Goldman Sachs stock rises over 2% in premarket, up 23% YTD, after profit beats estimates on trading surge and 22% earnings jump
WSJ
and
FT
. The reason? A massive rebound in both investment banking and trading, plus a strong performance even amid uncertainty from President Trump's ongoing tariff tensions.
Why did Goldman Sachs stock go up today?
The rally in
GS stock
can be traced to a few big wins in the company's core business:
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Total revenue for Q2 2025 came in at $14.58 billion, beating Wall Street's forecast of $13.58 billion.
Net profit rose to $3.7 billion, up from $3.03 billion a year ago.
Earnings per share hit $10.91, far exceeding expectations.
Equities trading brought in a record $4.3 billion, about $840 million higher than analysts predicted.
Investment banking generated $2.2 billion, up 26% year-over-year, adding roughly $400 million more than projected.
This mix of strong results lifted GS stock by 1.2% in premarket trading, adding to its impressive 23% year-to-date gain, according to
FT
.
How did trading help boost GS stock?
Goldman Sachs' trading division made a strong comeback this quarter. Equities trading—stocks and related products—delivered $4.3 billion in revenue, a 36% increase from last year. That alone brought in $840 million more than what analysts had expected, based on data from
FX Empire
and
Reuters
.
Even its fixed income, currencies, and commodities (FICC) trading arm outperformed. It brought in $3.5 billion, up 9% and slightly ahead of forecasts. These gains came despite market volatility sparked by Trump's fresh wave of tariffs on Asian tech components and metals.
Live Events
In short, Goldman's traders managed to turn market chaos into solid gains—something GS is known for historically.
Did investment banking really bounce back for Goldman Sachs?
Yes, big time. After months of sluggish dealmaking, Goldman's investment banking division brought in $2.2 billion, a 26% rise from last year. This surge was driven by a pickup in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and capital raising activity, especially in healthcare and tech sectors, according to
FT
.
With companies returning to the deal table and IPOs showing signs of life, this rebound added about $400 million more than expected, helping push up GS stock.
What about other parts of Goldman's business?
While trading and investment banking led the charge, other divisions were more mixed:
Asset and wealth management dropped slightly to $3.78 billion, down around 3%.
The bank added $384 million in credit loss provisions, mainly tied to its credit card portfolio, as per
Reuters
.
Despite that, Goldman passed the Federal Reserve's stress test and announced a $1 per share dividend increase starting Q3.
One controversial point: CEO David Solomon was awarded an $80 million stock bonus, which drew criticism from shareholders.
What's the outlook for GS stock after these results?
GS stock is riding high on strong earnings, but the big question is whether this momentum can last. The trading boom may fade if markets calm down. However, with investment banking activity climbing back and more volatility expected from ongoing trade policies, Goldman could still have room to run.
Analysts say the firm is showing signs of its old self—nimble, profitable, and dominant in dealmaking and trading. As of now, GS stock is approaching all-time highs near $720 to $723, and its 23% gain this year makes it one of the best performers among big banks.
Is GS stock a buy?
Goldman Sachs is proving it can thrive even when markets are rough. A 22% rise in profit, trading revenue that beat forecasts by
$840 million
, and investment banking fees up
26%
all show the bank is firing on multiple cylinders.
While risks remain—especially in consumer credit and asset management—investors are clearly rewarding the strong Q2 numbers. With the
dividend increase
and a possible continued rebound in deals and volatility,
GS stock
is certainly in the spotlight now.
FAQs:
Q1: Why is
Goldman Sachs stock
rising today?
Goldman Sachs stock rose after it beat profit estimates, driven by strong trading results.
Q2: How much did Goldman Sachs profit increase?
Goldman Sachs profit jumped 22% this quarter thanks to trading and investment banking gains.
