Asian Stocks Mostly Higher As Investors Await Us Data

Denver area realtors are cautiously optimistic about the housing market in 2025. After a largely static year, realtors expect stable interest rates, a balanced market, more transactions, and a renewed interest in urban living. “I don’t think the market will change significantly,” said Craig Harcek with 8z. “Denver largely has a static population and I don’t think inventory will grow so fast we’ll see a deflation in value.” Stacie Staub with West+Main agreed.

Getty ImagesTraders pulled $333 million from BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF on Thursday, marking a record daily outflow. It marked the third straight day of outflows, the fund's longest stretch ever. Bitcoin had been on a tear since Trump's election win but has slowed its in recent weeks. BlackRock's spot bitcoin ETF saw record outflows yesterday as crypto takes a breather from its blockbuster rally.

MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty ImagesShares of alcohol makers and distributors fell after the US Surgeon General linked alcohol to cancer. The report states alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable cancer in the US, after tobacco and obesity. Most shares recovered slightly. Policy changes under the incoming Trump administration are uncertain.

NEW YORK — Two deadly incidents on New Year’s Day — an attack being investigated as an act of terrorism in New Orleans and an explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas — both involved vehicles that were rented on Turo, a peer-to-peer car sharing company. Early Wednesday, 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter — killing 14 people who were celebrating the New Year.

The Biden administration has made major investments in the Arizona subsidiary of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Caitlin O'Hara for The Washington Post via Getty ImagesAmerica's manufacturing sector is poised for a rebound in 2025, according to Bank of America. That's bullish for the S&P 500, which derives a high percentage of earnings from the sector.

The US Department of Transportation fined JetBlue over chronically delayed flights. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe US Department of Transportation hit JetBlue with a $2 million fine for delayed flights. The DOT said the airline's unrealistic flight schedules were deceptive and anticompetitive. Half of the $2 million fine is set to go toward compensating JetBlue customers.