Breaking News Today – Tuesday 20 January 2026

Business News Today 

Asian Stocks Fall as Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threats Rattles Markets

Asian equities declined amid renewed trade-war fears today after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on European nations opposing his push to control Greenland. The dollar weakened, U.S. Treasury yields rose to four-month highs, and safe-haven assets like gold and the Swiss franc gained. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures dropped around 1%, reviving “Sell America” sentiment. This follows Trump’s message linking the issue to not receiving a Nobel Peace Prize, heightening uncertainty ahead of his Davos appearance. European luxury and auto stocks suffered most, while defence firms rose on potential tensions.

India’s Nifty 50 fell below major moving averages (except 200 DEMA), signaling potential sideways to bearish trading. Japanese equities fell for a fourth straight session on Tuesday as political uncertainty weighed on sentiment. The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.1% to below 53,000, while the broader Topix Index slid 0.6% to 3,635

The EU leaders are considering counter trade measures, targeting up to €93 billion in U.S. goods, in response to Trump’s tariff threats tied to Greenland acquisition demands. Luxury, auto, and manufacturing sectors brace for impacts, while defense stocks gain. The standoff revives transatlantic trade war concerns ahead of Davos discussions

IMF Upgrades 2026 Global Growth Forecast to 3.3% on AI Boom Projections

The International Monetary Fund raised its 2026 global GDP growth projection by 0.2 percentage points to 3.3%, citing AI-driven productivity gains, eased U.S. tariffs, and adaptability offsetting trade headwinds. U.S. growth was lifted to 2.4% due to massive AI infrastructure investments, while China’s forecast improved slightly to 4.5%. The update reflects optimism amid divergent forces, with emerging markets benefiting from tech adoption. However, risks from protectionism persist, and the IMF noted steady but not accelerated expansion for 2027 at 3.2%

China’s Cement Consumption Peaks, Signalling End of Construction Boom

Global cement output, a key indicator of infrastructure and urbanization, has plateaued after decades of growth, with China’s production down nearly 30% since 2020 and expected to decline further in 2026. As the world’s largest producer, China’s slowdown—driven by a fading property boom—suggests modern civilisation’s “most important commodity” may never regain its 2021 peak of 4.4 billion metric tons. Emerging markets like India and Africa offer some offset, but overall demand faces structural limits.

African cement consumption however shows a different trajectory, with a 230% demand increase anticipated by 2050 due to 80% of Africa’s 2050 building stock yet to be constructed. Country-specific data supports this: Kenya’s production rose 17.3% to 4.85Mt in H1 2025, with consumption up 22.1% to 4.76Mt. South Africa’s market is growing at 8.1% annually to US$1.08B in 2025, with a CAGR of 7.6% through 2029. Emerging markets like India and Africa are offsetting China’s slowdown, boosting global demand via urbanisation.

Palladium Futures Rebound

Palladium futures rose above $1,870 per ounce this morning, rebounding amid short-term supply concerns fuelled by heightened geopolitical risks. US President Donald Trump’s threat of additional tariffs on several European nations in the ongoing Greenland dispute has intensified tensions with key allies. Global markets faced renewed uncertainty after Trump linked potential trade penalties to the US pursuit of Denmark’s Arctic territory. On the policy front, investors are factoring in expectations that the Federal Reserve will hold rates at its January 27-28 meeting, while markets price in the possibility of two 25-basis-point cuts later this year. Earlier in the week, palladium prices depreciated after Trump temporarily delayed import tariffs on critical minerals, including palladium, temporarily easing market concerns over supply disruptions

Breaking News Shorts:  

• PwC’s global chairman, Mohamed Kande, has noted that 56% of executives report minimal returns from AI investments, blaming neglect of foundational strategies. As AI hype continues, firms are urged to refocus on core execution for meaningful value amid the ongoing tech boom.
• India’s Maharashtra state secured massive investment commitments worth over $11 billion providing around 1,5 million jobs on the opening day of the World Economic Forum 2026. The deals highlight India’s push for FDI amid global forums, with participation from Union Ministers and Chief Ministers.
• Meta’s major bet on the virtual reality market – Metaverse – has reached its final chapter, with the company reportedly laying off roughly 1,500 employees from its Reality Labs division, and shutting down several VR game studios, according to The Wall Street Journal. It’s a huge reversal for a company that, just four years ago, staked its entire identity on the concept.
• Runpod, an AI app hosting platform that launched four years ago, has hit a $120 million annual revenue run rate, founders Zhen Lu and Pardeep Singh have confirmed. The founders bootstrapped their way to over $1 million in revenue; landing a $20 million seed round after VC Radhika Malik, a partner at Dell Technologies Capital, saw some Reddit posts of their platform.
• China’s 10-year government bond yield fell to below 1.83% today, approaching its lowest level in four weeks, as investors weighed the central bank’s latest policy decision, while geopolitical tensions dampened sentiment. The People’s Bank of China kept the one-year and five-year loan prime rates at 3.0% and 3.5%, respectively

Markets by Numbers 

Currency markets indicate the US dollar weakening today, with the Euro trading against the US dollar at 1.16623 while the Pound is trading at 1.34392 to the US dollar. The Yen is currently trading at 158.05 to the dollar. The rand (ZAR) is currently trading at around R16.38 to the dollar.

Commodities:  

• Gold futures have hit another new high today and are currently up by more than 0.3% this morning, and currently trading at around $4693.00 per ounce.  
• Copper prices are trending -0.3% lower today, with prices currently around $58.759 per pound
• Silver futures have modulated after hitting new highs and are down by – 0.4%, and currently trading around $94.266 per ounce.
• Platinum futures are down by around -0.7% this morning, and currently trading at $2358.80, While Palladium prices initially climbed this morning, but are currently trending marginally softer and currently trading around $1867.00 per ounce.
• Brent crude oil prices are trending lower today, and currently at $64.04 with WTI trading higher at $59.32
• Cocoa futures are trending flat today, and currently trading around $5084.24 per ton. 
• Coffee futures are currently level today, and trading at around $3.5508 per pound

Crypto Currencies: 

• Bitcoin prices are trending around -0.8% lower this morning, and trading at around $91782 per coin currently 
• Ether prices are down by around -0.6%, and are currently trading around $3165.73
• $Trumpcoin are trending lower today, and currently trading around $4.998

(All prices quoted at approximately 07H05 Central African Time) 

Africa News Briefs:

• A major “Blue Davos” initiative kicked off with the announcement of a Food Innovation Hub focused on blue foods (fisheries, aquaculture, seaweed) in Ghana. Supported by the UK DEFRA and the WEF, the hub aims to boost skills, standards, traceability, and innovations in feed, genetics, processing, cold chain, and fish health. Ghana’s blue food sector (valued at around $600 million and growing 6x faster than the national economy) serves as a model for scalable transformation across Africa, emphasising nutrition, climate resilience, and livelihoods.
• Africa Collective Davos Programme Kicked Off Strongly with the flagship Africa Collective event (19–22 January) at the Hard Rock Hotel launched under the theme “Fuelling Africa’s Next Leap: Harnessing Trade, Investment, Infrastructure and Technology for Growth.” Partnered with Afreximbank (host) and the AfCFTA Secretariat (patronage), it featured curated panels, roundtables, and networking on mobilizing capital, scaling trade, industrialization, digital ecosystems, infrastructure, AfCFTA advancement, and healthcare resilience. Afreximbank’s leadership (including President Dr. George Elombi) played a central role in high-level discussions.