--- title: "Global news you need to know before the U.S. stock market opens on Wednesday" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/222688701.md" description: "The People's Bank of China optimizes the cash pool policy for multinational corporations. In November, new housing starts in the United States fell to 1.289 million, the lowest since July. The UK's inflation rate rose to an eight-month high, prompting traders to reduce interest rate cut bets. The Eurozone's CPI final value is 2.2%, supporting further interest rate cuts. The Irish Prime Minister resigns, and Hong Kong establishes a gold market development group. The IEA expects global coal demand to reach record highs. Microsoft purchased nearly 500,000 GPUs this year, awaiting the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision" datetime: "2024-12-18T14:00:18.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/222688701.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/222688701.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/222688701.md) --- > Supported Languages: [简体中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/222688701.md) | [繁體中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/222688701.md) # Global news you need to know before the U.S. stock market opens on Wednesday The People's Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange: Optimize the pilot policy for the integrated fund pool business of multinational companies in both foreign and domestic currencies. In November, new housing starts in the United States fell to 1.289 million units, the lowest level since July. UK inflation rate rose to an eight-month high, with traders reducing bets on interest rate cuts by the Bank of England, no longer fully pricing in two rate cuts next year. European Central Bank Chief Economist Lane: In an environment of rising uncertainty, the pace of interest rate cuts should remain flexible. The final value of the Eurozone's November CPI was 2.2%, lower than the initial value, supporting further rate cuts by the European Central Bank. According to CCTV News, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris officially resigned to the President. Hong Kong SAR Government: A working group to promote the development of the gold market has been established. IEA: Global coal demand is expected to reach record highs every year and will last at least until 2027. "Big card buyer" Microsoft purchased nearly 500,000 GPUs this year! More than double that of Meta. Waiting for the Federal Reserve's decision! US and European stock markets rose slightly, the pound fell, and gold stabilized. The Nikkei 225 index closed down 0.2%, the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.73%, and the Hang Seng Index closed down 0.48%. Reminder: At 03:00 Beijing time on the 19th, the Federal Reserve will release the FOMC interest rate decision statement and the Summary of Economic Projections (SEP, including the dot plot); At 03:30, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell will hold the last routine press conference of the year ### Related Stocks - [Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MSFT.US.md) - [SPDR® Gold Shares (GLD.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GLD.US.md) - [SSE Index (000001.CN)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/000001.CN.md) - [TRACKER FUND (02800.HK)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/02800.HK.md) - [FI CSOP HSI (07300.HK)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/07300.HK.md) - [FL2 CSOP HSI (07200.HK)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/07200.HK.md) - [TRACKER FUND-R (82800.HK)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/82800.HK.md) - [Hang Seng Index (00HSI.HK)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/00HSI.HK.md) ## Related News & Research - [5 Simple ETFs to Buy With $1,000 and Hold for a Lifetime](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281345615.md) - [BUZZ-Rosenblatt says finding partner for Snap's smart glasses unit tough](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281357569.md) - [BUZZ-Street View: Nike's turnaround remains work in progress](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281331333.md) - [GRAPHIC-Apple's 50-year journey from garage to tech titan](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281342951.md) - [3 Best Tech Stocks Rated 'Strong Buy' for April 2026: 50%+ Upside](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281347354.md)