Real-time News

Market news: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Rome. He plans to meet with the Pope soon, followed by Italian Prime Minister Meloni.

On December 9th, the European Commission announced an antitrust investigation into Google to assess whether its use of content from online publishers and YouTube for artificial intelligence-related purposes violates EU competition rules. The statement noted, "The investigation will focus on whether Google distorts competition and disadvantages competitors' AI model developers by imposing unfair terms on publishers and content creators or by providing itself with privileged access to such content." The Commission expressed concern that Google may be using content from online publishers to generate its AI-driven services on search results pages without providing publishers with adequate compensation or the option to refuse such authorization. The Commission also expressed concern that Google is using content uploaded to YouTube to train its own generative AI models without compensation or the right of creators to refuse.

Market news: European regulators will investigate whether Google (GOOG.O) has violated competition laws.

On Tuesday, December 9, the Hang Seng Index closed down 331.13 points, or 1.29%, at 25,434.23; the Hang Seng Tech Index closed down 107.87 points, or 1.9%, at 5,554.68; the H-share Index closed down 147.12 points, or 1.62%, at 8,936.41; and the Red Chip Index closed down 87.79 points, or 2.08%, at 4,130.49.

On Tuesday, December 9th, the German DAX 30 index opened 25.31 points higher, or 0.11%, at 24081.00; the UK FTSE 100 index opened 6.34 points lower, or 0.07%, at 9638.75; the French CAC 40 index opened 5.96 points higher, or 0.07%, at 8114.39; the Euro Stoxx 50 index opened 7.06 points higher, or 0.12%, at 5732.65; the Spanish IBEX 35 index opened 13.93 points higher, or 0.08%, at 16726.13; and the Italian FTSE MIB index opened 146.18 points higher, or 0.34%, at 43579.00.

On December 9th, a team led by Morgan Stanley analyst Kathleen Oh wrote in a report that the South Korean won is poised to strengthen next year, recovering from its significant depreciation against the US dollar in the second half of 2025. They stated that South Korea's improving economic fundamentals provide room for a won rebound, projecting South Korea's GDP growth at 1.9% in 2026, up from 1.1% in 2025. The report also noted that the narrowing interest rate differential between the US and South Korea could further benefit the won, as the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates three more times, while the Bank of Korea is likely to maintain its current interest rate during the current easing cycle. The analysts added that capital outflows from South Korea are expected to remain stable in 2026.

Sources indicate that the National Pension Service of South Korea is suspected of hedging its currency and selling off US dollars starting Tuesday.

December 9th - Market pricing indicates a near 90% probability of a 25 basis point rate cut by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, but analysts at BNY Mellon (BNY) say investors should pay attention to guidance from voting disagreements. They noted, "There are several other points to watch at this meeting, including how much support there is within the committee for the expected rate cut—will there be dissenting votes like at the October FOMC meeting?" Additionally, the Fed will release new interest rate path projections (i.e., the dot plot) as part of its quarterly Summary of Economic Projections. The analysts added, "Finally, we are likely to hear the Fed announce its readiness to provide liquidity support to the money markets at the end of the year and into 2026."

Hong Kong-listed pharmaceutical company Jieankang-B (02617.HK) plunged more than 10% in late trading.

Stellantis (STLA.N): Both companies will work closely with European regulators to comply with relevant standards.

GFZ (German Geosciences Research Center): A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck the west coast of northern Sumatra.

Stellaris (STLA.N): Autonomous driving trials (with European ride-hailing platform Bolt) will begin in European countries starting in 2026, with initial industrial production planned to begin in 2029.

Stellar (STLA.N): Stellar has partnered with European ride-hailing platform Bolt to accelerate the large-scale deployment of driverless mobility in Europe.

Germany's seasonally adjusted imports fell 1.2% month-on-month in October, compared with a forecast of -0.5% and a previous reading of 3.10%.

Germany's seasonally adjusted exports rose 0.1% month-on-month in October, compared with an expected decline of 0.5% and a previous increase of 1.40%.

On December 9th, the Lithuanian government declared a state of emergency due to a threat to public safety posed by smuggling balloons originating from Belarus. Lithuania accuses Belarus of allowing smugglers to use weather balloons to transport smuggled cigarettes across borders, an act that has repeatedly forced Vilnius airport to suspend operations and disrupt air traffic. The duration of the emergency measures is unclear. Belarus, which allowed its territory to be used by Russia in its 2022 military operation against Ukraine, has denied responsibility for the balloon incidents and has accused Lithuania of provocation, including claims that Lithuania sent drones to drop "extremist material." The Lithuanian government has refuted these accusations as unfounded.

On December 9th, according to futures market news: 1. WTI crude oil futures trading volume was 697,870 lots, an increase of 48,746 lots from the previous trading day. Open interest was 1,890,285 lots, a decrease of 28,250 lots from the previous trading day. 2. Brent crude oil futures trading volume was 111,046 lots, an increase of 15,271 lots from the previous trading day. Open interest was 221,246 lots, a decrease of 98 lots from the previous trading day. 3. Natural gas futures trading volume was 910,202 lots, a decrease of 197,114 lots from the previous trading day. Open interest was 1,569,215 lots, an increase of 476 lots from the previous trading day.