?? Alphabet's Shares Fall Almost 9%!

Hala,

The Green Goblin’s lair from Spider-Man (2002) is up for sale in NYC for $2M!(1) ?????? Comes with 18-ft ceilings, a fancy rooftop terrace, and killer skyline views—perfect for plotting your villain era. ????♂??

amana’s Take

• Gold just smashed another record, soaring to $2,869.6 as traders piled into the ultimate safe haven. Trade tensions are heating up, and with the Fed expected to keep the rate-cut party going, gold is basking in the glow of a weaker U.S. dollar.
• Fresh tariffs have investors sweating over economic fallout, but the real fuel for gold’s rally? Rate-cut fever. Speculation that the Fed will keep slashing rates is keeping the dollar on its back foot—great news for bullion, not so much for greenback loyalists.
• Gold’s charge is running into some turbulence, with delayed tariffs on Canada and Mexico putting a damper on risk-off sentiment. Add in some overbought technicals, and we might see a breather before the next leg up. Traders are now eyeing U.S. jobs data for the next big move—because let’s be honest, nothing shakes up the market like a surprise in payrolls.

Stock Market Update

???? Wall Street put on its rally cap on Tuesday, shaking off global trade jitters. A strong boost from Palantir sent the S&P 500 up 0.72% to 6,037.88; while the Nasdaq 100 climbed 1.26% to 21,566.92 and the Dow gained 0.3% to 44,556.04.(2) The bulls are back—and took the wheel! ????

??↗? Gulf markets caught the rally fever as investors focused on earnings, shaking off U.S.-China trade jitters. Abu Dhabi added 0.1% to 9,585, and Dubai rose 0.7% to 5,219.(3) ???

???? Alphabet's AI Ambitions Hit Turbulence!

Alphabet's fourth-quarter results fell short of expectations, sending its shares tumbling as much as 9%—like a promising rocket launch that stalls just before take-off.(4) Investors braced for impact as revenue came in just shy of estimates, while Alphabet unveiled a jaw-dropping $75 billion AI investment plan for 2025. Despite strong ad and cloud performance, the numbers weren’t enough to keep Wall Street from hitting the eject button. ????

???? By the Numbers:

• Revenue Reality Check: $96.47 billion (just below the $96.56B estimate)
• Earnings Per Share: $2.15 (a hair above the $2.13 forecast)
• YouTube Ad Revenue: $10.47 billion (beating $10.23B expectations)
• Google Cloud Revenue: $11.96 billion (below the $12.19B target)
• Capital Expenditures: A whopping $75 billion planned for AI in 2025 ????

???? Betting Big on AI

With AI shaking up the tech landscape, Alphabet is going all-in, boosting spending beyond Wall Street's wildest projections. The company’s cloud unit posted 30% growth but still missed estimates, leaving analysts wondering: is this a temporary dip or a sign that the AI arms race is stretching resources thin? Meanwhile, Alphabet's Waymo continues expanding its robotaxi empire (covering more than 500 square miles of public roads in L.A., San Francisco, and Phoenix), proving that while shares may be down, their vision for the future is still speeding ahead. ????

?

Closer to Home?

• ??? ADNOC’s U.S. investments have a new home under XRG, its global arm, as it powers up in lower-carbon energy and chemicals.(5) The UAE’s oil giant isn’t just drilling—it’s reinventing. ??
• ?? United Arab Bank’s net profit climbed AED 331M in 2024—up 30% from 2023’s AED 255M, thanks to strong operations and fewer impairments.(6) The Sharjah-based bank’s cash flow is flexing. ??
• ?? Saudi mining titan Ma’aden is digging into the debt market with plans to issue U.S. dollar trust certificates. With a solid bank lineup as joint lead managers—Citi, HSBC, Al Rajhi, etc.—this deal’s got some serious muscle.(7) ??

What Else Is Trending

• ?? U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase is knocking on U.S. regulators' doors, asking them to clarify if banks can provide services to crypto firms.(8) Well, no one likes mixed signals—especially in finance. ??
• ?? Software company Palantir soared 24% to a record high on Tuesday after AI-driven Q4 results beat expectations: EPS hit $0.14 vs. $0.11 expected, revenue climbed to $828M vs. $776M.(9) AI’s got this stock on turbo mode. ??
• ?? Meanwhile, U.S.-China tariffs and Iran sanctions sent oil prices playing seesaw—WTI down 0.63% to $72.70 with Brent up 0.32% to $76.20.(10) Talk about a crude balancing act. ??

??Quote of the Day

"We are in a tight supply-demand situation, working very hard to bring more capacity online." – Anat Ashkenazi, Alphabet's Chief Financial Officer

?

amana.app

Sources:(1) Pubity, (2) (4) (9) CNBC, (3) (10) Reuters, (5) (6) (7) Zawya, (8) Cointelegraph