Flash News

TREE NEWS update: A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on the 20th, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake had a focal depth of 10 kilometers. No further details were immediately available.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan’s 30-year government bond yield fell 5 basis points to 3.935% on Monday, extending a decline in the long end of the Japanese curve. The move came as yields on the super-long tenor retreated, though the material did not specify a driver for the drop.

TREE NEWS update: China’s South-to-North Water Diversion eastern route phase one began its 2026–2027 water transfer on Oct. 20, the earliest start in the project’s 14 years of operation. The annual plan adds a net 561 million cubic meters of supply to Jiangsu, 42 million to Anhui and 665 million to Shandong. The Taierzhuang pumping station is set to transfer 1.007 billion cubic meters to Shandong.

TREE NEWS update: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on October 19 that Iran and Russia, along with many other countries, agree that Middle East problems must be resolved through diplomatic and political channels. Meeting visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Araghchi welcomed any initiative that could achieve regional security without foreign interference and said Iran is ready to consult regional states on building a comprehensive security framework designed by and for the region.

TREE NEWS update: China kept its five-year loan prime rate at 3.5% and the one-year rate at 3% for a 17th consecutive month in the October fixing. The People’s Bank of China said it will conduct overnight reverse repo operations from Oct 21 to Nov 2, capped at 100 billion yuan per day, and will add foreign RMB business clearing banks to its repo tool for overseas central banks. OpenAI reportedly plans to accelerate fundraising ahead of Anthropic’s listing.

TREE NEWS update: The UK releases September ILO unemployment and three-month employment figures at 14:00 Beijing time, followed by the eurozone and German October ZEW economic sentiment indices at 17:00. US September housing starts and building permits are due at 20:30, with pending home sales at 22:00. GM and 3M report before the US open, while United Airlines and Netflix report after the close.

TREE NEWS update: Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the 2026 APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting convenes in the city on Monday afternoon, the first time the territory has hosted the event. Speaking at the 2026 Greater Bay Area Summit, Lee said Hong Kong will use the platform to showcase its economic, financial and social development to APEC finance officials and international organizations, and to present its role as a Greater Bay Area hub linking national and global opportunities.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Finance sold 80 billion yuan of 10-year bonds at a 1.6057% coupon, below the expected 1.6200%, with a bid-to-cover ratio of 6.21 times. It also issued 20 billion yuan of 63-day paper at 1.0316% and 55 billion yuan of 182-day paper at 1.1233%, with bid-to-cover ratios of 3.58 and 3.10 times respectively.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan’s 20-year government bond auction drew a record bid-to-cover ratio of 5.84, compared with a 12-month average of 3.73. Following the auction, Japanese government bond futures pared their losses, while the 20-year yield fell 6 basis points on the day to 3.71%.

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on the 20th local time that it intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has not yet responded to the claim. The incident marks a direct military confrontation between the two countries in a key oil shipping lane.

TREE NEWS reports: The BSE 50 index climbed more than 4% in morning trading on October 20, led by a rally in robotics concept stocks, with over ten companies including Saimo Intelligent, Everwin Precision, Aishida and Ningbo Dongli hitting the daily limit. Semiconductor and PCB shares also rebounded, while the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.08% at midday. Total turnover across the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing exchanges reached 944.8 billion yuan, with 3,568 stocks advancing and 58 limit-up.

TREE NEWS update: China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in September presented 88 investment projects to private enterprises in two batches, seeking to attract 31.1 billion yuan of private capital, Liu Dan, deputy director of the NDRC’s private economy development bureau, said at an October press conference. Private firms have made more than 300 inquiries, with some hot projects drawing interest from over 20 companies. A Guizhou solid-state battery project secured a 50 million yuan signed investment and a Sichuan rail logistics park drew a 1.7 billion yuan intended investment.

TREE NEWS update: China’s National Development and Reform Commission will regularly refer investment projects to private enterprises and step up efforts to resolve overdue payments owed to them, Liu Dan, deputy director of the NDRC’s private economy development bureau, said at the commission’s October press conference. The NDRC will combine policy, projects and application scenarios in a coordinated push, focusing on three areas of work, Liu said.

TREE NEWS update: China’s National Development and Reform Commission is drafting a plan to address overheated investment in parts of the hydrogen sector, Ren Zhongbao, deputy director of the NDRC’s innovation and high-tech development department, said at the commission’s October press conference. The plan will weigh national strategic needs, technological maturity and resource support conditions to rationally allocate major projects and guide local governments to find their own positions in core technology research, renewable hydrogen demonstration and application scenarios.

TREE NEWS update: China’s securities regulator has approved the first batch of over-the-counter STAR Market corporate bond index funds, including products filed by Chunhou Fund and Yuanxin Yongfeng Fund. The approval widens the lineup of STAR bond products available to investors, expanding their choices. The funds had been submitted for approval by the two fund companies before receiving the green light.

TREE NEWS update: China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said regions must develop “new quality productive forces” based on local conditions and avoid homogeneous competition, Ren Zhongbao, deputy director of the NDRC’s innovation and high-tech development department, said at the commission’s October press conference. Local governments must fully justify whether they have the necessary foundations before planning key industries and major projects, and must resolutely avoid rushing into projects and blanket expansion, he said. The NDRC will align national and provincial special plans for future industries and emerging pillar industries.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s overnight Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (SHIBOR) stood at 1.2620% on the latest fixing, down 0.20 basis points. The 7-day SHIBOR also fell 0.20 basis points to 1.3200%, while the 3-month rate declined 0.61 basis points to 1.4229%.

TREE NEWS reports: The ChiNext Index rose more than 1% on the day after falling over 1% earlier, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.06% and the Shenzhen Component added 0.63%. Robotics, consumer electronics, PCB and semiconductor chip sectors led the gains, with nearly 3,800 stocks advancing across the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing exchanges.

TREE NEWS update: China’s National Development and Reform Commission is drafting an implementation plan for its strategy to expand domestic demand and will accelerate its release, Zuo Gang, deputy director of the NDRC’s comprehensive economy department, said at a press conference on the 20th. The NDRC will work with relevant departments to expand domestic demand with greater intensity and more concrete measures, he said.

TREE NEWS update: People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng met Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio on October 19, 2026. The two exchanged views on the global economic and financial situation and China’s macroeconomic policy, among other topics. No further details of the meeting were disclosed.