EUR/USD
1.18654
-0.072%
Gold
5028.48
-0.081%
Oil
62.803
0.332%
USD/JPY
152.770
0.012%
GBP/USD
1.36480
-0.056%
GBP/JPY
208.504
-0.045%
Real-time News
On February 16th, according to the Financial Times, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Elon Musk and other tech executives that in the UK, "no platform has a passport" when it comes to illegal content. This comes as the Prime Minister is tightening online safety regulations following a scandal involving xAIs Grok chatbot. The government stated it will seek the power to "act swiftly" to close legal loopholes, explicitly bringing AI chatbots such as Grok, Googles Gemini, and OpenAIs ChatGPT under the jurisdiction of the Cybersecurity Act, alongside social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Starmer cited Musks AI company xAI and its Grok chatbot (which was used this year to generate pornographic images of women and children, triggering an investigation by the UK communications regulator Ofcom) as an example, saying, "Our actions with Grok send a clear message: no platform has a passport."Conflict Status: 1. A Ukrainian drone strike in Luhansk injured 19 people. 2. Russian forces claim they have taken control of 12 settlements previously held by Ukrainian forces this month. 3. Ukrainian military: Attacked the Taman oil terminal in Russias Krasnodar region. 4. Russian forces stated they have occupied the village of Tsvetkove in Ukraines Zaporizhzhia region. 5. The local governor stated that the port of Taman in Russias Krasnodar region was attacked by drones. Oil storage tanks, warehouses, and the dock at Taman port were damaged in the attack. Peace Negotiations: 1. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister: Russia is willing to discuss with the US and other parties the introduction of an external governance mechanism to Ukraine. 2. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kalas: It seems EU countries are not yet ready to give Ukraine a specific date for joining the EU. February 16th - On February 15th local time, Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó posted on his personal social media that, due to Ukraines continued suspension of transit transport through the "Friendship" oil pipeline, Hungary and Slovakia have sought assistance from Croatia, hoping to transport Russian crude oil via the "Adriatic" pipeline. Szijjártó stated that Hungary and Slovakia had previously secured the right to continue purchasing cheap Russian crude oil through the "Friendship" pipeline, and this sanction exemption also includes the option of purchasing Russian crude oil by sea if transit via the pipeline becomes unfeasible.Domestic News: 1. Wang Yi meets with Canadian Foreign Minister Anand. 2. 2026 Spring Festival film pre-sales exceed 400 million yuan. 3. The Cyberspace Administration of China announces the fourth batch of 7 financial information service institutions. 4. The Chinese Consulate General in Osaka reminds Chinese citizens in its consular district to strengthen security precautions. 5. Heilongjiang Province issues the "Heilongjiang Province Artificial Intelligence+ Government Affairs Deepening Application Work Plan". 6. Qiushi magazine publishes an important article by General Secretary Xi Jinping entitled "Key Tasks of Current Economic Work". 7. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China decides to implement a visa-free policy for holders of ordinary passports from Canada and the United Kingdom starting February 17. 8. Guotou UBS Silver LOF compensation plan released: losses under 1,000 yuan will be fully compensated, and online processing will be available starting February 26. International News: 1. Tajikistan reportedly plans to launch gold ATM services. 2. European Central Bank President Lagarde opposes using taxes to prevent capital outflows. 3. Musk: Optimus robots will change human life starting next year. 4. According to Axios: The US Department of Defense threatens to cut off cooperation with Anthropic. 5. Obama responds to Trumps mockery of Ukraine as an ape: The "sense of shame" and "manners" that once bound American public officials have now vanished. 6. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Karas: It seems that EU countries are not yet ready to give Ukraine a specific date for joining the EU. 7. US-Iran negotiations—① According to the BBC: Iran is prepared to consider compromises to reach a nuclear agreement if the US is willing to discuss lifting sanctions. ② A senior Iranian official confirmed that the second round of indirect negotiations with the US will be held in Geneva on Tuesday. ③ Irans Deputy Foreign Minister: Iran and the US have included issues such as oil and gas, mineral investment, and even aircraft procurement in the negotiating text. ④ Iran reiterates that its right to peaceful use of nuclear energy is inalienable.February 15th - Nick Timiraos, a vocal advocate for the Federal Reserve, wrote that key indicators of the U.S. economy are pointing in the same positive direction: inflation is declining, the labor market remains strong, and economic growth is solid. This is not a definitive conclusion, but it represents the closest the U.S. economy has ever come to a soft landing (i.e., curbing inflation while avoiding a recession). Just four years ago, many economists thought this was impossible. Now, the scenario of the U.S. economy bringing inflation back to the Feds 2% target without falling into recession is once again credible. However, even without oxygen masks, its too early to unfasten the seatbelts. The Feds preferred inflation gauge, the core PCE annual rate, is currently close to 3%, and many forecasters expect little progress in inflation this year as tariff-related price increases spread further. Meanwhile, the labor market may not be as robust as last weeks report suggested. Payden & Rygels chief economist, Jeffrey Cleveland, stated that objectively speaking, the labor market has been weak, and the unemployment rate is more likely to rise than fall this year.
