🌅 Morning Update - 27 February 2026 📉 Wall Street ended Thursday with a broad risk-off tone. The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% to 6,908.86, the Nasdaq fell 1.2% to 22,878.38, while the Dow stayed relatively steady and edged up 0.03% to 49,499.20. 💻 Tech remained the main pressure point. Nvidia dropped 5.5% to $184.89, as traders debated whether AI-related expectations (and spending cycles) can stay as strong as the market has priced in. 🌍 Geopolitics is still a background driver. Headlines suggest some movement in diplomacy, but markets are still waiting for clear, actionable outcomes rather than optimistic signals. 🇯🇵 Japan’s data flow is mixed. Tokyo inflation cooled, with core CPI at 1.8% y/y (below the 2% mark for the first time in 16 months), while underlying inflation measures stayed firmer. Retail sales surprised to the upside in January, but production data looked softer, keeping the picture uneven. 🇨🇳 In China, the PBOC set the USD/CNY fixing at 6.9228, again signalling a preference for a stronger midpoint than market pricing implied. 🌏 Asia is mostly cautious this morning after the tech-led dip in the US. Japan is slightly higher, while China and South Korea are softer, with positioning still strong for February overall. 🏢 Corporate spotlight: Block announced over 4,000 job cuts (around 40% of its workforce) as it restructures around AI-supported teams. The market reaction was bullish, with shares jumping about 25% after the close. 🥇 Metals: gold is steady-to-firmer near $5,192/oz, while silver is pushing back towards $90/oz. 🪙 Crypto: sentiment is mildly positive. bitcoin is hovering around $67.5k-$67.8k, while ethereum is near $2,020-$2,050. ✅ Have a focused Friday - and keep risk management tight. Trade smart with NordFX! 🚀