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Morning Research Notes - 30.01.25
US markets experienced a downturn yesterday as investors weighed the Federal Reserve’s hawkish pause on interest rates and looked ahead to key earnings reports from major tech companies. Commodities had a mixed session yesterday. Iron ore edged up by 0.1% to $US104.50 per tonne. In contrast, Brent crude fell by 2% to $US76.93 a barrel, and spot gold dropped by 1.1% to $US2,739.96 per ounce.
Yesterday, Wall Street closed lower as investors reacted to the Federal Reserve’s hawkish pause on interest rates and anticipated earnings reports from major tech companies. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite both fell by 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 137 points, or 0.3%. Despite the Fed’s decision to hold rates, traders adjusted their expectations for less easing this year. Meanwhile, T-Mobile and Starbucks saw significant stock gains following positive guidance and strong quarterly results, respectively.
Yesterday, the Australian stock market closed higher, with the ASX 200 rising by 0.57%. Major indices also performed positively: Financials, Info Tech, Healthcare, and Utilities saw gains of 0.29%, 1.81%, 1.21%, and 2.05%, respectively. In contrast, Materials closed down by 0.10%. Commodities had a bearish day, with Aluminium, Zinc, Nickel, and Copper all closing in the red.
Chart of the day
Cybersecurity has always been a field with shifting threats. And with the recent rise of AI and generative AI, companies are now dealing with new challenges while existing ones have been intensified. For example, generative AI is enabling attackers to create more realistic phishing emails and deepfakes to deceive employees into divulging sensitive information. Since ChatGPT launched, the number of detected phishing sites surged 138 percent. From an investment perspective, this might mean there is more demand and more of a growth story for cybersecurity as an industry.
Source: Proofpoint, Mckinsey
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