🚨🚨🚨Today, Thursday, December 18, 2025, markets are experiencing a significant "risk-off" mood. A sharp sell-off in the technology sector is dominating the headlines, driven by growing skepticism over the ROI of massive AI investments and cooling enthusiasm for the "AI trade."

📉 Equity Markets: The "AI Fatigue" Hit

The global rally seen earlier this year has hit a major roadblock. Concerns that valuations have overextended beyond fundamentals have triggered a widespread retreat.

 * Wall Street: The Nasdaq fell 1.8% and the S&P 500 declined over 1% on Wednesday. Heavyweights like Nvidia, Alphabet, and AMD saw notable losses.

 * Specific Triggers: Reports that private capital firm Blue Owl withdrew from a $10 billion Oracle data center project fueled fears that the AI infrastructure boom might be slowing.

 * Asia & Europe: * Japan: The Nikkei 225 dropped 1% as tech and chipmakers led the decline. Investors are also bracing for a potential 0.25% rate hike from the Bank of Japan on Friday.

   * India: The Sensex and Nifty 50 both opened lower, though the Nifty IT index bucked the trend, rising 1% even as US tech stocks stumbled.

   * Europe: Markets like the DAX and CAC 40 showed slight resilience, edging up 0.2% to 0.4% in early trading.

₿ Crypto Market: Regulatory Delays & Volatility

The crypto market is currently grappling with a mix of regulatory setbacks and macroeconomic pressure.

 * Bitcoin (BTC): Briefly surged past $90,000 but reversed sharply to trade around $86,700. The primary driver for the dip was the US Senate's decision to defer major crypto legislation until 2026, which has reintroduced a layer of regulatory uncertainty.

 * Altcoins: Major assets like Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and XRP took a harder hit, with some down over 8% in the last 24 hours. Ethereum is currently struggling to hold above $2,800.

 * Sentiment: The "Fear and Greed Index" has dipped significantly, and on-chain data shows active Bitcoin wallet activity at 2023 lows, suggesting a "wait-and-see" approach from retail investors.

🛢️ Commodities & FX

 * Oil: Prices rose about 1.2% (WTI at $55.93) following President Trump's order to block sanctioned oil tankers from Venezuela, tightening supply expectations.

 * Gold: Trading near record highs around 134,000 (MCX). It remains the preferred "safe haven" asset as geopolitical tensions in South America and Ukraine persist.

 * Forex: The US Dollar strengthened as traders positioned for central bank decisions in the UK and Europe. The Indian Rupee recovered slightly to 90.38 against the USD following central bank intervention.

💡 Summary for Investors

Today's market is characterized by caution. Between the US inflation data due later today and the Bank of Japan's rate decision tomorrow, most institutional investors are moving into defensive positions or "quality" stocks with clear earnings.