5 Things To Know: December 19, 2025

Group 1 - Japan's central bank raised its short-term interest rates to a three-decade high of 7.5%, contributing to an increase in the country's 10-year Treasury yield past 2% [1] - The Bank of Japan signaled readiness to tighten monetary policy further, indicating potential future rate hikes [1] Group 2 - Data center deals are projected to reach a record $61 billion in 2025, according to S&P Global [2] - European Union leaders have agreed to loan Ukraine over $100 billion to support its defense against Russia for the next two years [2] Group 3 - EU countries have not reached an agreement on a plan to utilize frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine's defense, leaving the matter unresolved [3] - House Republican leaders plan to vote in the new year on legislation to prohibit members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks [3] Group 4 - The U.S. government is moving towards potentially allowing sales of Nvidia's second most powerful AI chip, the H200 processor, to China [4] - The Commerce Department has sent license applications for the sales of Nvidia's H200 processor to the state energy and defense departments for review [4]