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New Strikes Shatter Fragile Calm as Truce Falters in Gaza

Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in an overnight Israeli strike, according to medics, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed 11 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, in what has become one of the deadliest escalations since a fragile truce began to erode. Emergency teams reported that several of the strikes hit residential areas, complicating rescue efforts and heightening fears of a broader breakdown in the cease-fire. The Israeli military said the strikes were launched in response to what it described as a violation of the truce by Hamas, alleging that militants fired rockets and attempted attacks near the border. Israeli officials framed the operation as a defensive measure aimed at preventing further hostilities. Hamas denied breaking the cease-fire and accused Israel of undermining attempts to maintain calm. The exchange of accusations has raised concerns among international observers, who warn that renew...
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US Futures Fall as Rate-Cut Bets Get a Reality Check

 


US stock futures fell on Wednesday, signaling no let-up in a rough January. Investors’ optimism for interest rate cuts got a reality check, and worries about China’s economy grew. Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI) futures fell 0.4%, while S&P 500 ( ^GSPC) futures slid 0.4%, set to build on Tuesday’s losing start to the holiday-shortened week. 

Futures on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 ( ^NDX) were down roughly 0.5%. Stocks have struggled as policymakers push back against persistent bets that central banks will cut rates early and often in 2024. ECB president Christine Lagarde on Wednesday joined the likes of Federal Reserve Governor Chris Waller in warning that expectations of imminent loosening are too high. Another knockback came from disappointing GDP data suggesting that China’s growth is flagging despite stimulus measures. 

Oil prices fell amid fears of a pullback in demand from the world’s second biggest economy. Hopes now rest on quarterly earnings, with the season set to pick up pace, and the release of the December retail sales report later Wednesday. 

Fed officials have been keen to stress that their policy decision making will be driven by incoming economic data. Regional bank fourth-quarter results are in focus in the morning after earnings from Wall Street’s big lenders got a mixed reception.

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