European Briefing - Thursday 22.10
Headlines
  • US, Israel Draw Up Plans For Renewed Strikes On Iran After Midterms
  • US Orders Diplomats To Leave Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Attacks
  • Diplomats Race To Prevent Further Escalation With Iran
  • Putin Agrees To Resume Three-Way Peace Talks With Ukraine And US
  • BoK Holds Benchmark Rate At 3.00% Following Back-To-Back Hikes
  • New Zealand Q3 Inflation Slows To 3.7%, Below Expectations
  • Most BoJ Watchers Expect Next Rate Hike In December
  • Long-End US Yield Hits One-Month Low, AI Fears Fuel Haven Demand
  • EU Nears Securitisation Reform Deal To Unlock Investment
  • Canada PM Announces $6.4B Support Plan For Ontario Steel, Autos
  • China Stocks Near Bear Market As AI Trade And Policy Optimism Fade
  • DeepSeek Raises $15B To Challenge Leading US AI Labs
  • Meta Ordered To Pay $25B In New Mexico Data Privacy Case
  • Meta Boosts Bet On AI With New Spending Outlook, Stock Offering
  • Tesla Reports Flat Rev, Increased Cash Flow As SpaceX Merger Talk Looms
  • SAP Cloud Growth Beats Forecast In Sign Of Software’s Resilience
  • IBM Raises Annual Software Revenue Outlook As Deal Delays Ease
  • Texas Instruments Forecast Tops Estimates After Demand Picks Up
  • CSX Logs Higher Profit, Revenue On Rising Freight Volumes
Commentary
Most BoJ Watchers Expect Next Interest Rate Hike In Dec

More than 80% of Bank of Japan watchers anticipate the central bank’s next interest rate increase will come in December, according to a recent Bloomberg survey. None expect a hike when the bank concludes its next meeting on Oct. 30.

Some 83% of economists forecast the bank will raise borrowing costs from the current level of 1.25% at its meeting ending on Dec. 18. Just last month, only 35% forecast a hike in December. In that survey, January was the most popular pick for the next rate hike. (BBG – Continue Reading)

NZ Q3 Inflation Slows To 3.7% But Hike Expectations Remain

New Zealand's annual inflation slowed in the third quarter, coming in below analysts' forecasts at 3.7%, but remained above the top end of the central bank's target range, official data showed on Thursday, as data adds to expectations the central bank will hike rates next week.

The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.7% in the third quarter from the second, Statistics New Zealand said.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 3.8% annual increase and 0.8% quarterly rise. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand targets annual inflation between 1% and 3% over the medium term. The New ⁠Zealand dollar dipped to $0.5692 after the data came in below forecasts. (RTRS – Continue Reading)

BoK Holds Rate As It Takes Stock Of Back-to-back Increases

The Bank of Korea kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged, pausing to assess the impact of higher borrowing costs after a rare back-to-back increase aimed at containing inflation fuelled by an unprecedented semiconductor-led economic boom.

The central bank left its seven-day repurchase rate at 3% on Thursday, an outcome predicted by all 22 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The decision followed quarter-point increases in July and August, the BoK’s first consecutive hikes in more than three years. (BBG – Continue Reading)

US, Israel Draw Up Plans For Renewed Strikes On Iran After Elections

The US and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the American midterm elections, according to US officials and other people briefed on the deliberations.

As planning for a short but intensive operation progresses, the US and Israeli militaries have stepped up exercises, flying planes over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss new strikes, US officials said.

