Technologies

Trump pledges U.S. assistance to Russia following fatal plague case at Siberian lab; WHO maintains low-risk assessment

U.S. President Donald Trump offered assistance to Russia after a lab worker died from an illness at a Siberian plague research institute, while the WHO continues to classify the public health risk as low.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged American support to Russia after a laboratory employee died from an illness at a plague research facility in Siberia, even as Russian officials maintained that the outbreak was contained.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump responded to questions about the incident by saying, “We’ll help,” and added, “Everybody who has that kind of a problem, we’ll always help,” per a Reuters transcript.

The deceased worker was based at an anti-plague research institute in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia. The individual fell ill and passed away under unclear conditions, leading local authorities to place approximately 200 people in quarantine and raising alarms over public health risks.

Trump noted that he had not yet spoken directly with Russian officials regarding the matter, but referred to the plague as a “rough disease.” He went on to say, “That’s a disease we used to be able to control,” and warned, “Somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and stronger, they’re like an army.”

A State Department representative, who requested anonymity, told Verum: “We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners. Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly.”

Trump emphasized that the U.S. would extend whatever aid it could to Russia. He has previously expressed confidence in working with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite ongoing tensions stemming from Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.

In an emailed statement, the World Health Organization said the cause of death had not yet been verified and that tests were still being conducted. The agency confirmed it was in communication with Russian authorities and stood ready to offer assistance if necessary, while maintaining its current risk assessment of low threat to the general public based on available data.

It remains uncertain whether Moscow has formally requested or would accept any international assistance at this time.

Technologies

U.S. Treasury Yields Hold Steady Ahead of Fed Minutes Release

U.S. Treasury yields held steady ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes release, after hitting 24‑year highs on Monday. Traders see a 78% chance the Fed will keep rates unchanged.

On Tuesday morning, U.S. Treasury yields remained largely unchanged after hitting fresh peaks the day before, with investors awaiting the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury

One basis point is equal to 0.01%, and yields and prices move in opposite directions.

|—|—|—|—|

| US10Y | U.S. 10 Year Treasury | 5.286% | -0.025 |

| US1M | U.S. 1 Month Treasury | 3.953% | +0.012 |

| US1Y | U.S. 1 Year Treasury | 4.464% | -0.011 |

| US2Y | U.S. 2 Year Treasury | 4.814% | -0.019 |

| US30Y | U.S. 30 Year Treasury | 5.644% | -0.02 |

| US3M | U.S. 3 Month Treasury | 4.156% | +0.01 |

| US6M | U.S. 6 Month Treasury | 4.319% | +0.008 |

Treasury yields climbed again on Monday, pushing the 10‑year and 30‑year to their highest levels in 24 years, following new Institute for Supply Management data indicating a slowdown in services activity.

The September PMI came in at 54.9, matching forecasts but slightly under August’s figure, and the services price index within the ISM rose 1.4 points to 74.

According to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, traders now assign a 78% probability that the Federal Reserve will hold rates steady at its upcoming meeting.

The week’s key event will be the Wednesday release of the FOMC minutes from the September meeting, which investors will scrutinize for hints about future monetary policy.

Technologies

Why quantitative funds outperform the market by acting early, contrary and correct

Quantitative hedge funds, especially trend‑following CTAs, have delivered stronger returns than the S&P 500 this year by spotting early market moves and taking contrary positions. Their success stems from capturing AI‑driven equity optimism and inflation‑related oil fears while shorting bonds and commodities.

Hedge fund approaches that depend on intricate algorithms and machine learning to construct trades are outperforming the equity market this year.

Trend‑following funds, also called commodity trading advisors or managed futures strategies, are computerized vehicles that employ quantitative models, statistical techniques and price cues to process massive data sets and take positions in futures contracts.

Their goal is to spot and ride sustained moves — both up and down — across stocks, bonds, commodities and currencies, capturing the ongoing momentum.

The Societe Generale SG CTA Index, the primary gauge for the sector that aggregates the daily net returns of major players such as Man Group, PIMCO, AQR and Winton Capital, posted a 15.7% gain for the nine months ending Q3. In the same span the S&P 500 rose 11.7%.

Industry sources told Verum that CTAs anticipated September’s abrupt bond sell‑off by shorting U.S. Treasuries, adding to earlier profits from bullish dollar exposure and pre‑Iran‑war long oil positions.

Andrew Beer, managing member at Dynamic Beta Investments, remarked that CTAs are “crushing the rest of the hedge fund world this year.” He noted the group was “early, contrarian and right” when it began buying crude oil in January ahead of the Iran conflict, before correctly positioning for higher rates before the global bond upheaval.

Beer added via email to Verum that the funds have captured the two dominant market themes: exuberant AI‑driven optimism about equities on one side, and anxiety over oil prices and inflation on the other. He said humans are too emotional to time markets, whereas machines excel at it.

Nicolas Gaussel, CEO and CIO of Metori Capital Management, said CTAs have managed inflationary pressures by taking short positions in fixed income. He highlighted that the inverse relationship between equities and oil further boosted results this year.

Gaussel explained that the year’s dynamics stem from two structural themes: a strong positive link between stocks and bonds, and a strong negative link between energy and both stocks and bonds. This setting has been difficult for classic 60/40 portfolios.

He continued that for conventional long‑only diversified holdings, the positive stock‑bond correlation has been problematic — bond returns have lagged and bonds offer less diversification versus equities. By contrast, CTAs’ ability to short bonds and short‑term rates has been advantageous.

Gaussel observed that this underscores a core CTA strength: they do not rely on bonds to serve their usual defensive function.

Looking forward, Yung‑Shin Kung, chief investment officer at Mast Investments, said the year‑end performance of trend‑following funds will likely depend on energy prices and interest rates.

Kung told Verum via email that if September is any guide, the connections between those factors are now influencing currencies and equity markets as well.

He concluded that while CTAs are generally well placed to cushion traditional portfolios, the risk embedded in many CTA strategies has become increasingly concentrated.

Technologies

‘We had a threat’: Trump explains U.S. moving long-range bombers from UK

The U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers removed from England have been used in strikes on Iran.

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