Real-time News

The China Earthquake Networks Center automatically determined that an earthquake of approximately magnitude 3.9 occurred near Luonan County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province at 20:58 on February 18. The final result is subject to the official rapid report.

On February 18th, the Austrian Deputy Minister of Energy stated that, with the changing energy supply structure in Europe, Austria is seeking to expand its renewable energy base and increase natural gas imports from Africa to avoid over-reliance on US liquefied natural gas (LNG). The EU plans to phase out Russian gas by 2027, and European countries are struggling to maintain affordable electricity prices. Many governments are concerned that, with Trump as US president, one dependence could be replaced by another. Austrian State Secretary for Energy Elisabeth Zetner stated, "In the current situation, US policy is unpredictable, therefore Austria is closely monitoring how to secure LNG from different sources."

A spokesperson for German Chancellor Merz said that Germany may nominate a German to serve as president of the European Central Bank.

The president of Moderna expressed hope that the flu vaccine could be launched on the market in the fall.

Market news: India and Sweden have launched joint research and cooperation in the fields of 5G, 6G, quantum technology and cybersecurity.

February 18 - According to Russian media reports on the 18th, Russia, the United States, and Ukraine did not sign any documents during the two-day trilateral talks in Geneva.

February 18th – Infineon CEO Jochen Hahnebeck stated that the German semiconductor manufacturer is well-positioned to benefit from the booming market for microchips for humanoid robots. “This could develop into a growth market similar to the high-performance semiconductor market for AI data centers today,” Hahnebeck said. He added that Infineon already has the capability to produce large quantities of microchips for humanoid robots, partly due to its business in autonomous driving and relatively limited need for developing new internal technologies.

February 18th - Tencent officially announced that its Yuanbao (元宝) daily active users (DAU) have exceeded 50 million, and monthly active users (MAU) have reached 114 million. The previous day, Tencent released a report on its Yuanbao 1 billion RMB cash giveaway campaign, showing that the Yuanbao Spring Festival main venue accumulated over 3.6 billion draws, and users completed over 1 billion AI tasks through the "Creation" section.

A German government spokesperson stated regarding the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and France that the German government is committed to maintaining, rather than terminating, this partnership.

Moody's shares rose 3% in pre-market trading after fourth-quarter revenue and profit exceeded expectations.

Hungarian Foreign Minister: Hungary has stopped shipping diesel fuel to Ukraine.

Moderna (MRNA.O): The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will begin reviewing its application for an investigational seasonal flu vaccine.

February 18th - Russian oil producers have cut their drilling pace for 2025 to its lowest level in three years, with a bleak outlook for production growth this year due to Western sanctions and a stronger ruble eroding revenues. Data shows that the country's total drilling footage last year was 29,140 kilometers, a 3.4% decrease from 2024. After reaching record levels in the first few months of 2025, drilling activity began to slow in June, falling by approximately 16% year-on-year in December.

Uber: Invests over $100 million to develop new high-capacity electric vehicle charging hubs.

Uber will also build DC fast charging stations at convenient parking spots in key cities.

The MBA 30-year fixed mortgage rate in the U.S. for the week ending February 13 was 6.17%, compared to 6.21% previously.

The MBA mortgage application activity index in the United States for the week ending February 13 was 339, compared with 329.9 in the previous week.

The MBA Mortgage Purchase Index for the week ending February 13 was 157.1, compared to 161.5 the previous week.