Business, Commodities & Shipping News 2026

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Figured it was time to close the other thread due to the number of pages and posts.

Commodities, Business & Shipping

This will be a continuation of the old thread with an emphasis on business & commodities. I'm going to post shipping as it's related to the supply chain.

Not my personal thread so feel free to post anything you believe is relevant / news worthy.

Here's to a Happy & Prosperous New Year 🍺
 

Stock futures rise on first trading day of 2026: Live updates​

Stock futures rose Friday, the first trading day of 2026, as tech looked to build on its momentum from last year.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures traded 206 points higher, or 0.4%. S&P 500 futures gained 0.6%, and Nasdaq-100 futures popped 1%.

Nvidia shares rose more than 1% in the premarket, while Palantir Technologies advanced more than 2%. Both artificial intelligence-related names were big winners in 2025, rising about 39% and 135%, respectively. Fellow tech stocks Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft also traded higher.

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Buffett says Berkshire has the best odds of any company for lasting a century as he hands over reins​

Warren Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway is better positioned than any company to endure for the next century as he handed over the CEO reins to his successor Greg Abel, whom he strongly endorsed.

“It has a better chance I think of being here 100 years from now than any company I can think of,” Buffett told Becky Quick in a special interview, parts of which aired on CNBC Friday.

(The full interview with Buffett will air on CNBC Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. ET.)

Buffett officially relinquished the CEO role to Abel Thursday, ending a six-decade legendary run at the helm that turned a struggling textile mill into a trillion-dollar conglomerate with varied businesses from insurance companies to railroads with over $300 billion in cash on the balance sheet.

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Target sending checks to 13,700 Americans from $4.6m settlement​

Target has agreed to settle a wage-and-hour class action lawsuit by distributing a $4.6 million payment to thousands of current and former employees.

Newsweek contacted Target for comment via email.

Why It Matters​

It marks a significant development in ongoing debates surrounding employee compensation in the retail sector.

The case highlights legal scrutiny over workplace practices such as unpaid pre- and post-shift activities—including security screenings and walking within facilities—which, according to plaintiffs, led to thousands of distribution center workers not being fully compensated.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...-4-6m-settlement/ar-AA1TrNn1?ocid=socialshare
 

S&P 500 closes higher on first trading day of 2026 as chip stocks offer small boost to the market​

The S&P 500 seesawed on Friday, the first trading day of 2026, as gains in semiconductor names tried keep the index afloat.

The benchmark was last up 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1%. The two had been solidly positive earlier in the day, with the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq trading higher by 0.7% and 1.5% at their peaks, respectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average moved up 254 points, or 0.5%.

Key chip stocks such as Nvidia and Micron Technology climbed in the session. The former rose more than 1%, and the latter popped approximately 10%. Both artificial intelligence-related names were big winners in 2025 — Nvidia jumped about 39%, while Micron surged more than 240%.

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Is 2026 The Year That Shipping Goes to Ship? | Shipbuilding | Trade War | Geopolitics | Dark Fleet​

Jan 2, 2026 What's Going on With Shipping - Maritime Industry Today
In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — discusses the forecast for shipping in 2026.
Lotta Resources / links below the vid on youtube.


31:43
 

Markets Now Closes 1/2 Cattle Breakout on Higher Cash But How Far? Soybeans Crash to Fresh Lows​

Jan 2, 2026
Scott Varilek, Kooima Kooima Varilek


13:45
 

Take five: New Year, same FOMO​

Jan 2 (Reuters) - The new year starts with U.S. jobs data, a rebalancing of commodity indexes and an OPEC+ meeting. Markets are gearing up for more IPOs and much of the enthusiasm that fuelled market peaks in 2025 is seemingly intact.

But there are plenty of risks on the horizon, with a U.S. Supreme Court tariff ruling and new Federal Reserve chair announcement imminent.

Here's all you need to know about the coming week in financial markets by Polina Devitt, Naomi Rovnick, Charlie Conchie and Alex Lawler in London, and Lewis Krauskopf in New York.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/take-five-new-year-same-fomo/ar-AA1TtwTD?ocid=socialshare
 
goldseek.com

2026: The Year to Be Optimistic

We’ve never had a technology this powerful, this cheap, and this available. Computers and the internet made it possible to build a $10 million business with only a handful of employees. It’s only a matter of time until AI enables the first one-person, $1 billion company.
goldseek.com goldseek.com
 

Bluefin tuna fetches record $3.2m at Tokyo auction​

A bulky bluefin tuna made a splash at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market on Monday morning, fetching a record 510.3 million yen ($3.2m; £2.4m) at the market's first auction of the year.

