Overview
- U.S. retail sales were flat in December, and market pricing lifted the probability of an April rate cut to roughly 35–36% according to CME FedWatch.
- Cleveland Fed president Beth Hammack and Dallas Fed chief Lorie Logan said policy should stay on hold for now, softening the market’s shift toward earlier easing.
- On Tuesday, the Dow notched another record close while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell as tech shares faced renewed pressure tied to AI spending concerns.
- South Korea’s KOSPI, which saw sharp swings earlier in the week, opened lower on Wednesday with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix down at the start.
- India’s Sensex and Nifty advanced earlier in the week on US–India trade‑deal optimism and improved foreign inflows, then ended nearly flat on Wednesday as IT weakness capped gains.