Real-time News

December 16 - According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, Japan, at approximately 2:38 p.m. local time on the 16th. The maximum tremor was felt as a 3, and the epicenter was 20 kilometers deep.

Bank of Thailand: Tightening gold-related transactions.

Berenberg: Lowered his price target for Ferrari (RACE.N) from $466 to $447.

Moscow court documents show that Russian grain trader Parada has filed a lawsuit against the Syrian State Grain Trading Company, seeking 10.7 billion rubles in damages.

According to the Financial Times, the Finnish Prime Minister warned that Russia would redeploy troops to NATO's eastern flank if a peace agreement is reached in Ukraine. He urged Europe to invest more in the defense of frontline countries.

According to the Financial Times, Greg Gut, head of Shell's M&A team, has resigned after the CEO rejected a takeover bid for BP.

December 16th, Futures News: Economies.com analysts' latest view: Spot gold has risen slightly in recent intraday trading, gaining initial bullish momentum thanks to the solid support level of $4300, further strengthened by its price action above the 50-day EMA. In the short term, the main bullish trend dominates, and spot gold is trading along the support line of this trend, further solidifying its upward momentum.

December 16th, Futures News: Economies.com analysts' latest view: WTI crude oil futures have continued to decline in recent intraday trading, reaching the key support level of $56.40, which was the potential target mentioned in our previous analysis. Currently, this support level is under threat of being broken, mainly because the price continues to be pressured below the 50-day moving average, and the dominant trend remains downward. Furthermore, the price is moving along the secondary support trendline of this trend, with negative pressure continuing to dominate the market.

December 16th, Futures News: Economies.com analysts' latest view: Brent crude oil futures prices continued to decline during the trading session, constrained by prices remaining below the 50-day EMA, with negative pressure persisting and further solidifying the dominance of the steep secondary downward wave in the short term. The current price is approaching the key support level of $60.00, which was also a potential target mentioned in our previous analysis. Although the Relative Strength Index (RSI) shows oversold signals, negative signals remain, further increasing the likelihood of a break below this support level.

The mayor of Moscow stated that Russian air defense forces shot down a drone flying towards Moscow.

According to HarmonyOS, the 10,000th Zunjie S800 has officially rolled off the production line at the Zunjie Super Factory.

On December 16th, Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Rodríguez issued a government statement on the 15th, claiming that Trinidad and Tobago assisted the United States in "stealing" Venezuelan oil tankers. The statement said that Trinidad and Tobago permitted the United States to install military radar on its territory to surround passing Venezuelan oil tankers, making Trinidad and Tobago an accomplice in the US aggression against Venezuela. The Venezuelan government is aware of Trinidad and Tobago's participation in the recent US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, which it considers an act of piracy and a violation of international law. The statement concluded by saying that the Venezuelan government has decided to immediately terminate all natural gas supply contracts, agreements, and related negotiations with Trinidad and Tobago.

December 16th - Two major Australian banks said on Tuesday they expect the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to resume interest rate hikes in February to address persistent price pressures in the economy. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia currently projects one rate hike next year to 3.85%, although economist Belinda Allen believes that "if economic growth is stronger and inflation is more sustained, a larger rate hike cycle could occur. The RBA's response function has become clearer, and the threshold for rate hikes is lower than previously expected." National Australia Bank's chief economist, Sally Auld, predicts two rate hikes in February and May, with a final rate of 4.1%.

December 16th - The 2026 Spring Festival holiday will last for nine days, driving outbound travel to surpass the 2025 Spring Festival. Data from Qunar.com shows that bookings for outbound flights and hotels in 2026 have already entered their peak season. Hotel bookings for popular outbound destinations have more than doubled; more people are choosing to travel in segments during the long holiday, resulting in two outbound travel peaks before and during the holiday. Qunar.com data shows that outbound flight bookings began to rise sharply a week before the Spring Festival holiday, with ticket prices half that of travel before the holiday. Thailand, South Korea, and Malaysia have become popular and cost-effective outbound destinations for the Spring Festival.

The Malaysian ringgit rose to 4.0840 against the US dollar, its highest level since early March 2021.

December 16 - According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, at approximately 11:45 a.m. local time on the 16th. The maximum intensity of the tremor was 3, and the focal depth was 100 kilometers.

On December 16th, the overnight SHIBOR was reported at 1.2760%, up 0.20 basis points; the 7-day SHIBOR was reported at 1.4290%, down 0.30 basis points; the 14-day SHIBOR was reported at 1.5100%, down 0.10 basis points; the 1-month SHIBOR was reported at 1.5370%, up 0.40 basis points; and the 3-month SHIBOR was reported at 1.5950%, up 0.40 basis points.

According to the Wall Street Journal, changes to Nvidia's (NVDA.O) chip cooling system have caused delays in the CoreWeave data center project.

On December 16th, Futures News reported that crude oil prices have recently experienced a continuous decline, with US crude oil once approaching the key support level of $56. The market remains focused on the manageable situation in South America and the smooth progress of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Market concerns about oversupply have further exacerbated the downward trend. Zhuochuang Information predicts that Trump's announcement of significant progress in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, coupled with market expectations that a European country may increase production after lifting restrictions, will further contribute to the oil market surplus. Therefore, oil prices will continue to be under pressure, and there are no positive factors for a short-term reversal.