In Asia, equities are in the green with the Nikkei leading the way at the close but the Japanese yen dips as the BoJ is to maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy with no hint of when it will end its negative rate strategy. The Dow and the Nasdaq close narrowly up for the eighth straight session following more dovish predictions about 2024 rate cuts. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee says he is perplexed by market reactions. In the Red Sea, the U.S. spearheads an international maritime operation to protect merchant shipping lanes from drone and missile attacks by Iranian proxies. BP has announced it will be rerouting its tankers in the region. In banking news, activist investor Cevian reveals a €1.2bn stake in Swiss lender UBS following its rescue of Credit Suisse in March. And Apple is scrambling to resolve an IP dispute with a medical technology firm which is holding up U.S. sales of its watches, less than a week before Christmas.   

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