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UPSC Key: Sahyog Portal, Transshipment in Trade and Concept of Black hole
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It is maintained by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). • A concerned authorised agency from the centre, state police or law enforcement agency can flag objectionable web content and raise a request to block it on the portal. • In December, the Delhi High Court, in its order for Shabana vs Govt of NCT Delhi, emphasised the operationalisation of the Sahyog Portal to take down unlawful content under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000. The Delhi High Court has also directed IT intermediaries to onboard the Sahyog Portal and provide the status of their onboarding during the next hearing. • In March 2025, Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) has challenged the government's use of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act) to moderate and order the removal of content on social media. • The company has argued that the government's 'misuse' of the provision bypasses safeguards available under other provisions of the IT Act — namely Section 69A — that are specifically meant for the purpose of content moderation. • X's challenge before the Karnataka High Court argues that MeitY's orders are an attempt to 'bypass the multiple procedural safeguards' provided under Section 69A. 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They have also been asked to provide the number and percentage of taxpayers that paid tax in cash of less than Rs 5,000 in the financial year 2024-25. • The GST authorities are undertaking data analysis to identify taxpayers with disproportionately low tax paid in cash in previous financial years, especially in areas with large informal markets and high cash transactions. Do You Know: • Smaller businesses are under greater scrutiny of the GST authorities as most stay unregistered, sources said. The authorities have directed integration of these informal segments into the GST system, underlining the need for a systematic and targeted approach. 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Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: Why the govt wants to change the definition of MSMEs US aversion to transshipment is likely to pose hurdles for India in FTA talks Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests. What's the ongoing story: A key element in the flurry of reciprocal tariff letters the United States has sent to countries deeply integrated with its economy, be it Canada and South Korea — or those with close economic ties to China, such as Thailand and Malaysia in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region — is the threat of steeper tariffs on transhipped goods. Washington DC views this as a backdoor route for Chinese products to enter its market. 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During FY25 as a whole, India's exports to the US rose 11.59 per cent to $86.51 billion, while imports from China increased 11.52 per cent to over $113 billion. • However, in June the imports from China surged 2.48 per cent but exports to the US jumped 23.53 per cent. This comes amid an increased number of anti-dumping duties that India has begun imposing on high value items such as steel and other industrial goods from China. Do You Know: • Decoupling from China has been a slow and painful process even for the US. For India — which aims to expand its manufacturing base to create jobs for its large population — the challenge is even greater. Despite opting out of the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, India's imports from China have continued to surge, surpassing $113 billion in FY25. • While poor logistics and a lack of industrial expertise are often cited as reasons why India's manufacturing sector has struggled, the imbalance in the Chinese economy also played a role. The lower cost of Chinese goods has disrupted several Indian industries. 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Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍UK to lower voting age to 16 in landmark electoral reform EXPLAINED How scientists detected a colossal merger of black holes Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life What's the ongoing story: Scientists have reported the discovery of gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes that are the biggest to have been observed in such an event. Black hole mergers are rare but some of the most spectacular events in the universe, releasing massive amounts of energy that are propagated to a very large distance through gravitational waves. Key Points to Ponder: • What is a black hole? • The concept of Black hole was given by whom? • What is gravitational waves? • What creates gravitational waves? • How do gravitational waves affect Humans? • Know the significance of GW231123 in extending our knowledge of gravitational-wave astronomy and black hole. • What are the three stages of a binary black hole merger (inspiral, merger, ringdown)? • How big are black holes-Know about stellar-mass black holes and supermassive black holes. Key Takeaways: • Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime created by movements of massive objects, just like the movement of a boat in a lake produces ripples in water. But these are extremely weak, and only gravitational waves produced in very big events, like the merger of two black holes, can be detected by instruments on Earth. • One of the black holes was 140 times the mass of the Sun in our solar system, the other 100 times bigger. Their merger resulted in a black hole that was about 225 times larger than the Sun. The previous record for such mergers detected through gravitational waves in 2021 involved black holes about 80 and 65 times larger than the Sun. • Two black holes, one of them 140 times more massive than the