The targets would likely include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal. Some officials say one more big round of attacks could push Iran’s economy over the brink and force the country to make diplomatic concessions after nearly eight months of conflict. (NYT – Continue Reading)

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/*jshint esversion: 6 */ var socket; var assigned_server = 3001; var distributor_server = 3010; var publisher_channel = ''; var broadcaster_channel = ''; var remote_ip = ''; var session_info = {}; var logging_interval; var logging_interval_time = 120000; var socket_emits = 0; var session_start_time; var reconnectionDelayGrowFactor = 1.2; var reconnection_delay = 1000; var playing = false; var connected_to_assigned = false; var socket_close_timeout; var player_disconnected_annoucement_play_delay = 1500; var player_disconnected_annoucement_play_timeout = null; const TOKEN_ENDPOINT = "https://www.livesquawk.com/api/get_token.php"; self.onmessage = function (msg) { switch(msg.data.action) { case 'Reactivate': reactivate(); break; case 'ConnectDistributor': connect_to_distributor(msg); break; case 'SessionStaticInfo': session_static_info(msg); break; case 'SessionInfo': update_session_info(msg.data); break; case 'PauseLogging': clearTimeout(logging_interval); break; case 'RestartLogging': postMessage({action: 'RequestSessionStaticInfo' }); break; case 'JoinPublisherChannel': join_publisher_channel(msg.data); break; case 'JoinPlayerChannel': join_player_channel(msg.data); break; case 'CheckChannelStatus': check_channel_status(msg.data); break; case 'PlayerLogResponse': player_log_response(msg.data); break; case 'CloseSocket': close_socket(); break; case 'RequestMessageSearch': request_message_search(msg.data); break; case 'RequestMoreMessages': request_more_messages(msg.data); break; case 'PlayerDisconnectedAnnoucementTimeoutStart': player_disconnected_annoucement_timeout_start(); break; case 'PlayerDisconnectedAnnoucementTimeoutClear': player_disconnected_annoucement_timeout_clear(); break; case 'GetConnectionState': checkSocketConnectionState(); break; } }; function player_disconnected_annoucement_timeout_clear() { clearTimeout(player_disconnected_annoucement_play_timeout); player_disconnected_annoucement_play_timeout = null; } function player_disconnected_annoucement_timeout_start() { player_disconnected_annoucement_play_timeout = setTimeout(function() { send_play_disconnect_annoucement(); }, player_disconnected_annoucement_play_delay ); } function send_play_disconnect_annoucement() { postMessage({action: "PlayDisconnectAnnoucement"}); } function reactivate() { playing = false; connect_to_assigned_server(); } function player_log_response(data) { var data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'PlayerLogResponse'; data_array.respond_to_socket_final = data.respond_to_socket_final; data_array.respond_to_socket = data.respond_to_socket; data_array.player_socket_id = data.player_socket_id; data_array.logs = data.logs; var msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1) { socket.send(msg_string); } } function request_message_search(data) { var data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'request_message_search'; data_array.publisher_channel = data.publisher_channel; data_array.search_term = data.search_term; var msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1) { socket.send(msg_string); } } function request_more_messages(data) { var data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'request_more_messages'; data_array.publisher_channel = data.publisher_channel; data_array.last_record_id = data.last_record_id; var msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1) { socket.send(msg_string); } } function check_channel_status(data) { var data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'check_channel_status'; data_array.app_name = data.app_name; var msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1 && connected_to_assigned) { socket.send(msg_string); } else { setTimeout(function() { check_channel_status(data); },500); } } function check_channel_status_response(data) { postMessage({ action: 'CheckChannelStatusReponse', stream_status: data.stream_status.status, onair: data.stream_status.onair, connected: data.stream_status.connected }); } async function join_publisher_channel(data) { if (typeof data.jwt_token === 'string' && data.jwt_token !