Flash News

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is pushing artificial intelligence to empower new industrialization, with manufacturing as the main battlefield. The ministry has organized nearly 30 AI ‘deep-dive’ events, connecting more than 5,000 enterprises, and has supported 18 national pilot zones for AI innovation including Beijing and Jinan-Qingdao. It also cited nearly 200 AI technical standards and a 60 billion yuan national AI industry investment fund.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said Ukraine needs to hold elections, adding that there are many other targets beyond refineries that can be struck. The remarks, made without further detail on timing or scope, touch on both Ukraine’s domestic politics and the ongoing campaign of strikes against Russian energy infrastructure. No date or venue for any vote was specified.

TREE NEWS reports: Huatai Securities said in a research note that the Chinese baijiu industry may already be at the bottom of its current downcycle, despite pressure on sales during the 2026 Mid-Autumn peak season. The brokerage cited inventory destocking and a stabilizing price floor as bright spots, and said the sector could recover in two phases: expectation repair before the 2027 Spring Festival, followed by a low-base fundamental rebound during the 2027 Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn peak seasons.

TREE NEWS reports: CICC said in a research note that China’s domestic fundamentals and mid-term logic remain unchanged, and it is not pessimistic about the market’s medium-term direction. The brokerage noted A-shares fell sharply on the previous day amid external disruptions and funding pressure, with short-term headwinds including Middle East tensions, elevated energy prices, high US Treasury yields, and weak trading volumes.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said he will not use nuclear weapons against Iran. The statement, made without further detail, comes amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran. No additional context or timeline was provided.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan’s Nikkei 225 opened 0.8% higher, while South Korea’s Kospi opened up 1.8%. The two Asian benchmarks started the session in positive territory, with Seoul’s index posting the larger opening gain.

TREE NEWS update: China is set to issue or is currently issuing government bonds and policy financial bonds. The offering covers sovereign debt alongside debt issued by the country’s policy banks. No size, pricing or timetable was disclosed in the notice.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s local governments are issuing or preparing to issue municipal bonds. The pipeline covers upcoming and in-progress debt sales by provincial and municipal authorities, part of the country’s regular local-government financing activity. No total issuance size or specific provinces were disclosed in the available material.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan recorded a net sale of ¥760.6 billion in foreign stocks in the week to October 9, 2025, swinging from net buying of ¥1.3246 trillion the previous week. The reversal marks a sharp pullback in Japanese purchases of overseas equities over the period.

TREE NEWS update: Japan’s Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, Minoru Jomi, said he did not seek to delay the Bank of Japan’s interest rate hike decision at the June meeting. The statement addresses the government’s stance toward the central bank’s policy path.

TREE NEWS update: Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Japan has moved away from the pattern of large-scale supplementary budgets. The remark, made in her capacity as finance minister, signals a shift in the government’s fiscal stance away from reliance on big extra budgets. No further details, figures or timing were given.

TREE NEWS update: South Korea has asked the United States to provide tax relief for the Alaska liquefied natural gas project. The request concerns US tax treatment of the multibillion-dollar LNG development. No further details, figures or response from US officials were given.

TREE NEWS reports: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said the latest inflation reading was a disappointing month, while remaining somewhat optimistic that the drivers will fade in the near term. He said inflation driven by AI-fueled overheating demand would be more worrying and would have to be addressed, adding that the Fed has no political timetable.

TREE NEWS reports: US September PPI rose 6.3% year-on-year, the highest in more than four years, with a 1.3% monthly gain — the largest since March 2022 — as energy PPI surged 10.8% in the month. September retail sales beat expectations at 0.8% month-on-month, but only 0.2% excluding autos and gasoline. The S&P 500 rebounded after three straight declines, the Dow gained over 1%, and chip stocks fell for a seventh session. The IEA agreed to release remaining planned oil reserves.

TREE NEWS reports: Samsung Electronics rose 3.6% and SK Hynix gained 3.7% in pre-market trading on Korea’s Nextrade on Friday. The two chipmakers led early moves on the alternative trading venue ahead of the regular session open. No further details were given in the pre-market quotes.

TREE NEWS reports: Economic Daily warned that “involution-style” competition has already emerged in some emerging industries, with regions chasing trends regardless of their industrial base and channeling land and capital into homogenized projects, creating overcapacity risks. Some projects prioritize concept packaging over actual delivery and survive on policy subsidies, while solar and new-energy vehicle sectors see similar products and technology, frequent price wars and narrowing profits. Resources tilted toward scale expansion are squeezing frontier technology investment.

TREE NEWS reports: The International Monetary Fund lowered its forecast for China’s economic growth this year to 4.5% from 4.6% in its latest World Economic Outlook. The revised figure remains within China’s official development target range, and the adjustment was a marginal revision rather than a signal of a shift in the country’s economic fundamentals.

TREE NEWS reports: Seven Chinese lithium battery supply chain companies had disclosed preliminary results for the first three quarters of 2026 as of October 15, with five posting year-on-year net profit growth and two swinging to profit from a year-earlier loss. The companies include Guangdong Jiayuan Technology, Yunnan Energy New Material, Foshan Plastics Group, Shenzhen Capchem Technology, Shida Shenghua Chemical Group, Qinghai Salt Lake Industry and Shenzhen Highpower Technology.

TREE NEWS reports: Electronic fabric prices continued rising this month, with the 7628 glass cloth model up another 1.5 yuan per meter, G75 electronic yarn up 3,000 yuan per tonne, and the 2116 and 1080 thin cloth models each up 2.5 yuan per meter. The brokerage attributed the increases to tight loom supply, stronger-than-expected downstream demand and rising copper-clad laminate prices. Listed suppliers are adding capacity and upgrading technology toward low-dielectric and low-thermal-expansion products.

TREE NEWS reports: Ebola has spread to an eighth province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with two cases confirmed in North Ubangi province bordering the Central African Republic. The infections have not been formally announced by national authorities but would be the province’s first confirmed cases, adding new challenges to the fastest-spreading outbreak to date as health workers face a heavy toll among young children.