NEWSLETTER
Thursday / September 29Sep 29
Friday / March 4
US-Iran talks
The United States and Iran came close to restoring the 2015 nuclear deal on Thursday, but officials from both countries warned that eventual issues still need to be resolved in the coming hours.
After weeks of intense negotiations in Vienna involving the US and Iran with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, senior diplomats said they could now reach a deal that would bring back the 2015 deal.
British chief negotiator Stephanie Al-Qaq said on Twitter late Thursday that they were very close to an agreement, adding diplomats had to take the last few steps.
U.S. and Iranian officials have warned that there remained at least one major problem still to be resolved: Iran is pushing for further sanctions relief if the nuclear deal is reinstated, specifically seeking the removal of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards from Washington's list of Foreign Terrorists.
"No one can say that the deal is done until all remaining issues are resolved," Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter. “It takes extra effort,” he said.
Ukraine-Russia talks
Officials from Kyiv and Moscow announced that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine agreed on the need for "humanitarian corridors" protected by possible ceasefire agreements for civilians fleeing dangerous areas in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian negotiator said the two sides had agreed on civilian evacuations, but the talks had not yet produced the results Kyiv wanted. While the delegations were meeting in Belarus, Russia's attacks targeting the city of Kharkiv and the capital Kyiv resumed.
The third round of talks with Russia will be held early next week, Ukraine negotiator Podolyak said.
The United States and its allies expanded the scope of their sanctions on Russia, pursuing oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin, and began confiscating their yachts, mansions, properties, companies, and other assets in the west.
Russian economy hit hard
JPMorgan said on Thursday it expects global sanctions against the country over its invasion of Ukraine to bring the Russian economy to a virtual standstill.
The Wall Street firm expects Russia's gross domestic product to shrink 35% in the second quarter of 2022 and 7% for the year.
Standard & Poor's downgraded Russia's credit rating from BB+ to CCC-.
US stocks
US stocks fell on Thursday. The slowdown in the energy and bond markets and investors watching the war in Ukraine led to the downward valuation of the technology sector.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 33,794.66, down 96.69 points, or 0.29%, after being positive for most of the session. The S&P500 fell 0.53% to 4,363.49. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1.56% to 13,537.94.
Okta and Snowflake fell 8% and 15%, respectively, after their quarterly reports. Salesforce and Adobe each lost more than 2%. Tesla fell 4.6%, while Amazon fell 2.7%.
The United States and Iran came close to restoring the 2015 nuclear deal on Thursday, but officials from both countries warned that eventual issues still need to be resolved in the coming hours.
After weeks of intense negotiations in Vienna involving the US and Iran with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, senior diplomats said they could now reach a deal that would bring back the 2015 deal.
British chief negotiator Stephanie Al-Qaq said on Twitter late Thursday that they were very close to an agreement, adding diplomats had to take the last few steps.
U.S. and Iranian officials have warned that there remained at least one major problem still to be resolved: Iran is pushing for further sanctions relief if the nuclear deal is reinstated, specifically seeking the removal of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards from Washington's list of Foreign Terrorists.
"No one can say that the deal is done until all remaining issues are resolved," Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter. “It takes extra effort,” he said.
Ukraine-Russia talks
Officials from Kyiv and Moscow announced that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine agreed on the need for "humanitarian corridors" protected by possible ceasefire agreements for civilians fleeing dangerous areas in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian negotiator said the two sides had agreed on civilian evacuations, but the talks had not yet produced the results Kyiv wanted. While the delegations were meeting in Belarus, Russia's attacks targeting the city of Kharkiv and the capital Kyiv resumed.
The third round of talks with Russia will be held early next week, Ukraine negotiator Podolyak said.
The United States and its allies expanded the scope of their sanctions on Russia, pursuing oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin, and began confiscating their yachts, mansions, properties, companies, and other assets in the west.
Russian economy hit hard
JPMorgan said on Thursday it expects global sanctions against the country over its invasion of Ukraine to bring the Russian economy to a virtual standstill.
The Wall Street firm expects Russia's gross domestic product to shrink 35% in the second quarter of 2022 and 7% for the year.
Standard & Poor's downgraded Russia's credit rating from BB+ to CCC-.
US stocks
US stocks fell on Thursday. The slowdown in the energy and bond markets and investors watching the war in Ukraine led to the downward valuation of the technology sector.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 33,794.66, down 96.69 points, or 0.29%, after being positive for most of the session. The S&P500 fell 0.53% to 4,363.49. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1.56% to 13,537.94.
Okta and Snowflake fell 8% and 15%, respectively, after their quarterly reports. Salesforce and Adobe each lost more than 2%. Tesla fell 4.6%, while Amazon fell 2.7%.