== '') { if (!socket || socket.readyState !== WebSocket.OPEN) { console.warn("[Page worker] JWT join skipped: socket not open"); return; } socket.send(JSON.stringify({ type: "join_publisher_channel", jwt_token: data.jwt_token, publisher_channel: data.publisher_channel, username: data.username, subscriber_group: data.subscriber_group, display_name: data.display_name, single_sign_on: data.single_sign_on, remote_ip: data.remote_ip, http_referrer: data.http_referrer, current_page: data.current_page, php_session_id: data.php_session_id, from_react: data.from_react, ...(typeof data.api_key === "string" && data.api_key.trim() !== "" ? { api_key: data.api_key } : {}), })); console.log("[Page worker] Sent supplied JWT join"); postMessage({ action: 'PublisherChannelJoined' }); return; } const joinSocket = socket; if (!joinSocket || joinSocket.readyState !== WebSocket.OPEN) { return; } const apiKey = typeof data.api_key === "string" ? data.api_key.trim() : ""; const partnerName = partnerFromCurrentPage(data.current_page); let tokenBody; if (apiKey !== "") { tokenBody = { api_key: apiKey }; } else if (partnerName) { tokenBody = { partner_name: partnerName }; } else { tokenBody = { username: data.username || "", publisher_channel: data.publisher_channel || "", }; } let jwtToken = null; try { const requestStartedAt = Date.now(); const response = await fetch(TOKEN_ENDPOINT, { method: "POST", headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" }, body: JSON.stringify(tokenBody), credentials: "same-origin", cache: "no-store", }); if (!response.ok) { throw new Error(`token endpoint returned ${response.status}`); } const tokenData = await response.json(); if ( !tokenData || typeof tokenData.token !== "string" || tokenData.token === "" ) { throw new Error("token endpoint returned no token"); } const expiresIn = Number(tokenData.expires_in); if (!Number.isFinite(expiresIn) || expiresIn <= 0) { throw new Error("token endpoint returned an invalid lifetime"); } const expiresAt = requestStartedAt + (expiresIn * 1000); if (expiresAt <= Date.now() + 30000) { throw new Error("token response has insufficient remaining lifetime"); } jwtToken = tokenData.token; } catch (error) { console.warn("[Page worker] Token request failed", error); // API-key requests must not silently bypass token authentication. if (apiKey !== "") { postMessage({ action: "auth_failed" }); return; } } // A reconnect during the fetch makes this join attempt obsolete. if ( socket !== joinSocket || joinSocket.readyState !== WebSocket.OPEN ) { return; } const payload = { type: "join_publisher_channel", publisher_channel: data.publisher_channel, username: data.username, subscriber_group: data.subscriber_group, display_name: data.display_name, single_sign_on: data.single_sign_on, remote_ip: data.remote_ip, http_referrer: data.http_referrer, current_page: data.current_page, php_session_id: data.php_session_id, from_react: data.from_react, }; if (apiKey !== "") { payload.api_key = apiKey; } if (jwtToken) { payload.jwt_token = jwtToken; } console.log( jwtToken ? "[Page worker] Sending fetched JWT with legacy details" : "[Page worker] Sending legacy join without JWT" ); joinSocket.send(JSON.stringify(payload)); postMessage({ action: "PublisherChannelJoined" }); } function partnerFromCurrentPage(current_page) { try { if (!current_page) return ''; const fullUrl = current_page.startsWith('http') ? current_page : `https://${current_page}`; return new URL(fullUrl).searchParams.get('partner_name') || ''; } catch (e) { return ''; } } function session_static_info(msg) { set_static_session_info(msg.data); start_log(); } function connect_to_distributor(msg) { publisher_channel = msg.data.publisher_channel; remote_ip = msg.data.remote_ip; socket = new WebSocket("wss://ws.livesquawk.com/ws"+distributor_server); socket.onopen = function(event) { request_server_assignment(); }; socket.onmessage = function(event) { var msg_string = event.data.toString(); var data = JSON.parse(msg_string); switch(data.type) { case 'server_assignment_response': server_assignment_response(data); break; } }; } function session_info_interval() { postMessage({action: 'RequestSessionInfo' }); logging_interval = setTimeout(session_info_interval,logging_interval_time); } function server_assignment_response(data) { assigned_server = data.selected_server; socket.close(); connect_to_assigned_server(); } function request_server_assignment() { var