At least four killed in Israeli strike in Lebanon's Baalbek
An Israeli strike on a four-storey residential building has killed at least four people and wounded six others ...
U.S. stocks were mixed late Wednesday as traders digested comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who signaled that another interest rate cut in December is far from guaranteed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 edged slightly lower, while the Nasdaq climbed on continued gains
Investors trimmed bets on a December rate cut, now giving it a 71% probability, down from 90% previously. Earlier, markets initially rose following the Fed’s expected quarter-point interest rate cut and its announcement to restart limited Treasury purchases. Policymakers noted that the U.S. federal government shutdown constrained their decision-making process. The Fed lowered its overnight benchmark rate to 3.75%–4.00%, marking the second rate cut this year.
“Markets tend to overreact to news out of the Federal Reserve in the short term,” said Oliver Pursche, senior vice president at Wealthspire Advisors. “Chairman Powell indicated that another rate cut is not a foregone conclusion… The Fed is data dependent.”
Tech giant Nvidia provided a major boost, becoming the first company to reach a $5 trillion market valuation, with shares up 2.7%. Nvidia has gained over 50% this year, driving Wall Street’s AI rally.
By the close, the Dow fell 39.81 points (0.08%) to 47,666.56, the S&P 500 dropped 6.44 points (0.08%) to 6,884.45, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 76.39 points (0.32%) to 23,903.89.
Investors are also watching results from major tech firms due after the bell, including Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Alphabet, which could influence market direction in the coming days.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
China’s top leadership has unveiled a new push to turn advanced technologies into large-scale industrial priorities as part of the country’s upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, which will guide economic and social development from 2026 to 2030.
The European Commission sees no immediate impact on the European Union's security of oil supply from the escalating conflict in the Middle East, it said in an email to EU governments, seen by Reuters on Monday (2 March).
Paramount Skydance emerged as the winner in a months-long battle to acquire Warner Bros Discovery after streaming giant Netflix on Thursday refused to raise its bid for the storied Hollywood studio.
Global debt surged to a record $348.3 trillion at the end of 2025, after nearly $29 trillion was added over the year, marking the fastest annual increase since the pandemic, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF) report released on Wednesday.
Millions of Colombian roses have arrived in the United States just in time for Valentine’s Day, keeping the country on track as the world’s second-largest flower exporter. Between 15 January and 9 February, Colombia shipped roughly 65,000 tons of fresh-cut blooms.
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