Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson said the EU must move ahead with a proposal to deploy frozen Russian central bank assets for Ukraine, given a lack of other options https://t.co/CNCgcI5U3A ...

Geopolitical Developments & Market Impact - A 20-point proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, agreed upon by U S President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, awaits Hamas approval, potentially impacting regional stability and oil markets [1][5][38] - Qatar's role as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas is crucial for the ceasefire, requiring a face-saving gesture, such as Israel expressing regret for a past attack [8][9][10] - The Israeli Shekel has strengthened against the USD by approximately 10% this year, reflecting the impact of geopolitical developments on local markets [46] - RBA (澳大利亚储备银行) holds cash rate at 36%, notes uncertainties in global environment and upside risks to inflation [40][41][42][43] Economic & Financial Market Trends - Looming U S government shutdown raises market risk, potentially delaying crucial jobs data release and impacting monetary policy assessment [2][3][23][25][44] - Gold hits record highs, massively outperforming Bitcoin, driven by uncertainty and a pullback in USD, with potential for further gains amid Fed rate cuts [3][4][23][32][33][44] - The market has aggressively priced in 3-4 rate cuts by June 2026, making upcoming jobs market data pivotal for determining monetary policy [27] - Potential tariffs on imports of timber and lumber, particularly impacting Canada, add to market uncertainty [23][39] - MSCI China is logging five-month gains, the longest streak since 2018, driven by better-than-expected PMI data and geopolitical signals [48] Energy Sector - Brent crude oil is slipping down by 08% ahead of the OPEC Plus meeting, where increased supply is expected [4] - The oil market is bearish due to well-supplied conditions, with focus on Iran snapback and Russia-Ukraine conflict, leading to investment in gold over oil [52][53] - Afentra is cautious about oil price volatility, focusing on a strong balance sheet and strategic acquisitions [64][65][66] - Nigeria's government intervenes to resolve a clash between the petroleum and natural gas association and oil labor group, potentially impacting crude production of 650 thousand barrels a day [76][77][78]

Committee. Senator, it's good to have you here. It's not what we expected that we would be talking about this evening.But can you weigh in on this. Your reaction to what took place, how we got here, and whether we need to have a serious conversation about Capitol Police security for lawmakers like yourself. Well, let me begin just by offering my condolences, my thoughts, my prayers to Charlie's family, to his spouse and to their children.This is not something that any of us on either side of any political a ...

Welcome back to Squbox. This morning, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson will reportedly begin interviewing candidates this Friday to be the next Federal Reserve chair. The Wall Street Journal reporting that interviews will continue next week.It'll be conducted either in person or via video conference. Among the nearly dozen candidates that have been mentioned as potential picks to head the US Central Bank, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hasset's on that list, former Fed Governor Kevin Worsh, we've h ...

A jellyfish museum on the site of Ukraine’s most important historical events seemed like a joke. Now, it’s exactly what everyone needs. https://t.co/BgIPM3Fk2k ...

Geopolitical Analysis - The senator believes the peace process is stalled, questioning Russia's sincerity and suggesting potential deception by Putin towards the US president [1] - Russia's actions, such as bombing a US electronics factory, are seen as provocative and indicative of them misleading the president [2] - The summit is considered a failure, not advancing the interests of the US, Ukraine, or allies [3] - Putin allegedly achieved his objectives without making concessions on a ceasefire, despite demands from the US president [3] - Putin faced no new sanctions from the US, despite prior promises from President Trump [4] National Security Implications - A strong, sovereign, independent, and democratic Ukraine is identified as a US national security interest [2] - The US administration is allegedly hindering Ukraine's ability to defend itself by preventing the use of weapons to attack Russia on Russian soil [4]

From @WSJopinion: How to Think About Trump and Ukraine by @Peggynoonannyc https://t.co/h0RPpff4cU ...

Geopolitical Stance - US President Trump rules out sending US troops to Ukraine [1] - This decision was made despite expressing openness to the idea during talks with Zelensky and other European leaders [1]

Geopolitical Implications - The report indicates that the U S President Trump stated Ukraine will not join NATO [1]

Yeah. I mean, if you think about it, after the Soviet Union collapsed, you had the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, Eastern Europe, and they were kind of in limbo. Many of these countries had been invaded either by the Russian Empire, by the Soviet Union.They didn't really have any place. And so it was the right thing to do was to include them in NATO, to make sure that, I mean, there were territorial disputes between a number of these countries, Romania and Hungary and others, to make sure that they we ...