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Artemis II Launch Slips to March After Fueling Test Issues

                         NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket on the pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first planned crewed journey around the Moon in more than fifty years, has been pushed to March after engineers identified problems during a critical fueling rehearsal. The team detected hydrogen leaks in the Space Launch System’s fueling hardware, prompting the agency to delay the mission while technicians investigate and implement fixes. Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a ten‑day lunar flyby, marking a major milestone in NASA’s long‑term plan to return humans to the Moon and eventually establish a sustained presence there. Although the delay is disappointing for mission planners and spaceflight enthusiasts, NASA emphasized that ensuring crew safety takes precedence over schedule pressure. With additional testing now underway, March stands as the earliest realistic opport...

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U.S. stocks open mixed and turn lower after inflation report as Fed decision looms


  • Inflation data: The U.S. cost of living increased 0.1% month over month and 3.1% year over year in November, slightly higher than expected. Core inflation was in line with estimates at 0.3% month over month and 2.3% year over year.
  • Market reaction: U.S. stocks opened mixed and turned lower after the inflation report, as investors weighed the implications for interest rates and the Fed’s policy outlook. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.43%, the S&P 500 slid 0.39%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.2% on Tuesday.
  • Fed decision: The Federal Reserve is set to announce its interest rate decision on Wednesday, with no change expected in the current range of 5.25% to 5.50%. The Fed is also expected to provide an update on its balance sheet reduction plan and its economic projections for 2024 and beyond.
  • Market outlook: The S&P 500 index is near its record high, having gained 20.4% year to date, partly on hopes of slowing inflation and rate cuts in the future. However, some analysts warn that the inflation trend is still above the Fed’s 2% target and that the central bank may have to tighten monetary policy more than expected to keep inflation under control.

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