Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: WTI crude oil rose 2.5% intraday to $100.42 a barrel, breaking above the $100 psychological level. Brent crude gained 3.0% on the day to trade at $109.1 a barrel.

TREE NEWS update: Ethiopia’s Prime Minister’s Office announced on the 16th the establishment of an interim government in the northern Tigray region to help rebuild the area. The statement said the destructive war waged by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front has ended, and the interim administration will restore peace and security, rebuild government structures, repair damaged infrastructure and organize regional elections.

TREE NEWS update: The US Department of Justice sued California election officials on October 15, seeking to pause the counting of mail-in ballots tied to more than 20,000 voters until their citizenship is verified, arguing they may not be eligible to vote. California is challenging the accuracy of the list and the legal basis for federal intervention in state election administration. The dispute comes ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

TREE NEWS reports: The US Treasury asked primary dealers in its quarterly survey what adjustments to auction sizes should be considered, citing “structural changes in investor demand” and expectations for how demand will evolve. The survey also asked how larger long-term Treasury buybacks would affect liquidity and market functioning, and whether the department should adjust the sale of short-term bills and floating-rate notes to avoid issuing on Federal Reserve meeting days.

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s navy said on October 16 that another oil tanker was monitored on fire in the no-sail zone in the eastern waters of the Strait of Hormuz. The navy said无序 navigation in the restricted area is unsafe and endangers other vessels. Attacks on ships in the strait have recently grown in frequency and spread in scope, reflecting continued intense US-Iran competition over control of the waterway and raising the risk of renewed regional military escalation.

TREE NEWS reports: Canadian crude producers are earning about $26 less per barrel than their US counterparts, with the Western Canada Select discount to West Texas Intermediate widening past $26 a barrel. The spread has been driven wider by the knock-on effects of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy decisions, including heightened competition from Venezuelan crude and the impact of the Iran war on shipping markets.

TREE NEWS update: French far-right National Rally leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said on an October 14 television program that France can no longer provide funding to Ukraine given its heavy fiscal burden, and that Kyiv should be told this frankly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded that Le Pen does not fully understand certain details, hinting Ukraine would give something in return for continued French support.

TREE NEWS update: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted she never obtained a law license, saying she mentioned China because she misheard a question about her post-law-school career. US media widely say she lied or at least misled the public about her résumé. The episode drew intense reaction from Japanese netizens, who compared it to longstanding résumé-falsification allegations against Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with some saying she started the practice of entering politics through résumé fraud.

TREE NEWS reports: Fitch Ratings said large Wall Street banks could face pressure on their medium-term profitability if anti-money-laundering regulatory actions force them into remediation and impose operational restrictions. The rating agency flagged the link between AML enforcement-driven remediation and earnings capacity.

TREE NEWS update: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have introduced a draft bill aimed at blocking President Donald Trump’s Russian diesel transaction. The proposed legislation targets the deal directly, though no further details on its provisions or sponsors were provided in the material.

TREE NEWS reports: Bitcoin held above $80,000, trading around $82,000, after Federal Reserve official Kevin Warsh avoided signaling a rate hike. The steadiness came as South Korean tech stocks recovered from a sell-off and traders lowered their expectations for a Fed rate increase.

TREE NEWS reports: Barclays said on October 16 it expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by 25 basis points in both December and January, revising its earlier forecast of a single hike in December. The bank had previously projected only a December increase. The updated call points to a longer tightening path than Barclays had earlier anticipated.

TREE NEWS reports: The MSCI Nordic Countries Index rose 1% to close at 396.76, its highest close since September 17. Among the ten sectors, Nordic industrials posted the biggest gain. Defense stock Kongsberg Gruppen ASA climbed 4.3%, leading all Nordic constituents.

TREE NEWS update: Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery has suspended operations at its main units following an attack, Reuters reported. The refinery is one of the country’s largest, and the halt follows a strike on the facility. No details on damage or the expected duration of the shutdown were provided.

TREE NEWS update: The Kremlin said 10% of Ukraine’s Donetsk region remains to be taken by Russian forces, and that Russia is building a security zone there. It said the zone will not be included in any negotiations with Ukraine.

TREE NEWS reports: Barclays said the recent rise in oil freight rates is likely to persist for at least several more weeks, keeping near-term oil price risks skewed to the upside. The bank maintained its Brent crude forecasts at $100 per barrel for 2026 and $85 per barrel for 2027.

TREE NEWS update: Blue Origin plans to invest $330 million to expand its Florida factory, boosting launch capacity for its New Glenn rocket. The spending is aimed at raising production throughput at the site as the company scales up New Glenn operations.

TREE NEWS reports: Barclays expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by 25 basis points in both December and January, the bank said, revising up its earlier forecast of a single 25-basis-point hike in December this year. The revised call points to two consecutive quarter-point increases spanning the end of 2025 and the start of 2026.

TREE NEWS update: Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone call with Pope Leo XIV, the Kremlin said. The call was announced by the Kremlin, which did not immediately give further details of what was discussed. No readout of the conversation was provided.

TREE NEWS reports: ICE UK natural gas futures closed 1.99% higher at 217.900 pence per therm, gaining 7.57% for the week. The TTF benchmark Dutch contract rose 2.12% to 87.725 euros per megawatt-hour, up 9.37% week-on-week. ICE EU carbon allowance futures fell 1.08% to 84.91 euros per tonne, a fourth straight decline and a 2.33% weekly drop.