Squawk Box Europe Express

U.S. core inflation data for December dips slightly below forecasts with hopes it may have peaked. President Trump once again lashes out at Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell over interest rate cuts. Crude experiences a volatile session with the prospect of U.S. intervention in Iran protests still on the table after President Trump told protestors on the ground that ‘help was on its way’. And China posts a new record high trade surplus of $1.2tn in 2025 despite U.S. tariffs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All former living Federal Reserve Chairs sign a joint condemnation of the federal criminal investigation into current chairman Jerome Powell. UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti is reportedly eyeing an exit from the position next year, triggering a succession race for one of the most contentious jobs in European banking. Airbus beats its revised delivery target for 2025 to cement its place as the world’s largest plane maker.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is under federal criminal investigation amid the central bank’s $2.5bn building renovation. Powell blamed President Trump behind the move and warned that the independence of the Federal Reserve was threatened. Iran says it will fight back if the U.S. attacks. President Trump has reportedly considered military intervention following the killing of hundreds of protestors during the largest anti-regime demonstrations seen in years. And after 25 years of negotiations, the EU is set to create the world's largest free trade area with Mercosur countries in Latin America despite fierce pushback from farmers across the bloc.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European equities are starting the day in the green with attention focusing on the U.S. non-farm payroll print out later today, as well as a crucial Supreme Court ruling on tariffs. Chinese December inflation data comes in at a three-year high but the annual print is flat, which adds to concerns about deflation in the country. In mining news, Glencore and Rio Tinto confirm they are in talks which could potentially lead to a mega-merger, creating the world’s largest resource extraction company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The U.S. administration says it will control Venezuela's oil sales indefinitely, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright telling CNBC the plan is needed to drive change in the country. European stocks look set to follow Wall Street into the red after mixed data stateside - with attention now turning to Friday's non-farm payrolls report. And, China reportedly asks tech companies to halt orders of Nvidia's H200 chips a day after Jensen Huang hails strong demand in the country, as Beijing looks to reduce reliance on foreign-made AI products.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crude prices slip as President Trump says Venezuela will give up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., and that he will control the proceeds. Trump says he has asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to enact the plan, immediately. The White House refuses to rule out military action to take Greenland - as European leaders issue a statement pushing back on President Trump's comments about acquiring the territory. And Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says talks with the White House over an export licensing agreement is almost done.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European stocks line up another day in the green - the benchmark Stoxx 600 hitting a new high in Monday's session, and the Dow Jones notching a fresh record stateside. This, in the shadow of rising geopolitical tensions as President Trump says he is "very serious" about taking Greenland - despite a warning from Denmark's Prime Minister that any act of aggression would spell the end of NATO. And deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty to drug trafficking charges in his first court appearance since being captured in a U.S. operation in Caracas. Maduro said he had been "kidnapped" and was a "prisoner of war". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Trump threatens further strikes on Venezuela should the acting leadership refuse to cooperate following the capture and removal of President Nicolas Maduro. Oil opens lower on the first trading day since the U.S. incursion after President Trump says American companies will spend billions of dollars to revive Venezuelan production. Trump also issued warnings to the leaders of Cuba and Colombia and said the U.S. needed control of Greenland for issues of national security. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European equities kick off the first trading day of the new year on a positive note, with the FTSE 100 breaking past 10,000 points for the first time. U.K. house prices unexpectedly fell in December according to data from Nationwide, which is the weakest growth since April 2024. And, we discuss the outlook for the Federal Reserve in 2026, with a new chair, further questions over its independence and an AI boom all in its in-tray.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European markets start the final trading day of the year relatively flat, but the benchmark Stoxx 600 remains on course to notch its best annual performance since 2021. Silver prices move lower following a volatile year which has seen the precious metal rise by more than 150 per cent. Ukraine continues to deny an alleged drone attack on President Putin’s compound in the north-western Novgorod region while Russia deploys nuclear-capable ‘Oreshnik’ ICBMs to Belarus.