Trump: Announcing Fed Chair Soon; BP’s First Female CEO | Horizons Middle East & Africa 12/18/2025

Financial Markets & Economy - Asian stocks fell, tracking Wall Street concerns [1][47] - US 10-year Treasury yield decreased by one basis point to 414.11% [4][49] - Markets anticipate the Bank of England (BOE) to cut interest rates by 25 basis points [5][21][50] - Gold's upward momentum may be tested, but the broader uptrend remains intact [6][51] - US President Trump announced plans to award over 1450 thousand military service members a special $1776 "Warrior Dividend" before Christmas [10] - The market is pricing in around 40 basis points of rate cuts after today's rate cut [60] Central Bank Decisions & Monetary Policy - The White House interviewed Christopher Waller as a potential Fed Chair, who supports more Fed rate cuts [4][49] - The BOE decision is expected, with market sentiment anticipating a 25 basis point cut [5][21][50] - Markets are closely watching the BOJ (Bank of Japan) [8][30] - The ECB (European Central Bank) is likely to hold rates steady, with new economic forecasts expected [84][85] Company News & Industry Specifics - BP appointed Meg O'Neil as CEO, making her the first female CEO in Big Oil [1][31] - Oracle is pulling out of a financing deal for a data center, raising concerns around AI valuations [2][7][53] - Woodside shares slid after Meg O'Neil's move to BP [30] - OpenAI is in talks to raise tens of billions of dollars at a $750 billion valuation [38] - Japan's Kirin Group is buying a majority stake in East African Breweries for $773 million [76][77] - Israel approved a $35 billion deal to supply natural gas to Egypt from 2026-2040 [74][75]