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HMS Dragon Off Cyprus: A Modern Sentinel in the Eastern Mediterranean

                      Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon departing the UK to head to the Eastern Mediterranean. The Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon has arrived off the coast of Cyprus, marking another high‑profile deployment for one of Britain’s most advanced warships. Known for her striking red Welsh dragon emblazoned on the bow, the vessel’s presence underscores the UK’s ongoing commitment to stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean. A Strategic Arrival HMS Dragon’s deployment places her in a region that has long been a crossroads of geopolitical tension and humanitarian need. The Eastern Mediterranean is a hub for NATO operations, maritime security patrols, and support missions connected to regional conflicts and humanitarian crises. What HMS Dragon Brings to the Region Air‑defence dominance: As a Type 45 destroyer, Dragon is equipped with the Sea Viper missile system, capable of tracking and i...

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US Stock Futures Retreat After Intel’s Gloomy Outlook

 

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US stock futures retreated on Friday after Intel’s first-quarter outlook fell well short of Wall Street expectations, somewhat denting the AI-fueled hopes that have helped lift stocks to record highs. 

Intel shares fell over 10% in premarket trading, with peers AMD and Nvidia also taking a slight knock. The S&P 500 futures dropped 0.2% after a winning Thursday saw the benchmark close at another record high. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures also lost around 0.2%, while those on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 sank nearly 0.5%. Techs led the way lower after a gloomy outlook from Intel, as investors awaited a key inflation reading seen as influential in the timing of an interest rate cut.

The release of the PCE index for December painted a rosy inflation picture for investors, however. “Core” PCE, the inflation gauge commonly known as the Fed’s preferred measure, fell below 3% on an annual basis, the slowest rate of growth since March 2021. That number, combined with a hotter-than-expected early estimate on fourth quarter US GDP, could further the notion that the US economy is headed for a “soft landing.”

The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) is a measure of the prices that people living in the United States pay for goods and services. It is released each month in the Personal Income and Outlays report and is used to calculate the GDP and inflation . The PCE index is known for capturing inflation (or deflation) across a wide range of consumer expenses and reflecting changes in consumer behavior. The latest release of the PCE index for December 2023 shows that the “core” PCE, the inflation gauge commonly known as the Fed’s preferred measure, fell below 3% on an annual basis, the slowest rate of growth since March 2021.


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