Monday 17 March 2025
The Mighty Headlines
Economics: Price of gold reaches $3000 an once for the first time
Business: UK Government takes Apple to court over privacy settings
Markets: US stocks end high after a difficult week
Foreign Affairs: China condemns G7 countries as “arrogant”
Security and intelligence: US vows to continue striking Houthi rebels
Domestic politics: UK Health Secretary says NHS “addicted to spending”
The Mighty Stats
FTSE = 8,632.33 (up 1.05%)
S&P 500 = 5,638.94 (up 2.13%)
Nasdaq = 17,754.09 (up 2.61%)
CAC40 = 8,028.28 (up 1.13%)
£1 = $1.29 / €1.18
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The Mighty Detail
Economics: The price of gold reached $3,000 per ounce on Friday for the first time ever. The rise follows economic and trade tensions between the US and its trading partners. Gold is usually seen as a safe alternative in times of economic stress and prices have risen by 14 per cent since the start of the year.
Business: The UK Government is taking Apple to court over the right to access people’s data on Apple devices. The UK Home Office says that it should be able to access people’s data if there is a risk to national security. Apple says it is important to maintain privacy. The case at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal is being held in secret.
Markets: US stocks rose on Friday, after the Trump administration made no new announcements on tariffs. The day of relief for investors saw tech shares perform particularly strongly, with chipmaker Nvidia up by more than 5 per cent and Tesla up by nearly 4 per cent.
Foreign Affairs: China has condemned the G7 countries, calling them “filled with arrogance, prejudice and malicious intentions”. It comes after a meeting of the G7 on Friday, where members called China’s military activities in the South China Sea (particularly around Taiwan and the Philippines) “illicit, provocative, coercive and dangerous”.
Security and intelligence: The US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, said yesterday that the US would continue to strike the Houthi rebels in Yemen for as long as they continue to disrupt trade in the Red Sea. A US strike on Saturday killed at least 31 people. The Houthis, who started attacking shipping in 2023 in solidarity with Hamas in the Israel-Gaza conflict, have said they will “meet escalation with escalation”.
Domestic politics: The UK Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has said that the NHS is “addicted to overspending”. He said yesterday that Integrated Care Boards, which were introduced to organise the delivery of health care services across England, have been asked to cut their running costs by 50 per cent.
The Mighty Calendar
What’s happening today?
Republic of Ireland public holiday (St Patrick’s Day)
UN talks on Cyprus begin
Work and Pensions Questions in the UK Parliament
US retail sales data (February)
Italy CPI inflation data (February)
South Korea trade data (February)
Company results from: UBS
Lookahead to tomorrow
President Macron and Chancellor Scholz discuss Ukraine in Berlin
German MPs vote on debt plan to allow more defence and infrastructure investment
Energy Questions in the UK Parliament
US new housing data (February)
US industrial and manufacturing production data (February)
Canada CPI inflation data (February)
Bank of Japan interest rate decision
Company results from: Travis Perkins, Eni
The Mighty Finale
🌤️Weather today
Sunny in the northeast of England. Overcast and dry elsewhere. High of 9C and low of 1C in London. Cloudy and dry in Belfast and Edinburgh.
✏️Life coaching quote of the day
“If you tell yourself that you cannot, what can the only outcome be?” – Shad Helmstetter, motivational writer
Mighty takeaway: What you say to yourself is powerful. Make a conscious effort to say things to yourself that will support you rather than undermine you.
That’s it for this morning. Thanks for reading and do join us for tomorrow’s edition.
Adios!
The Mighty Memo team