Silver prices had a bit of a reality check on Monday, pulling back after a yearlong surge had taken the metal to record highs just last week.
Why it matters: In a year of geopolitical uncertainty triggered by Trump's tariffs, wars and worries over sovereign debt, silver and gold have been preferred by many investors over stocks and bonds.
2025 has been a monster year for dealmaking, trailing only 2021 in terms of dollar value, according to preliminary data from LSEG.
The big picture: Dealmakers were appropriately optimistic entering the year, due to falling interest rates, the rise of artificial intelligence, and decreased regulatory headwinds in the U.S.
Venture capitalist Alex Davis is "deeply concerned" that too many data centers are being built without guaranteed tenants, according to a letter being sent this morning to his investors.
Why it matters: This critique is coming from inside the AI optimist camp.
President Trump's inauguration in January kicked off a relentless news cycle that sent Americans scrambling to keep up with the volume and velocity of change from the Oval Office and beyond, according to Axios' annual analysis of Google Trends data.
Why it matters: Political violence, economic nerves and mass tragedies gripped the country in a dizzying year for both domestic and international news.
Chipmakers Nvidia and Groq entered into a non-exclusive tech licensing agreement last week aimed at speeding up and lowering the cost of running pre-trained large language models.
Why it matters: Groq's language processing unit (LPU) chips power real-time chatbot queries — as opposed to model training — potentially giving Nvidia an edge in the AI race.
Gen Z is investing in their retirement, but anxiety— not prudent financial planning — is often the motivator.
The big picture: Young workers have started their careers facing an unwelcoming job market, a student loan debt crisis, rising housing costs, and threats to Social Security. They're also tasked with securing a future that feels increasingly far away.
Shareholders in Groq, a hot AI chipmaking startup, will receive handsome payouts from the company's $20 billion deal with Nvidia, even though no equity is changing hands, Axios has learned from sources close to the deal.
Why it matters: Social media has been full of questions about what the unusual arrangement means for Groq employees — both those heading to Nvidia and those staying put.
