Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Bank of America is issuing four tranches of high-grade bonds with maturities ranging from three to 11 years, people familiar with the matter said. The bank is expected to raise $8 billion from the sale.

TREE NEWS update: Fliggy’s 2026 Double 11 sale opened at 8pm on October 15, with cumulative sales of promotional items approaching 1 million units within the first four hours, the Alibaba-owned travel platform said. More than 200 merchants doubled their transaction value compared with last year’s event.

TREE NEWS reports: White House Press Secretary Zakaria was fired on Friday. The dismissal removes the administration’s chief spokesperson from the role. No reason for the termination or a successor was immediately given.

TREE NEWS update: South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a joint statement on Oct. 16 that the foreign ministers of 20 countries, including South Africa, Egypt, Palestine, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan, strongly condemned and opposed Colombia’s inauguration ceremony for its embassy in Jerusalem. The statement said the move violates relevant UN Security Council resolutions and undermines international efforts toward a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.

TREE NEWS update: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine faces a €70 billion budget financing gap in 2027. She gave the figure without detailing how the shortfall would be covered. The estimate points to the scale of external support Kyiv will need beyond the current war period.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia is ‘very good.’ The remark was made in a statement by the president, with no further details provided on the context or any specific agreements discussed.

TREE NEWS reports: The Federal Reserve’s overnight reverse repurchase agreement (RRP) facility took in $100 million on Friday, October 16, from a single counterparty, down from $1.201 billion the previous trading day. The drop marks a sharp contraction in usage of the central bank’s overnight liquidity-draining tool.

TREE NEWS update: French President Emmanuel Macron said holding a summit on the EU budget agreement in March, just weeks before the French election, is not a good approach. The comment sets Paris against the timing of a planned EU budget deal, with France’s presidential vote due within weeks of the proposed March meeting.

TREE NEWS update: French President Emmanuel Macron said Russian diesel cannot solve the problems of the global market, in remarks that also flagged a negative signal from US President Donald Trump’s diesel dealings with Russia. No further details were given in the statement.

TREE NEWS reports: The Nasdaq 100 extended its drop to 2%, with index members CoreWeave down 11.7% and Nebius Group NV down 11.0%. Strategy, facing a potential MSCI deletion, fell 9.5%, while Moderna lost 9.6% and Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet each dropped 7.8%. The S&P 500 widened its decline to 1%, as the VIX jumped 18.0% to 19.43.

TREE NEWS update: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU must stay the course on its planned nuclear and renewable energy路线. She made the remark without specifying new policy measures or a timeline. The statement reaffirms the Commission’s existing energy mix strategy.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said the role of White House press secretary may not be the right fit for Karoline Leavitt, adding, “I just want her to be happy.” The remark, made without further detail, leaves the status of the press secretary position unclear.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said he does not know who issued the ‘Starshield’ order, adding that it was not his administration. The remark leaves the origin of the directive unclarified, with no further details on what the order covered or when it was issued.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said oil prices are about to decline, commenting on inflation. The remark ties the cost of crude directly to the inflation outlook, with the president signalling relief at the pump ahead. No figures, timing or policy measures were given.

TREE NEWS reports: Shanghai base metals ended the night session mixed, with international copper up 0.12% and SHFE copper down 0.03%. Aluminium rose 0.56%, zinc 0.61% and nickel 0.75%, while lead slipped 0.12% and tin 0.37%. Alumina gained 1%, aluminium alloy 0.37% and stainless steel 0.42%.

TREE NEWS update: European Council President António Costa said the EU will hold an informal summit in February focused on the bloc’s competitiveness. Costa announced the plan without giving a specific date or venue. The meeting is intended to concentrate on how the EU can sharpen its competitive position.

TREE NEWS reports: The CBOE Volatility Index rose 11.0% intraday to 18.29, while the S&P 500 fell more than 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 120 points, or over 0.2%, and the Nasdaq slid more than 1.5%. The biotech index fell 2.3%, the semiconductor index 2.1% and the Russell 2000 1.2%, with Tesla down 2%.

TREE NEWS update: Yemen’s Houthi movement said Saudi Arabia used cluster munitions in an airstrike on Zamar province on the evening of October 16, killing three people and wounding nine others. There was no immediate response from Saudi Arabia. The allegation was carried by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

TREE NEWS reports: London Metal Exchange copper closed $60 higher at $14,408 per tonne, with aluminium up $14 at $3,002 and zinc up $28 at $3,692. Nickel rose $142 to $15,363, tin gained $259 to $50,384, and lead added $8 to $1,889. Cobalt was the outlier, dropping $1,110 to $35,705 per tonne.

TREE NEWS reports: UK 30-year gilt yields fell 10.5 basis points over the week to 5.844%, while the 10-year yield dropped 7.1bps to 5.373% and the 50-year yield lost 10.1bps to 5.261%. In Friday’s late European session, the 10-year was down 0.2bps and the two-year shed 1bp to 4.877%, down 1.4bps on the week. The 2s/10s spread narrowed 5.806bps to +49.314bps.