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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures edge up as Trump-EU trade deal kicks off huge week in markets
US stock futures ticked up on Monday after the US and European Union struck a trade pact to lead off a packed week of Big Tech earnings, a Federal Reserve meeting, inflation data, the July jobs report, and President Trump's Aug. 1 deadline to lock in key trade deals. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) were up about 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures (ES=F) gained 0.2%, but both were coming off earlier premarket highs. Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) put on roughly 0.4%, after the three major indexes closed Friday with gains. The US and EU have agreed on a framework deal to set Trump's tariffs on Europe's goods at a baseline 15%, compared with the 30% threatened. Trump called the pact 'the biggest of them all,' while von der Leyen said that "15% is not to be underestimated, but it is the best we could get." The news eased fears of a harmful trade war and boosted market sentiment, putting stocks on track to resume a rally that saw the S&P 500 (^GSPC) notch its fifth all-time high in a row on Friday. Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs At the same time, hopes are rising for a US-China deal. Officials are meeting for talks in Stockholm on Monday to tackle roadblocks and to extend the existing tariff truce by three months, media reports said. Beijing currently faces an Aug, 12 due date for higher US levies, while other countries race to beat Friday's deadline. Meanwhile, Trump has frozen US tech export curbs to help the talks and efforts to set up an in-person meeting with President Xi, per the Financial Times. Investor eyes are now turning to a jam-packed week on Wall Street. Heavyweight earnings highlight the most intense stretch of the season, with more than 150 S&P 500 companies set to report. Meta Platforms (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) lead off Wednesday, followed by Amazon (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) on Thursday. Read more: Full earnings coverage in our live blog Beyond earnings, the Fed begins its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, with an interest-rate decision expected Wednesday afternoon. While the central bank is expected to keep rates at 4.25%-4.50%, the watch is on for signs that policymakers are warming to a rate cut in September. It all comes alongside legal battles to open up the Fed's meetings to investor eyes, as well as Trump's general pressure on the central bank and Chair Jerome Powell. On the data front, inflation and labor will be in the spotlight. The July reading of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, is forecast to show a modest monthly and annual uptick on its release on Thursday. Also on deck: a flurry of jobs data. Tuesday's JOLTS update and Wednesday's ADP private payrolls print will set the stage for the crucial July jobs report on Friday. How ethereum rose to become a mainstream cryptocurrency The Ether Machine is preparing to go public after raising the equivalent of $1.5 billion, with its promise of offering the public a new way to access cryptocurrency yields. It's the latest sign of ethereum's move out of bitcoin's shadow and into mainstream adoption. Yahoo Finance's Nina Moothedath reports: Here's what to know about ethereum and what sets it apart from other blockchains. ASML's stock is in focus after US/EU trade deal Semiconductor play ASML (ASML, getting a lot of mentions on the Street this morning as a winner from the US/EU trade deal. Shares were up nearly 5% at one point in premarket trading. (I would note ASML just a week ago issued weak guidance that hammered the stock, so be mindful of that.) Here's what JP Morgan had to say this morning: Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic data: Dallas Fed manufacturing activity (July) Earnings: Tilray (TLRY), Waste Management (WM), Whirlpool (WHR) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Fed meeting, July jobs report and Big Tech earnings: Week ahead Health insurers have a problem that's squeezing their earnings Musk hails $16.5B Samsung deal to make Tesla's AI chips Trump looms large over defiant Fed's meeting this week Eyes on US-China talks after EU strikes 15% tariff deal Oppenheimer lifts S&P 500 target to call third year of 20% gains US LNG producers soar as EU agrees $250B in annual purchases Japan: Only 2% of $550 billion US fund will be investment Fed meeting, jobs report, Big Tech earnings — and Trump's deadline: What to watch this week The impact of President Trump's policies on the economy is about to get a lot clearer. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer takes a look at what to expect this week and why it matters: Read more here. Trending tickers: Nike, Samsung Electronics and US liquefied natural gas stocks Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Nike (NKE) shares were up over 3% before the bell on Monday after receiving an upgrade from JPMorgan (JPM), moving its rating from neutral to overweight and setting a new price target of $93, up from the previous $64. Samsung Electronics ( stock rose 6% after announcing that it had secured a 16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's next-generation AI chip. Shares in US liquefied natural gas developers surged in premarket trading on Monday, after the European Union pledged to purchase $750 billion worth of the super-cooled fuel over the next three years as part of a sweeping trade pact. NextDecade (NEXT), Venture Global (VG), and Cheniere Energy (LNG)jumped between 7% and 8.8%. Samsung to make AI chips for Tesla under $16.5 billion deal Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF) has landed a $16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's (TSLA) next-generation AI chip. The agreement, which runs through the end of 2033, will see the South Korean company produce the AI6 semiconductor at an upcoming plant in Texas. Shares of Tesla stepped up 1.5% in premarket trading, after its CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X that the EV maker had struck the multibillion-dollar deal. Meanwhile, Samsung's Seoul-traded stock rose almost 7% to its highest level since September. 'The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate,' Musk wrote. "The $16.5B number is just the bare minimum. Actual output is likely to be several times higher." Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Oil rises with EU-US trade deal locked in Oil prices eked out gains as the US and the EU finalized details of a trade deal ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. European stock futures rise on US-EU trade deal announcement Futures in European stock indexes saw positive bumps early morning Monday as the markets reacted to the announcement of a tariff deal between the US and the EU Interest in individual stocks in carmakers, luxury goods makers, and alcohol conglomerates is rising ahead of the market open Monday with those industries the most impacted by the deal. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. How ethereum rose to become a mainstream cryptocurrency The Ether Machine is preparing to go public after raising the equivalent of $1.5 billion, with its promise of offering the public a new way to access cryptocurrency yields. It's the latest sign of ethereum's move out of bitcoin's shadow and into mainstream adoption. Yahoo Finance's Nina Moothedath reports: Here's what to know about ethereum and what sets it apart from other blockchains. The Ether Machine is preparing to go public after raising the equivalent of $1.5 billion, with its promise of offering the public a new way to access cryptocurrency yields. It's the latest sign of ethereum's move out of bitcoin's shadow and into mainstream adoption. Yahoo Finance's Nina Moothedath reports: Here's what to know about ethereum and what sets it apart from other blockchains. ASML's stock is in focus after US/EU trade deal Semiconductor play ASML (ASML, getting a lot of mentions on the Street this morning as a winner from the US/EU trade deal. Shares were up nearly 5% at one point in premarket trading. (I would note ASML just a week ago issued weak guidance that hammered the stock, so be mindful of that.) Here's what JP Morgan had to say this morning: Semiconductor play ASML (ASML, getting a lot of mentions on the Street this morning as a winner from the US/EU trade deal. Shares were up nearly 5% at one point in premarket trading. (I would note ASML just a week ago issued weak guidance that hammered the stock, so be mindful of that.) Here's what JP Morgan had to say this morning: Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic data: Dallas Fed manufacturing activity (July) Earnings: Tilray (TLRY), Waste Management (WM), Whirlpool (WHR) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Fed meeting, July jobs report and Big Tech earnings: Week ahead Health insurers have a problem that's squeezing their earnings Musk hails $16.5B Samsung deal to make Tesla's AI chips Trump looms large over defiant Fed's meeting this week Eyes on US-China talks after EU strikes 15% tariff deal Oppenheimer lifts S&P 500 target to call third year of 20% gains US LNG producers soar as EU agrees $250B in annual purchases Japan: Only 2% of $550 billion US fund will be investment Economic data: Dallas Fed manufacturing activity (July) Earnings: Tilray (TLRY), Waste Management (WM), Whirlpool (WHR) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Fed meeting, July jobs report and Big Tech earnings: Week ahead Health insurers have a problem that's squeezing their earnings Musk hails $16.5B Samsung deal to make Tesla's AI chips Trump looms large over defiant Fed's meeting this week Eyes on US-China talks after EU strikes 15% tariff deal Oppenheimer lifts S&P 500 target to call third year of 20% gains US LNG producers soar as EU agrees $250B in annual purchases Japan: Only 2% of $550 billion US fund will be investment Fed meeting, jobs report, Big Tech earnings — and Trump's deadline: What to watch this week The impact of President Trump's policies on the economy is about to get a lot clearer. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer takes a look at what to expect this week and why it matters: Read more here. The impact of President Trump's policies on the economy is about to get a lot clearer. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer takes a look at what to expect this week and why it matters: Read more here. Trending tickers: Nike, Samsung Electronics and US liquefied natural gas stocks Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Nike (NKE) shares were up over 3% before the bell on Monday after receiving an upgrade from JPMorgan (JPM), moving its rating from neutral to overweight and setting a new price target of $93, up from the previous $64. Samsung Electronics ( stock rose 6% after announcing that it had secured a 16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's next-generation AI chip. Shares in US liquefied natural gas developers surged in premarket trading on Monday, after the European Union pledged to purchase $750 billion worth of the super-cooled fuel over the next three years as part of a sweeping trade pact. NextDecade (NEXT), Venture Global (VG), and Cheniere Energy (LNG)jumped between 7% and 8.8%. Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Nike (NKE) shares were up over 3% before the bell on Monday after receiving an upgrade from JPMorgan (JPM), moving its rating from neutral to overweight and setting a new price target of $93, up from the previous $64. Samsung Electronics ( stock rose 6% after announcing that it had secured a 16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's next-generation AI chip. Shares in US liquefied natural gas developers surged in premarket trading on Monday, after the European Union pledged to purchase $750 billion worth of the super-cooled fuel over the next three years as part of a sweeping trade pact. NextDecade (NEXT), Venture Global (VG), and Cheniere Energy (LNG)jumped between 7% and 8.8%. Samsung to make AI chips for Tesla under $16.5 billion deal Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF) has landed a $16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's (TSLA) next-generation AI chip. The agreement, which runs through the end of 2033, will see the South Korean company produce the AI6 semiconductor at an upcoming plant in Texas. Shares of Tesla stepped up 1.5% in premarket trading, after its CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X that the EV maker had struck the multibillion-dollar deal. Meanwhile, Samsung's Seoul-traded stock rose almost 7% to its highest level since September. 