Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party, at the party headquarters in Tokyo, Sunday, February 8, 2026.
Toru Hanai | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Japan’s Sanae Takaichi and her ruling Liberal Democratic Party won overwhelming support from voters in Sunday’s election, winning a supermajority (meaning the Liberal Democratic Party holds more than two-thirds of seats in the lower house) and reinstating her as Japan’s prime minister.
The result gives Mr. Takaichi wide latitude to pursue his agenda, including increasing defense spending and suspending some food-related taxes. Japanese stocks rose to record highs on Monday, but circle The dollar rose to $156.88, reflecting investors’ renewed confidence after the election results.
In Thailand, caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has declared victory after his Bhumjathai Party performed well in the national election. Analysts attribute the support in part to rising nationalism and Anutin’s hardline stance on Cambodia during recent border disputes.
U.S. markets are expected to start higher on Monday, with futures tracking the major indexes slightly higher on Sunday evening.
This optimism comes after Friday’s sharp rebound. Nvidia, broadcomand oracle He led the charge.
“We’re in a gold rush right now with the advent of AI,” said Gabriel Shahin, founder of Falcon Wealth Planning. “There are funds being deployed…the merry-go-round (of transferring funds) just scares people sometimes.”
This increase led to an increase in major indicators. of Dow Jones Industrial Average It rose 2.47% and closed above 50,000 for the first time. of S&P500 After falling into negative territory after Thursday’s close, the stock rose 1.97% and turned positive heading into 2026. Nasdaq Composite It rose by 2.18%.
Bitcoin also rose on the wave of sentiment. It was trading at $70,312.88 as of 8 a.m. (7 a.m. ET) in Singapore. Remarkably, the cryptocurrency’s price has soared more than 11% in less than a day, suggesting that investors have not lost faith in the asset and are buying on the spur of the moment, allaying some fears of a new “crypto winter.”
What you need to know today
In total, Big Tech companies have lost more than $1 trillion in valuation over the past week, according to FactSet data. The decline has hit Amazon, microsoftNvidia, Meta, google And oracle. Amazon alone has lost more than $300 billion in market capitalization.
US and India announce framework for trade agreement. But a joint statement released Friday showed India is resisting a U.S. push to open its agricultural markets to imports. Separately, President Trump eliminated a 25% tariff on India’s purchases of Russian crude oil.
China’s Luckin Coffee will open its first luxury store in Shenzhen on Sunday. This is a departure from the original strategy of operating affordable coffee kiosks; starbucks. The company’s CEO hinted last year that it plans to relist in the U.S.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closing price exceeded 50,000 for the first time. Major U.S. indexes rose on Friday as tech stocks rebounded. pan-european Stocks 600 It rose by 0.89%. Milan listed stocks Stellantis Shares plunged 24% after the company announced it would take a $26 billion hit from a business reset.
(PRO) A tech giant was sold off in China last week. But analysts say the reasons behind the move are different from those in the United States.
And finally…
Elon Musk wants to be a millionaire — here’s how SpaceX will get him there
Elon Musk’s journey to becoming the world’s first millionaire is likely to be propelled by rockets rather than cars, as SpaceX now accounts for nearly two-thirds of the Tesla CEO’s wealth.
The tech mogul’s unprecedented wealth soared this week after SpaceX acquired his artificial intelligence company xAI in a deal that values the combined company at $1.25 trillion. Musk’s ownership in the combined company is estimated at about 43%, making his stake worth more than $530 billion, and his fortunes could change rapidly.
— Robert Frank and Laura Kolodny
