Stocks

On January 18, 2026, Chinese technology shares were reported to be outpacing global benchmarks. A domestic Nasdaq‑like index gained nearly 13% for the month, while a Hong Kong gauge rose 6%, even as housing and consumption stayed weak. Jefferies said 33 Chinese AI stocks added $732 billion in market value over the past year.

Chinese EV manufacturers such as BYD and Geely are gaining limited access to Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney removed the additional 100% tariff and introduced a yearly import ceiling of 49,000 vehicles. A 6.1% duty still applies in Canada, while Europe has moved from steep tariffs to pricing arrangements, even as China's exports hit 2.6 million EVs and BYD's European deliveries jumped sharply in 2025. Analysts say Canada's partial reopening, after imports were driven to nearly zero in 2024, could become an important first step for Chinese brands in the broader North American market.

On Sunday, a South Korean presidential spokesperson said the government will seek direct discussions with the United States to secure favorable terms under Donald Trump's new 25% tariff on imported artificial intelligence chips. Officials aim to ensure Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix remain outside the initial scope of the measure, which currently targets advanced AI chips from Nvidia and AMD rather than South Korean memory chips.

On January 18, 2026, Samsung Electronics said it will distribute record performance bonuses as AI-fueled demand lifts profits. Its Device Solutions unit will pay up to 47% of base annual salary this month, while the MX division's OPI reaches 50%. SK Hynix plans to allocate 10% of operating profits to bonuses and pay 80% upfront.

In a 2026 market outlook, Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood said Bitcoin's unusually low correlation with traditional assets makes it a strategic diversifier for institutions. Ark cited a 0.28 correlation to the S&P 500, while Jefferies strategist Christopher Wood shifted his long‑standing 10% Bitcoin allocation to gold on Friday over quantum‑computing concerns.

Tokenized stocks have grown to a market size of $867 million in under a year, edging toward $1 billion as monthly transfer volume hits $2.3 billion and holders reach 159,000. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong remains optimistic about on-chain equities despite controversy over the Senate's CLARITY Act, while BNB Chain has recently overtaken Solana as the leading settlement layer for these assets.

On January 18, 2026, Donald Trump denied ever offering the Federal Reserve chair role to Jamie Dimon and said Dimon is unfit for the job. He also said he will sue JPMorgan within two weeks over alleged political debanking after January 6, as bank shares slid, with JPMorgan down around 5% over the last week.

On 17 January 2026, Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich argued that Bitcoin is largely absent from corporate balance sheets because it rarely reaches board-level discussion. He said it conflicts with standard treasury assumptions on volatility, return predictability, and accounting, and that only a few firms accept perception risk and long-term skepticism to adopt it.

Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich and Bitmine Immersion Technologies Chairman Thomas Lee are publicly backing their firms' Bitcoin and Ethereum holdings as core drivers of future income. In January 2026, Metaplanet bought $632.5 million in BTC under its "555 Million Plan," while Bitmine holds over 4.2 million ETH and targets owning 5% of the total supply. Both companies are building revenue strategies around BTC income tools and ETH staking amid strong ETF inflows and optimistic price projections for 2026.

On January 17, 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney advanced a Canadian auto production bill aimed at countering U.S. tariff pressure and retaining local manufacturing. The plan links a China trade arrangement to a quota of 49,000 EVs at a 6% tariff, includes a C$35,000 price-cap segment, and is set for a February rollout by Industry Minister Melanie Joly.