Stocks Soar as US-China Tariffs Slashed, President Trump Visits Middle East

On today's podcast:

 1) Stocks soar as the U.S. and China agree to de-escalate their trade war. The US and China will temporarily lower tariffs on each other's products, with the US reducing its levies from 145% to 30% and China reducing its duties from 125% to 10%. The tariff reductions are a move to cool trade tensions and give the two countries three more months to resolve their differences, with talks potentially leading to "purchasing agreements" by China.

2) Drug stocks tumble as President Trump plans to order pharmaceutical price cuts. The declines affected European drugmakers, US drugmakers, and Asian pharmaceutical companies, with some companies experiencing their biggest one-day loss since August. The plan to lower prescription drug prices may have a significant impact on the industry's revenues, particularly for companies that depend heavily on US sales

3) Hamas says it will free its last American hostage as the president heads to the Middle East. It will release 21-year-old Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a US citizen, as a step toward reaching a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The release is a result of renewed talks between the US and Hamas.

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