🚀 Trump claims Venezuela to give US 50 million barrels of oil

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Market Overview
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Year To Date Performances:

1. In a move that harks back to an era of raw petro-diplomacy, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Venezuela's interim authorities will transfer between 30 and 50 million barrels of "high-quality, sanctioned" oil to the United States. This staggering handover—roughly equivalent to two and a half days of total U.S. demand—comes just days after the military ouster of Nicolás Maduro and is intended to be sold at market prices, with Trump personally claiming control over the billions in proceeds to ensure they "benefit the people" of both nations. The immediate market response saw U.S. crude futures slide 1.3% to $56.39 per barrel as traders began pricing in a sudden influx of supply that had previously been trapped by a mid-December naval blockade. By summoning the titans of American energy, including Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and ConocoPhillips, to a Friday White House summit, the administration is signalling a total reboot of the Venezuelan oil sector, effectively inviting U.S. majors to reclaim and rehabilitate the world’s largest reserves under the protection of American military oversight. While critics and international legal experts decry the move as a return to "petro-imperialism" that violates sovereign norms, the White House is doubling down on a strategy that treats Venezuela’s vast energy wealth as the primary collateral for its forced transition to a post-Maduro era.

2. In a historic move that effectively anchors its future to a neighbour's recovery, Alaska Airlines announced its largest-ever fleet expansion on Wednesday with an order for 105 Boeing 737 Max 10 jets and five 787-10 Dreamliners. This multibillion-dollar commitment, which extends delivery slots through 2035, serves as a high-stakes vote of confidence in Boeing just two years after a harrowing door-plug blowout on an Alaska-operated Max 9 nearly derailed the manufacturer’s reputation. By securing a massive portion of the yet-to-be-certified Max 10's order book, Alaska is betting that newly installed Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg can navigate the final regulatory hurdles of a 2026 certification and a subsequent production ramp-up. While the Max 10’s delayed arrival and technical hurdles remain a lingering risk, Alaska’s leadership is prioritizing long-term growth and the "lowest cost per seat" efficiency required to fuel its post-merger international ambitions across Europe and Asia. This deal not only cements the 60-year partnership between the Seattle-based giants but also signals to the broader industry that Alaska views Boeing’s cultural and industrial turnaround as a stable foundation for the next decade of commercial aviation.

3. In a definitive move to shift GameStop from a struggling brick-and-mortar relic into a high-stakes investment vehicle, the board has authorized a "Tesla-style" compensation package for CEO Ryan Cohen that only pays out if he achieves a staggering $100 billion market cap. This all-or-nothing equity incentive, which mirrors the ambitious hurdles once set for Elon Musk, requires a more than tenfold increase from the company’s current $9.3 billion valuation and a monumental $10 billion in cumulative EBITDA to fully vest. Since taking the helm, Cohen has aggressively pursued a strategy of "extreme frugality," shuttering nearly 1,000 underperforming stores while pivoting the company’s treasury toward a MicroStrategy-inspired Bitcoin reserve that now holds over 5,000 tokens. Despite a resurgent collectibles business and a lucrative partnership with PSA for trading cards, the math remains daunting: Cohen must essentially engineer a structural reinvention of the business to justify a valuation that rivals enterprise giants. If he succeeds in transforming GameStop into a profitable holding company for digital assets and high-margin "loot," he stands to gain a windfall of over 171 million shares; if the stock fails to at least double to the initial $20 billion threshold, the man often hailed as the "Meme King" will walk away with absolutely nothing.

   Headlines

   1. Mortgage demand fell 10% the final week of 2025.

   2. The Trump administration has frozen $10B in child and family aid to 5 states due to concerns over fraud.