Sources: A few ECB policymakers initially hoped to cut interest rates by 50 basis points. Three sources said that several ECB policymakers initially hoped to cut interest rates more sharply on Thursday, and they were worried that the new US tariffs would hinder economic growth. The European Central Bank cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday, and opened the door for more easing policies, as the euro zone economy was dragged down by domestic political instability and the threat of a new round of trade war in the United States. However, due to the low forecast of inflation and economic growth, about five of the 26 members of the official Committee initially advocated a 50 basis point interest rate cut. In particular, they pointed out that if the incoming Trump administration imposes new tariffs on the EU, the growth of economic output next year may be lower than the 1.1% expected by the European Central Bank. A small number of policy makers who called for greater interest rate cuts quickly gave in, adding that given the current uncertainty, people are reluctant to make a hasty decision.On Thursday (December 12th), the overnight reverse repurchase agreements (RRP) of the Federal Reserve was 165.025 billion US dollars, compared with 180.120 billion US dollars in the last trading daily.The overall implementation of the personal pension system is more optimized. After two years of implementation in 36 cities (regions), the personal pension system will be officially launched nationwide on December 15th. On December 12th, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Ministry of Finance, State Taxation Administration of The People's Republic of China, State Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau, China Securities Regulatory Commission and other five departments issued the Notice on Full Implementation of Individual Pension System, which made it clear that from December 15th, 2024, all workers who participated in the basic old-age insurance for urban workers or urban and rural residents in China can participate in the individual pension system. China Securities Regulatory Commission said that the promulgation and implementation of the Notice is an important measure to implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee and accelerate the development of a multi-level and multi-pillar old-age security system, which is conducive to giving full play to the wealth management function of the capital market and building a sound policy system of "long money and long investment". At the same time, according to the requirements of the Notice, the China Securities Regulatory Commission timely optimized the product supply and included the first batch of 85 equity index funds in the personal pension investment product catalogue. Lou Feipeng, a researcher at China Postal Savings Bank, said that the Notice put forward targeted measures based on the situation encountered in the pilot, enriching the types of personal pension products, increasing the situation of receiving personal pensions in advance and effectively improving the personal pension system on the basis of the previous pilot, which will help attract investors to actively participate in personal pension-related investments. (Securities Daily)
African stock market | On Thursday (December 12th), the FTSE /JSE Africa Top 40 tradable index closed down 0.18% to 78,341.48 points. The South African rand is currently down 0.58% against the US dollar, reaching a fresh low of 17.8027 rand.Fitch Global Shipping predicts that the performance of each sub-industry will grow steadily, but it will be partially offset by the downward trajectory of container shipping in 2025.On December 12th, local time, the reporter learned that the court documents submitted that day showed that Alexander smirnoff, an FBI informant who had been accused of fabricating US President Barack joseph robinette and his son hunter biden to accept millions of dollars in bribes, had agreed to plead guilty. It is understood that smirnoff reached a plea agreement with David Weiss, special adviser of the Ministry of Justice. According to the agreement, the two sides will recommend a prison term of at least 48 months and no more than 72 months.
Apple's self-developed wireless chip will be put into new products released in 2025. It is reported that Apple's self-developed wireless chip will be put into new products released in 2025. The chips of Apple iPhone and home wireless devices are close to switching from Broadcom supply to self-developed products. The internal code of Apple's self-developed wireless chip is Proxima, which will be put into iPad and Mac in 2026.Google: The first device equipped with Android XR is made by Samsung and will be available next year.At least 9 people were killed and 6 people were missing when a refugee ship sank in the waters off Tunisia. On the 12th local time, a refugee ship sank in the waters off Tunisia. Subsequently, the Tunisia Coast Guard found nine bodies and six others were missing. According to the description of the survivors, the ship was carrying at least 42 people, all from sub-Saharan African countries, when the ship broke down and entered the water due to bad weather. After the incident, the coast guard has rescued at least 27 people on board, and the search and rescue operation for missing persons is still going on.