Real-time News

The UK's Rightmove average house price index rose 0% year-on-year in February, compared to 0.50% previously.

The UK's Rightmove average asking price index rose 0% month-on-month in February, compared to 2.80% previously.

Government report: Japan's real GDP is projected to grow by 1.1% year-on-year in 2025.

China Silver Group: It will allot and issue a total of 910 million subscription shares at a price of HK$0.51 per share.

Japan's nominal GDP grew at a preliminary rate of 0.6% quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter, compared with a previous reading of -0.10%.

Japan's preliminary annualized GDP deflator for the fourth quarter was 3.4%, compared to 3.40% in the previous quarter.

Japan's fourth-quarter GDP growth rate for corporate spending was 0.2% quarter-on-quarter, below the expected 0.8% and the previous reading of -0.20%.

Japan's fourth-quarter GDP private consumption growth rate was 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, below the expected 0.10% and the previous value of 0.20%.

Japan's fourth-quarter real GDP annualized quarterly growth rate was 0.2%, below the expected 1.60% and the previous value of -2.30%.

Japan's fourth-quarter real GDP growth rate was 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, below the expected 0.40% and the previous reading of -0.60%.

Market news: The Trump administration has canceled emissions credits from the Environmental Protection Agency for vehicles equipped with start-stop technology, ending a program designed to incentivize automakers to install fuel-saving systems that shut off the engine when stopped at red lights.

February 16th - Analysts predict Asian stocks will rise on Monday after recent selling pressure in US stocks eased and inflation data supported expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut this year. Japanese and Australian stock index futures also foreshadow gains. In early Sydney trading, the US dollar was largely unchanged against major currencies. The calm in the market suggests overall risk sentiment is supported after several weeks of declines in the S&P 500, driven by concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on industries ranging from software to logistics.

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 xAI's Grok chatbot. The government stated it will seek the power to "act swiftly" to close legal loopholes, explicitly bringing AI chatbots such as Grok, Google's Gemini, and OpenAI's ChatGPT under the jurisdiction of the Cybersecurity Act, alongside social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Starmer cited Musk's 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 Russia's Krasnodar region. 4. Russian forces stated they have occupied the village of Tsvetkove in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. 5. The local governor stated that the port of Taman in Russia's 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 Ukraine's 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.

February 15th - European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde stated during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday that current market developments indicate investors are interested in allocating more capital to Europe. Creating incentives for European investment is a better approach than using taxes to prevent capital outflows. Lagarde believes that US President Trump's disruptive trade policies serve as a "spur" for Europe to accelerate economic reforms. Beyond economic challenges, this has also brought European leaders closer together. She stated that the EU's €90 billion ($107 billion) support package for Ukraine demonstrates that the union can drive meaningful decision-making even if not all member states support an agreement.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: The United States has taken note of reports from various countries assessing the poisoning of prominent Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. The United States does not question this assessment, nor is there any reason to question it.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that President Trump's aide Witkov and Trump's son-in-law Kushner are "at this moment" traveling to Iran for an important meeting on Iran.