Streamlined version

Andrew Sheves Good morning. No headlines to share today, let’s get right to the ratings and news.

Commodity and Rate Snapshot

🛢️** Crude Futures (WTI)**

$70.52

💵 **USD:EUR **

$1.05

₿ Bitcoin

$104,564

As at Dec 18, 06:00ET -Data is illustrative, not for decision-making.

Financial data via Bloomberg, Freightos and AlphaVantage

Europe Stability Ratings and News Summary

More Unstable

🇦🇱 Albania, 🇧🇾 Belarus, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇧🇦 Bosnia And Herzegovina, 🇨🇾 Cyprus, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇱🇻 Latvia, 🇲🇰 Macedonia, 🇲🇹 Malta, 🇲🇩 Moldova, 🇲🇪 Montenegro, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇷🇸 Serbia, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇹🇷 Turkey, 🇺🇦 Ukraine, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

More Stable

No countries were more stable over this period

Unchanged

🇦🇩 Andorra, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇪🇪 Estonia, 🇫🇮 Finland, 🇮🇸 Iceland, 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein, 🇱🇹 Lithuania, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇲🇨 Monaco, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇷🇴 Romania, 🇸🇲 San Marino, 🇸🇮 Slovenia

Regional News Summary

Switzerland is making strides in its negotiations with the European Union, with discussions nearing conclusion amid intense dialogue. The outcome of these negotiations will be pivotal for Switzerland’s future relationship with the EU [SOURCE - Swissinfo]. Additionally, Switzerland has taken a firm stance on global issues, freezing CHF 99 million in Syrian funds and supporting the UN’s ceasefire resolution in Gaza [SOURCE - Swissinfo].

In the realm of finance, the Swiss National Bank has responded to economic pressures by lowering its key interest rate by 0.5%, raising concerns that it may edge towards a zero-interest rate in its ongoing tussle with speculators [SOURCE - Swissinfo]. This decision reflects a broader trend as central banks globally consider rate cuts amid economic uncertainty, which could have significant repercussions for international trade agreements [SOURCE - Investing.com[]](https://www.investing.com/news/economy-news/morning-bid-global-rate-cuts-put-dollar-in-drivers-seat-3770603).

Meanwhile, France is grappling with a political crisis that has led to a loss of confidence in President Emmanuel Macron’s government. The recent cabinet reshuffle and the appointment of a new prime minister come as the country faces a downgraded credit rating from Moody’s due to ongoing political fragmentation [SOURCE - Financial Times]. Business lead

Carpe tomorrow!