European members of NATO are considering increasing the proportion of military expenditure. On the 12th, several European officials reported that some European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are considering increasing the proportion of national defense expenditure in their gross domestic product (GDP), from the current 2% to 3%.German 2-year bond yields rose by 1 basis point to 1.96%.Dutch International Bank: The European Central Bank will continue to cut interest rates in the new year, Carsten Brzeski, macro director of Dutch International Bank, wrote in a report to customers that the European Central Bank will take action again to reduce borrowing costs. The euro zone central bank cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday, in line with expectations. Inflation is still a worrying problem, but the resistance to growth is even greater, especially the financial crisis in France and the threat posed by the US tariff on European goods. He said that with the change in the tone of the European Central Bank, the bank may cut interest rates again in the new year.
The rise in food prices has pushed the wholesale inflation in the United States to accelerate unexpectedly. The prospect of interest rate cuts next year is uncertain. The wholesale inflation rate in the United States unexpectedly rose in November, and the soaring egg price masked the moderate impact of price increases in other regions. According to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday, the producer price index (PPI) rose by 0.4% month-on-month, the biggest increase since June, and economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected a median of 0.2%. PPI increased by 3% compared with the same period of last year, the biggest increase since the beginning of 2023. The core PPI excluding food and energy increased by 0.2% from the previous month and 3.4% from the same period of last year. The CPI report released on Wednesday showed that the core inflation rate in the United States remained firm for the fourth consecutive month. This series of data brought uncertainty to the outlook of prices and interest rates next year, especially when Trump threatened to raise import tariffs after taking office. Economists pay close attention to the PPI report because several of its breakdown data will affect the personal consumption expenditure price index (PCE) that the Federal Reserve is concerned about. Although PCE data will not be released before the Fed policy meeting next week, central bank officials will have a good understanding of the data according to CPI and PPI reports. The market generally expects the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by 25 basis points next week, but the pace of interest rate cuts is expected to slow down next year.German 2-year bond yields rose by 1 basis point to 1.96%.Macron said that it opposed the free trade agreement reached between the EU and MERCOSUR. On December 12th, local time, French President Macron, who was visiting Poland, said that he disagreed with the free trade agreement reached between the EU and MERCOSUR. Macron said that the impact of the agreement on the agricultural market caused widespread concern, and France would not sacrifice its agricultural sovereignty. On the same day, Macron also said that Europe must strengthen its investment in security, build a European defense base and reduce its strategic dependence on the outside world. The EU and MERCOSUR reached a trade agreement on December 6th. The Southern Common Market was established in 1991. At present, its members are Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, of which the first four are founding members. The vast majority of goods among member countries are free to trade without tariffs, and a unified foreign tariff policy is implemented. It is understood that the trade agreement needs to be approved by at least 15 of the 27 EU member States, and it needs to be voted by the European Parliament before it can be approved. France, Poland and Italy opposed the agreement. (CCTV News)
European Central Bank President Lagarde: Protectionism will lead to short-term inflation. European Central Bank President Lagarde: Protectionism will lead to short-term inflation. Higher tariffs may lead to inflation in the short term; The final impact of high tariffs on inflation is uncertain.Central Economic Work Conference: Appropriately raise the basic pension for retirees and raise the basic pension for urban and rural residents. The Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 11th to 12th. The meeting decided to do a good job in the following key tasks next year. It is mentioned that we should vigorously boost consumption, improve investment efficiency and expand domestic demand in all directions. We will implement special actions to boost consumption, promote low-and middle-income groups to increase income and reduce burdens, and enhance their spending power, willingness and level. Appropriately raise the basic pension for retirees, raise the basic pension for urban and rural residents, and raise the financial subsidy standard for medical insurance for urban and rural residents. Strengthen the expansion and implement the "two new" policies, innovate diversified consumption scenarios, expand service consumption, and promote the development of cultural tourism. Actively develop the starting economy, the ice and snow economy and the silver-haired economy. Strengthen top-down organization and coordination, and give greater support to the "two-fold" project. Appropriately increase investment in the central budget. Strengthen the coordination between finance and finance, and effectively promote social investment with government investment. Plan major projects in the Tenth Five-Year Plan as soon as possible. Vigorously implement urban renewal. Implement special actions to reduce the logistics cost of the whole society. (Xinhua News Agency)Central Economic Work Conference: Give play to the traction role of economic system reform and promote the landmark reform measures to be effective. The Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 11 to 12. The meeting proposed to complete the deepening and upgrading of state-owned enterprise reform with high quality and introduce the private economy promotion law. Carry out special actions to standardize law enforcement involving enterprises. Formulate guidelines for the construction of a unified national market. Strengthen supervision and promote the healthy development of platform economy. Make overall plans to promote the reform of the fiscal and taxation system and increase local independent financial resources. Deepen the comprehensive reform of investment and financing in the capital market, open up the blocking points of medium and long-term funds entering the market, and enhance the inclusiveness and adaptability of the capital market system. (Xinhua News Agency)