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Territorial Disputes Dominate Geneva Peace Talks

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll sit before closed-door talks with Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak  (not pictured) on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland. Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine convened in Geneva for a new round of U.S.-mediated peace talks, with territorial disputes emerging as the central point of contention. The discussions, held over two days, come amid heightened pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged Kyiv to “come to the table fast” in pursuit of a settlement.  Both sides remain deeply divided over land claims, which have become the primary obstacle to progress. The Kremlin has signaled that territorial issues will dominate the agenda, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced concerns that Kyiv is facing disproportionate p...
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U.S. Markets Poised for Downturn Amid Fed Rate-Cut Speculation; FedEx Forecasts Worry Investors

 

U.S. stock index futures inched lower on Wednesday as investors took a breather from a rally that was sparked by the Federal Reserve’s likely pivot to a dovish policy, while FedEx tumbled after issuing a grim outlook.

All the three main indexes have advanced over 2% since the Fed’s Dec. 13 verdict where policymakers projected lower policy rates by the end of 2024, with the blue-chips Dow hitting record highs every other day and the S&P 500 within arm’s reach of its highest closing levels since January 2022.

Since then central bank officials have attempted to keep investor euphoria in check, the latest being Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee who said further progress on beating back inflation will be the decisive factor in any central bank decision next year to reduce interest rates.

Still, traders expect the Fed to ease credit conditions by over 125 basis points by September next year, with a 71.1% chance that the first 25 basis point cut could come in as early as March.

Meanwhile, FedEx slid 9.9% in trading before the bell after the global delivery firm cut its full-year revenue forecast and reported quarterly profit that fell far short of analysts’ targets, as its largest Express business saw demand from the U.S. Postal Service drop.

The U.S. stock index futures are set for a lower open on Wednesday as investors take a breather from a rally that was sparked by the Federal Reserve’s likely pivot to a dovish policy. The blue-chips Dow has hit record highs every other day and the S&P 500 is within arm’s reach of its highest closing levels since January 2022. However, central bank officials have attempted to keep investor euphoria in check, with further progress on beating back inflation being the decisive factor in any central bank decision next year to reduce interest rates. Meanwhile, FedEx slid 9.9% in trading before the bell after the global delivery firm cut its full-year revenue forecast and reported quarterly profit that fell far short of analysts’ targets, as its largest Express business saw demand from the U.S. Postal Service drop.

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