'The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate,' Musk wrote. "The $16.5B number is just the bare minimum. Actual output is likely to be several times higher." Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF) has landed a $16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's (TSLA) next-generation AI chip. The agreement, which runs through the end of 2033, will see the South Korean company produce the AI6 semiconductor at an upcoming plant in Texas. Shares of Tesla stepped up 1.5% in premarket trading, after its CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X that the EV maker had struck the multibillion-dollar deal. Meanwhile, Samsung's Seoul-traded stock rose almost 7% to its highest level since September. 'The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate,' Musk wrote. "The $16.5B number is just the bare minimum. Actual output is likely to be several times higher." Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Oil rises with EU-US trade deal locked in Oil prices eked out gains as the US and the EU finalized details of a trade deal ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Oil prices eked out gains as the US and the EU finalized details of a trade deal ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. European stock futures rise on US-EU trade deal announcement Futures in European stock indexes saw positive bumps early morning Monday as the markets reacted to the announcement of a tariff deal between the US and the EU Interest in individual stocks in carmakers, luxury goods makers, and alcohol conglomerates is rising ahead of the market open Monday with those industries the most impacted by the deal. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Futures in European stock indexes saw positive bumps early morning Monday as the markets reacted to the announcement of a tariff deal between the US and the EU Interest in individual stocks in carmakers, luxury goods makers, and alcohol conglomerates is rising ahead of the market open Monday with those industries the most impacted by the deal. Bloomberg reports: Read more here.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures edge up as Trump-EU trade deal kicks off huge week in markets
US stock futures ticked up on Monday after the US and European Union struck a trade pact to lead off a packed week of Big Tech earnings, a Federal Reserve meeting, inflation data, the July jobs report, and President Trump's Aug. 1 deadline to lock in key trade deals. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) were up about 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures (ES=F) gained 0.2%, but both were coming off earlier premarket highs. Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) put on roughly 0.4%, after the three major indexes closed Friday with gains. The US and EU have agreed on a framework deal to set Trump's tariffs on Europe's goods at a baseline 15%, compared with the 30% threatened. Trump called the pact 'the biggest of them all,' while von der Leyen said that "15% is not to be underestimated, but it is the best we could get." The news eased fears of a harmful trade war and boosted market sentiment, putting stocks on track to resume a rally that saw the S&P 500 (^GSPC) notch its fifth all-time high in a row on Friday. Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs At the same time, hopes are rising for a US-China deal. Officials are meeting for talks in Stockholm on Monday to tackle roadblocks and to extend the existing tariff truce by three months, media reports said. Beijing currently faces an Aug, 12 due date for higher US levies, while other countries race to beat Friday's deadline. Meanwhile, Trump has frozen US tech export curbs to help the talks and efforts to set up an in-person meeting with President Xi, per the Financial Times. Investor eyes are now turning to a jam-packed week on Wall Street. Heavyweight earnings highlight the most intense stretch of the season, with more than 150 S&P 500 companies set to report. Meta Platforms (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) lead off Wednesday, followed by Amazon (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) on Thursday. Read more: Full earnings coverage in our live blog Beyond earnings, the Fed begins its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, with an interest-rate decision expected Wednesday afternoon. While the central bank is expected to keep rates at 4.25%-4.50%, the watch is on for signs that policymakers are warming to a rate cut in September. It all comes alongside legal battles to open up the Fed's meetings to investor eyes, as well as Trump's general pressure on the central bank and Chair Jerome Powell. On the data front, inflation and labor will be in the spotlight. The July reading of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, is forecast to show a modest monthly and annual uptick on its release on Thursday. Also on deck: a flurry of jobs data. Tuesday's JOLTS update and Wednesday's ADP private payrolls print will set the stage for the crucial July jobs report on Friday. Fed meeting, jobs report, Big Tech earnings — and Trump's deadline: What to watch this week The impact of President Trump's policies on the economy is about to get a lot clearer. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer takes a look at what to expect this week and why it matters: Read more here. Trending tickers: Nike, Samsung Electronics and US liquefied natural gas stocks Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Nike (NKE) shares were up over 3% before the bell on Monday after receiving an upgrade from JPMorgan (JPM), moving its rating from neutral to overweight and setting a new price target of $93, up from the previous $64. Samsung Electronics ( stock rose 6% after announcing that it had secured a 16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's next-generation AI chip. Shares in US liquefied natural gas developers surged in premarket trading on Monday, after the European Union pledged to purchase $750 billion worth of the super-cooled fuel over the next three years as part of a sweeping trade pact. NextDecade (NEXT), Venture Global (VG), and Cheniere Energy (LNG)jumped between 7% and 8.8%. Samsung to make AI chips for Tesla under $16.5 billion deal Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF) has landed a $16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's (TSLA) next-generation AI chip. The agreement, which runs through the end of 2033, will see the South Korean company produce the AI6 semiconductor at an upcoming plant in Texas. Shares of Tesla stepped up 1.5% in premarket trading, after its CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X that the EV maker had struck the multibillion-dollar deal. Meanwhile, Samsung's Seoul-traded stock rose almost 7% to its highest level since September. 