EMEA Morning Briefing : Stocks to Track Higher; -2-

At issue is what is known as the neutral rate of interest. It is the rate at which the demand and supply of savings is in equilibrium, leading to stable economic growth and inflation.

U.A.E. Cashes In on Russia's Economic Woes

DUBAI-A year and a half into the Ukraine conflict, few countries have capitalized on the economic opportunities quite like the United Arab Emirates, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort a lift while boosting this Persian Gulf state.

Banks here are poaching talent from Moscow to manage a gusher of Russian money. Dubai traders are moving more Russian oil and gold than ever before. And Russian buyers fuel this city's real-estate boom, often dealing in cash.

Why Russia's War in Ukraine Could Run for Years

Russia's war on Ukraine is in danger of becoming a protracted struggle that lasts several more years. The reason isn't just that the front-line combat is a slow-moving slog, but also that none of the main actors have political goals that are both clear and attainable.

Ukraine's central war aim-restoring its territorial integrity-is the clearest, but appears a distant prospect given the limits of Western support. The U.S. and key European allies such as Germany want to prevent Russia from winning, but fear the costs and risks of helping Ukraine to full victory. Some Western officials are sketching out grand bargains to end the war, but they fit neither Kyiv's nor Moscow's goals.

Russia's Luna-25 Spacecraft Crashes Into Moon

Russia's first mission to the moon in nearly 50 years ended in a disaster as its unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft crashed while attempting to land on the unexplored south pole, Russian authorities said Sunday.

Russia was racing with India to become the first nation to land a rover on the area of the moon that scientists believe could hold water and other elements that could support a human settlement in the future.

America's Tech Giants Rush to Comply With New Curbs in Europe

BRUSSELS-The hammer is about to come down on some of the world's biggest tech companies.

Meta Platforms, Apple, Alphabet's Google and other large-and largely American-tech companies will by next week start facing the first of new European Union tech rules set to come into effect over coming months, marking the largest expansion in digital regulation ever in the West.

Meta's Threads App to Launch Web Version as Rivalry With X Enters New Stage

Meta Platforms plans to launch a web version of microblogging app Threads early this week, the biggest new feature to be introduced on its competitor to Elon Musk's X.

The desktop version would address one of the biggest of a long wish list of features users have sought for Threads. The text-first social-media app appeared on track to be a smash hit out of the gate when Meta launched a bare-bones version in early July, but use of it has plunged in recent weeks.

Wall Street All-Stars Including Weinstein, Ackman Bid for Hedge Fund

Boaz Weinstein and several other high-profile investors including William Ackman and Marc Lasry have made a rival offer for Sculptor Capital Management, a hedge-fund firm that already agreed to sell itself to another investment firm.

In late July, Sculptor agreed to a sale to real-estate investment firm Rithm Capital for about $639 million, or $11.15 in cash per Class A share of Sculptor, which formerly was known as Och-Ziff Capital Management. The offer was an 18% premium to Sculptor's closing price at the time. Should it be completed, the deal would leave Sculptor's current management, led by Chief Executive James Levin, in place.

Retailers Are Fleeing Downtown San Francisco. IKEA Is Moving In.

IKEA thinks it can succeed where a string of other retailers have given up-in San Francisco's beleaguered downtown district.

Three years after acquiring a desolate mall in the city's Mid-Market corridor, IKEA is set to open Wednesday in a downtown district that has been hollowed out by an exodus of workers and has struggled with crime, homelessness and drug abuse.

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Expected Major Events for Monday

06:00/SWE: 2Q Industrial inventories

06:00/GER: Jul PPI

08:00/POL: Jul Average gross wages

08:00/POL: Jul PPI

08:00/POL: Jul Industrial Production Index

09:00/LUX: Jul Unemployment

15:59/GRE: Jun Balance of Payments

17:59/POR: Jun Balance of Payments

17:59/UK: Jul Aluminium Production report

17:59/POR: May ICSG Copper Report

22:00/NED: Jul House Price Index

All times in GMT. Powered by Onclusive and Dow Jones.

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This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

08-21-23 0015ET