Sun, and the other 100 times bigger, merged to result a black hole estimated to be about 225 times the size of the Sun. • GW231123 will be presented at the 24th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR24) and the 16th Edoardo Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves, held jointly as the GR-Amaldi meeting in Glasgow, UK, from July 14-18, 2025. Do You Know: • LIGO, which stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, is a set of two detectors in the United States that was the first one to detect gravitational waves in 2015. That discovery gave the first experimental validation of the existence of gravitational waves, which had theoretically been proposed in Einstein's General Theory of Relativity 100 years ago. It had resulted in a Nobel Prize two years later. • The first detection of gravitational waves, in 2015, was made by the two observatories in the United States. After that, a few more observatories have come up, notably the Virgo detector in Italy and the KAGRA (Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector) in Japan. Together, these are known as the LVK collaboration. The latest discovery has come from this collaboration. • Incidentally, the LIGO is proposed to have a third observatory, this one in India, to be called the LIGO-India observatory, but its construction is running way behind schedule. • It was originally supposed to begin operations in 2024, but a final government approval earmarking Rs 2,600 crore for the project came only in 2023. The Department of Atomic Energy, which is handling the project, has selected a site in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra to set up this observatory. As per the latest information, the construction of the project is expected to start later this year and be completed by April 2030. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Scientists detect signals of biggest black hole merger Cutting sugar, oil: Why govt wants to 'nudge' people to eat healthy Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. What's the ongoing story: The Union Health Secretary, Puniya Salila Srivastava, recently wrote to all ministries and government departments, urging them to display information on sugar and fat content in everyday foods in their offices and other public institutions. It also proposed doing so in schools and offices at large. Key Points to Ponder: • Who issued the advisory to display 'Oil and Sugar Boards' in workplaces? • What did the advisory say? • Why is this being done? • How big is the obesity problem in India? • Are all fats bad in food? How much is too much? • What are ultra-processed foods and trans fats? • How much sugar should we be consuming? Key Takeaways: • However, some media reports claimed that 'warning labels' will be issued for snacks such as samosas and jalebis, raising questions of why Indian snacks were selectively chosen. • West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also said, 'Some media have reported that apparently samosas/jalebis cannot be consumed from now on, based on instructions from the Health Ministry. • The June 21 letter said, 'We are proposing display of Sugar and Oil Boards as an initiative to promote healthier dietary habits in various settings. These boards serve as visual behavioural nudges…' • These boards are to serve as visual reminders to prompt people to eat healthier, in line with the government's recent focus on combating the rising incidence of obesity in India. They will not be the same as warning labels, like the ones seen on tobacco packaging and mandated by law. Do You Know: • Designed by the apex food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), one such board said that a person should consume only around 27 to 30 grams of fat in a day. It depicted snacks such as samosa, kachori, and vadapav, along with their fat content. For reference, one samosa (100 g) yields 362 kilocalories (kcal) with 28 g of fat, while a burger has 590 kcal with 20.5 g of fat. • Similarly, the sugar boards said that adults should not consume more than 25 g of sugar per day and children not more than 20 g. They showed the sugar content in soft drinks, chocolates, gulab jamun, and flavoured juices. One gulab jamun (62 g) releases 203 kcal and 32 g of sugar. • With obesity on the rise — along with associated increases in lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases, and some cancers — the government has been undertaking several activities to improve food habits. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to adopt an active, healthy lifestyle and reduce oil consumption by 10%. • The Union Health Secretary's letter, quoting The Lancet medical journal's Global Burden of Disease study, says that the number of obese and overweight adults in India is projected to increase from around 18 crores in 2021 to 44.9 crores by 2050. This will make India the country with the second-highest global burden. • Fats are not inherently bad — in fact, some categories of fats are needed for the body to function properly. The Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) National Nutrition Guideline suggests that people should try to get as much of their daily requirement of fats from seeds, nuts, pulses, and beans as possible. • Ultra-processed foods are high in fats, sugars, and salts, and the term generally includes industrially produced foods that contain ingredients not available in home kitchens. