Investment, News around the World

Cash levels at the US Treasury are down toward a dangerously low level

Cash levels at the US trseasurt are going down toward a dangerously low level because Washington are still struggling to raise the debt ceiling until the last minutes.

As of May 25, Treasury had just USD 38.8 billion in cash and earing the bare minimum level of USD 30 billion. If Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling by June 5, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns the US government will not have enough funds to pay all of the nation’s obiligations in full and on time, in another word – Default.

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美国财政部的现金水平正降至危险的低水平

由于美国华盛顿政府仍在努力提高债务上限直到最后几分钟,美国财政部的现金水平正在下降至危险的低水平。

截至 5 月 25 日,财政部手头上只有 388 亿美元的现金,距离最低现金水平 300 亿美元只差一点点。如果国会不能在 6 月 5 日之前提高债务上限,美国财政部部长耶伦警告,美国政府将没有足够的资金来按时全额支付或部分支付国家债务的债息,换句话说——债务违约。

图片来源: https://www.pexels.com/photo/american-dollar-banknote-on-table-4386153/

Investment, News around the World

Debt Deal Starts to Take Shape

Debt deal takes shape to raise limit. Biden administration insists that there won’t be a debt default. But the market is still watching the US government’s spending in the next three years and having concerns about whether the US government will run out of cash again.

债务议题取得初步共识,拜登政府强调不会让债务违约。但市场仍在关注美国政府未来3年的支出,担心美国政府是否会再次耗尽现金。

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Investment, News around the World

Breaking News: US Debt Talk

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says still far apart on debt talk but can get to yes. And he doesn’t want default. There won’t be a default.

美国众议院议长麦卡锡先生表示,在债务问题上仍有很大分歧,但预期可以达成共识。他表示不想债务违约,并认为不会违约。

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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News around the World

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/