Morning Update | 17 December 2025

📈 Markets: Futures on major indices are trading higher, rebounding after yesterday’s pressure triggered by mixed US macro data. US100 is up 0.35%, US500 adds 0.2%, while EU50 gains 0.05%.

🏛 US politics & energy: Donald Trump announced a full blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers travelling to and from Venezuela. He accused Nicolás Maduro’s regime of expropriating US assets and financing crime and terrorism through oil revenues, while also signalling an acceleration of deportations of Venezuelan migrants.

🏦 Fed watch: According to The Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump is preparing to interview Christopher Waller, a voting FOMC member, for the position of Fed chair. Waller is considered the third most likely successor to Jerome Powell, after Kevin Hassett and Kevin Warsh. Although markets reacted positively to the report, his lack of close personal ties to Trump is seen as a key downside for his candidacy.

🎬 Corporate news: Warner Bros. Discovery plans to reject a takeover proposal from Paramount, positioned as a strategic response to Netflix. Premarket moves show WBD.US down 0.9%, NFLX.US up 1.0%, and PSKY lower by 0.1%.

🌏 Asia: Sentiment across Asian markets is moderately positive, supported by a rebound in technology stocks. However, gains remain capped by uncertainty over the US economic outlook after recent NFP and retail sales data, as well as caution ahead of key inflation releases. China and Hong Kong are leading gains, up 0.8% and 0.6% respectively, ending a three-day selloff. Japan’s JP225 is up 0.1%, while Australia’s AU200.cash is flat, reflecting restrained risk appetite.

🇯🇵 Japan data: Japan posted its first trade surplus since June, reaching JPY 322.2bn in November, far above expectations. Export growth was driven by a weak yen, recovering US demand and lower-than-expected tariffs, while import growth remained subdued due to weak domestic demand. Core machinery orders surged to their highest level since September 2022, signalling rising capital expenditure among Japanese companies.

🇳🇿 RBNZ: New RBNZ Governor Anna Breman said the central bank stands ready to use all available tools, including LTV and DTI limits, to manage housing market risks. She stressed the importance of transparency and noted that further rate cuts remain possible.

💱 FX: The US dollar index is rebounding by 0.2% after briefly hitting its lowest level since October, supported by the WSJ report on Waller. The yen is correcting after recent strength, with USDJPY up 0.4% and EURJPY up 0.2%. EURUSD is down 0.2% at 1.172.

🛢 Commodities: Brent and WTI crude are rebounding by around 1.2% from a four-year low, supported by news of the US blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers. Natural gas is trading flat.

🥇 Metals: Silver is extending its euphoric rally, surging another 3.7% to a new all-time high near USD 66 per ounce. Gold is up 0.6% at USD 4,330, while platinum is also breaking out, gaining 3.6%.

🪙 Crypto: Sentiment remains weak. bitcoin is down 1.1% at USD 86,880, while Ethereum slips 0.6% to USD 2,940.

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🌅 Morning Update | 17 December 2025 was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.