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍India may have second-largest overweight or obese population by 2050: What new studies reveal For any queries and feedback, contact Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. Priya Kumari Shukla is a Senior Copy Editor in the Indian Express (digital). She contributes to the UPSC Section of Indian Express (digital) and started niche initiatives such as UPSC Key, UPSC Ethics Simplified, and The 360° UPSC Debate. The UPSC Key aims to assist students and aspirants in their preparation for the Civil Services and other competitive examinations. It provides valuable guidance on effective strategies for reading and comprehending newspaper content. The 360° UPSC Debate tackles a topic from all perspectives after sorting through various publications. The chosen framework for the discussion is structured in a manner that encompasses both the arguments in favour and against the topic, ensuring comprehensive coverage of many perspectives. Prior to her involvement with the Indian Express, she had affiliations with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) as well as several coaching and edutech enterprises. In her prior professional experience, she was responsible for creating and refining material in various domains, including article composition and voiceover video production. She has written in-house books on many subjects, including modern India, ancient Indian history, internal security, international relations, and the Indian economy. She has more than eight years of expertise in the field of content writing. Priya holds a Master's degree in Electronic Science from the University of Pune as well as an Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management (EPPPM) from the esteemed Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, widely recognised as one of the most prestigious business schools in India. She is also an alumni of Jamia Milia Islamia University Residential Coaching Academy (RCA). Priya has made diligent efforts to engage in research endeavours, acquiring the necessary skills to effectively examine and synthesise facts and empirical evidence prior to presenting their perspective. Priya demonstrates a strong passion for reading, particularly in the genres of classical Hindi, English, Maithili, and Marathi novels and novellas. Additionally, she possessed the distinction of being a cricket player at the national level. Qualification, Degrees / other achievements: Master's degree in Electronic Science from University of Pune and Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management (EPPPM) from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta ... Read More
Business Standard
40 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Benchmarks dip for second day; Nifty slips below 25,000
Key equity benchmarks closed lower for a second consecutive session on Friday, weighed down by lackluster corporate earnings and subdued global cues. The Nifty 50 index slipped below the psychological 25,000 mark, pressured by declines in banking and consumer durables stocks. The S&P BSE Sensex dropped 501.51 points or 0.61% to 81,757.73. The Nifty 50 index slipped 143.05 points or 0.57% to 24,968.40. With this, the Sensex and Nifty have shed 1.06% and 0.97% over the past two sessions, respectively. Among the top drags, Axis Bank plunged 5.24% after a weak quarterly performance. HDFC Bank and Bharat Electronics also fell 1.47% and 2.34%, respectively. The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index dropped 0.62% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index shed 0.64%. Market breadth was decisively negative with 2,394 stocks declining against 1,657 advancing on the BSE. Volatility edged up, as the India VIX rose 1.33% to 11.39, signaling rising nervousness among investors. Numbers to Track: The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper rose 0.11% to 6.309 from the previous close of 6.303. In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 86.1625 compared with its close of 86.1200 during the previous trading session. MCX Gold futures for 5 August 2025 settlement rose 0.44% to Rs 97,900. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.26% to 98.39. The United States 10-year bond yield shed 0.47% to 4.443. In the commodities market, Brent crude for September 2025 settlement shed 62 cents or 0.89% to $70.14 a barrel. Global Markets: Most European stocks traded higher on Friday, as investors focused on corporate earnings for clues on the impact of U.S. tariff policies on businesses. German producer prices fell by -1.3% on the year in June, the federal statistics office reported on Friday. Most Asian shares ended higher, taking cues from Wall Street's rally overnight. Investors cheered a batch of upbeat US economic reports and corporate earnings that comfortably beat expectations. In Japan, inflation showed some signs of cooling. Core inflation for June eased to 3.3%, down from Mays 29-month high of 3.7%, with rice prices showing signs of moderation. Headline inflation also slipped to 3.3%, from 3.5% the previous month. However, the "core-core" inflation gauge, closely tracked by the Bank of Japan, as it strips out both food and energy, edged up to 3.4%, hinting that underlying price pressures are still in play. Over on Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs on Thursday. Strong earnings and resilient consumer spending drove the rally. The Dow Jones rose 0.52%, while the S&P 500 climbed 0.54%, and the Nasdaq jumped 0.74%. Investors also brushed off worries about new US trade tariffs set to kick in from August 1 under President Trump, focusing instead on growth and AI-fueled optimism. Taiwanese chip giant TSMC stole the spotlight with stellar earnings and a bullish outlook on AI-related demand. Its US-listed shares surged 3.4%, igniting gains across the semiconductor and tech sectors. Adding to the momentum, US retail sales rebounded strongly in June after two months of decline. Sales rose 0.6% month-on-month, reversing a 0.9% dip in May, thanks to increased auto purchases and a still-healthy consumer. Stocks in Spotlight: Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) surged 14.75%, following reports that the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) may convene a stakeholder meeting to discuss the rare-earth magnet supply situation. GMDC is reportedly