The main events by the morning: February 19

• Brazil officially joins the OPEC+ Cooperation Charter after approval by the National Energy Council. This step strengthens the country's dialogue with the alliance, but is not related to a reduction in oil production. The Charter, created in 2019, promotes the discussion of conditions in the global energy markets, ensuring stability, reliable energy supply and support for the global economy.

• Trump was pleased with the negotiations between the Russian and American delegations in Riyadh. At the same time, he noted that he was disappointed with Ukraine's position on the conflict with Russia, since Kiev «had 3 years to sit down at the negotiating table.» It also became known that sanctions against Russia will remain in place at least until the conclusion of a deal on Ukraine. This was stated by Secretary of State Rubio to the European allies of the United States.

• The Fed's policy should remain tight until significant progress is made in reducing inflation. This was stated by the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Mary Daly. The regulator maintained rates after their reduction in 2024, expecting a slowdown in price growth. However, in January, the consumer price index rose the most since August 2023, increasing housing, food and fuel costs.

• Inflation in the UK in January 2025 reached 3% in annual terms. The December figure was recorded at 2.5%. Analysts' forecasts suggested an increase to 2.8%, but the actual data turned out to be higher. The consumer price index for the month decreased by 0.1% after an increase of 0.3% in December.

• Trump plans to impose 25% duties on imports of automobiles, semiconductors and medicines from April 2, 2025. He also noted that tariffs on pharmaceuticals and microchips may exceed 25% if companies do not move production to the United States. At the same time, the president did not specify whether the new measures would apply to all countries or only individual ones.