GoAI Market Wrap - 12th Feb

Stock Market

U.S. markets initially caught a bid following a much stronger-than-expected January jobs report on Wednesday, but the momentum fizzled out as the session wore on, leaving all three major indices slightly in the red.

At the close:Dow Jones Industrial Average: Down 0.13% to 50,121.40. S&P 500: Flat (down 0.34 points) at 6,941.47. Nasdaq Composite: Down 0.16% to 23,066.47.

Pre-market data revealed that the U.S. economy added 130,000 jobs in January, shattering the consensus estimate of 55,000. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.3%, slightly better than the 4.4% forecast by economists.

While the headline gain was the strongest in over a year, a closer look suggests the growth remains narrow. The healthcare sector alone accounted for 124,000 new positions—roughly double its average monthly gain in 2025. Furthermore, the labor market continues to be shadowed by downward revisions; every single month of 2025 was revised lower. After accounting for the annual benchmark adjustments, average monthly job gains for last year were stripped down to a meager 15,000.

"After a long period of caution due to perceived labor market softness, this data provides solid evidence of resilient growth and wage gains that support consumer spending," said Brad Smith, Portfolio Manager at Janus Henderson Investors. He added that while the Fed will weigh this in their next meeting, their "wait-and-see" stance likely increases the probability of keeping rates on hold.

Global Markets

U.S. Prepares Second Carrier Strike Group for Middle East Deployment

U.S. officials revealed on February 11 that the Pentagon has directed a second carrier strike group to prepare for deployment to the Middle East. The move comes as the military readies for potential strikes against Iran.

NFP Hits 130k as Benchmark Revisions Align with Early Estimates

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a 130,000 jump in non-farm payrolls for January, with the unemployment rate dipping to 4.3%.

With the January release, the BLS also completed its annual benchmark process, anchoring employment figures to the more accurate "Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages" (QCEW) based on state unemployment insurance records.

Corporate News

Apple’s New Siri Hit by Fresh Setbacks; AI Features May Face Delays

Apple’s long-anticipated overhaul of Siri has reportedly run into technical hurdles during recent testing. Sources suggest that features originally slated for the March iOS 26.4 update may now be staggered across later releases, potentially pushing some capabilities to iOS 26.5 in May or even the iOS 27 launch in September.

Meta to Invest $10B+ in Massive 1GW Data Center

Meta announced Wednesday the construction of a new $10 billion data center in Lebanon, Indiana. The facility will have a capacity exceeding 1 gigawatt—enough power to support hundreds of thousands of homes—as part of its aggressive AI infrastructure build-out.

Google Integrates "Shop as You Ask" into Search and Gemini

Google is embedding AI-driven shopping features directly into its search engine and Gemini chatbot. The move allows users to purchase products directly from AI-generated responses, marking a significant step in the company's effort to monetize its AI ecosystem.

T-Mobile Eyes $77B in Service Revenue for 2026

T-Mobile has set a target of 18 to 19 million broadband subscribers by 2030. The carrier expects 2026 service revenue to hit approximately $77 billion, rising to $81.5 billion by 2027, with core adjusted EBITDA projected at $40 billion to $41 billion for that year.

Ancora Capital Increases WBD Stake to Oppose Netflix Deal

Activist investor Ancora Capital has reportedly increased its holding in Warner Bros. Discovery. The firm plans to oppose the media giant's proposed deal with Netflix involving its studio and streaming assets.

Forex & Commodities

WTI Crude settled up 1.05% at $64.63/bbl, while Brent rose 0.87% to $69.40/bbl.

COMEX Gold jumped 1.53% to $5,107.80/oz, and COMEX Silver surged 4.6% to $84.085/oz.

Key Events

OPEC Holds Demand Forecast Steady Amid Iran Tensions

OPEC maintained its global oil demand growth forecasts for this year and next on Wednesday.

The cartel noted that overall OPEC+ production fell in January due to output declines in Venezuela, Iran, and Kazakhstan. OPEC expects global demand to rise by 1.34 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2027, slightly lower than the 1.38 million bpd growth projected for 2026.

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $67,389.88, down 2.44% in 24 hours; Ethereum (ETH) is at $1,952.91, down 3.53%.

Crypto Billionaire Eyes "Dip Buying" After Bitcoin Halves from Peak

Val Vavilov, the Latvian billionaire behind Bitfury and a 15-year veteran of the industry, sees the recent crypto rout as a rebalancing opportunity.

Vavilov, who has recently pivoted toward AI data centers, stated via WhatsApp that the pullback allows for accumulating Bitcoin at a discount, though he did not disclose specific investment figures.