keen on entering the rare earth and critical minerals sector, considering it a potential value driver due to its applications in electric vehicles and renewable energy. Saregama India surged 4.51% after the company struck a major deal to acquire NAV Records Haryanvi music catalogue. The acquisition includes over 6,500 tracks spanning Haryanvi, Punjabi, Ghazals, Devotional, and Indie Pop, giving Saregama a powerful entry into a regional music segment where it previously lacked dominance. The deal also includes high-traffic YouTube channels like NAV Haryanvi and Nupur Audio, which together command a 24 million subscriber base. Axis Bank declined 5.24% after the banks net profit de-grew 4% YoY to Rs 5,806 crore in Q1FY26. The banks Net Interest Income (NII) was up 1% YoY to Rs 13,560 crore. Net Interest Margin (NIM) for Q1FY26 stood at 3.80% as against 3.97% in Q4FY25 and 4.05% in Q1FY25. Wipro advanced 2.56% after the IT major's net income for the Q1 quarter was at Rs 3330 crore, decrease of 6.7% QoQ and increase of 10.9% YoY. Gross revenue at Rs 22130 crore, decrease of 1.6% QoQ and increase of 0.8% YoY. Total bookings was at $4,971 million, up by 24.1% QoQ and 50.7% YoY in constant currency. The company expects revenue from its IT Services business segment to be in the range of $2,560 million to $2,612 million. This translates to sequential guidance of (-)1.0% to 1.0% in constant currency terms. LTIMindtree declined 1.27%. The company reported a 11.13% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,254.10 crore on 0.71% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 9,840.60 crore in Q1 FY26 over Q4 FY25. Jio Financial Services shed 0.44%. The companys consolidated net profit rose 3.83% to Rs 325 crore while total income jumped 48.09% to Rs 418 crore in Q1 June 2025 over Q1 June 2024. Nuvoco Vistas Corporation advanced 1.52% after the company posted strong Q1 FY26 results. On a consolidated basis, net profit surged 4,589% year-on-year to Rs 133.16 crore in Q1 FY26. Revenue from operations grew 8.96% YoY to Rs 2,872.70 crore during the quarter. Route Mobile fell 4.78% after the company's consolidated net profit declined 32.23% to Rs 53.21 crore on a 4.77% drop in revenue from operation to Rs 1,050.83 crore in Q1 FY26 over Q1 FY25. Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) advanced 1.56% after the companys consolidated net profit rose 19.31% to Rs 296.37 crore on 31.66% surge in revenue from operations to Rs 2,041.08 crore in Q1 FY26 over Q1 FY25. Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy (SWREL) dropped 4.44%. The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 31.97 crore in Q1 FY26, which is nearly eight times the PAT of Rs 4.19 crore posted in Q1 FY25. Revenue increased by 92.5% to Rs 1761.63 crore in the first quarter from Rs 915.06 crore recorded in the same period last year. Sunteck Realty declined 1.95%. The company reported a 46.75% rise in net profit to Rs 33.43 crore, despite a 40.45% decrease in total revenue from operations to Rs 188.32 crore in Q1 FY26 compared to Q1 FY25. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) fell 0.15%. The bank reported 75.57% rise in net profit to Rs 1,111.04 crore on 17.15% increase in total income to Rs 8,866.47 crore in Q1 FY26 over Q1 FY25.
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
The week that was in international affairs: Trump's 'U-turn' on Putin; Estonia conducts HIMARS drill
AP file photo Welcome back to another edition of My Take 5, your weekly round-up of top international news. This week we are covering Trump's possible U-turn on Putin , Estonia and the Baltics get ready with HIMARS, EU unveils its 18th sanctions package, Israel attacks Syria, turmoil in Bangladesh, and a bonus about the singing chief rabbi of Ukraine: Trump U-turn on Putin?: Trump made statements on Putin that could be characterised as a big shift in his administration's approach to the war in Ukraine. Trump said that he was very disappointed in Putin, that the Russian leader would engage in pleasant conversation with him but then bomb Ukraine. He added that he thought a deal to end the war was on the cards at least four times in the last six months, but Putin did not come through. Simultaneously, Trump finally announced a new $10bn military aid package for Ukraine that would include additional Patriot air defence systems that Ukraine desperately needs amid Russia's heightened aerial attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities. The package, Trump said, would be fully paid for by US's European Nato allies that could see them send over their systems to Ukraine and then replace them with new American ones. Interestingly, Trump was also contemplating sending Ukraine Tomahawk cruise missiles. But that, however, is not going to be part of the current package. In fact, according to some reports, during Trump's latest conversation with Zelenskyy, he asked why Kyiv wasn't targeting Moscow. To which Zelenskyy reportedly responded that Ukraine could if it had the American weapons. Trump then also floated the idea of targeting St Petersburg. Additionally, Trump gave Putin a 50-day deadline after which he has threatened to slap 100% tariffs, both on Russian exports to US (which are not that much) and on those countries that buy Russian exports, including oil. The latter secondary sanctions are really significant and could seriously put an economic squeeze on Russia. After all, Moscow has managed to sustain this war because even though it has been largely cut off from the Western market, it continues to make billions by selling its oil and gas to other countries like China and India. But if those countries are slapped with 100% tariffs on their exports to the US, that will certainly deter them from buying Russian energy. Taken together, it seems that Trump is finally changing his view of Putin, and perhaps now realises that Moscow has no intention to end