15 Thai soldiers killed in Thailand-Cambodia border clashes

The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead, and 270 others injured, Surasant Kongsiri, spokesman for Thailand's Ministry of Defense, announced at a Saturday press conference.

Thailand has set up 970 temporary shelters, where 263,105 people are residing, the spokesman said.

The death toll among Thai civilians has risen to seven, he added.

Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Army (RTA) said in a statement on Saturday that Cambodia had launched strikes targeting a civilian area in Thailand's Sisaket Province, leaving two people seriously injured.

The attack took place as local residents were rushing to bomb shelters immediately after hearing air raid warnings, said the statement released on social media.

The RTA strongly condemned the Cambodian military's actions.

The Cambodian side has not yet responded.

Cambodia's Ministry of Interior announced in a press release on Saturday that it would suspend all border crossings with Thailand until further notice. The press release said the move was made after the Thai side had committed acts of aggression against Cambodia's sovereignty through indiscriminate attacks, causing civilian casualties and damaging residential areas and infrastructure.

In this regard, Cambodian citizens currently residing and working in Thailand are advised to continue living and working there as normal. Likewise, Thai nationals currently residing and working in Cambodia are advised to remain in Cambodia as usual, until a ceasefire is in place, it said.

The Cambodia-Thailand border conflict broke out on Dec 7, with the two sides accusing each other of firing first.

15 Thai soldiers killed in Thailand-Cambodia border clashes

U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday as climbing U.S. Treasury yields continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 322.24 points, or 0.65 percent, to 49,363.88. The The Standard and Poor's 500 sank 49.44 points, or 0.67 percent, to 7,353.61, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index shed 220.03 points, or 0.84 percent, to close at 25,870.71.

A primary source of downward pressure came from the fixed-income market. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed back above 4.6 percent, while the 30-year Treasury yield nearly touched 5.2 percent, marking its highest level in nearly 19 years.

The high-yield environment acted as a drag on high-valuation growth sectors, which are particularly sensitive to elevated interest rates. Six of the 11 primary The Standard and Poor's 500 sectors closed in negative territory, with materials and communication services leading the declines by dropping 2.27 percent and 1.58 percent, respectively. In contrast, the healthcare sector gained 1.09 percent and the energy sector advanced 1.03 percent.

Market participants are also focusing on Wednesday's upcoming after-hours earnings release from Nvidia.

U.S. stocks close lower amid rising yields