Stocks

On January 2, 2026, risk assets started the year higher, with stocks rising in January's first session. Last year delivered broad gains: about 18% for U.S. stocks, roughly 23% for global equities, nearly 7% for global Treasuries, and around 11% for commodities, while inflation remains the key wildcard.

BitMine chairman Tom Lee asked shareholders to approve lifting the firm's authorized shares to 50 billion from 50 million, citing potential future stock splits if ETH-driven valuations surge. He modeled scenarios where ETH hits $250,000 with BTC at $1 million, implying $5,000 per share and a 100:1 split to target $25. BitMine pivoted to an ETH treasury in 2025.

International equities delivered roughly 33% to U.S. investors in 2025 via an ETF tracking the MSCI ACWI ex U.S., while the S&P 500 rose about 18%. The dollar fell around 9%, lifting dollar-based returns, and Goldman Sachs found most major indexes beat the S&P 500 even without currency effects.

Tom Lee, chairman of BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), asked shareholders in a Friday YouTube video to approve lifting the company's authorized shares from 500 million to 50 billion. BitMine's stock rose 14% to $30.93 at 2:48 p.m. ET that day, and the vote deadline is Jan. 14; the company holds about 3.41% of ETH's circulating supply.

On January 2, 2026, Waymo outlined plans to scale its autonomous ride service, aiming for 1 million weekly rides by the end of 2026 and adding 20 new markets over the next year. It says it currently provides roughly 250,000 weekly trips and has completed 20 million rides since 2020. Production in Arizona will double to over 2,000 vehicles by late 2026, while Zeekr will help produce tens of thousands annually.

Michael Saylor's company Strategy is preparing to post a multibillion‑dollar fourth‑quarter loss after Bitcoin dropped about 24% during the period, reversing a $2.8 billion profit from the previous quarter. The loss stems from unrealized markdowns on roughly $60 billion in Bitcoin holdings under a fair‑value accounting method adopted in Q1 2024. Strategy's shares fell sharply in 2025 amid worries over cash flow, debt servicing and a shrinking valuation premium, even as the stock and Bitcoin both rebounded on the first trading day of 2026.

CES 2026 opens on Jan. 6 in Las Vegas, with robotics highlighted as the year's central theme, according to organizer Kinsey Fabrizio. On Jan. 5, Nvidia, AMD, Intel and Qualcomm will detail gaming, AI and processor updates, including Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) on 18A, with sessions scheduled throughout the afternoon and evening.

BitVentures Limited kicked off U.S. crypto mining less than two weeks after its Dec. 24 rebrand to BVC. The firm bought Bitmain Antminer units to mine BTC, LTC and DOGE, with 0.5 megawatts of capacity across U.S. data centers and deployment slated later this month. The move marks its first operational step into digital assets after years of losses.

In a Friday press release, Bitfarms agreed to sell its 70-megawatt Paso Pe facility in Paraguay to Sympatheia Power Fund for up to $30 million. The company said it will redirect proceeds to U.S. AI and high-performance computing infrastructure starting in 2026, and its energy assets and development pipeline are now concentrated in North America.

On Friday, January 2, 2026, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IRWD) surged about 36% in premarket trading after issuing 2026 guidance above Wall Street expectations. The outlook includes total revenue of $450–475 million and adjusted EBITDA above $300 million, supported by LINZESS U.S. net sales of $1.125–1.175 billion and a list price cut effective January 1, 2026.