Key Takeaways:
- 💲 U.S. dollar gains against major currencies following strong retail sales data
- 📈 Markets anticipate a 25-basis-point interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve
- 🛍️ U.S. retail sales exceeded expectations with a 0.7% increase in November
- 🇬🇧 British pound strengthens after British wage growth data
- 🇨🇳 Dollar weakened against the offshore Chinese yuan
- 🇸🇪 Sweden’s Riksbank expected to cut rates, Norges Bank likely to keep rates unchanged
- 🎢 Bitcoin rose near $110,000 before paring gains and trading at $106,798.26
- 💸 2025 inflation expected to rise to 2.6%
- 🏰 Crossbasket Castle in Glasgow to open £20m hotel and restaurant overseen by Michel Roux Jr in March 2025
- 🚓 Council tax in England and Wales to increase to fund policing by 3.5%
- 💍 Couples lost average of £468 to wedding scams, with a 25% rise in personal insolvencies
- 🚇 London tube and rail fares to increase by 4.6% in March 2025
- 💵 Market shows signs of fewer anticipated UK interest rate cuts in 2025
- 📲 Chinese online marketplace Temu most downloaded app in the UK in 2024
- 🎄 No Christmas rate cut expected from the Bank of England due to rising inflation and other economic factors
- 🥘 Supermarkets offer affordable festive meal deals and Christmas items at reduced prices.
- 🌐 Bank of England to announce rate decision while Bank of Japan and Swedish Riksbank expected to cut rates
- 📊 U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.17% to 106.97
- 💷 Pound sterling strengthened due to British wage growth exceeding expectations
- 🌍 Market debates the potential fading of the dollar’s strength amid U.S. exceptionalism and global challenges.
- 💵 U.S. dollar rose against major currencies driven by better-than-expected retail sales
Geopolitical Key Takeaways:
- 💣 The Ukrainian security service claimed responsibility for the assassination of a senior Russian general in Moscow
- 🔥 Moscow intensified attacks in Ukrainian-held territory in Russia’s Kursk region
- 🇨🇳 Russia was reported to be using North Korean troops in the conflict
- 🔍 German police are investigating a case of attempted homicide involving a Russian dissident’s mother
- 🕊️ Questions about deploying foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine could arise in upcoming meetings with European leaders
- 🚀 Putin’s focus on the Oreshnik ballistic missile indicates possible off-ramps from nuclear sabre-rattling in the conflict
- 🎂 A 101-year-old Second World War veteran visited wounded Ukrainian troops for her birthday
The U.S. dollar strengthened against major currencies due to positive retail sales data, while markets anticipated a Federal Reserve interest rate cut. In the UK, retail sales surpassed expectations, boosting the British pound. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions escalated, with the Ukrainian security service claiming responsibility for the assassination of a Russian general and Moscow intensifying attacks in Ukraine. Amidst economic fluctuations and geopolitical unrest, global markets grappled with uncertainties and potential impacts on financial landscapes.