Bitcoin hits $100,000, Record Highs Stocks, Syria falls (Recap ep299)

In today's recap, Marcello talks about Bitcoin surging past $100,000 for the first time, driven by optimism about President-elect Donald Trump creating a regulatory environment that supports cryptocurrencies. U.S. stock markets reached record highs this week as better than expected tech earnings boosted investor confidence, with companies highlighting the impact of artificial intelligence on their results. Meanwhile, Syria has officially fallen, and President Assad has been granted asylum in Russia. In response, Israel has launched strikes targeting military bases, defense systems, and government facilities, leaving critical infrastructure in ruins. 

Bitcoin rose above $100,000 for the 1st time on Thursday rising over 4% to over $103K, as the election of Republican  Trump as president of the United States spurred expectations that his administration will create a friendly regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin has more than doubled in value this year & is up about 35% in the 4 weeks since Trump's sweeping election victory, which also saw a slew of pro-crypto lawmakers being elected to Congress.
Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest carmaker headquartered in the Netherlands, saw its shares tumble 6.29% on Monday to $12.37 following the unexpected resignation of CEO Carlos Tavares. The company cited "increasingly different views" between Tavares and the board of directors as the reason for his abrupt departure, which was accepted on Sunday and took effect immediately. Stellantis stock has faced a challenging year, down 20.80% over the past three months, 45.39% year-to-date, and 43.50% year-over-year, leaving the company with a market capitalization of $37.21 billion.
The manufacturing sectors in both the EU and UK continued to show signs of weakness in November, reflecting broader economic challenges. The Eurozone manufacturing PMI highlighted an accelerated decline in new factory orders, production, purchasing activity, and inventories. Employment in the sector also suffered, posting its sharpest drop since August 2020, with Germany and Austria experiencing the most significant job losses.
South Korean opposition lawmakers said on Thursday they would vote this weekend to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his botched attempt to impose martial law & police said they were investigating claims of treason against him & top ministers. Yoon's declaration of martial law late on Tuesday, sought to consolidate power, ban political activity & censor the media. It sparked outrage in the streets & concern among South Korea's international allies. The defense minister, who recommended the move, has resigned.
Oil prices fell over -1% Friday & cemented weekly losses, as analysts projected a supply surplus next year on weak demand despite an OPEC+ decision to delay output hikes & extend deep production cuts to the end of 2026. A rising number oil & gas rigs deployed in the U.S. this week, pointing to rising production from the world's biggest crude producer, also pushed prices lower. Energy Services firm Baker Hughes said oil rigs rose by 5 to 482 this week, highest level since mid-Oct, while gas rigs rose by 2 to 102, highest since early Nov,  growing for the 1st time in 8 weeks. U.S. West Texas Intermediate January futures fell -1.61% at $67.20 per barrel.