Bonds & Stocks
US equity futures struggled for direction, as optimism over China’s monetary-policy shift was tempered by an upsurge in geopolitical risk and the likelihood of another sticky inflation print in the US this week. Contracts on the Nasdaq 100 eased 0.2% and those on the S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, after rising earlier following China’s pledge to embrace a “moderately loose” strategy next year.
Economy
President-elect Donald Trump said he has no plans to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell once he returns to the White House, saying “I don’t see it.”
Powell, whose term as Fed chair expires in May 2026, told reporters last month that he wouldn’t step aside early if Trump asked for his resignation.
World
The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria represents a personal defeat for Russian President Vladimir Putin and a potentially serious strategic setback for his military that undermines Moscow’s global ambitions.