data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'request_server_assignment'; var msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1) { socket.send(msg_string); } } function connect_to_assigned_server() { socket = new WebSocket("wss://ws.livesquawk.com/ws"+assigned_server); socket.onopen = function(event) { postMessage({ action: 'VisibleConsole',console_string: "Connected to server "+assigned_server }); console.log("Connected to server "+assigned_server); postMessage({ action: 'ConnectedToAssigned' }); connected_to_assigned = true; if (playing) { postMessage({ action: 'RejoinPlayerChannel' }); } }; socket.onmessage = function(event) { var msg_string = event.data.toString(); var data = JSON.parse(msg_string); if (data.type != 'server_ping') { /* console.log(data.type); */ } switch(data.type) { case 'reconnect': postMessage({ action: 'VisibleConsole',console_string: "Reconnected" }); break; case 'reload': postMessage({ action: 'Reload' }); break; case 'start_log_response': start_log_response(data); break; case 'application_refresh_start': application_refresh_start(data); break; case 'application_refresh_stop': application_refresh_stop(data); break; case 'player_log_request': case 'check_channel_status_response': check_channel_status_response(data); break; case 'PlayerLogRequest': case 'new_tweet': case 'new_latest_news': case 'delete_report': case 'add_report': case 'add_ref_doc': case 'calendar_change': case 'calendar_insert': case 'calendar_delete': case 'new_note': case 'AppStart': case 'AppStop': case 'BroadcasterStarted': case 'BroadcasterStopped': case 'added_cme_report': case 'updated_cme_report': case 'added_cme_commentary': case 'updated_cme_commentary': case 'server_assignment_response': case 'initial_messages': case 'message_categories': case 'more_messages': case 'matched_messages': pass_straight_to_post_message(data); break; case 'output': case 'server_ping': case 'reconnect': case 'disconnect': break; } }; socket.onerror = function(event) { postMessage({ action: 'VisibleConsole',console_string: "LS Socket Error" + event.type }); console.log(event); postMessage({ action: 'LSSocketConnectionError' }); }; socket.onclose = function(event) { console.log('Socket is closed. Reconnect will be attempted in 1 second.', event.reason); socket_close_timeout = setTimeout(connect_to_assigned_server, reconnection_delay); reconnection_delay = reconnection_delay*reconnectionDelayGrowFactor; connected_to_assigned = false; }; } function checkSocketConnectionState() { postMessage({ action: 'SocketConnectionState', connected: Boolean(socket && socket.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN && connected_to_assigned ), }); } function close_socket() { clearTimeout(socket_close_timeout); socket_close_timeout = null; socket.onclose = function(event) {}; socket.onmessage = function(event) {}; socket.onerror = function(event) {}; socket.close(1000); console.log('Socket Closed'); } function pass_straight_to_post_message(data) { data.action = data.type; postMessage(data); } function join_player_channel(data) { var data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'join_player_channel'; data_array.player_channel = data.player_channel; data_array.remote_ip = data.remote_ip; data_array.username = data.username; data_array.app_name = data.app_name; data_array.onair_status = data.onair_status; data_array.http_referrer = data.http_referrer; data_array.current_page = data.current_page; data_array.php_session_id = data.php_session_id; var msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1) { socket.send(msg_string); } postMessage({action: 'PlayerChannelJoined' }); playing = true; } function start_log_response(data) { session_info.session_id = data.log_record_id; session_info_interval(); } function application_refresh_start(data) { if (data.app_name == session_info.application_name) { postMessage({action: 'ApplicationRefreshStart' }); } } function application_refresh_stop(data) { if (data.app_name == session_info.application_name) { postMessage({action: 'ApplicationRefreshStop' }); } } function set_static_session_info(data) { session_info.browser_codename = data.browser_codename; session_info.browser_name = data.browser_name; session_info.user_agent = data.user_agent; session_info.browser_version = data.browser_version; session_info.cookies_enabled = data.cookies_enabled; session_info.platform = data.platform; session_info.player_version = data.player_version; session_info.stream = data.stream; session_info.connection_protocol = data.protocol; session_info.delay_target = data.delay_target; session_info.session_email = data.session_email; session_info.remote_ip = data.remote_ip; session_info.php_session_id = data.php_session_id; session_info.application_name = data.application_name; session_info.http_referrer = data.http_referrer; } function start_log() { var session_start_date = new Date(); session_start_time = session_start_date.getTime(); var months = ['Jan','Feb','Mar','Apr','May','Jun','Jul','Aug','Sep','Oct','Nov','Dec']; var session_start_date_string = session_start_date.getDate() + " " + months[session_start_date.getMonth()] + " " + session_start_date.getFullYear(); var data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'webrtc_start_log'; data_array.remote_ip = session_info.remote_ip; data_array.username = session_info.session_email; data_array.php_session_id = session_info.php_session_id; data_array.webrtc_protocol = ''; data_array.session_start_time = (session_start_time/1000).toFixed(0); data_array.stream_name = session_info.stream; data_array.session_start_date = session_start_date_string; var msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1) { socket.send(msg_string); } } function update_session_info(data) { var data_array = {}; var msg_string = ''; var current_date = new Date(); var current_time = current_date.getTime(); session_info.protocol = data.protocol; session_info.curr_delay = (data.effective_latency / 1000).toFixed(2); session_info.session_length = current_time - session_start_time; session_info.ping_time = data.ping_time; session_info.jitter = data.jitter; session_info.packet_loss = data.packet_loss; session_info.effective_latency = data.effective_latency; session_info.mean_opinion_score = data.mean_opinion_score; session_info.restarts = data.restarts; if (socket_emits == 0) { data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'webrtc_log_data_full'; data_array.connection_protocol = session_info.protocol; data_array.threshold = 0; data_array.curr_delay = session_info.curr_delay; data_array.session_length = session_info.session_length; data_array.date = current_time; data_array.browser_codename = session_info.browser_codename; data_array.browser_name = session_info.browser_name; data_array.user_agent = session_info.user_agent; data_array.browser_version = session_info.browser_version; data_array.cookies_enabled = session_info.cookies_enabled; data_array.platform = session_info.platform; data_array.player_version = session_info.player_version; data_array.stream = session_info.stream; data_array.restarts = session_info.restarts; data_array.delay_target = 0; data_array.op_sys = ''; data_array.flash_version = ''; data_array.remote_ip = session_info.remote_ip; data_array.http_referrer = session_info.http_referrer; data_array.php_session_id = session_info.php_session_id; data_array.user_email = session_info.session_email; data_array.webrtc_protocol = session_info.protocol; data_array.ping_time = session_info.ping_time; data_array.jitter = session_info.jitter; data_array.packet_loss = session_info.packet_loss; data_array.effective_latency = session_info.effective_latency; data_array.mean_opinion_score = session_info.mean_opinion_score; data_array.session_id = session_info.session_id; msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1) { socket.send(msg_string); } } else { data_array = {}; data_array.type = 'webrtc_log_data'; data_array.session_id = session_info.session_id; data_array.php_session_id = session_info.php_session_id; data_array.connection_protocol = session_info.protocol; data_array.restarts = session_info.restarts; data_array.threshold = 0; data_array.curr_delay = session_info.curr_delay; data_array.session_length = session_info.session_length; data_array.date = current_time; data_array.webrtc_protocol = session_info.protocol; data_array.ping_time = session_info.ping_time; data_array.jitter = session_info.jitter; data_array.packet_loss = session_info.packet_loss; data_array.effective_latency = session_info.effective_latency; data_array.mean_opinion_score = session_info.mean_opinion_score; data_array.stream = session_info.stream; msg_string = JSON.stringify(data_array); if (socket.readyState == 1) { socket.send(msg_string); } } socket_emits++; if (socket_emits == 100) { socket_emits = 0; } }