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.American family wealth climbed to a record high thanks to the rise of the stock market. Driven by the rise of the stock market before the US presidential election, American family wealth reached a record high in the third quarter. According to a report released by the Federal Reserve on Thursday, household net assets increased by nearly 4.8 trillion US dollars, up 2.9% from the previous quarter, reaching 168.8 trillion US dollars. The value of American stock holdings increased by 3.8 trillion US dollars, while the value of real estate decreased by nearly 200 billion US dollars. In the third quarter, investors benefited from the stock market rally, as the market expected the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and Donald Trump to return to the White House next year. Since Trump won the election on November 5, the S&P 500 index has climbed to a new high due to the market expectation that the president-elect will promulgate a pro-business policy.Market News: Volkswagen Audi will stop production in Brussels before February 28th.
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.On December 12th, local time, the reporter learned that the court documents submitted that day showed that Alexander smirnoff, an FBI informant who had been accused of fabricating US President Barack joseph robinette and his son hunter biden to accept millions of dollars in bribes, had agreed to plead guilty. It is understood that smirnoff reached a plea agreement with David Weiss, special adviser of the Ministry of Justice. According to the agreement, the two sides will recommend a prison term of at least 48 months and no more than 72 months.Morgan stanley capital international's MSCI Nordic Countries Index fell 0.4% to 381.97. Evolution AB Group, an online gambling operator, fell 3.4%, which was the worst among the constituent stocks.
Southeast Asian Stock Market | On Thursday (December 12), the Vietnam Stock Exchange index closed down 0.12% at 1267.35 points. Vietnam Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange /VN 30 Index closed down 0.07% at 1335.55 points.The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke through the 44,000.00 mark, and the latest report was 43,999.94, down 0.34% in the day.Spot gold fell below $2,680 per ounce, down 1.38% in the day. COMEX gold futures fell 2.00% in the day and are now reported at $2701.50 per ounce.