B↑2📆 Headline Digest

• SpaceX’s Starship explodes in flight test, forcing airlines to divert

Upper stage communication with the rocket packed with mock satellites failed.

• Yen set for best week in over a month on BOJ rate hike bets

Yen climbed 1.5% against the dollar with bets pricing in 80% chance of rate hike next week.

• Bird feathers, blood found in two engines of Boeing jet that crashed in South Korea -source

• China’s fourth-quarter GDP grows at 5.4%, beating market expectations as stimulus measures kick in

• Apple has worst day since August following reports of China, AI struggles

$AAPL fell 4%, down 12% from its peak in December

• Trump’s Treasury pick Bessent says heavier Russia sanctions coming, no reason for digital currency

Bessent says gov spending is out of control, Trump won’t cause more inflation, Fed should remain independent.

• Nintendo reveals long-awaited Switch 2 console set to launch this year

Slightly taller, otherwise same.

• Duolingo shares climb 7% as users swarm to app to learn Mandarin

$DUOL climbed 7% as RedNote migrators seek to learn the language.

• EV, hybrid sales reached a record 20% of U.S. vehicle sales in 2024

wow

• Meta’s ‘Community Notes’ model will not apply to paid ads