African stock market | On Thursday (December 12th), the FTSE /JSE Africa Top 40 tradable index closed down 0.18% to 78,341.48 points. The South African rand is currently down 0.58% against the US dollar, reaching a fresh low of 17.8027 rand.Expert: The Central Economic Work Conference has determined that the tone of monetary policy in 2025 is "moderately loose". Dong Ximiao, the chief researcher of Zhaolian and a part-time researcher at the Institute of Finance of Fudan University, believes that the Central Economic Work Conference has determined that the tone of monetary policy in 2025 is "moderately loose" not only because of the analysis of the current economic situation, but also because of the full consideration of external uncertainties and the planning of economic work next year. Looking forward to the follow-up, in 2025, moderately loose monetary policy can continue to exert its strength in three aspects, which is more forward-looking, effective and targeted. First, it is necessary to intensify counter-cyclical and cross-cyclical adjustment, make pre-adjustment in an unconventional way, let policy adjustment go ahead of the market curve, help the macro economy smooth out cyclical fluctuations and external shocks, and show forward-looking; Second, continue to reduce the RRR and interest rates. In 2025, the RRR can be lowered by 0.5 percentage points, the policy interest rate will be lowered by 50 basis points, and the LPR will be reduced by 25 basis points, thus ensuring more abundant liquidity in the total amount, moderately reducing costs and enhancing effectiveness; Third, make good use of the existing structural monetary policy tools, create new tools when necessary, enrich the "eighteen martial arts" in the toolbox, guide and support financial institutions to do the "five major articles", especially increase support for scientific and technological innovation, green development, consumer finance, etc., and reflect pertinence. (Xinhua Finance)Freddie Mac: mortgage interest rates dropped for three weeks to 6.60%.
A quick look at the authority of Xinhua News Agency | The Central Economic Work Conference in 2024 will set the tone for economic work next year.Shell Ocean Company: It is estimated that in 2026, two wells of PERDIDO SPAR operated by Shell in the Gulf of Mexico will be put into production for the first time.President of the European Central Bank: The euro zone economy continues to be weak and is still preparing to cut interest rates further. On December 12, local time, after the European Central Bank announced its decision to cut all three key interest rates by 25 basis points, President Lagarde of the European Central Bank subsequently held a press conference. She said that the Governing Council of the European Central Bank unanimously agreed to cut interest rates by 25 basis points, mainly based on the latest assessment of the current inflationary pressure, future prospects and the transmission degree of monetary policy to the real economy. On the same day, the European Central Bank also released the latest macroeconomic forecast, further lowering its expectations for economic growth in the euro zone. Lagarde said that poor economic development and continued weakness are worrying. She said that trade friction may drag down economic growth, and extensive geopolitical development is one of the upward risks of inflation. In view of the fact that the current economic growth in the euro zone is hit by domestic political instability in various countries, especially large economies such as Germany and France, and may face the threat of punitive tariffs imposed by US President-elect Trump, the European Central Bank is still preparing to cut interest rates further. Lagarde said that the ECB Council is determined to ensure that inflation is sustainable and stable at the medium-term target of 2%. The next interest rate decision is scheduled for January 30, 2025.
YiXixi sovereign bond yields in the euro zone rose by about 16 basis points at most. In 2024, the European Central Bank cut interest rates three times. The yield of French 10-year government bonds rose by 9.5 basis points to 2.987%, approaching the top of 3.032% on November 28th. US stocks briefly fell before the market, and reached a new low of 2.880% at 22:07 Beijing time (during the press conference of European Central Bank President Lagarde). The yield of Italian 10-year government bonds rose by 15.7 basis points to 3.348%, approaching the top of 3.410% on November 28th, and was on the rise all day, reaching a daily low of 3.218% at 21:56 (during Lagarde's press conference). Spain's 10-year bond yields rose by 11.6 basis points, while Greece's 10-year bond yields rose by 13.5 basis points.Morgan Stanley raised the S&P global target price from $570.00 to $595.00.Google: Sony and other companies plan to use the Android XR operating system in their devices.