The main events by the morning: February 20

• The members of the US Federal Reserve Committee consider it advisable to act cautiously when changing monetary policy due to high uncertainty. They intend to monitor inflation and the economy before adjusting the rate, which remained at 4.25-4.5% in January. Decisions depend on the forecast and risks. The next meeting of the regulator is scheduled for March 18-19.

• The funds saved by DOGE and Elon Musk can partially be used to repay the US national debt. This was stated by President Trump. There are plans in which 20% of the released funds will be used to pay off debt, and another 20% will be distributed to Americans.  

• The European Union intends to temporarily lift sanctions against Syria in the fields of energy, transport, infrastructure rehabilitation and related financial transactions. The EU Council plans to review these restrictions to simplify access to key industries. The issue of a possible suspension of additional measures will be discussed by the foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels on February 24.

• The Central Bank of China has kept the LPR (loan prime rate) rate at 3.1%. Introduced in 2019, it has been repeatedly reduced: from 3.85% to 3.1% in October last year. The five-year mortgage rate remained at 3.6%. The 2019 reform replaced the base rate with the LPR for calculating loans. It is set by 18 banks, excluding extreme values and rounding up to 0.05%.

• The EU is seeking mutually beneficial trade agreements with the United States, including reducing or eliminating tariffs on cars and other goods. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic expressed hope at a meeting in Washington to avoid unilateral US tariffs and EU retaliatory measures. He stressed that the bloc supports fair trade and the equal distribution of benefits.