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European markets edge into the green with the Stoxx 600 still on course to notch its best annual performance since 2021. Investors are now awaiting minutes from the FOMC later today. Russia vows to respond, following alleged Ukrainian drones targeting President Putin’s state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region, which threatens to derail peace talks between the two countries. Precious metal prices move higher with copper leading the charge, recording its highest annual rise in more than 15 years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Precious metals are seeing profit taking this morning after a strong rally last week saw the likes of gold and silver continue their strong years. On the flip side, cyptocurrencies are higher today, after a fourth quarter rout had previously spoiled any hopes of a Santa rally. Geopolitics continues to dominate the holiday period, with Trump and Zelenskyy meeting this past weekend at the White House to hammer out the details of a potential peace deal. The two leaders praised progress in negotiations, with Zelenskyy emphasing the strides made on security guarentees, a key sticking point for his country and the Europeans. Elsewhere, Ubisoft dives after one of its games was hacked over Christmas. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European markets see meagre trading volumes this Christmas Eve but the Stoxx 600 is due to record its best annual trading performance since 2021. The U.S. GDP data comes in far hotter than expected, prompting investors to dial down expectations of a Fed rate cut while the S&P 500 sees yet another record session. BP shares surge after the British oil giant sells off its majority stake in its Castrol lubricants unit to U.S. infrastructure firm Stonepeak for $6bn.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Stoxx 600 reaches a new intra-day high with investors now anticipating the U.S. GDP print later today. Drug giant Novo Nordisk sees its shares soar as it seeks to gain U.S. approval for the pill-form version of its weight-loss drug Wegovy. President Trump has reiterated previous calls for acquiring Greenland from Denmark for national security reasons as he appoints a new envoy to the Arctic territory. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European markets move lower but the Stoxx 600 is on track to notch its best year since 2021. Oil prices rise and gold hits a new record high as the U.S. navy pursues a suspected third ‘dark fleet’ tanker near the Venezuelan coast. In Miami, U.S. officials hail ‘productive’ peace talks between Russia and Ukraine but negotiations show no signs of breaking the impasse.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The BoJ hikes interest rates to levels not seen for 30 years, causing yields to spike to multi-decade highs. Governor Kazuo Ueda says the central bank will continue to tighten should the economy move in line with forecasts. After a 16-hour summit, European Union leaders have agreed on a €90bn loan to Ukraine after failing in negotiations to unfreeze Russian assets. Nike scores a top and bottom line beat but the results are marred by poor sales in China, dragging the sports apparel giant’s shares down.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BP ousts its CEO Murray Auchincloss overnight following investor frustration with net zero strategy and share under-performance. He is replaced by Woodside Petroleum’s Meg O’Neill who becomes the oil major’s fourth boss in six years. EU leaders gather in Brussels at a crucial summit to decide funding for Ukraine. And European investors await ‘Super Thursday’ with central banks’ rates decisions expected from the ECB, Riksbank, Norgesbank and BoE later today.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European futures pint to the green and the UK government is buoyed by the November CPI year-on-year print which came in 0.3 per cent lower than expected. The services CPI is down 0.2 per cent, beating expectations for the month. CNBC sources have learned that Open AI is in talks with Amazon over a potential tie-up worth more than $10bn following Sam Altman’s negotiations with Microsoft which allows the firm to reach across the tech sector. Crude prices edge higher after President Trump’s classification of the Maduro regime in Venezuela a foreign terrorist organisation as well as ordering of a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers. The Venezuelan government says the move is in breach of international law.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The A.I. stock sell-off continues with U.S. futures suggesting a day in the red. Investors now await the U.S. jobs report later today. President Trump signals that a Ukraine peace deal is ‘closer now than we have been, ever’ causing European defence stocks to tumble. However, any breakthrough on Ukrainian territorial issues remains a major sticking point. In crypto news, Bitcoin claws back some ground lost after sinking below the $86k-mark in yesterday’s session – its lowest level of the year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European markets are set to open in the green following Friday’s A.I.-led stock sell-off ahead of a variety of data prints and rate decisions later in the week. Ukraine abandons demands for NATO membership with peace talks continuing in Berlin. Security is increased at Hannukah events worldwide following the massacre of 15 people by two I.S.-inspired gunmen on Bondi Beach, Sydney yesterday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.