BizwavemediaPersonal Finance and Crypto Updates

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the Government Pension Fund Global, one of the world’s largest state-owned investment vehicles, generated $248 billion in profit in 2025, lifting its market value to roughly $2.2 trillion.

The massive profit was driven by gains in American technology and financial stocks, with strong contributions from US companies, including major stakes in NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft.

CEO Nicolai Tangen said AI optimism, rate cuts, and solid corporate earnings supported returns, while the fund also grew renewable infrastructure, fixed income, and real estate investments.

Managed by Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), the fund invests in equities, bonds, property, and renewable energy infrastructure on behalf of the Norwegian public. It now holds stakes in over 7,200 companies across 60 countries.

NBIM’s portfolio gives the sovereign wealth fund indirect exposure to Bitcoin, though it represents a tiny fraction of its total assets.

According to K33’s Head of Research, Vetle Lunde, the fund’s indirect Bitcoin exposure climbed 149% in 2025, driven by its stakes in Strategy, MARA, Metaplanet, Coinbase, and Block.

Once again, back on duty to cover the indirect BTC ownership of the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, Norway’s Oil Fund.

While BTC price action has been horrendous for a while, NBIM’s indirect BTC exposure marches higher. It grew by 149% in 2025 to 9,573 BTC. pic.twitter.com/zOIeQYqDx3

— Vetle Lunde (@VetleLunde) January 30, 2026

NBIM’s crypto exposure is almost entirely to Bitcoin, with no major holdings in other crypto-focused firms.

Nvidia, the leading supplier of AI chips, saw its shares slide 5% today as semiconductor stocks came under renewed selling pressure.

The company reported yesterday an earnings beat that surpassed investor estimates, with fourth quarter fiscal 2026 revenue reaching $68.1 billion, up 73% year over year.

For the full fiscal year, Nvidia generated $215.9 billion in sales, a 65% increase from the prior year. Management projected quarterly revenue of $78 billion going forward, exceeding Wall Street estimates that had forecast figures below $72.3 billion.

The earnings beat initially pushed the stock above $200 in post-market trading as investors reacted to the stronger guidance. However, shares opened lower today and continued to slide throughout the session, closing at $184.8, down more than 5%.

The stock’s weakness reflects investor concerns about the durability of enterprise AI spending rather than any shortfall in financial performance. While major cloud providers such as Alphabet and Amazon continue to ramp up capital expenditures, investors are increasingly questioning the pace of AI infrastructure investment and its near term return profile.

Other semiconductor names faced similar pressure. Broadcom fell 3.5%, Micron declined 3%, and AMD dropped 3.4% during the session.

The broader market also weakened, with the Nasdaq Composite retreating 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding 0.4%, and the S&P 500 declining 0.5% as technology shares weighed on sentiment.

Jack Dorsey said Block will cut nearly half of its workforce, reducing headcount from more than 10,000 employees to just under 6,000, a move affecting over 4,000 workers.

The announcement was shared in a note posted by the Block CEO on X and released alongside the company’s latest earnings report.

Block said it is not making the cuts due to financial distress, pointing to improving profitability and continued gross profit growth. Dorsey wrote that advances in intelligence tools and flatter teams are fundamentally changing how the company operates, prompting a decisive restructuring rather than gradual reductions over time.

The announcement came as Block delivered stronger-than-expected financial results. The company projected first-quarter operating income of $600 million, topping analyst estimates of $574 million. Gross profit guidance of $2.8 billion also exceeded the $2.72 billion consensus, while full-year gross profit is now expected to reach $12.2 billion, up 18% from the prior period.

Cash App monthly active users outperformed expectations, though quarterly revenue of $6.25 billion came in slightly below the $6.29 billion consensus.

Block shares were up about 5% during regular trading hours. After the company released its earnings report and Dorsey’s restructuring note after hours, the stock jumped nearly 25% in post-market trading.

In his note, Dorsey said affected employees will receive 20 weeks of salary plus one additional week per year of tenure, equity vested through the end of May, six months of health care coverage, company devices, and $5,000 in transition support, with local variations outside the US.

Dorsey framed the decision as a strategic shift toward building a smaller, more focused company with intelligence at the core of operations, arguing that a single decisive action was preferable to repeated rounds of layoffs that could damage morale and trust.

PayPal Holdings, the digital payments giant, is not currently engaged in acquisition discussions with Stripe or any other potential buyer, despite recent speculation about a possible takeover by the fintech firm.

Executives at the payments company have spent months working with advisers to prepare defenses against a potential activist investor campaign or an uninvited acquisition bid, according to a Semafor report.

