↑ Business news Chevron earnings beat as production hits record with upside expected in Venezuela - The oil giant beat expectations despite a bearish market for crude, which logged its biggest annual price decline since 2020. Silver plummets 15%, gold falls 7% — dragging down miners and ETFs - Gold and silver prices plunged on Friday, following weeks of gains as investors poured money into safe havens. World leaders flock to Beijing, hedging against U.S. disruptions - Nations that avoided China in recent years are now sending their leaders to Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Trump gets a boost as Panama court voids Hong Kong firm’s canal contract - The ruling from Panama's top court is widely seen as a victory for the Trump administration, which is seeking to counter any Chinese influence in the region.Scenic trains, cruises and concerts: China’s new plan to get consumers spending again - China rolled out a new work plan to boost services consumption as stimulus measures to boost households spending on goods have so far done little to lift demand.Indonesian stock exchange CEO resigns after $84 billion market wipe out - The rout was triggered by an announcement on Tuesday by index provider MSCI, warning of a potential downgrade of the country to "frontier" market status. Gold prices fall over 4%; Asia-Pacific shares trade mixed after Trump says he will name new Fed chair - Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed after U.S. President Donald Trump said that he will announce his choice for the next Federal Reserve chair on Friday.Trump reportedly says 'very dangerous' for UK to do business with China as Starmer looks to mend ties - Starmer is on a 4-day visit to China this week, the first trip by a British leader in eight years, signaling an attempt at resetting the bilateral ties.Trump says he will announce a replacement for Powell as Fed chair Friday morning - President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will be naming his pick Friday for the new Federal Reserve chair.Small cap stocks overdue for 'outperformance,' says wealth advisor - STORY: "We're overdue for some big, big, big small cap outperformance," said Diton, adding that lower rates are "great" for small cap stocks.Diton also said he prefers the S&P SmallCap 600 to the Russell 2000 Index.