The festive season has begun with record Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales pushed by AI, despite some hiccups as tech giants battled tech outages. Geopolitical tensions have also risen from Washington to Moscow, while Europe deals with resurfacing inflation concerns.
However, Christmas has come early for some, including Databricks, which raised US$5 billion in capital and Korea after the U.S. retroactively reduced tariffs.
All the top moves, shakes, and red-hot takes from Azzet's editorial team are right here in your weekly business wrap every Friday (5 December, 2025).
Monday
Global markets opened the week with a heavy macro focus, with investors digesting the previous week’s domestic inflation pressures closely as runaway price growth threatened the RBA’s easing path, while Airbus faced an urgent recall of its A320 aircraft, raising industry-wide safety questions.
Early retail signals were upbeat, with AI tools bolstering Black Friday sales volumes.
In Switzerland, voters rejected an inheritance tax proposal aimed at the ultra-wealthy.
Geopolitics intensified as the Trump administration warned that Venezuela’s airspace should be treated as closed, while the U.S. President separately announced a pause on migration following a shooting incident in Washington, DC.
Corporate activity remained brisk. Databricks prepared a US$5 billion capital raise, UnitedHealth completed its exit from South America.
Goldman Sachs predicted gold could hit US$5,000 by the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, markets assessed commentary from Japan, where Katayama said yen moves are diverging from fundamentals.
OPEC left its 2026 production quotas unchanged, while U.S. and Ukrainian representatives held peace talks in Florida.
Across the Asia-Pacific, Coupang apologised after a major data leak, Metcash defended its tobacco business despite plunging sales, and Hong Kong authorities continued a grim search for victims following a deadly fire.
Tuesday
Speculation intensified over whether the US President could issue a pre-emptive self-pardon.
In tech, Nvidia invested US$2 billion in a Synopsys partnership, while OpenAI moved into private equity by investing in Thrive Holdings.
U.S. manufacturers struggled as the ISM manufacturing PMI dipped amid tariff pressures, and the UK struck a drug-pricing pact with the U.S. in response to rising NHS costs.
Retail tech stumbled when Shopify suffered a multi-hour outage, while Tesla sales plunged again in the European market.
Canada joined the EU defence initiative SAFE, and U.S. Cyber Monday sales were forecast to hit US$14.2 billion.
Airbus faced another blow with further A320 issues. U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff also discussed a peace plan with Putin.
Domestic markets saw Australian home values rise 1% in November. Google was fined A$55 million for telecom-related misconduct in Australia.
U.S. airports screened a record 3.13 million passengers on Sunday, and the U.S. retroactively reduced Korean tariffs to 1.5%.
Additionally, Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency after a cyclone.
Earnings: KFC parent Collin’s Foods posted solid growth.
Wednesday
Financial planning featured, with coverage of common retiree financial pitfalls.
Meanwhile, San Francisco escalated its legal campaign against food producers, suing companies over ultra-processed products.
Warner Bros Discovery neared completion of a major auction, while Luma AI confirmed plans for a London office after a US$900 million funding round.
The OECD warned that AI and tariffs threaten global economic resilience, while domestic data from the ABS revealed a sharp fall in Australian housing approvals.
Samsung unveiled its first trifold smartphone. Exxon was reported to be weighing a purchase of Lukoil’s stake in an Iraqi oilfield.
The tech economy’s cultural shift drew attention with coverage of Gen Z loneliness as a monetisation target in Silicon Valley.
Procter & Gamble shares fell as consumer spending softened, while Eurozone inflation edged up to 2.2%, above the ECB's 2% target.
Australian growth reached a two-year high thanks to AI-driven productivity gains. ASIC highlighted weak investor protections after fund collapses.
Earnings: American Eagle gained amid upgraded forecasts after a strong Q3.
Thursday
Resources led headlines as WA’s mining sector underscored its role in IT supply chains.
Private credit drew scrutiny amid warnings of a crowded and risky pile-on.
ADP reported a 32,000 fall in U.S. private payrolls in November, lifting market expectations of a Fed rate cut. Microsoft rejected a report alleging AI-related sales quota downgrades.
Treasury Secretary Bessent warned that Trump may impose tariffs even if the Supreme Court rules against current structures.
The U.S. launched immigration raids in New Orleans, while shares in Eutelsat plunged after SoftBank offloaded its stake in a fire sale.
The Federal Reserve signalled it is on track to stop losing money.
The U.S. also moved to drastically cut fuel-economy standards, and Delta forecast a US$200 million profit hit from the government shutdown.
Australia reported a record-high estimate for retirement income.
U.S. lawmakers faced renewed pressure to ban stock trading in Congress. New research showed retirement wellbeing depends on more than money alone.
The TIO said most digital-platform complaints involve major technology companies.
Household spending in Australia jumped 1.3% in October, while U.S. and Russian officials continued peace discussions.
Micron said it will exit the consumer memory business to focus on AI chips.
Earnings:
Salesforce delivered an Agentforce-driven beat and upgraded guidance.
Macy’s raised full-year guidance despite a Q3 earnings decline.
Friday
Investors weighed the pros and cons of allocating to local versus overseas bonds amid diverging global yield curves.
U.S. jobless claims hit a three-year low, though job-cut announcements rose sharply to 71,300.
The Bank of Japan faced a policy dilemma as government bond yields climbed to new highs.
Paramount complained of unfair terms as Warner Bros. reportedly explored a sale to Netflix.
The EU launched a probe into Meta over WhatsApp’s AI features.
Earnings:
Beta reported soaring revenue in its first post-IPO results, while Ulta Beauty raised full-year guidance after a strong third quarter.
