Even with gold and silver’s historic rallies, the top medals awarded at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina won’t be the most valuable prize—for most athletes, it’s the cash and other perks.

At least 37 of the 92 countries and territories competing in the Games (which officially begin today) offer cash bonuses to any of their athletes who step onto the podium, ranging from around $3,000 for competitors from New Zealand to more than $760,000 for athletes from Singapore and Hong Kong. Other perks can include a monthly stipend for life, a car or vacations.

Of course, some of the competitors are already paid handsomely, including the highest-paid Olympian, Eileen Gu, the 22-year-old American-born freestyle skier who has earned $23 million off the slopes over the past year.

Amazon reported fourth-quarter earnings Thursday that fell below Wall Street’s estimates, sending shares of the e-commerce giant plummeting in after-hours trading after it projected massive spending for 2026. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a statement the company anticipated capital expenditures of $200 billion in 2026, citing “strong” demand for AI, chips, robotics and low-orbit satellites.

Bitcoin’s losing streak continued Thursday, as the cryptocurrency fell 13% and dipped below the $65,000 mark as of mid-afternoon. Bitcoin began faltering in mid-January amid geopolitical instability, as investors sought assets with more security, like silver and gold.

This year is off to a tumultuous start in terms of the labor market, with the worst January for U.S. job cuts since 2009, according to the latest report from consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The surge in layoffs, including at major firms like UPS and Amazon, comes as official government numbers have been delayed, limiting clarity around the true state of the labor market.

Volvo blamed President Donald Trump’s tariffs for its steep decline in quarterly revenue that led the Swedish firm’s stock to a 22% stock........

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