Group 1 - Wall Street is experiencing a lack of the traditional Santa rally due to inflation concerns and geopolitical tensions [1][5] - U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, increasing geopolitical tensions [3] - Warner Bros Discovery's board is expected to advise shareholders against Paramount Skydance's $108.4 billion takeover bid [3] Group 2 - British consumer price inflation unexpectedly fell to 3.2% in November from 3.6% in October, potentially influencing the Bank of England's interest rate decisions [4] - The Labour government in Britain is considering options to boost the economy, including AI-driven productivity or closer trading ties with the EU [4] - China's steel production in November was the weakest in nearly two years, leading to the lowest annual output since 2018 [5]

“[Tuesday’s] data paints a picture of an economy catching its breath,” said Gina Bolvin, president of Bolvin Wealth Management Group. “Job growth is holding on, but cracks are forming. Consumers are still standing, but not sprinting.”The U.S. Labor Department’s report on Tuesday showed that nonfarm payrolls rose by +64K in November after declining by -105K in October. At the same time, the U.S. unemployment rate rose to a 4-year high of 4.6% in November, weaker than expectations of 4.5%. Also, U.S. November ...

The British pound weakened against other major currencies in the European session on Wednesday, after U.K. inflation slowed more than expected in November. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the consumer price index rose 3.2 percent year-on-year, slower than the 3.6 percent increase in October. Inflation was forecast to ease marginally to 3.5 percent.On a monthly basis, the CPI dropped 0.2 percent, in contrast to the 0.4 percent rise posted in October. Prices were expected to remain f ...

President Donald Trump has touted a $2,000 “dividend” check for each American tied to tariff revenue. While this concept has been talked about publicly, it has not finalized or approved by Congress. Read Next: Trump’s $2K Dividend: What Middle-Income Americans Could Expect Find Out: How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too Still, the idea of another stimulus package raises a useful question for investors: If checks like that ever did go out, what could happen to t ...

Market Performance - Hong Kong stocks rebounded from a three-week low, with the Hang Seng Index rising 0.9% to 25,468.78, while the Hang Seng Tech Index gained 1% [1] - The CSI 300 Index on the mainland climbed 1.8%, and the Shanghai Composite Index added 1.2% [1] Company Movements - China Life Insurance increased by 4.3% to HK$28.56, and Li Ning also rose by 4.3% to HK$19.07 [3] - Pop Mart International Group saw a gain of 3.4% to HK$195.70 [3] - ENN Energy declined by 2.4% to HK$69.90, and Techtronic Industries retreated by 2% to HK$89.80 [3] Economic Indicators - The US added 64,000 jobs in November, improving from a loss of 105,000 jobs in the previous month, but the unemployment rate rose to 4.56% from 4.44% in September [5] - Analysts suggest that the US jobs market is cooling but on track for a soft landing, indicating limited urgency for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in January [5] - Investors are looking forward to the November US inflation data, with core consumer prices expected to rise by 2.9% year-on-year, down from a 3.02% increase in September [6]

This could be something that we feel at the start of trade here in Europe. Footsie futures are cool, quite a bit higher than all the futures here in Europe. And I note that it was some of the oil majors that weighed on the London market yesterday.And so, I mean, that might be there might be little else to say about that phenomenon, but we might see some of outperformance by London as a result of that. Yeah, I mean, we definitely could see that. I think, you know, the oil story is a smaller story within the ...

Market Overview - The U.S. stock market is experiencing a decline, with the S&P 500 down 0.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 271 points or 0.6% as of 1:53 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite remains mostly unchanged [1] - Treasury yields have eased slightly after an initial drop, with the 10-year Treasury yield falling to 4.16% from 4.18% and the two-year Treasury yield easing to 3.48% from 3.51% [6] Economic Data - Recent mixed economic data has created uncertainty regarding future interest rate movements, with the U.S. unemployment rate reported at its worst level since 2021, but job additions exceeding economists' expectations [2][3] - A report indicated that revenue growth for U.S. retailers in October was stronger than anticipated, suggesting underlying economic strength [2] Inflation and Price Pressures - A report released indicated that average selling prices for businesses are rising sharply, with one of the fastest rates since mid-2022, while overall business activity growth has slowed to its weakest level since June [5] - Higher prices are being attributed to tariffs, affecting both manufacturing and services sectors, leading to broader affordability issues [6] Company-Specific Developments - Oracle's stock rose 2.4% and Broadcom's by 0.1%, despite previous sharp losses, as both companies reported stronger-than-expected quarterly profits [7] - CoreWeave, which provides access to AI chips, saw a decline of 4.9%, raising questions about the profitability of current AI technology investments [8] - Pfizer's stock fell 5.2% after providing a profit forecast for 2026 that was below analysts' expectations, although its revenue forecast for next year aligns closely with expectations [8] - Kraft Heinz's stock fell 0.1% following the announcement of Steve Cahillane as the new CEO, effective January 1, as the company prepares to split into two entities by the second half of 2026 [9] Global Market Trends - Stock markets in Europe and Asia experienced declines, with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping 1.6% ahead of an anticipated interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan [10] - South Korea's Kospi fell 2.2%, while indexes in Hong Kong and Shanghai dropped by 1.5% and 1.1%, respectively [10]

>> GOOD MORNING, HAPPY WEDNESDAY. THESE ARE THE STORIES THAT SET YOUR AGENDA. THE DOLLAR EDGES HIGHER, TREASURIES TRIM RECENT GAINS.TWO RATE CUTS NEXT YEAR AND THE U.S. LABOR MARKET CONTINUING TO COOL. OIL REBOUND FROM ITS LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 2021 AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP ORDERS A COMPLETE LOCATE OF SANCTIONED TANKERS GOING INTO AN OUT OF VENEZUELA. BLOOMBERG LEARNS THAT WARNER BROS.IS PREPARING TO REJECT PARAMOUNT'S HOSTILE BID AS THE U.S. PRESIDENTS SON-IN-LAW WITHDRAWS FROM THE TAKEOVER BATTLE. AFTER MIXED P ...

Inflation drops more than expected and OpenAI hires George Osborne -- get briefed ahead of your morning calls with The London Rush https://t.co/sBRKmQK6Sk ...

The pound headed for its biggest one-day drop in a month after UK inflation came in softer than expected https://t.co/9quR4hEfoN ...