01-30-2026 | Markets react to tech pressure, steady interest rates, rising oil prices, and global artificial intelligence moves.

COMPANIES. MICROSOFT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SPENDING SHAKES INVESTORS. Microsoft reported heavy capital spending focused on artificial intelligence while cloud revenue growth slowed compared with expectations. The company confirmed multibillion dollar investments to expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure and long term strategy. Shares fell sharply after the results, becoming the biggest negative force on major United States stock indexes as investors reassessed the timing of returns. THE ECONOMY. FEDERAL RESERVE HOLDS RATES AND WATCHES INFLATION. The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged and reinforced a cautious stance as inflation risks remain somewhat elevated. Policymakers highlighted a resilient labor market, with weekly unemployment claims edging lower, and stressed that future decisions depend on upcoming inflation and employment data. MARKETS. STOCKS SLIDE AS TECHNOLOGY WEIGHS. United States equity markets closed lower, led by losses in large technology companies. Microsoft’s drop pressured both the Standard and Poor’s Five Hundred index and the Nasdaq. Oil prices climbed to the highest levels in several months amid rising geopolitical tensions involving Iran, adding pressure to market sentiment and inflation expectations. INNOVATION. CHINA CLEARS NVIDIA ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CHIPS. Chinese authorities granted conditional approval for the startup DeepSeek to purchase Nvidia H two hundred artificial intelligence chips. The move keeps advanced artificial intelligence hardware flowing into China under regulatory oversight, amid ongoing scrutiny of potential military uses.