Wednesday Watch

Around X:

• @Business  

• Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she believes the US has told acting president Delcy Rodríguez to take steps toward an eventual handover of power.
• US President Donald Trump’s administration has told Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, that her government must exclusively partner with the US on oil production and favor the US when selling heavy crude, ABC reported.
• China’s top financial regulator extended a policy allowing banks and asset management firms to dispose of bad personal loans amid rising credit card defaults, according to sources.
• After years off-limits, Venezuela is back on Wall Street’s radar following Maduro’s capture.
• A stock rally that has added $350 billion in market value for Samsung Electronics since the start of last year may have more room to run as bullish analysts and investors eye record profits.
• Discord filed confidentially for an IPO, according to sources, adding to a rapidly growing pipeline of venture capital-backed tech listings.   
• Index provider MSCI shelved a controversial plan that could have ejected crypto-heavy firms like Strategy from major indexes, but signaled a broader crackdown may be coming.
• Traders in Treasury options are boosting bets that US 10-year yields will bust out of their recent range and tumble below 4% in the coming weeks to levels last seen in November. 
• US transportation stocks closed at a record level Tuesday capping off a rebound fueled by prospects of strong economic growth this year. 
• Self-driving car systems company Mobileye Global Inc. is acquiring Israeli startup Mentee Robotics in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $900 million, as it looks to develop humanoid robots.
• Eli Lilly is in advanced talks to acquire Ventyx Biosciences for more than $1 billion, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. 
• Get up to speed on what's moving global markets
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• Here's what you need to know to start your day.

• @ZeroHedge

• Kim Jong Un Just Oversaw Hypersonic 'Nuclear-Ready' Missile Test, Blasts US As 'Rogue' State.
• BREAKING: Congressional Dems just held a candlelit vigil to honor the 5th January 6th anniversary. For those asking: No, this is not AI. (video)
• Trump Says "Investigation Of California Has Begun" As Surgical Truth-Bombs About Corruption Likely Inbound.
• *KKR AGREES TO BUY SPORTS INVESTOR ARCTOS AT $1 BLN VALUATION 2026 starting with avalanche of M&A. 
• Iran Decries 'Foreign Interference' As Protest Death Toll Rises Significantly.
• Chris Wright Takes Venezuela Pitch To Oil Executives In Miami.
• "Are You Not Entertained?" Democrats Announce New Impeachment Games To Draw Midterm Voters. 
• Metals Mania Continues As Mag7 Lags In 2026.

• @CNBC

• CNBC Daily Open: After Venezuela, rumblings of Greenland takeover from the White House.
• Trump says Venezuela to give up to 50 million barrels of oil to U.S. 
• Wednesday's big stock stories: What’s likely to move the market in the next trading session.
• Asia-Pacific markets poised for mixed open as investors await Australia inflation data.
• Stock futures are little changed after S&P 500, Dow rally to fresh highs: Live updates.
• January effect: Citadel says big money to flow into stocks this month.
• Huang says Nvidia seeing ‘very high’ Chinese customer demand for H200 AI chips.
• Elon Musk's xAI raises $20 billion from investors including Nvidia, Cisco, Fidelity .

• @RenzTom

• The poison being scattered on us from the sky must be stopped. It's worse than people know. (video)

• @TheSCIF

• Testimony of Venezuelan whistleblower, on record, states that you can attack electronic voting machines, undetected, to manipulate election outcomes and testimony that backs Tina Peters' actions of preserving records from election fraud in the 2020 election.

• @KanekoaTheGreat

• MUST READ - Two Years Ago, President Trump Releases Summary of 2020 Presidential Election Fraud in the Swing States. Introduction: It has often been repeated there is “no evidence” of fraud in the 2020 Election. In actuality, there is no evidence Joe Biden won.

• @annvandersteel

• Dear President Trump: We the people would love to know wherefore cometh your love for Lindsey Graham. Lately we see you carrying him around like a purse puppy, but: Lindsey Graham was one of the chief GOP Trump-haters for years. He said January 6 was your fault and called your supporters "domestic terrorists." He voted to convict you in both impeachments (2021)...

• @dividendology

• The Complete List of JP Morgan's Top Stocks for 2026.

• @HustleBitch

• GROCERY STORES ARE NOW BIOMETRIC CHECKPOINTS. Signs inside Brooklyn and Manhattan Wegmans locations openly admit shoppers are being scanned - faces, eyes, even voiceprints - and that the data is being stored. Not deleted. Stored. That’s a quiet reversal from what customers were originally told when this program launched. Some shoppers say it feels invasive. Others say it feels inevitable. And for years now, the New York City Council has failed to move stalled legislation that would limit biometric storage. Is this really about “security” or are we being trained to accept biometric surveillance everywhere we go? (video)

• @LaurenLee

• The USDA just approved extremely dangerous SELF-AMPLIFYING mRNA shots for your dog (samRNA). “The vets won’t even tell you it’s self-amplifying!” In many states, you’re required to vaccinate for rabies. Avoid Nobivac NXT by Merck at ALL costs! (video)

• @heathahrens

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang just made the boldest prediction of his career: “AI will create more millionaires in 5 years than the internet did in 20.” But he didn’t stop there. He revealed exactly HOW it’ll happen Here’s his framework for capitalizing before it’s too late: We're not replacing human creativity - we're amplifying it 100x. The person with the best ideas wins, not the one with the most technical skills. This changes everything about who can build companies:

Night Trading 

• Asian equity indices are -.5% to +.25% on average. 
• Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 62.75 +.25 basis point.
• China Sovereign CDS 38.25 -.25 basis point.
• China Iron Ore Spot 108.3 USD/Metric Tonne +1.7%. 
• Gold 4,484.4 USD/t oz. -.3%. 
• Swiss Franc/Offshore Chinese Renminbi Cross 8.78 -.14%.
• Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 36.1 -.01%.
• Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk Off Index 101.1 -.1%.
• US 10-Year Yield 4.16% -1.0 basis point.
• Japan 30-Year Yield 3.52% +2.0 basis points. 
• Volatility Index(VIX) futures 18.1 -.4%.
• Euro Stoxx 50 futures +.17%. 
• S&P 500 futures unch.
• NASDAQ 100 futures -.05%.

Morning Preview Links

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly higher, boosted by technology and industrial shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to rally into the afternoon, finishing modestly higher.  The Portfolio is 100% net long heading into the day.