"January Retail Sales Plummet, Raising Economic Concerns"
Despite a Wall Street rally and positive economic indicators, weak U.S. consumer spending data, with a significant drop of 0.8% in January, raises concerns about the strength of the economy. Ford CEO Jim Farley urged investors to focus on Ford's "Pro" fleet business over Tesla, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin expressed a preference for Joe Biden as U.S. president. Additionally, Nvidia's success in AI investments and Morgan Stanley's identification of Asia-Pacific AI beneficiaries highlight the ongoing impact of artificial intelligence on global markets.