Flash News

TREE NEWS update: China’s basic medical insurance pooled funds, including maternity insurance, took in 2.302833 trillion yuan and spent 1.751519 trillion yuan in the first nine months of 2026, the National Healthcare Security Administration said on October 21. The figures cover January through September and were released as part of the agency’s regular data disclosure.

TREE NEWS reports: Former Fed economist Claudia Sahm, who created the Sahm Rule, said the Federal Reserve should not wait and that an October rate hike is the safer “insurance,” even as market-implied odds of a hike fell to 17% from 70% three weeks ago. Sahm pointed to August PCE inflation at 3.4%, September core CPI running at roughly a 4% annualized rate, and transport and warehousing prices at their highest since 2022. She warned the Fed’s real risk is waiting until inflation spirals and then being forced to brake hard.

TREE NEWS update: China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration held its 2026 International Advisory Committee meeting in Beijing on Oct. 19-20. Vice Premier He Lifeng met committee members that evening and said China is fully implementing its 15th Five-Year Plan and will keep expanding high-level financial opening, welcoming more foreign financial institutions to invest and deepen cooperation in China.

TREE NEWS reports: Five China-listed ETFs each held estimated assets above 100 billion yuan as of the Oct. 21 close, Wind data show. Huatai-PineBridge CSI 300 ETF led at 124.204 billion yuan, followed by Yinhua Riri ETF at 121.16 billion yuan, ChinaAMC STAR 50 ETF at 104.54 billion yuan, HuaAn Gold ETF at 103.042 billion yuan and Huabao Tianyi ETF at 103.001 billion yuan. Total ETF assets have continued to recover, expanding the 100-billion-yuan club.

TREE NEWS reports: Brent crude rose 2.0% intraday to $110.97 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate climbed 2.0% to $99.82 a barrel. The move marks a sharp session gain for both benchmarks.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin co-chaired the 31st China-Russia regular premiers’ meeting in St. Petersburg on the morning of Oct. 21. Li said China is willing to work with Russia in a spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit to deepen cooperation across fields, translate the two heads of state’s important consensus into concrete actions and results, and better serve the two countries’ development and benefit their peoples.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Communist Party General Office and State Council General Office issued an opinion on deepening the integration of technological and industrial innovation, stating that national science and technology plan projects with clear industrial application goals should in principle be led by enterprises, which will also drive the commercialization of results. The document also supports universities and research institutes in setting up technology transfer offices and accelerating application through technology transfer, licensing and equity investment.

TREE NEWS update: The General Offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued an opinion on deepening the integration of technological and industrial innovation. The policy calls on state-owned enterprises to accelerate the creation of R&D reserve funds that are independently accounted and exempt from value-preservation assessments, and allows the National Natural Science Foundation to open pilot programs to private enterprises.

TREE NEWS update: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Wednesday that Indonesia will not be intimidated by global index provider MSCI. “I just want to tell MSCI that Indonesia is not afraid of any party and will not be intimidated,” Prabowo told cabinet members at a televised meeting in Jakarta. The remarks were his first direct public message to the index provider.

TREE NEWS update: China’s General Office of the Communist Party Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued a joint opinion on deepening the integration of technological and industrial innovation, calling for decisive breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields including integrated circuits, industrial mother machines, high-end instruments, advanced materials and biomanufacturing. The document urges efforts to raise the self-reliance and controllability of industrial chains through critical technology breakthroughs and to intensify research on basic components, key software, materials and advanced processes.

TREE NEWS update: Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink pushed back on bubble warnings for the AI sector after billionaire Ken Griffin cautioned investors to brace for setbacks. Speaking at the Berlin Global Dialogue, Sewing said he sees no reason to fear a sharp near-term reversal in asset prices. Fink argued for accelerating AI data-center construction, warning that delays could threaten economic growth and worsen inflation by raising computing costs.

TREE NEWS update: China’s General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued an opinion on deepening the integration of technological and industrial innovation. The document calls for strengthening basic research and disruptive technology identification, advancing strategic emerging industries including new energy, new materials and aerospace, and exploring multiple technology routes in frontier fields such as quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence and 6G to commercialize future industries.

TREE NEWS reports: Germany’s inflation will remain high for a period, the Bundesbank said, while projecting that Europe’s largest economy may stagnate in the third quarter before staging a “clear recovery in growth” in the fourth quarter. The central bank’s assessment points to persistent price pressures alongside a near-term stall in output.

TREE NEWS update: European Central Bank Governing Council member Martins Kazaks said the ECB may need to tighten monetary policy further if inflation remains elevated. The remarks signal that rate-setters are keeping the option of additional hikes open should price pressures persist.

TREE NEWS reports: Trump Accounts could be opened to all Americans under 40, adding roughly 100 million people to the program, Brad Gerstner, a leading backer of the plan, said. Combined with the current pool of about 70 million children and some 3.5 million newborns a year, the potential coverage would widen further if the expansion goes ahead.

TREE NEWS update: French President Emmanuel Macron said his top priority is ensuring diesel and natural gas supplies, adding that France’s energy supply has been secured to avoid shortages. He did not specify further measures or timelines in the remarks. The statement comes as European governments focus on fuel security.

TREE NEWS update: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on the 21st that a complete resolution of the Ukraine issue is impossible without the participation of the Ukrainian side. Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s remark that Ukraine could reach an agreement with Russia without President Volodymyr Zelensky’s involvement, Peskov said “someone on the Ukrainian side must make responsible decisions.” He also stressed that Russia needs peace, not a ceasefire.

TREE NEWS reports: France’s sovereign bond risk index climbed to near 160 basis points, reaching its highest level in 15 years. The spread measure reflects heightened risk pricing on French government debt. No further details were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is seeking to restore economic ties with the United States, Interfax reported. The remark signals a potential shift in Moscow’s economic posture toward Washington. No further details or timeline were provided in the initial report.

TREE NEWS reports: Euro area government debt stood at 87.7% of GDP in 2025. The figure measures gross general government debt across the 20 countries that share the euro, a key gauge of fiscal strain watched by bond investors and policymakers. The reading comes as euro-area governments balance spending needs against EU fiscal rules.