Dow Futures fluctuate as investors evaluate a range of corporate earnings and economic indicators amid diminishing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Europe. reports a fourth-quarter loss and indicates additional challenges ahead in the current period due to supply shortages driven by escalating demand for artificial intelligence data centers, while TikTok reveals a new joint venture that will maintain its U.S. operations unchanged. The Bank of Japan maintains its current interest rates while signaling the possibility of future increases in borrowing costs, as gold reaches a new record high.

Dow futures remain just below the flatline on Friday, following a trading week characterized by geopolitical and trade tensions. By 03:50, the Dow futures contract experienced a decline of 33 points, representing a decrease of 0.1%. Additionally, futures saw a reduction of 4 points, also a 0.1% drop, while another set of futures fell by 43 points, equivalent to a 0.2% decrease. The primary indices experienced an uptick in the previous session, as market participants reacted positively to a retraction of President Donald Trump’s impending threat to impose further tariffs on several European nations effective February 1. On Thursday, Trump announced that the United States had achieved total and permanent access to Greenland following negotiations with allied leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Nevertheless, the specifics of the agreement remained limited, and the turmoil surrounding the semi-autonomous Danish territory, which had earlier sought U.S. ownership, prompted some European Union officials to reflect on the deteriorating relations between the region and Washington. As tensions in Greenland appear to diminish, markets are refocusing on a robust influx of corporate earnings and the impending Federal Reserve interest rate decision scheduled for next week.

Intel’s shares declined in after-hours trading following the announcement of a fourth-quarter loss and a pessimistic forecast for the upcoming quarter. The company, recently supported by significant investments from prominent backers such as Nvidia and the U.S. government, reported a net loss of $333 million for the last quarter of its fiscal year, exceeding analysts’ expectations for a more favorable outcome. Executives highlighted the influence of surging demand from data centers, which contain the chips that drive advanced AI models. CFO David Zinsner characterized supply shortages as a pervasive issue across the industry, with potential ramifications extending into 2026. In its first quarter, Intel indicated an anticipated loss of $0.21 per share, highlighting the difficulties confronting CEO Lip-Bu Tan as he strives to maintain the California-based company’s position in an AI chip competition largely led by Nvidia and rival Advanced Micro Devices. Traders expressed disappointment due to the absence of significant updates regarding the business. Intel announced that it would delay the release of expected figures regarding new customers for its chip fabrication division until later this year, while information concerning buyers of the company’s next-generation 14A manufacturing process technology remains scarce. “[T]here weren’t any customer announcements made for the 14A […] while some investors were hoping for a significant partnership, such as potentially with Apple,” analysts noted in their commentary.

TikTok has revealed a joint venture facilitated by the Trump administration, allowing the immensely popular short-form video application to maintain its operations within the United States. Lawmakers in Washington have consistently raised alarms regarding the corporate structure of TikTok, particularly given that its parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. This situation has the potential to pose significant challenges for national security and data protection. In 2020, President Trump sought to prohibit the app utilized by over 200 million Americans, yet he ultimately opted against enforcing a 2024 statute enacted by Congress that mandated ByteDance to divest its U.S. assets by the following January or face exclusion from the domestic market. In response to these concerns, TikTok has consented to be managed in the United States by a newly established entity perceived as more amenable to Washington, with the objective of ensuring data privacy and cybersecurity for American users. U.S. and global investors, among them cloud computing leader Oracle, private equity firm Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, will collectively possess 80.1% of the venture. ByteDance, in this context, will maintain a 20% stake in the entity. Trump, who has credited TikTok for aiding his bid for a second term in office, stated that the app “will now be owned by a group of Great American Patriots and Investors.”

The Bank of Japan maintained its interest rates at the current level on Friday, aligning with expectations. However, the central bank revised its projections for economic growth and inflation upward, anticipating increased fiscal support from the government. The Bank of Japan maintained its benchmark overnight call rate at 0.75%, with eight out of the nine members of its rate-setting board supporting the decision. Board member Hajime Takata expressed support for a 25 basis point increase. Friday’s decision to maintain the current stance, following an increase in December, was largely anticipated, as the BOJ is expected to remain on hold until it gains further insight into the trajectory of growth and wages. Policymakers reaffirmed their position that interest rates are set to increase in response to rising economic activity and inflation, aligning with their forecasts, as they aim to maintain price increases at a 2% annual target. In the interim, the BOJ has revised upward its projections for growth and inflation for the fiscal years 2025 and 2026. Real gross domestic product is currently projected to increase between 0.8% and 0.9% in fiscal 2025, an upward revision from the previous range of 0.6% to 0.8%. “Given that the real policy rate remains significantly negative, further policy tightening is virtually assured,” analysts stated, noting their expectation that the central bank will act prior to at least July. “Granted, the looming sharp fall in headline inflation puts the Bank in an awkward position, particularly if [Prime Minister Sanae] Takaichi also suspends the sales tax on food. But looking past those distortions, price pressures will remain firm.”

Gold prices reached an unprecedented peak during Asian trading on Friday, approaching the significant $5,000 per ounce threshold following Trump’s announcement regarding the deployment of U.S. ships towards Iran, which heightened the demand for safe-haven assets. On Friday, both silver and platinum prices reached unprecedented levels. Despite a decline in precious metal markets following Trump’s announcement of a trade deal concerning Greenland, his remarks regarding Iran, along with the absence of specifics on the agreement, sustained demand for safe-haven assets. Spot gold increased by as much as 0.7% to reach a record high of $4,967.48 per ounce, while February gold futures climbed over 1% to $4,969.69 per ounce. Spot silver surged almost 3% to reach a historic high of $99.0275, whereas spot platinum increased by nearly 1% to attain a peak of $2,692.31 per ounce.