<h1>AI-driven stock rally fuels record equity highs while government shutdown-related data delays raise market uncertainty.</h1> Global equity markets mostly rose as technology and AI-related stock buying pushed U.S. benchmarks to records, with chipmakers and AI partnerships driving gains. A U.S. government shutdown delayed key labor reports, creating uncertainty about job trends and the Fed's rate outlook, prompting markets to rely more on corporate announcements and sector news. Regional indices, commodity prices, and currencies moved modestly amid holiday closures and investors' concern about concentrated capital in AI stocks and potential bubble risk.