Bloomberg reported this week that privately held payments company Stripe was exploring a potential acquisition of all or part of PayPal. However, Semafor said such a deal appears unlikely, noting that a new chief executive is set to take over next week, a move that would be unusual if a near-term sale or restructuring were imminent.

Defensive preparations against a potential activist campaign began under former Chief Executive Alex Chriss, who departed earlier this year. His successor, Enrique Lores, is scheduled to assume the role next week.

The report added that any transaction would face significant financing hurdles. As a private company, Stripe cannot use publicly traded stock as acquisition currency and would likely need substantial debt commitments to pursue a deal.

Private companies rarely acquire large public firms without complex structures or clear support from the target’s board and management.

Stripe’s interest in PayPal is viewed as strategic, driven by PayPal’s large global customer base and established payments infrastructure. Still, any formal talks would likely depend on leadership stability at the company before progressing.

Bitcoin surged more than 6% on Wednesday, climbing past $68,000 as a broader crypto rebound swept through the market.

The rally lifted major altcoins, with Ethereum rising nearly 11% to around $2,050, Solana gaining 11% to $88, and XRP advancing 7.5% to near $1.45. Filecoin led large-cap gainers, up 23% in the past 24 hours, followed by Polkadot at 22% and Aptos at 19%.

The move coincided with strength in equities. The S&P 500 gained 0.7% by midday, while the Nasdaq rose 1%, signaling renewed correlation between crypto and traditional markets after a period in which digital assets moved largely in isolation and primarily to the downside.

Commodities also advanced, with gold up 1.3%, surging past $5,200, and silver surging 4.2% to reclaim the $90 level.

The rally triggered nearly $80M in liquidations in the past hour and more than $429M over the past 24 hours, the majority tied to short positions, according to Coinglass data.

Crypto-related equities followed spot prices higher after Circle reported earnings that beat expectations earlier in the day.

Circle shares jumped more than 28%, while Coinbase gained 13%, Figure rose 12%, and Galaxy advanced 8%. Crypto treasury companies also moved higher, with Strategy up 8%, BitMine up 12%, and SharpLink up 12%. Miners posted gains as well, with WULF up 5%, MARA up 9%, and CleanSpark up 4%.

NVIDIA reported record fourth quarter revenue of $68.1 billion for fiscal 2026, up 20% quarter over quarter and 73% from a year earlier, as AI infrastructure demand continued to accelerate.

Data center revenue reached a record $62.3 billion in the quarter, up 22% sequentially and 75% year over year. For the full fiscal year, total revenue climbed 65% to $215.9 billion, while data center revenue rose 68% to $193.7 billion.

GAAP earnings per diluted share were $1.76 for the quarter and $4.90 for the full year. Net income in fiscal 2026 increased 65% to $120.1 billion. Gross margins remained elevated at 75.0% in the quarter.

Chief Executive Jensen Huang said computing demand is growing exponentially, pointing to accelerating enterprise adoption of agentic AI and continued investment in AI infrastructure.

During fiscal 2026, NVIDIA returned $41.1 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. The company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.01 per share payable April 1, 2026.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2027, NVIDIA expects revenue of $78.0 billion, plus or minus 2%, and said it is not assuming any data center compute revenue from China in its outlook.

Shares closed the regular session up about 1.4%. In after hours trading, the stock surged more than 3% as investors reacted to the earnings beat and strong forward guidance.

Iran has threatened a fierce response to any US military strike, signaling a shift in its defensive posture as tensions escalate between Tehran and Washington, according to a Financial Times report.

Iranian officials warned that American forces, bases, warships and the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments, could face direct retaliation if the US proceeds with military action. The statement marks a departure from Iran’s previous pattern of calibrated and limited responses.

Tehran said it is not seeking armed conflict and expressed hope that ongoing negotiations in Geneva would avert confrontation. However, officials made clear that any attack would trigger severe consequences aimed at imposing tangible costs on US military assets across the region.

The administration of Donald Trump has assembled a substantial military presence in the Middle East, including carrier strike groups, representing the largest buildup since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Washington has reiterated its commitment to defending American interests and allies while continuing diplomatic efforts.

Defense analysts say US conventional military capabilities significantly exceed Iran’s. Still, Tehran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles, drone systems and its ability to disrupt maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz could complicate any potential conflict.

The latest crisis traces back to January 13, when tensions intensified following Iran’s crackdown on domestic protests. On February 17, Ali Khamenei issued warnings about targeting American naval vessels and restricting access to the strategic waterway.

Talks in Geneva continue to center on nuclear and missile related concessions, though progress remains uncertain as both sides maintain hardened positions.