the war in Ukraine any time soon. And if China engages in military adventurism in the Indo-Pacific, especially against Taiwan, while the war in Europe continues, US military resources will be badly divided. Hence, the need to end the war in Ukraine quickly. And maybe, just maybe, Trump realises that the only way to do that is by increasing pressure on Moscow. Estonia conducts HIMARS drill: Estonia conducted its first live-fire HIMARS multiple rocket launch system drill following four months of training. Russia, predictably, accused the Baltic state of provocative actions and said that Moscow would defend its interests in the region. But all of this was started by Russia itself. In April, Moscow had accused Nato of escalating things along Russia's borders and warned that the Baltics and Poland would be the first to suffer in case of a wider conflict. Ironic, given what Russia has done in Ukraine over the last three years. The fact is Russia is already engaging in grey-zone tactics in the Baltics, and Estonia has been a prime target of Russian cyber security attacks – Tallinn fends off thousands of these every day. This is precisely why Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are boosting their defence spending and taking security measures to thwart a possible Russian attack. The Baltic Defence Line's construction is already underway. The Baltic Nato members know that after Ukraine, if Russia is to test Nato's resolve, it will be here in the Baltics. And this is where China's plans also come in as mentioned in the previous segment. If Beijing decides to attack Taiwan for its own political reasons, it would logically want Russia to expand the war in Europe to divide Nato and American forces. And the Russians will most likely oblige by targeting the Baltics. Thus, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania preparing for all eventualities by shoring up their military depth – through HIMARS and other systems – is understandable. EU unveils 18th sanctions package: The European bloc unveiled its 18th sanctions package against Russia over its war in Ukraine after Slovakia lifted its veto. Slovakia, which relies significantly on Russian energy, wanted written assurances on the planned phase-out of Russian gas. That said, the unveiled package is being described as the strongest yet, targeting Russian oil, Moscow's shadow fleet, Chinese banks helping Moscow evade sanctions and even those Russian entities indoctrinating Ukrainian children. Significantly, the package includes lowering the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $47.6 per barrel to undercut Moscow's energy revenues that feed its war machinery. The package also targets for the first time a flag registry and Russian oil giant Rosneft's biggest Indian refinery. It also blocks tech exports used in Russian drones, and includes measures against 105 vessels of the Russian shadow fleet. These measures are certainly comprehensive. However, it remains to be seen if they will bring Moscow to the negotiating table. Given Russia's imperialist ideological motivations for the war, Moscow is riding a tiger and won't get off unless it is compelled to. And now Russia is also beholden to China and its strategic calculations. Therefore, EU must keep up the support for Ukraine. Israel attacks Syria: Israel struck Syrian forces in the southern Syrian city of Sweida and the Syrian defence ministry in Damascus after clashes broke out between Sweida's Druze community and Sunni Bedouin tribesmen. Israel, which has its own Druze population, says it was acting at the behest of the minority Druze community in Syria. Although there is some semblance of truce in Sweida at the time of writing, the situation remains volatile. The episode puts the new Syrian government, established after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last December, in potential conflict with Tel Aviv. But honestly, Israel can't be militarily intervening in every internal matter of regional countries. Note that the US has not backed Israel's strikes on Syria this time. If Tel Aviv continues on this path, it could only mean one thing: that Netanyahu does not want to give up his war-time powers in Israel, and wants to be in a perpetual state of conflict. Turmoil in Bangladesh: Clashes took place in Bangladesh's Gopalganj between supporters of Awami League and security forces in which four people lost their lives. Gopalganj is the birthplace of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The skirmishes began after a rally of the National Citizen Party (NCP), which had played a key role in the ouster of Sheikh Hasina last year. It's quite apparent that the NCP rally had been organised to provoke Awami supporters in Gopalganj. After all, elements of the current Bangladeshi interim government have been busy cleansing all state institutions of Awami supporters and sympathisers. This is bound to have a reaction. In fact, what the so-called student leaders of the interim government are doing is no different from what they accused the Hasina dispensation of carrying out. If the latter had developed autocratic tendencies in its final moments, how is targeting Awami supporters, who too are Bangladeshi citizens, any less autocratic? Plus, this hardly creates a conducive environment for elections scheduled for April next year. If things continue in the same vein, Bangladesh will simply be repeating its cycle of political violence and vendetta. And interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus, would have only sullied his reputation. Bonus: Finally, this week's bonus is about the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Moshe Reuven Azman, who has recorded a song for Trump, urging him to support Ukraine's defence against Russian aggression. Moshe Azman himself lost his son in the war. The video is some weeks old but still quite interesting. Follow the link below to check it out:
