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Asian markets fluctuated Tuesday as attention turned to the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy decision, with traders hoping for guidance on its interest rate plans as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.The decision, which is expected to see officials lower borrowing costs again, comes in a busy week for central banks, with announcements in Japan and Britain also due.Investors are keeping tabs on Beijing after leaders’ latest measures to kickstart the economy fell short of expectations, with weak retail sales data Monday reinforcing the need for more support.The Fed is widely expected to lower rates for the third meeting in a row Wednesday as it looks to guide the world’s top economy to a soft landing, though its statement will be pored over for clues about next year’s outlook.Investors have started paring their bets on how many times it will cut over the next 12 months owing to still-sticky inflation, a strong labour market and uncertainty about Trump, who has pledged to slash taxes and impose tariffs on imports.Stefan Hofrichter, head of global economics and strategy at Allianz GI, said the US economy had defied warnings of a recession and growth was expected to power ahead, adding the firm’s “base case scenario remains a ‘soft landing’ for the US and world economies”.However, he added: “The wild card is what happens after Donald Trump takes office as US president. The lavish spending he’s proposed could boost US growth in the short term. “But the impact of the higher tariffs he’s mooted for US trading partners may also dampen the outlook for Europe. We need to wait to see the extent to which his election campaign promises become policy.”Wall Street ended mostly on the front foot, with a surge in tech giants helping the Nasdaq to a record high, but Asia was mixed in early trade.Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Wellington and Taipei all rose, but Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Manila and Jakarta ticked lower.Bitcoin hit another record high of $107,791 on continued optimism that Trump will introduce measures to deregulate the cryptocurrency market.The Fed rate decision will be followed Thursday by announcements in Japan and the United Kingdom.Opinion is split on whether the Bank of Japan will unveil a third hike of the year — having lifted in March for the first time in 17 years — as officials in Tokyo look to shift the country away from years of ultra-loose policies.Still, while the BoJ and Fed are on course to bring their rates closer together, the yen is struggling to strengthen and is stuck around 154 per dollar.- Key figures around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 39,520.06 (break)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.2 percent at 19,752.82Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,395.67Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0521 from $1.0509  MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2689 from $1.2678Dollar/yen: DOWN at 154.05 yen from 154.13 yen Euro/pound: UP at 82.91 pence from 82.86 penceWest Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $70.71 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $73.93 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 43,717.48 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,262.05 (close)

TikTok asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to temporarily block a law that would force its Chinese owner to sell the popular online video-sharing platform or shut it down a month from now.The appeal to the nation’s top court came on the same day that TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew met with US President-elect Donald Trump, according to an NBC News report.At a press conference Monday, Trump said he has “a warm spot” for TikTok and that his administration would take a look at the app and the potential for a ban.The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless its owner ByteDance divests from the app by January 19.TikTok asked for the move to be put on hold while it challenges a lower court ruling that upheld the law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, potentially with an appeal to the Supreme Court itself.TikTok asked the nation’s top court to make a decision by January 6.”Congress has enacted a massive and unprecedented speech restriction,” TikTok, which claims to have more than 170 million monthly US users, said in its filing with the Supreme Court.Should the law come into force it would “shutter one of America’s most popular speech platforms the day before a presidential inauguration,” TikTok said.”This, in turn, will silence the speech of Applicants and the many Americans who use the platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern,” it added.”Applicants — as well as countless small businesses who rely on the platform — also will suffer substantial and unrecoverable monetary and competitive harms.”The potential ban could strain US-China relations just as Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20.Trump has emerged as an unlikely TikTok ally amid concerns that a ban on the app would mainly benefit Meta, the Facebook parent company owned by Mark Zuckerberg.Trump’s stance reflects conservative criticism of Meta for allegedly suppressing right-wing content, including the former president himself being banned from Facebook after the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot by his supporters.Trump’s support for TikTok marks a reversal from his first term, when the Republican leader tried to ban the app over similar security concerns.The US government alleges TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. It also says the video hosting service is a conduit to spread propaganda, though China and ByteDance strongly deny these claims.A three-judge US appeals court panel earlier this month unanimously upheld the law’s premise that TikTok divesting from Chinese ownership “is essential to protect our national security.”

Global shares mostly retreated Monday as markets awaited a Federal Reserve interest rate decision while concerns over political battles in Europe and China’s struggling economy pressured equities.The Nasdaq was the day’s outperformer, surging more than one percent to a fresh all-time high behind big gains for Broadcom, Google-parent Alphabet and other tech names.But the Dow fell, along with bourses in Europe and Asia as traders fretted over political instability in France and Germany.Bitcoin, meanwhile, hit a new record high, reaching $107,115.89 as it continues to gain support from Donald Trump’s backing of cryptocurrencies.Investors are turning their attention to Wednesday’s US Federal Reserve decision on borrowing costs at its last policy meeting of the year before Trump takes office next month.The Fed is widely expected to cut its key lending rate for a third straight time, reducing it by a quarter point despite a recent uptick in inflation.But there are fears it will have to slow its pace of easing next year owing to sticky inflation and bets that Trump’s tax cuts and tariffs will reignite price increases.Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading platform XTB, said that there would be “an elephant in the room” at the Fed meeting.”How to accurately forecast economic activity and inflation rates, when the President-elect’s policies are expected to have a huge economic impact and could trigger more inflation?” she wrote.- China and Europe worries -Investors also tracked data showing that Chinese retail sales grew 3.0 percent last month, much slower than in October and well off the five percent forecast.Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets closed lower after the data release while oil prices fell slightly on concerns over Chinese demand.Chinese officials have unveiled a string of aggressive measures in recent months aimed at bolstering growth in the world’s second-biggest economy.In Europe, the Paris stock market fell 0.7 percent after Moody’s downgraded France’s credit rating Saturday following months of political crisis and the appointment of centrist Francois Bayrou as prime minister.”The market is likely to watch closely to see how the political problems in France affect sentiment in the German economy,” said Jochen Stanzl, an analyst at CMC Markets.Frankfurt slid 0.5 percent as Germany’s embattled center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote, triggering elections set for February 23.The European Central Bank cut rates again last week as inflation appears to come under control and the eurozone economy shows signs of weakness.ECB chief Christine Lagarde said Monday that the bank would keep lowering interest rates, while warning that higher US tariffs under Trump could hit growth in the bloc.A closely watched survey released Monday showed that business activity declined further in the eurozone in December, though less sharply than the previous month thanks to an upturn in the services sector.- Key figures around 2210 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 43,717.48 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 0.4 percent at 6,074.08 (close)New York – Nasdaq: UP 1.2 percent at 20,173.89 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,357.08 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.5 percent at 20,313.81 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,262.05 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: FLAT at 39,457.49 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 19,795.49 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,386.33 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0509 from $1.0501 from FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2678 from $1.2619Dollar/yen: UP at 154.13 yen from 153.65 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.86 pence from 83.22 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.8 percent at $70.71 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $73.91 per barrel

US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday praised Japan’s SoftBank for its decision to invest $100 billion in the United States and create 100,000 new jobs, a big win for his incoming administration.”This historic investment is a monumental demonstration of confidence in America’s future,” Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, flanked by SoftBank chief executive Masayoshi Son. “It will help ensure that artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and other industries of tomorrow are built, created and grown right here in the USA,” added Trump, who takes office from US President Joe Biden next month.Speaking alongside Trump, Son confirmed the investment company’s financial commitment, adding that Trump’s victory had “tremendously increased” his confidence in the US economy. “I am truly excited to make this happen,” added Son, 67.- Second commitment -Son’s announcement is around double the amount he committed SoftBank to in December 2016, shortly before Trump began his first term as president. The Japanese investment holding company ultimately parted with around $100 billion through its Vision Fund, with much of the money supplied by sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”President Trump is a double-down president,” Son said on Monday, adding: “I’m going to have to double down.”Son made his name with successful early investments in Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba and internet pioneer Yahoo, but has also bet on catastrophic failures such as WeWork.He has repeatedly said that “artificial superintelligence” will arrive in a decade, bringing new inventions, new medicine, new knowledge and new ways to invest.The SoftBank Group posted a bumper second-quarter net profit last month, returning to the black after net losses in the first quarter and the previous financial year.The company indicated back in March that it had $26 billion ready to be deployed for new investments.- Tariff worries -Stephen Moore, an economic advisor to Donald Trump, said the announcement marked a “great day.””The importation of capital into the US is a huge leading indicator for jobs and prosperity to come,” Moore, an economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told AFP in a message.On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to boost the US economy by cutting red tape and fast-tracking investments, including into the oil and gas sector.US financial markets surged following his victory on November 5, with the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite index and the broad-based S&P 500 both hitting fresh records. Despite the enthusiasm in the markets, some analysts have voiced concern that Trump’s proposals to implement new tariffs on US imports and deport millions of undocumented workers could end up hurting growth, and causing a spike in inflation.”The increased likelihood of substantial new tariffs on US imports would have the most consequential effect on economic growth,” economists at Wells Fargo wrote in a recent note to clients, adding they had “bumped up” their inflation outlook and slightly cut their GDP forecast following Trump’s win. Other analysts say the impact of Trump’s tariff plans will largely depend on how they are actually implemented. “The impact on inflation need not be particularly significant for monetary policy,” economists at Goldman Sachs wrote in a recent investor note. But, they added “this could change if the White House imposes a 10 percent universal tariff,” referring to one of Trump’s proposals on the campaign trail. Speaking in Mar-a-Lago on Monday, Trump insisted that, “properly used,” tariffs would be positive for the US economy. “Our country right now loses to everybody,” he said. “Almost nobody do we have a surplus with.””Tariffs will make our country rich,” he added. 

The Japanese tech titan SoftBank will invest $100 billion in the United States, creating at least 100,000 jobs, US President-elect Donald Trump said Monday, in a boost to his incoming administration.”This historic investment is a monumental demonstration of confidence in America’s future,” Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.  “It will help ensure that artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and other industries of tomorrow are built, created and grown right here in the USA,” added Trump, who takes office from US President Joe Biden next month.Speaking alongside Trump, SoftBank’s chief executive Masayoshi Son confirmed the investment company’s financial commitment and pledged to create 100,000 jobs, adding that Trump’s victory had “tremendously increased” his confidence in the American economy. “I am truly excited to make this happen,” added Son, 67.- Second commitment -The announcement from Son is around double the amount he committed SoftBank to in December 2016, shortly before Trump began his first term as president. The Japanese firm ultimately parted with close to $100 billion through its Vision Fund, with much of the money supplied by sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”President Trump is a double-down president,” Son said on Monday, adding: “I’m going to have to double down.” Stephen Moore, an economic advisor to Donald Trump, said the announcement marked a “great day.””The importation of capital into the US is a huge leading indicator for jobs and prosperity to come,” Moore, an economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told AFP in a message.- Cutting red tape -Son made his name with successful early investments in Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba and internet pioneer Yahoo, but has also bet on catastrophic failures such as WeWork.He has repeatedly said that “artificial superintelligence” will arrive in a decade, bringing new inventions, new medicine, new knowledge and new ways to invest.Last month, CNBC reported that ChatGPT creator OpenAI will enable its employees to sell shares worth roughly $1.5 billion to SoftBank.The SoftBank Group posted a bumper second-quarter net profit last month, returning to the black after net losses in the first quarter and the previous financial year.Son’s announcement is a boost to the incoming Trump administration, which takes office on January 20, 2025. On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to boost the US economy by cutting red tape and fast-tracking investments, including into the oil and gas sector.Some analysts have voiced concerns that several Trump proposals, such as slapping new tariffs on US imports and deporting millions of undocumented workers, could hurt growth and cause a spike in inflation.”The increased likelihood of substantial new tariffs on US imports would have the most consequential effect on economic growth,” economists at Wells Fargo wrote in a recent note to clients, adding they had “bumped up” their inflation outlook and slightly cut their GDP forecast.Other analysts say the level of economic pain caused by Trump’s tariff plans will largely depend on how widespread they are. “The impact on inflation need not be particularly significant for monetary policy,” economists at Goldman Sachs wrote in a recent investor note. But, they added “this could change if the White House imposes a 10% universal tariff,” referring to one of Trump’s proposals on the campaign trail. 

Global shares stalled Monday ahead of an expected US interest-rate cut later this week while concerns over political battles in Europe and China’s struggling economy sent other world markets lower.Wall Street offered little cheer as the Dow marked time although the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the broad-based S&P 500 were just in the green some two hours into trading.But Europe and Asia all lost ground as traders fret over political instability in France and Germany.Bitcoin, meanwhile, hit a new record high, reaching $107,115.89 as it continues to gain support from Donald Trump’s backing of cryptocurrencies.Investors are turning their attention to Wednesday’s US Federal Reserve decision on borrowing costs at its last policy meeting of the year before Trump takes office next month.The Fed is widely expected to cut its key lending rate for a third straight time, reducing it by a quarter point despite a recent uptick in inflation.But there are fears it will have to slow its pace of easing next year owing to sticky inflation and bets that Trump’s tax cuts and tariffs will reignite price increases.”It will come as no surprise to investors to hear that the final full week of trading in global markets in 2024 has started with more gains for the US while Europe struggles,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, identifying a nascent “Santa rally” on Wall Street. Regarding Europe, he noted that “Germany is now set for elections early next year, promising to throw in a new ingredient to Europe’s heady brew of political instability.” Regarding France, while the country now has a new prime minister, “the problems he faces remain intractable”.Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading platform XTB, said meanwhile that there would be “an elephant in the room” at the Fed meeting.”How to accurately forecast economic activity and inflation rates, when the President-elect’s policies are expected to have a huge economic impact and could trigger more inflation?” she wrote.- China and Europe worries -Investors also tracked data showing that Chinese retail sales grew 3.0 percent last month, much slower than in October and well off the five percent forecast.Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets closed lower after the data release while oil prices fell slightly on concerns over Chinese demand.Chinese officials have unveiled a string of aggressive measures in recent months aimed at bolstering growth in the world’s second-biggest economy.In Europe, the Paris stock market fell 0.7 percent after Moody’s downgraded France’s credit rating Saturday following months of political crisis and the appointment of centrist Francois Bayrou as prime minister.”The market is likely to watch closely to see how the political problems in France affect sentiment in the German economy,” said Jochen Stanzl, an analyst at CMC Markets.Frankfurt slid 0.5 percent as Germany’s embattled centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote, triggering elections set for February 23.The European Central Bank cut rates again last week as inflation appears to come under control and the eurozone economy shows signs of weakness.ECB chief Christine Lagarde said Monday that the bank would keep lowering interest rates, while warning that higher US tariffs under Trump could hit growth in the bloc.A closely watched survey released Monday showed that business activity declined further in the eurozone in December, though less sharply than the previous month thanks to an upturn in the services sector.In London, the UK government approved the £3.6 billion ($4.5 billion) takeover of Royal Mail’s parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS), by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group.IDS shares added 0.8 percent.- Key figures around 1645 GMT -New York – Dow: FLAT at 43,815.96 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.3 percent at 6,071.18New York – Nasdaq: UP 0.8 percent at 20,083.95Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,357.08 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.5 percent at 20,313.81 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,262.05 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: FLAT at 39,457.49 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 19,795.49 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,386.33 (close)Euro/dollar: UNCHANGED at $1.0504 from FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2690 from $1.2622Dollar/yen: UP at 154.24 yen from 153.60 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.76 pence from 83.19 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.9 percent at $70.63 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.9 percent at $73.86 per barrel

The head of Japan’s SoftBank is set to announce plans on Monday to invest $100 billion in the United States over the next four years, a spokesperson for US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team told AFP.SoftBank’s billionaire chief executive Masayoshi Son and Trump are expected to jointly announce the planned investment at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida later in the day, according to US media reports.SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The announcement from Son, 67, would be around double the amount he committed SoftBank to in December 2016, shortly before Trump began his first term as US president. The Japanese investment behemoth ultimately parted with close to $100 billion through its Vision Fund, with much of the money supplied by sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Son made his name with successful early investments in Chinese ecommerce titan Alibaba and internet pioneer Yahoo, but has also bet on catastrophic failures such as WeWork.Son has repeatedly said that “artificial superintelligence” will arrive in a decade, bringing new inventions, new medicine, new knowledge and new ways to invest.

Wall Street shares mostly rose Monday ahead of an expected US interest-rate cut later this week while concerns over political battles in Europe and China’s struggling economy sent other world markets lower.Bitcoin, meanwhile, hit a new record high at $106,493.43 as it continues to gain support from Donald Trump’s backing of cryptocurrencies.In New York, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the broad-based S&P 500 were up in morning deals while the Dow was flat following a lacklustre performance last week.Investors are turning their attention to Wednesday’s US Federal Reserve decision on borrowing costs at its last policy meeting of the year before Trump takes office next month.The Fed is widely expected to cut its key lending rate for a third straight time, reducing it by a quarter point despite a recent uptick in inflation.But there are fears it will have to slow its pace of easing next year owing to sticky inflation and bets that Trump’s tax cuts and tariffs will reignite prices.Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading platform XTB, said there would be “an elephant in the room” at the Fed meeting:”How to accurately forecast economic activity and inflation rates, when the President elect’s policies are expected to have a huge economic impact and could trigger more inflation.”- China and Europe worries -Investors also tracked data showing Chinese retail sales grew 3.0 percent last month, much slower than October and well off the five-percent forecast.Hong Kong and Shanghai indices closed lower after the data release while oil prices fell slightly on concerns over Chinese demand.Chinese officials have unveiled a string of aggressive measures in recent months aimed at bolstering growth in the world’s second biggest economy.In Europe, the Paris stock market dropped after Moody’s downgraded France’s credit rating Saturday following months of political crisis and the appointment of centrist Francois Bayrou as prime minister.”The market is likely to watch closely to see how the political problems in France affect sentiment in the German economy,” said Jochen Stanzl, analyst at CMC Markets.Frankfurt fell as Germany’s embattled centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz faced a confidence vote that was expected to trigger the process towards February 23 elections.The European Central Bank cut rates again last week as inflation appears to come under control and the eurozone economy shows signs of weakness.ECB chief Christine Lagarde said Monday the bank would keep lowering interest rates, and she warned that higher US tariffs under Trump could hit growth in the bloc.A closely-watched survey showed Monday business activity declined further in the eurozone in December, though less sharply than the previous month thanks to an upturn in the services sector.On the corporate front, three spinoffs from French right-wing tycoon Vincent Bollore’s Vivendi media empire debuted on stock markets, with mixed results.Shares in the Canal+ television and film group tanked by around 20 percent in London.The other two spinoffs had a better start: Book publisher Louis Hachette soared almost 27 percent on the Euronext Growth in Paris while advertising agency Havas was up 1.2 percent in Amsterdam in afternoon deals.Shares in the remaining Vivendi company, which stayed on the Paris stock exchange, was up more than three percent.In London, the UK government approved the £3.6 billion ($4.5 billion) takeover of Royal Mail’s parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS), by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group.IDS shares were up 0.8 percent.- Key figures around 1445 GMT -New York – Dow: FLAT at 43,830.77 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.2 percent at 6,063.22New York – Nasdaq: UP 0.4 percent at 19,995.99Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.8 percent at 7,350.78Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.4 percent at 20,327.68London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 8,271.35Tokyo – Nikkei 225: FLAT at 39,457.49 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 19,795.49 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,386.33 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0491 from $1.0504 on FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2651 from $1.2622Dollar/yen: UP at 154.14 yen from 153.60 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.99 pence from 83.19 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $71.06 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $71.05 per barrel

Malaysian automaker Proton unveiled the country’s first locally-produced electric vehicle on Monday, after the government pledged to boost EV uptake on the roads.Proton — which is backed by Chinese automotive giant Geely — launched the e.MAS 7 SUV at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur.The cheapest e.MAS 7 will be priced at 105,800 ringgit ($23,700), whilst a top-of-the-range model will retail for 123,800 ringgit.Cars produced by China’s BYD and Elon Musk’s Tesla brand are already available in Malaysia, but the government has announced plans for EVs to make up 20 percent of new vehicle sales by 2030.Geely owns 49.9 percent of Proton and last year announced a $10 billion investment in the firm’s plant in Tanjong Malim — 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur.”It is hoped that the e.MAS 7 EV model can promote our ability to produce quality electric vehicles,” Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said at the vehicle’s launch.Local automotive analyst Nicholas King said the low cost may spur the government’s electrification plans. “The price… is sure to shake up the local EV market,” said King, a senior editor at car website KeyAuto.my.