'The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate,' Musk wrote. "The $16.5B number is just the bare minimum. Actual output is likely to be several times higher." Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Oil rises with EU-US trade deal locked in Oil prices eked out gains as the US and the EU finalized details of a trade deal ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. European stock futures rise on US-EU trade deal announcement Futures in European stock indexes saw positive bumps early morning Monday as the markets reacted to the announcement of a tariff deal between the US and the EU Interest in individual stocks in carmakers, luxury goods makers, and alcohol conglomerates is rising ahead of the market open Monday with those industries the most impacted by the deal. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Fed meeting, jobs report, Big Tech earnings — and Trump's deadline: What to watch this week The impact of President Trump's policies on the economy is about to get a lot clearer. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer takes a look at what to expect this week and why it matters: Read more here. The impact of President Trump's policies on the economy is about to get a lot clearer. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer takes a look at what to expect this week and why it matters: Read more here. Trending tickers: Nike, Samsung Electronics and US liquefied natural gas stocks Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Nike (NKE) shares were up over 3% before the bell on Monday after receiving an upgrade from JPMorgan (JPM), moving its rating from neutral to overweight and setting a new price target of $93, up from the previous $64. Samsung Electronics ( stock rose 6% after announcing that it had secured a 16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's next-generation AI chip. Shares in US liquefied natural gas developers surged in premarket trading on Monday, after the European Union pledged to purchase $750 billion worth of the super-cooled fuel over the next three years as part of a sweeping trade pact. NextDecade (NEXT), Venture Global (VG), and Cheniere Energy (LNG)jumped between 7% and 8.8%. Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Nike (NKE) shares were up over 3% before the bell on Monday after receiving an upgrade from JPMorgan (JPM), moving its rating from neutral to overweight and setting a new price target of $93, up from the previous $64. Samsung Electronics ( stock rose 6% after announcing that it had secured a 16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's next-generation AI chip. Shares in US liquefied natural gas developers surged in premarket trading on Monday, after the European Union pledged to purchase $750 billion worth of the super-cooled fuel over the next three years as part of a sweeping trade pact. NextDecade (NEXT), Venture Global (VG), and Cheniere Energy (LNG)jumped between 7% and 8.8%. Samsung to make AI chips for Tesla under $16.5 billion deal Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF) has landed a $16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's (TSLA) next-generation AI chip. The agreement, which runs through the end of 2033, will see the South Korean company produce the AI6 semiconductor at an upcoming plant in Texas. Shares of Tesla stepped up 1.5% in premarket trading, after its CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X that the EV maker had struck the multibillion-dollar deal. Meanwhile, Samsung's Seoul-traded stock rose almost 7% to its highest level since September. 'The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate,' Musk wrote. "The $16.5B number is just the bare minimum. Actual output is likely to be several times higher." Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF) has landed a $16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's (TSLA) next-generation AI chip. The agreement, which runs through the end of 2033, will see the South Korean company produce the AI6 semiconductor at an upcoming plant in Texas. Shares of Tesla stepped up 1.5% in premarket trading, after its CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X that the EV maker had struck the multibillion-dollar deal. Meanwhile, Samsung's Seoul-traded stock rose almost 7% to its highest level since September. 'The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate,' Musk wrote. "The $16.5B number is just the bare minimum. Actual output is likely to be several times higher." Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Oil rises with EU-US trade deal locked in Oil prices eked out gains as the US and the EU finalized details of a trade deal ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Oil prices eked out gains as the US and the EU finalized details of a trade deal ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. European stock futures rise on US-EU trade deal announcement Futures in European stock indexes saw positive bumps early morning Monday as the markets reacted to the announcement of a tariff deal between the US and the EU Interest in individual stocks in carmakers, luxury goods makers, and alcohol conglomerates is rising ahead of the market open Monday with those industries the most impacted by the deal. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Futures in European stock indexes saw positive bumps early morning Monday as the markets reacted to the announcement of a tariff deal between the US and the EU Interest in individual stocks in carmakers, luxury goods makers, and alcohol conglomerates is rising ahead of the market open Monday with those industries the most impacted by the deal. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
European Commission President Delivers Statement Following US–EU Trade Deal Announcement
European Commission President Delivers Statement Following US–EU Trade Deal Announcement European Commission President von Der Leyen delivers a statement following the US–EU trade deal announcement, at 2:20 p.m. ET on July 27.


Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
China's unquestioned drone supremacy is by far our greatest threat
Xi Jinping declined to come to Brussels for this year's EU-China Summit, which should have celebrated 50 years of bilateral relations. Instead the event was cut down to one day in Beijing. Earlier today, at the keynote meeting with EU leaders, Xi told them that China and Europe 'should make correct strategic choices that meet the expectations of the people'. EU-China tension is high over trade issues and US actions, but also over China's role in Ukraine, which lies at the heart of the EU's growing strategic mistrust. Outwardly, Beijing continues to pretend that its stance on Ukraine focuses on 'negotiation, ceasefire and peace'. But this neutral façade has worn away to a vanishing point. President von der Leyen recently accused China of 'de facto enabling Russia's war economy', and noted that how it 'continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations'. More recently the European Union head of foreign policy has called Beijing the 'key enabler of Russia's war in Ukraine'. Brussels has already sanctioned Chinese companies for selling goods that have been used for weapons production in Russia. China continues to pressurise the EU not to enforce trade measures to China's disadvantage. Today, Xi has pointedly warned the EU not to make wrong strategic decisions about China. But what strategic decisions has he made that would give grounds for greater confidence in China's bona fides towards Europe? From a geopolitical perspective, China's position is entirely clear. Xi values his expedient alliance with Putin in opposition to the US far more even than China's economic foothold in the EU market. The tense and combative tone of Beijing's approach to the EU summit contrasts strongly with the atmospherics of Xi's May Day visit to Moscow this year as Putin's guest of honour, even as Russia was stepping up its brutal assault on a geographical Europe's second-largest country. Xi's 'strategic choice' is not in Europe's favour. Earlier this month, China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his European counterpart that 'China cannot accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine' since this would enable the US to turn its full attention to contesting with China. This unusually stark formulation wipes out at a stroke China's carefully cultivated outward pose of peaceful neutrality. But in truth, there is nothing neutral about existing Chinese engagement on the ground. Earlier this week Ukrainian intelligence announced that it had retrieved two drones, apparently in use as decoys against Ukrainian air defences, which were entirely made of Chinese components. These items join a formidable list of other Chinese materiel found in Ukraine. Russia has recently deployed a Chinese-made laser system, the Silent Hunter, which locks on to, blinds and destroys Ukrainian drones. Chinese-made engines powered Geran-2 combat drones used to grim effect in a recent surge of attacks on Kyiv. The US government assesses that China 'provides nearly 80 per cent of the dual-use items Russia needs to sustain the war'. Xi has made his strategic choice; to back Putin's attack on Europe on the battlefield. In these circumstances, to claim as China does that it is not a 'systemic rival' is absurd. China is an enemy of Europe, as it is of Britain, and the sooner this results in strengthening Nato and individual Western defence policies against China, the better.


Bloomberg
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Orban Touts Anti-Ukraine Survey to Boost His Flagging Campaign
Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed the result of a government survey that showed Hungarians overwhelmingly against Ukraine's European Union accession, and which critics derided as propaganda aimed at reversing his fading popularity. Orban said 95% of Hungarians backed his opposition to Ukraine joining the EU in the government's 'national consultation.' The result followed a months-long information campaign vilifying President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, including on billboards put up across Hungary.