Author: i2wtc

After an all-time high and a big tumble for bitcoin last year, industry executives and investors told CNBC that the cryptocurrency could reach new heights in 2026 — but with the potential for huge volatility.In CNBC’s annual roundup of bitcoin predictions, several commentators forecast a wide range of prices for bitcoin in 2026, dropping as low as $75,000 and rising as high as $225,000.Last October, bitcoin hit a record high of over $126,000 before falling later in the year to lows of around $80,000, according to CoinMetrics. Bitcoin is sitting around 30% lower than its all-time high. Last year’s crypto…

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) holds a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. Joe Raedle | Getty ImagesA Democrat-led push to extend recently expired Obamacare subsidies cleared a procedural hurdle in the House on Wednesday with support from nine Republicans, teeing up a final vote later this week.The House voted 221-205 in favor of a motion to discharge a bill that, if passed by the House and Senate, would extend enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act health insurance plan holders for three years. Those tax credits were first implemented in 2021…

Jim Farley, president and chief executive officer of Ford, speaks at the Ford Motor Co.’s Kentucky Truck Plant to launch the 2025 Ford Expedition, in Louisville, Kentucky, April 30, 2025.Carolyn Kaster | APFord Motor plans to introduce eyes-off driving technology on an upcoming $30,000 all-electric vehicle in 2028, the Detroit automaker announced Wednesday.The target brings Ford into a race against competitors such as Tesla, General Motors and Rivian Automotive to develop and broadly launch such systems, which Wall Street views as a potential growth market to fully autonomous vehicles. Ford’s plan is similar to those of other automakers, but the…

Representatives attend the main dialogue session of the “Global Mayors Dialogue in Harbin” in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 7, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)HARBIN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) — As mayors from around the world jointly lit the torch marking the opening of a dialogue event in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, they also ignited a shared vision for developing the ice and snow economy and advancing cooperation among global winter cities.The Global Mayors Dialogue, starting Tuesday, brought together mayors and representatives from nations including Canada, Finland, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to Harbin, hailed as China’s “Ice…

US president says India faces 50% tariffs over Russian oil as Modi sought meeting amid trade tensionsUS President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PHOTO: FILE United States President Donald Trump has recounted a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying Modi sought permission to meet him, as he mocked the Indian leader during remarks at a House GOP member retreat. “Prime Minister Modi came to see me, ‘Sir, may I see you please’. Yes,” Trump said while speaking about defence sales and trade ties with India. Trump said India has been waiting for five years for…

KSE-100 index rises to 186,518 points as banking, oil & gas and power shares attract buying KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) maintained its bullish trajectory on Wednesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 index closing at a fresh record, supported by continued buying from local institutional investors. The market opened on a weak note, with the index falling sharply in early trade to an intra-day low of 184,896.71. However, sentiment improved as buying interest returned, leading to a broad-based salvage during the late morning and afternoon sessions. The KSE-100 index touched an intra-day high of 187,015.12 before settling at 186,518.72, up 1,456.61…

Google CEO Sundar Pichai gives a thumbs up as he arrives to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris, Feb. 11, 2025.Benoit Tessier | ReutersGoogle parent company Alphabet saw its market capitalization surpass Apple’s for the first time since 2019.Alphabet’s market cap closed at $3.88 trillion on Wednesday. Shares of Alphabet rose more than 2% on Wednesday, closing at $322.03. Meanwhile, Apple’s market cap closed Wednesday at $3.84 trillion as shares slid more than 4% over the last five days.The positional inversion in market cap underscores the different directions that Alphabet and Apple are heading in…

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Venezuela will purchase American products with revenue from its oil sales.”I have just been informed that Venezuela is going to be purchasing ONLY American Made Products, with the money they receive from our new Oil Deal,” Trump said in a post his social media platform Truth Social. The president said the purchases will include agricultural products, medicine, medical devices and equipment to improve Venezuela’s grid and energy facilities. Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela would turn over 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S. after the overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. The…

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces Apple Card during a launch event at Apple headquarters on March 25, 2019, in Cupertino, California.Noah Berger | AFP | Getty ImagesJPMorgan Chase has reached a deal to take over the Apple credit card from its original issuer, Goldman Sachs, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction.The arrangement, to be announced soon after a year of negotiations between the parties, means that a giant in credit cards and retail banking overall will grow even larger. JPMorgan will take over roughly $20 billion in card loans from Goldman, which began to pivot away from…

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attends an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo, Feb. 3, 2025.Kim Kyung-hoon | ReutersOpenAI on Wednesday announced ChatGPT Health, which will allow users to securely connect their medical records and wellness apps to the artificial intelligence chatbot.ChatGPT Health is not intended for diagnosis and treatment, and it’s not supposed to replace medical care, OpenAI said. Rather, the experience is supposed to help users navigate everyday questions, and it aims make ChatGPT’s responses more relevant by grounding them in a user’s own health information. “ChatGPT Health is another step toward turning ChatGPT into a personal…