Major stock markets and oil prices retreated Monday after an unexpected slowdown in retail sales reinforced worries about China’s struggling economy.The dollar mostly rose as traders looked ahead to interest-rate decisions this week from the US Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan and Bank of England.Bitcoin hit a new record high at $106,493.43.”China remained the central focus for Asian markets in another show of economic weakness which sent markets lower,” noted Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor.”The highlight of the week… will be the interest rate decision from the Fed on Wednesday.”Observers also tracked developments in Seoul after South Korean lawmakers impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at the weekend in the wake of his short-lived declaration of martial law this month.Hong Kong and Shanghai indices closed lower after figures showed that Chinese retail sales grew 3.0 percent last month, much slower than October and well off the five-percent forecast.The figures highlighted the work China’s leaders had in store as they try to kickstart consumption and reignite the world’s number two economy.Officials unveiled new promises at the weekend to boost the battered property sector and tweak monitoring of equity markets.That came after investors were left unimpressed last week with Beijing’s pledge to introduce measures aimed at “lifting consumption vigorously” as part of a stimulus drive.- France downgrade -In Europe, the Paris stock market dropped after Moody’s downgraded France’s credit rating Saturday, following months of political crisis and the appointment of centrist Francois Bayrou as prime minister.European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde on Monday said eurozone policymakers would keep lowering interest rates and warned that higher US tariffs under President-elect Donald Trump could hit growth in the bloc.The ECB cut rates again last week as inflation looked to be coming under control and the eurozone economy showed signs of weakness.The Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates again Wednesday but there are fears it will have to slow its pace of easing next year owing to sticky inflation and bets that Trump’s tax cuts and tariffs will reignite prices.On the corporate front, three spinoffs from French right-wing tycoon Vincent Bollore’s Vivendi media empire debuted on stock markets, with mixed results.Shares in the Canal+ television and film group tanked 15 percent in London.The other two spinoffs had a better start: Book publisher Louis Hachette soared 25 percent on the Euronext Growth in Paris while advertising agency Havas was up six percent in Amsterdam.Shares rose in the remaining Vivendi company, which stayed on the Paris stock exchange.Elsewhere, Britain’s centuries-old Royal Mail is set to pass into foreign ownership after the UK government approved the takeover of its parent company by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group.The takeover of International Distribution Services is worth £3.6 billion ($4.5 billion). IDS shares climbed nearly one percent in late morning deals.- Key figures around 1115 GMT -Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.9 percent at 7,345.84 pointsFrankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.4 percent at 20,329.16London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 8,267.15Tokyo – Nikkei 225: FLAT at 39,457.49 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 19,795.49 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,386.33 (close)New York – Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 43,828.06 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0490 from $1.0504 on FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2646 from $1.2622Dollar/yen: UP at 153.83 yen from 153.60 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.94 pence from 83.19 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 percent at $70.45 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.0 percent at $73.77 per barrel