According to the Financial Association on December 18 (Editor Zhao Hao), on Wednesday (December 18) in Pre-Market Trading, the three major index futures collectively rebounded. As of the time of publication, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 0.33%, S&P 500 Index futures rose by 0.24%, and NASDAQ 100 Index futures rose by 0.18%.

On the previous trading day, all three major indices closed lower, with the Dow falling for the ninth consecutive trading day, marking its longest losing streak since February 1978. However, it should be noted that even after experiencing a decline not seen in 46 years, the Dow is still less than 4% away from its historical high.

The other two indices have performed relatively well recently, with the S&P 500 Index up 0.3% this month and the Nasdaq Composite Index up 4.64%. Analysts indicate that investors are flocking to Technology stocks, causing the Nasdaq to significantly outperform the other two; yesterday Apple and Tesla continued to reach new highs.

At 03:00 AM Beijing time on Thursday, the most important central bank in the Global financial system – the Federal Reserve will announce the highly anticipated December interest rate decision. Fed Chairman Powell will traditionally speak at a routine press conference half an hour later.

Currently, the industry generally expects the Federal Reserve to cut rates again by 25 basis points at this week's meeting, with little suspense remaining. In comparison, the market is more concerned about whether the Fed will hint at pausing rate cuts in January next year and how many more cuts can occur next year.

Investment bank Baird's investment strategist Ross Mayfield commented: "I believe we will cut rates... but the wording and tone may be as hawkish as Powell's recent remarks. In the face of so many unresolved issues, they might hesitate to commit to cutting rates more than four times next year."

However, Mayfield noted that the volatility brought by the Fed's decision usually does not last long, "These fluctuations are either reversed later, or the gains are given back, or the declines narrow. Therefore, I am not very worried about the follow-up trend tomorrow."

In terms of individual stocks, NVIDIA, which has recently been under pressure, shows signs of rebounding, rising nearly 3% in Pre-Market Trading; Quantum Computing stocks are up over 16%, after the stock closed up 51% the previous day; Oklo surged 12%, as the company established a strategic partnership with Datacenter operators.

Most European stock markets are trading higher, with the German DAX30 Index currently up 0.27%, the UK FTSE100 Index up 0.03%, and the France CAC40 Index up 0.06%.

Company news

[South Korean regulators reportedly fined Barclays and Citigroup for "Naked Short Selling" activities.]

South Korean regulators have fined Barclays and Citigroup for their "Naked Short Selling" activities, intensifying efforts to crack down on such illegal trading practices. Reports indicate that Barclays and Citigroup were fined 13.7 billion Korean won (approximately 9.5 million USD) and 4.7 billion won respectively by the South Korean Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). Barclays stated that it is considering a response and will continue to uphold the highest standards of professional ethics while maintaining an orderly and transparent market operation.

[Blackrock currently holds over 1 million ETH in its Ethereum ETF, valued at over 4 billion USD.]

According to Lookonchain monitoring, Blackrock's spot Ethereum ETF, the iShares Ethereum Trust ETF, currently holds over 1 million ETH, totaling 1,025,378 ETH (approximately 4.04 billion dollars).

[Boeing: Production of the 767 and 777 wide-body aircraft is resuming as all projects paused due to the strike have been restarted.]

Boeing stated that it has resumed production of all aircraft programs that were halted due to the mechanics strike in the Pacific Northwest. Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope stated that the company has now resumed production of the 737, 767, and 777/777X aircraft programs.

[Baidu applies to register short drama trademark. The company responds: Key development direction of content ecosystem.]

Recently, Baidu Online Network Technology (Peking) Co., Ltd. applied to register the trademark "Baidu Short Drama," with international classifications for website services, scientific instruments, and education entertainment. The current trademark status is awaiting substantive examination. A Baidu official stated that short dramas are a key development direction in the current content ecosystem, and the Baidu short drama platform has aggregated over 240,000 short dramas, with daily active users exceeding 40 million. In 2025, upgrades will be made in five major areas: distribution, revenue sharing, rewards, exclusive broadcasting, and investment attraction.

[Morgan Stanley raises Netflix's target price from $830 to $1050.]

Morgan Stanley Analyst Benjamin Swinburne raised the Target Price for Netflix from $830 to $1050. Maintaining the Shareholding rating. The new Target Price implies a 14% increase.

Events to watch during the US stock market hours (Beijing time)

November 17

21:30 USA November new housing starts annualized, USA third quarter current account.

23:30 USA's EIA Crude Oil inventories for the week ending December 13.

November 18

03:00 The Federal Reserve announces the interest rate decision and economic projections summary.

03:30 AM Federal Reserve Chair Powell Holds Monetary Policy Press Conference