Collections, Investment

China’s Last Emperor’s wristwatch sold for US 5 Million

A Patek Philippe wristwatch once owned by the Chinese last emperor of Qing dynasty, Aisin-Groro Puyi – sold for USD 5.1 million hammer at an auction in Hong Kong Tuesday.

The Patek Philippe Reference 96 Quantieme Lune, which is one of just eight known to exist according to Philipps acution house which handled the sale.

The 1.2-inch-diameter platinum timepiece features an Arabic numeral dial, pink gold hands and a “moon phase” function that shows hoe visible the moon is from Earth at any given time. It is not known how Puyi actuired the timepiece, though records show it was initially sold via a luxury store in Paris. It is because some of its internal mechanisms date to 1929, though the model was not sold by Patek Philippe – a Swiss watchmaker known for fitting complicated movements into slim cases – until 1937. Phillips added that historical documents prove the former emperor took it with him to a Soviet prison camp in Khabarovsk. Puyi later gifted it to Georgy Permyakov, a fluent Mandarin speaker who served as his tutor and Russian translator during his time in detention.

The auction house – Phillips spent 3 years on reserching the object’s history and confirming its provenance. It is an unprecedented reserch project with a worldwide team of watch specialists, historians, journalists and scientists according to a press release of the auction house.

Image source:

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Investment, News around the World

金价今早曾经升至接近每盎司2050美元

金价今早曾经急升接近每盎司2050美元,但因利润回吐而下跌近20美元。上周,美国联邦储备委员会宣布加息0.25个百分点。一般来说,更高的利率通常对黄金等贵金属不利,使其作为替代投资选择的吸引力降低。然而,停顿或结束加息或有可能会再次推动金银市场看涨。

全球投资者目前正在密切关注拜登和国会领导人在美国债务上限僵局以及潜在的银行危机问题。这两个因素将在美国和全球经济增长上产生重大影响。美国市场的不确定性将促使投资者转向避险资产-黄金市场。

图片来源: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-coins-and-bars-on-black-background-8442322/

Investment, News around the World

Gold nearly reached USD 2,050 per oz

Gold spiked to nearly USD 2,050 per troy ounce this morning amid the US inflation report, then dropped nearly USD 20 per oz on profit taking.

Lask week, US Federal Reserve announed a rate hike of 0.25 percenrage point. In general, higher interest rates are typically bearish for yellow metals – Gold and make precious metals less attractive as an alternate investment. However, a pause or an end to the rate hikes may send the bullion markets bullish again.

Global investers currently are watching closely in the standoff in Biden and congressional leaders over the US debt ceiling and also a potential banking crisis. Both factors will weight heavily with the US and global econimic growth. And the uncertainty in the US markets will push investors turn to the haven asset – gold market.

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-coins-and-bars-on-black-background-8442322/

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五角大楼重大文件外泄

拜登管治团队正冲忙地评估及处理关于五角大楼机密文件遭泄漏的余波。这并不是第一次有机密情资由拜登的管治团队泄漏的消息,而本次事件比过往的更为严重。今次的高度敏感文件包含了美国如何暗中查探她的盟友。她的对手上月曾出现在一个名叫“不和谐”的社交媒体网站。该贴文附有一照片,照片中为一些机密文件被放于一本于枱上的一本杂志之上,并且被一些随机物品包围。那些文件全部都附有最高级的分类——最高机密。那五十三份文件被认为是在二月中至三月初产生。社交媒体网站“不和谐”的一位代表确认,他们的团队现正配合执法部门作出调查。

一份文件亦揭露美国情报人员曾经监听乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基。乌克兰官方表示即使泽连斯基管治团队对于被监视并不感到意外,但对于泄漏仍然感到深度挫败。

另一值得注视的消息为两名国家安全的南韩高级官员就美国要求弹药一事的对话。那段对话的内容细节是南韩官员担忧若供应弹药给即将会把弹药送至乌克兰的美国,会违反韩国不供应致命武器给战争中国家的政策。那文件亦提到一位官员的建议,以回避该政策但又并没有实际改变事情——就是出售弹药给波兰。该文件的细节引起了在首尔的争议。

另一具争议的情资报告是关于以色列。该份由美国中情局人员编写的报告指出以色列的主要情报机关曾经鼓吹反对以色列新政府的示威活动。

美国的盟友正在进行损害评估,以决定她们各自的来源及方法是否因该被泄漏的文件而有所损害。泄漏使美国感到挫败并且威望受损。直至今日,最重要的盟友仍未收到美国正进行损害评估及找出泄密者的简报。

图片来源: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-cryptic-character-codes-and-magnifying-glass-on-table-top-7319068/

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A major leak of classified Pentagon documents

The Biden adminstration is scrambling to assess and dealing with the fallout from a major leak of classified Pentagon douments. It is not the first to hear that there is classified information leak in the Biden adminstration. However, this time will be much more serious.

The highly sensitive documents which include details about how the US spies on allies and adversaries appeared online last month on the social media platform Discord. The posts are photos of sensitive documentns laid on top of magazines and surrounded by other random objects. Those document all bore classified markings, some top secret – the highest level of classification. Those 53 leaked documents seem to be produced between mid-February and early March. A representative from the social media Discord confirmed that their team is cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation.

One document reveals that the US intelligence has been spying on Ukrainian Presisdent Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian officials are deeply frustrated about the leak even Zelensky adminstration is not surprised about it.

Another remarkable reveal will be the conversation between two senior South Korean national security officials over a US request for ammunition. The details of the communication was about Korean officials worried that supplying the ammunition, which the US would then send to Ukraine, would violate South Korea’s policy of not supplying lethal aid to countries at war. The documents also show the one of the officals suggested a way of getting around the policy without actually changing it – by selling the ammunition to Poland. The details of the document has sparked controversy in Seoul.

Another controversial intelligence reoprt is related to Isreal. The report which produced by the CIA said that Isreal’s main intelligence agency has been encouraging protests agains the country’s new government.

US allies are doing damage assessments to determine whether any of their own sources and methods have been compromised by the leak. The leak was frustrating and harmful to the US reputation. To date, key allies have not yet been given a briefing by the US on where they are on the damage assessment or efforts to identify the leakers.

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-cryptic-character-codes-and-magnifying-glass-on-table-top-7319068/