According to @garyblack00, U.S. equity futures are sharply lower pre-market after actions by the Trump Administration to escalate pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut short-term rates, which he notes threatens Fed independence and would increase inflation expectations and long-term interest rates (source: @garyblack00 on X, Jan 12, 2026). According to @garyblack00, gold and silver surged to new highs in early trading, signaling strong demand for havens amid policy uncertainty (source: @garyblack00 on X, Jan 12, 2026). According to @garyblack00, Brent crude fell after Iran reported security forces have full control of the country following two weeks of upheaval (source: @garyblack00 on X, Jan 12, 2026). According to @garyblack00, NVDA and TSLA are both down pre-market in line with the Nasdaq, reflecting broad tech weakness into the open (source: @garyblack00 on X, Jan 12, 2026).