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Nations React to Reported $1 Billion Fee for Trump’s Peace Board

  President Trump said the Peace Board 'will embark on a new approach to resolving global conflict'. Reports surrounding President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace have ignited global debate after claims surfaced that countries may be asked to contribute $1 billion to secure or maintain permanent membership. The board, envisioned as a body overseeing governance and reconstruction efforts in Gaza, would reportedly be chaired by Trump himself, who would hold authority over which nations are admitted. A draft charter circulating among diplomats outlines three‑year membership terms, renewable only with the chairman’s approval. It also suggests that nations contributing $1 billion within the first year could bypass term limits and secure a permanent seat. The White House has pushed back on the reports, calling them misleading and insisting that no mandatory membership fee exists. Officials acknowledged that major financial contributors could receive greater influence but ...

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Stocks close mixed as tech pares losses


On Tuesday, January 9, 2024, the US stock market closed with mixed results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) slipped 0.4% or about 150 points. The benchmark S&P 500 ( ^GSPC) fell by nearly 0.2%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC) crawled above the flatline, in a reversal of earlier losses. The tech rally wavered after a Samsung profit warning took the shine off the sector. Samsung’s update weighed on hopes for a rebound in the PC and mobile sector, a key market for its memory chips. The Korean company said it expects a 35% drop in fourth-quarter operating income, far short of estimates, as demand continues to lag.

Investors are focusing on the December consumer inflation reading due Thursday and what it could mean for the chances of easing interest rates. Two Federal Reserve officials on Monday poured cold water on Wall Street’s already fading expectations that a cut could come in the next few months. The idea that inflation is cooling underpins investors’ belief that the US economy will skirt recession. That conviction faces a crucial test on Friday, when big banks kick off the fourth-quarter earnings season.

Oil prices ( CL=F) ( BZ=F) rose just under 2%, recouping some of Monday’s near 4% fall as investors weighed the impact of tensions in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia’s decision to cut crude prices.


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