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Rising Tensions in the Gulf as Iran Strikes and Trump Rebukes Allies

  An aerial view of the island of Qeshm, separated from the Iranian mainland by the Clarence Strait. Iran has launched a new wave of attacks on U.S. Gulf allies, escalating an already volatile regional conflict. On Tuesday, Iranian forces targeted the United Arab Emirates in what officials described as retaliatory strikes amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. President Donald Trump publicly criticized Gulf allies for what he called a lack of gratitude and cooperation during a tense naval standoff in the Strait of Hormuz.  Escalating Conflict The conflict, now in its third week, has seen Iran expand its attacks beyond expected targets, striking both the UAE and Israel. U.S. officials revealed that Trump had been warned such retaliation was likely, despite his claims of being caught off guard.  Strategic and Economic Fallout The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, with U.S. allies refusing Trump’s requests to help reopen the critical waterway. This blo...

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Wall Street Seeks First Gains of 2024 in Modest Pre-Market Trading

 

Wall Street is seeking its first gains of 2024, with the benchmark S&P 500 index ticking modestly higher in premarket trading on Thursday. The index has fallen in four of the past five sessions, as investors have grown increasingly cautious about the U.S. central bank’s expected pivot to rate cuts this year and how quickly these might be implemented. While the Fed is widely expected to keep rates on hold in January, traders have priced in a 67% chance of a 25 basis point rate cut in March, as per CMEGroup’s FedWatch tool. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended down 53.56 points, or 0.3%, at 20,818.58 on Wednesday.

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