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scalating Violence: Israeli Strikes Kill Dozens in Lebanon and Gaza

  Palestinian children amid the rubble of destroyed buildings, during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. Israeli air strikes have intensified across Lebanon and Gaza, leaving dozens dead and further destabilizing fragile ceasefires in the region. In southern Lebanon , an Israeli drone strike on the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon killed at least 13 people and wounded several others. The attack targeted a car parked near a mosque, with Lebanese officials reporting that ambulances rushed victims to nearby hospitals. Hours later, another strike in the village of Tiri killed one person and injured 11, including students aboard a bus. Meanwhile, in Gaza , hospitals reported at least 25 Palestinians killed in multiple strikes across Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah. Medics confirmed that casualties included families caught in residential areas, underscoring the human toll of the renewed bombardments. Israel’s military claimed...

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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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