing a robot that sends balls at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour (120.7 kilometers per hour). It has 10 different shots, some with spin, and even a lob that reaches eight meters high. The basic version, which can hold up to 100 balls, will set you back $699, but the most complete version, at $1,600, includes cameras and wheels that allow it to move around. The fast-moving machine uses AI to analyze the trajectory of your cross-court forehand and fires off a ball from about where a real-life return shot would most likely come, giving the player the impression of a real rally. “There’s a real rhythm,” says Run Kai Huang, spokesperson for Tenniix, “as if you were playing with a real person.”