Markets Surge, SpaceX Buys xAI, and Gold Pops 5% — Palvatar’s Big News Recap - Real Vision Daily Briefing Recap

Podcast: Real Vision Daily Briefing

Published: 2026-02-03

Duration: 7 minutes

Summary

Markets rally with unexpected growth in U.S. manufacturing and a historic merger between SpaceX and xAI. Gold experiences a significant spike while global equities recover.

What Happened

Markets are showing strong recovery following a surprising increase in U.S. manufacturing activity, with the ISM manufacturing PMI reaching 52.6, the first positive expansion in a year. This unexpected growth has boosted investor confidence and market activity.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has announced a monumental $1.25 trillion merger with xAI, making it the largest merger in history. The acquisition is set to precede SpaceX's planned IPO in June, expected to raise $50 billion.

The merger news has generated positive momentum in space and AI-related stocks on NASDAQ. Companies like AMD and Supermicro are seeing increases ahead of their earnings reports, while Pterodyne and Palantir also experienced significant stock price boosts.

Gold has seen its largest daily gain since 2008, increasing by 5%, though it's still below its recent peak. Silver has also surged by 8.5%, rebounding after a previous sharp decline.

Asian markets have rebounded strongly, with the Nikkei and COSPI indices recording significant gains due to a new trade agreement between the U.S. and India. This deal reduces tariffs on Indian imports and opens the Indian market to U.S. companies.

In Europe, France's preliminary inflation rate has dropped unexpectedly, raising concerns about deflation. However, the Reserve Bank of Australia raised interest rates, causing the Australian dollar to strengthen.

In the digital assets space, cryptocurrencies are recovering from recent heavy liquidations. Germany's largest retail bank, ING Deutschland, has opened access to crypto exchange-traded products, marking a significant step for retail crypto adoption.

Real Vision features include an interview with Andreas Steno and Alexander Campbell on commodities volatility and an AMA session with Jamie Coutts, offering further insights into the market dynamics.

Key Insights

• The ISM manufacturing PMI in the U.S. has reached 52.6, marking the first positive expansion in a year and signaling a recovery in manufacturing activity.
• SpaceX's $1.25 trillion merger with xAI is the largest in history, with plans for an IPO in June expected to raise $50 billion.
• Gold experienced its largest daily gain since 2008, increasing by 5%, while silver surged by 8.5% following a previous decline.
• Germany's largest retail bank, ING Deutschland, has opened access to crypto exchange-traded products, facilitating greater retail adoption of cryptocurrencies.