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Freddie Mac: mortgage interest rates dropped for three weeks to 6.60%.The Brazilian central bank raised its benchmark interest rate to 12.25% for the third time this year. On the 11th, local time, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Brazilian central bank announced that it had decided to raise its benchmark interest rate to 12.25%, which is the third time that the Brazilian central bank raised interest rates this year. Brazil's central bank said that the interest rate hike was affected by international uncertainties and Brazil's domestic economic policies, and it is expected that the benchmark interest rate will be raised again in January and March next year. Since August last year, the Brazilian central bank cut interest rates seven times in a row, stopped cutting interest rates in June this year, and then raised the benchmark interest rate three times in a row. After this adjustment, Brazil's benchmark interest rate at the end of 2024 was the same as that at the end of 2023, which was 12.25%. The latest "Focus" bulletin of the Brazilian central bank raised the expected inflation rate to 4.84% in 2024, which is higher than the upper limit of the country's inflation rate management target of 4.5% from 2024 to 2026.Gaza Media Office: Thirteen aid workers were killed in the Israeli attack. On the 12th, local time, the Gaza Media Office announced that the Israeli army killed 13 aid workers in the attack on the Gaza. Up to now, Israel has launched 144 attacks on aid workers in this area, resulting in 722 deaths, including police and aid workers. The Ministry strongly condemned the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians and these aid workers, and called on the international community to condemn them.

The International (Xiong 'an) Robot Industry Alliance was formally established. On December 12th, it was learned from the 2024 xiong'an new area Intelligent Robot Industry Development Conference held in xiong'an new area, Hebei Province that the International (Xiong 'an) Robot Industry Alliance and Xiong 'an Robot Innovation and Technology Research Institute were formally established. "As an important representative of the future industry, the intelligent robot industry is in a critical period of rapid development. The establishment of the International (Xiong 'an) Robot Industry Alliance will strongly promote the development of Xiong 'an robot industry, and the establishment of Xiong 'an Robot Innovation Technology Research Institute will provide strong technical support for the sustainable development of intelligent robot industry, marking a solid step in technology research and development and innovation of xiong'an new area robot industry. " Zhang Qin, former vice chairman of China Association for Science and Technology, said. (xinhuanet)The financial technology companies supported by Wal-Mart are valued at $2.5 billion. The traditional banking industry is under threat. Wal-Mart is injecting more funds into its newly-started financial start-ups, obtaining a valuation of $2.5 billion for this company, and indicating its ambition to further set foot in the financial services industry. According to informed sources, the world's largest retailer is jointly leading the financing of more than 300 million US dollars with investment company Ribbit Capital. This marks a new valuation for the company named One, in which Wal-Mart holds a majority stake. Wal-Mart has been providing products to many customers and employees in order to gain a greater foothold in the field of financial services. For the financial industry, the threat of Wal-Mart and other companies encroaching on its territory is getting closer and closer. Just last year, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon mentioned the competitive threat of Wal-Mart and other enterprises, pointing out that its hundreds of millions of customers and huge resources at its disposal were "extraordinary competitive advantages".French Ambassador to Ukraine: The first batch of Mirage 2000-5 fighters will be provided to Ukraine early next year. On December 12, local time, French Ambassador to Ukraine Visier said that in early 2025, France will provide Ukraine with the first batch of Mirage 2000-5 fighters as planned, and Ukrainian pilots and technicians are currently receiving training. He did not disclose the number of fighters to be delivered. Earlier, according to a report by Ukrainian Pravda on October 8, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu said that France planned to deliver Mirage fighters to Ukraine early next year.

President of the European Central Bank: The euro zone economy continues to be weak and is still preparing to cut interest rates further. On December 12, local time, after the European Central Bank announced its decision to cut all three key interest rates by 25 basis points, President Lagarde of the European Central Bank subsequently held a press conference. She said that the Governing Council of the European Central Bank unanimously agreed to cut interest rates by 25 basis points, mainly based on the latest assessment of the current inflationary pressure, future prospects and the transmission degree of monetary policy to the real economy. On the same day, the European Central Bank also released the latest macroeconomic forecast, further lowering its expectations for economic growth in the euro zone. Lagarde said that poor economic development and continued weakness are worrying. She said that trade friction may drag down economic growth, and extensive geopolitical development is one of the upward risks of inflation. In view of the fact that the current economic growth in the euro zone is hit by domestic political instability in various countries, especially large economies such as Germany and France, and may face the threat of punitive tariffs imposed by US President-elect Trump, the European Central Bank is still preparing to cut interest rates further. Lagarde said that the ECB Council is determined to ensure that inflation is sustainable and stable at the medium-term target of 2%. The next interest rate decision is scheduled for January 30, 2025.The Israeli army issued evacuation orders to several blocks in Gaza City, Gaza. On the afternoon of 12th local time, the IDF issued an evacuation warning to several blocks in Gaza City, Gaza, asking residents in relevant blocks to evacuate as soon as possible. In a statement, the Israeli army claimed that militants in Hamas fired rockets from these neighborhoods at Israeli troops fighting in the Gaza earlier that day.Cipher digital currency concept stocks generally rose, with Bakkt Holdings rising by 12.2%, Riot Platforms rising by 9.4%, TeraWulf rising by 7.3%, Robinhood rising by 4.2%, and Ethereum ETF QETH rising by over 3.9%. President-elect Trump announced that he would take major actions against cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin rose more than 0.7%, reaching a daily high of $102,000.