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Territorial Disputes Dominate Geneva Peace Talks

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll sit before closed-door talks with Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak  (not pictured) on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland. Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine convened in Geneva for a new round of U.S.-mediated peace talks, with territorial disputes emerging as the central point of contention. The discussions, held over two days, come amid heightened pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged Kyiv to “come to the table fast” in pursuit of a settlement.  Both sides remain deeply divided over land claims, which have become the primary obstacle to progress. The Kremlin has signaled that territorial issues will dominate the agenda, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced concerns that Kyiv is facing disproportionate p...
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Dow hits new peak as energy sector surges; investors await inflation report





The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a new all-time high on Monday, boosted by strong gains in the energy sector amid rising oil prices and a major acquisition deal. The blue-chip index closed at 38,797.38, up 0.3% from the previous session.

Energy stocks led the rally, as Diamondback Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FANG) soared 9.2% after announcing it would buy private oil producer Endeavor Energy for $26 billion, creating the second-largest operator in the Permian Basin. Other energy companies, such as APA Corporation (NASDAQ: APA), Schlumberger NV (NYSE: SLB), and EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT), also rose more than 1%.

The energy sector was also supported by higher crude oil prices, which climbed above $80 a barrel for the first time since 2014, driven by tight supply and strong demand. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, agreed last week to stick to their plan of gradually increasing output, despite calls from the U.S. and other major consumers to pump more oil to ease the pressure on inflation.

Inflation will be in focus this week, as the U.S. will release its consumer price index (CPI) for January on Tuesday, followed by the producer price index (PPI) on Wednesday. Economists expect the CPI to show a 0.4% monthly increase and a 7% annual increase, the highest since 1982. The PPI is forecast to rise 0.6% month-over-month and 9.5% year-over-year, the highest on record.

Investors will also pay close attention to the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on Wednesday, where the central bank is expected to announce the end of its bond-buying program and signal the timing of its first interest rate hike since 2018. Several Fed officials have recently expressed their concern about the persistent inflation and the need to tighten monetary policy sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, the earnings season will continue this week, with more than 60 companies in the S&P 500 scheduled to report their quarterly results. Some of the notable names include Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Shopify (NYSE: SHOP), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO), and Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN). So far, about 75% of S&P 500 companies have beaten analysts’ earnings estimates and 65% have topped revenue expectations, according to FactSet.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite also closed higher on Monday, but below their record levels. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1% to 5,048.56, while the Nasdaq gained 0.3% to 15,432.49. The tech-heavy index was lifted by the rally in cryptocurrencies, as Bitcoin ( BitfinexUSD) surpassed $50,000 for the first time in more than two years.

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