Greenland-Iran tensions drive investors into gold and silver

Officials from Greenland, Denmark and the United States met at the White House on Wednesday to discuss Washington’s efforts to claim controversial ownership of Greenland.

The session ended without an agreement, with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen reflecting on “fundamental differences” between US President Donald Trump and Copenhagen.

That’s not surprising.

Even before the White House convened, Greenland had made it clear that it would “choose Denmark,” but President Trump emphasized that anything other than U.S. control of Greenland would be “unacceptable.”

The consequences can be alarming. Former Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson told CNBC that a potential armed conflict over Greenland would have “serious consequences” for the Western alliance and the world order.

On other foreign policy fronts, the president signaled more flexibility toward Iran. President Trump suggested he might hold off on attacking the country because “we’re hearing the killings are stopping in Iran,” but there was some fear at home early Thursday morning when Iran temporarily closed its airspace for five hours.

Oil prices fell about 1.5% in U.S. trading on Wednesday following President Trump’s comments. However, global geopolitical turmoil and President Trump’s apparent attack on the independence of the Federal Reserve are pushing up gold and silver prices. The latter has already risen 26.6% in the first two weeks of 2026.

In the U.S. market on Wednesday, major indexes fell, led by semiconductor stocks.

However, they may recover quickly. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract semiconductor manufacturer, reported a 35% increase in fourth-quarter profit from a year earlier, beating expectations.

In other words, the demand for artificial intelligence semiconductors has not slowed down yet. Still, investors now have to strike a difficult balance between hedging geopolitical risks and tackling the AI ​​theme.

The United States freezes new immigrant visas for 75 countries. In a post to CNBC’s complete list can be found here.

Toyota Industries has hit a new record high. Shares rose about 6% to 19,080 yen ($120.41) after Toyota Motor Corp. raised its tender offer price for the automaker by more than 15%. The acquisition value is currently valued at more than $35 billion.

China begins antitrust investigation into Trip.com. The investigation concerns “alleged abuse of a dominant market position,” according to CNBC, which translated the competition authority’s statement into Mandarin. The online travel provider’s stock price plunged nearly 22% on the news.

Major U.S. indexes fell on Wednesday. Semiconductor stocks weighed on the market. broadcom, Nvidia and micron sliding. Asia-Pacific markets were mostly lower on Thursday. Korean KospiHowever, the country’s central bank kept interest rates on hold, causing it to rise by about 1.6% and close at a record high.

(PRO) Gold and silver are unbeatable records. Precious metals have seen a massive rally in 2025 and show no signs of slowing down this year. This is why their rise continues.

Chinese AI chip companies are rapidly going public. But the treasure remains private

China’s artificial intelligence chip sector has attracted significant investor interest following a series of successful initial public offerings. But analysts say that while these newly listed companies have led the market rally, they are not leading China’s efforts to reduce dependence on Nvidia.

Instead, most analysts point out that tech giant Huawei and its top-secret chip division, HiSilicon, stand out among the domestic competition not just for its technological advances, but also for its size and its extensive supply chain. However, Huawei has no plans to go public.

— Dylan Butts