The winning bid for the 243kg fish came from Kiyomura Corp, the operator of popular sushi chain Sushi Zanmai, which has outlets across the country and abroad.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...at-tokyo-auction/ar-AA1TArAu?ocid=socialshare
 

Dow jumps nearly 600 points to close at a record as markets rally after U.S.-Venezuela action: Live updates​

Stocks rose on Monday even after the U.S.′ attack on Venezuela and capture of leader Nicolas Maduro as crude oil prices saw gains and investors bet the action would not lead to bigger geopolitical conflicts that upset markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 594.79 points, or 1.23%, to close at 48,977.18. The 30-stock index also hit a new all-time high in the session. The S&P 500 advanced 0.64% and ended at 6,902.05. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.69%, settling at 23,395.82.

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Hilton shares fall after DHS says Minneapolis hotel canceled reservation due to immigration enforcement​

  • The Department of Homeland Security, in a social media post, criticized Hilton Hotels for a canceled reservation for DHS agents at a Minneapolis location.
  • DHS said the reservation was cancelled due to the agents’ work on immigration enforcement.
  • A federal prosecutor in Minnesota last month said that about $9 billion or more that has been paid through more than a dozen Medicaid programs in the state since 2018 may have been fraudulently obtained.
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday blasted Hilton Hotels, saying that DHS officers had a reservation abruptly canceled by a Minneapolis hotel because of their work on immigration enforcement.

The price of Hilton shares dipped by around 2% after the criticism by DHS in a social media post.

“NO ROOM AT THE INN!,” DHS said on its X social media account.

More:

 

China buys more US soybeans, total purchases near 10 million tons​

SINGAPORE/BEIJING, Jan 6 (Reuters) - China's state stockpiler Sinograin bought 10 U.S. soybean cargoes this week, three traders told Reuters on Tuesday, as the world's top buyer continues purchasing from the United States following a late-October trade truce.

The cargoes, totalling around 600,000 metric tons, are for shipment between March and May, with overall U.S. soybean purchases now approaching 10 million tons, the traders said.

That represents over 80% of the 12 million metric tons that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China pledged to buy by the end of February.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/oth...-10-million-tons/ar-AA1TFPFy?ocid=socialshare
 

Markets Now Closes - 1/6 Soybeans Fade China Buys: Corn, Wheat Fall Pre-WASDE, Hitting Chart Resista​

Jan 6, 2026
Chip Nellinger, Blue Reef Agri-Marketing

12:34
 

S&P 500 notches fresh record, Dow adds nearly 500 points for first close above 49,000: Live updates​

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average reached new heights on Tuesday as investors moved past the recent U.S. attack on Venezuela.

The broad market index rose 0.62%, posted a new all-time high and notching a record close of 6,944.82. The blue-chip Dow advanced 484.90 points, or 0.99%, reaching an intraday all-time high and closing at a record of 49,462.08. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.65% and ended at 23,547.17.

“Magnificent Seven” member Amazon lifted the three major averages, rising more than 3%. Other stocks related to artificial intelligence also supported the broader market, including Micron Technology and Palantir Technologies. Micron advanced 10%, while Palantir climbed more than 3%.

More:

 

Corn = "Added Sugars" ...Will New Dietary Guidelines Hurt Demand??​

Jan 7, 2026


12:06
 

Calling a Cattle Market Top​

Jan 7, 2026
In this conversation, Joe Camp discusses the current state of the cattle market, analyzing recent trends in cattle futures, the impact of seasonal influences, and the dynamics of the cash market post-holidays. He highlights the risks associated with speculative positioning and the potential effects of consumer behavior on beef prices. The conversation concludes with insights on future market outlooks and the importance of monitoring key reports.


11:43
 
Weekly scrap market report

Copper Hits $6/LB! Scrap Prices Soar Across the Board to Start 2026​

📈 Check Scrap Prices: https://iScrapApp.com/ - 2026 is off to a blazing start—and copper is leading the charge. For the first time ever, copper traded above $6 per pound both domestically and internationally. This historic price milestone is shaking up the entire scrap industry.In this week's report, we dive into what's driving these massive gains in copper and how the rest of the scrap market is reacting. From aluminum to catalytic converters, it's a green light across the board.
👉 Read more: https://iscrapapp.com/blog/weekly-scr...


19:45
 
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