Markets kicked off the new year with cautious optimism 📈

✔️ Stocks were mixed to start 2026

✔️ Small-cap stocks jumped, often a sign investors may be feeling more confident about growth

✔️ Interest rates edged higher as Wall Street watches the Fed closely

✔️ Gold, silver, oil, and crypto all sent mixed signals

✔️ Bitcoin climbed back above $90K

✔️ Tesla lost its crown as the world’s largest EV maker

✔️ A historic transition at Berkshire Hathaway marked the end of the Buffett CEO era

✔️ AI remains a global race, not just a U.S. story

This is exactly why staying informed matters. Markets don’t move on just one thing, it’s rates, growth, geopolitics, commodities, crypto, and tech all at once.