Thursday☕️

19 Dec 2024 — 4 min read

Economics & Markets:

Yesterday, the Federal Reserve reduced its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, adjusting it to a range of 4.25% to 4.5%. This marks the third rate cut in a row, intended to address current economic conditions and inflation, which stands at 2.7% as of November 2024. The Fed also outlined expectations for two additional rate cuts in 2025.
Yesterday’s U.S. stock market:

Geopolitics & Conflicts:

Yesterday, Israel launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, targeting Sanaa and Hodeidah. The strikes came after Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile toward central Israel, which was intercepted by Israeli defenses. Debris from the interception caused damage in Ramat Gan, hitting cars and a school.

Israel stated the strikes targeted Houthi military facilities linked to Iranian weapon smuggling. Houthi reports confirmed at least nine deaths and widespread power outages in the affected areas. This marks a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Houthis, who claim their attacks are in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Yemen, already suffering from years of civil war, faces worsening instability as tensions rise.

Law Enforcement Update:

Environment & Weather:

Space:

Today, two rocket launches are planned. First, Galactic Energy’s Ceres-1S rocket will launch at 10:20 UTC (5:20 AM EST) from a spaceport on China’s coast. The rocket will carry an unknown payload into orbit. This is the 16th time this type of rocket has been launched. It’s a small rocket designed to carry up to 400 kg into space, and the company often uses sea-based launches for flexibility.
Later, at 14:00 UTC (9:00 AM EST), Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket will launch from New Zealand. This mission, called “Owl The Way Up,” will carry a satellite for Synspective, a company that uses radar satellites to take detailed images of Earth. The Electron rocket is built for small satellite launches. This is the sixth mission of 16 planned to help build Synspective’s satellite system.

Science & Technology:

Yesterday, NVIDIA launched the Jetson Orin Nano Super Developer Kit, a powerful and affordable AI computer priced at $249. Designed for small businesses, hobbyists, and students, it delivers nearly twice the performance of its predecessor and handles 70% more tasks at a lower cost. The kit includes an NVIDIA Ampere GPU with tensor cores and a 6-core Arm CPU, providing up to 67 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) of AI processing power. It also offers a 50% boost in memory bandwidth, reaching 102 GB/s, enabling efficient handling of complex AI tasks like object detection, speech recognition, and machine learning.

This developer kit is ideal for building AI-powered applications such as robots, drones, smart cameras, and chatbots. Its compact size and wide connectivity make it easy to integrate into consumer electronics, IoT devices, and industrial systems. With support for advanced AI models, developers can create solutions for visual recognition, natural language processing, and decision-making. By making high-performance AI tools accessible and affordable, NVIDIA is driving innovation in fields like robotics, smart home technology, and industrial automation while strengthening its position in the competitive AI market.

Statistic: