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Tragedy Strikes at Turkish Ski Resort: 66 Dead, 51 Injured in Hotel Fire

A devastating fire engulfed the Grand Kartal Hotel at the popular Kartalkaya ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday morning, claiming at least 66 lives and injuring 51 others. The fire, which broke out around 3:30 a.m. local time in the hotel's restaurant section, spread rapidly, trapping guests on the upper floors. Guests, many of whom were families on holiday during the school semester break, faced harrowing conditions as they tried to escape the flames. Some resorted to jumping from windows in a desperate attempt to flee the blaze, while others used sheets and blankets to climb down from their rooms. The hotel's fire detection system reportedly failed to operate, adding to the chaos and confusion. Emergency services, including 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances, were dispatched to the scene, but the fire's intensity and the hotel's chalet-style wooden exterior hampered firefighting efforts. The Turkish government has launched an investigation into the incident...

Earnings Optimism Lifts Stocks at Start of Fed Week

 

Stock markets around the world are riding the wave of earnings optimism as traders gear up for a busy week of company results. Here are the key highlights:

Asian Stocks Rise, Yen in Focus

  • Asian stocks climbed, following the rally in US markets after an inflation reading eased concerns about a more hawkish Federal Reserve.
  • Equities in Australia and South Korea opened higher, while the Japanese stock market remained closed for a holiday.
  • US futures nudged higher after the S&P 500 rose 1% on Friday.
  • Yen traders are closely monitoring efforts to support the currency, which is currently at its weakest level in more than three decades.

Tech Earnings and Global Stocks

  • Asian technology stocks may see movement in early trading after strong earnings reports from Microsoft Corp. and Google’s parent, Alphabet Inc. These results underscore the value of investments in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
  • The rally in tech shares has helped mitigate the global stock market’s decline this month (the first monthly loss since October). Concerns over lingering inflation pressures and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have weighed on investor sentiment.
  • While the recent correction may be over, there remains a risk that it’s merely a bounce from oversold conditions. However, stocks are likely to see further gains as disinflation resumes, central banks maintain high interest rates, and recession risks remain low.

Fed Meeting in Focus

  • Traders are closely watching the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting scheduled for Wednesday. The central bank’s preferred measure of inflation rose briskly in March, roughly in line with estimates.
  • While officials are expected to keep rates steady at a more than two-decade high, the focus will be on any shift in the tone of the post-meeting statement and Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference.
  • Societe Generale economists suggest that the FOMC will likely row back from earlier predictions of meaningful policy easing this year, given the recent acceleration in US consumer prices.

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