Global Market Update
Canadian Markets
Canada’s TSX followed global markets into the red as a mix of factors eroded investor confidence. A notable driver of the selloff was growing skepticism surrounding artificial intelligence-linked stocks, sparked by the meteoric rise of DeepSeek, a Chinese discount AI model. DeepSeek’s AI Assistant unexpectedly surpassed ChatGPT, the dominant player in the space, to claim the top spot among free apps on Apple’s U.S. App Store. This shift in sentiment highlighted emerging competition from more affordable, alternative AI models and raised questions about the long-term dominance of established AI companies. The TSX was further dragged down by sharp declines in oil and gold prices, which impacted the commodity-heavy laden Canadian markets.
American Markets
American indices tumbled across the board as megacap stocks bore the brunt of the rout. Nvidia, a leader in the AI space, experienced steep losses as investors reassessed its valuation amid the changing competitive landscape. Nvidia’s (NVDA) stock plunged over 15%Â in intraday trading, leading the broader market sell-off in semiconductor stocks, wiping out more than $500 billion in market value and possibly putting an end to the bull market cycle. The Nasdaq Composite sank over 3%, taking down heavy weights, Microsoft and Alphabet, as investors moved into bonds for safety.
European Markets
European shares fell on Monday, with the tech sector leading the decline. The pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.6%, tracking global market losses, while the European tech index plunged 5.8%, heading for its worst day since October 15.
UK Markets managed to stay flat, as London’s FTSE 100 was near its highest point as industrial metal miners weighed. Ryanair was up almost 3 percent after the budget airline report a bigger-than-expected Q3 profit. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reports that UK companies are planning to cut jobs and increase their prices while millions of British are seeing rapidly deteriorating personal household finances.
Corporate Stock News
1st Source Corp: Piper Sandler raised the target price to $72.50 from $70, citing better operating leverage and profitability expectations for 2025.
American Express Co: RBC increased the target price on AXP to $350 from $330, highlighting strong core results and consistent growth projections.
AT&T Inc: Fourth-quarter wireless subscriber growth exceeded estimates, with 482,000 new wireless phone subscribers and 307,000 new fiber customers. Revenue rose 1% to $32.3 billion.
Bank of America & JPMorgan Chase: Preparing to defend against claims of politically motivated account closures and to address regulatory clarity. Bank of America is also selling debt holdings of social media platform X alongside Morgan Stanley and Barclays.
Beacon Roofing Supply Inc: QXO Inc is planning a hostile bid for Beacon at $124.25 per share, valuing the company at $7.7 billion, or $11 billion including debt.
Biogen Inc: The FDA approved monthly maintenance dosing for Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi after 18 months of bi-weekly doses.
Brookfield Asset Management Ltd: Closed $1.6 billion worth of real estate investments in Japan, including a stake in Tokyo’s Gajoen complex and land for a logistics warehouse in Nagoya.
Carlyle Group Inc: Appointed Brad McCarthy as managing director and Asia Pacific chief for its global wealth division.
Diversified Energy Company PLC: Acquired Maverick Natural Resources for $1.28 billion, expanding its operations in the Permian Basin.
Emerson Electric Co: Will acquire the remaining shares of AspenTech for $265 per share, valuing the stake at $7.2 billion.
First Quantum Minerals: Barclays maintains Equal Weight rating and lowers target to CAD 23.40. STA Research maintains Underperform rating and CAD 12 target.
JPMorgan Chase & Co: Kevin Willsey, global chair of investment banking and capital markets, will retire in March after a 34-year tenure.
Lockheed Martin Corp: RBC lowered the target price of LMT to $570 from $665, citing risks tied to national security policy shifts and defense spending.
L3Harris Technologies Inc: RBC cut the target price to $240 from $265, reflecting concerns over contract execution, business wins, and technology investments.
Maze Therapeutics Inc: Aiming for a valuation of $728.1 million in its IPO, offering shares at $15–$17.
Pfizer Inc: Agreed to pay $59.7 million to resolve charges related to kickbacks for migraine drug Nurtec ODT prescriptions.
Spotify Technology & Universal Music Group: Signed a multi-year agreement for recorded music and publishing, including innovative offers and subscription tiers.
Starbucks Corp: Stifel raised the target price to $114 from $110, citing an anticipated sequential sales rise in 2025.
Tesla Inc: Tesla joined BMW and Chinese producers in filing a legal challenge against EU tariffs on China-made EVs.
Unilever PLC: Ben & Jerry’s escalated its lawsuit against Unilever, alleging suppression of a social policy statement critical of President Trump.
United States Steel Corp: Activist investor Ancora nominated nine board candidates and plans to challenge the CEO and the merger agreement with Nippon Steel.
UnitedHealth Group Inc: A cyberattack last year affected 190 million individuals, marking the largest healthcare data breach in U.S. history.
Veru Inc: Experimental drug with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy reduced muscle loss in obese older patients during a mid-stage study.

STA Research (StockTargetAdvisor.com) is a independent Investment Research company that specializes in stock forecasting and analysis with integrated AI, based on our platform stocktargetadvisor.com, EST 2007.