Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: Taiwan’s benchmark TAIEX weighted stock index opened nearly flat on Thursday, quoted at 48,382.64 points. The index showed little movement from the prior close in early trading.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s commodity futures opened mixed on the session, with fuel oil’s main contract up more than 3% and pure benzene also gaining 3%. Ethylene glycol rose nearly 2%, while Shanghai tin fell over 3% and Shanghai silver dropped more than 2%. Platinum, soda ash and palladium each declined over 1%.

TREE NEWS reports: FTSE China A50 index futures opened 0.06% higher in early trading, rebounding from a 0.04% decline in the previous session’s night trading. The move reflects modest early positioning in the benchmark contract tracking the largest A-share companies.

TREE NEWS reports: Margin financing balances on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges fell a combined 9.066 billion yuan to 2.508 trillion yuan as of October 13. The Shanghai exchange’s balance stood at 1.286 trillion yuan, down 3.102 billion yuan from the prior trading day, while Shenzhen’s was 1.222 trillion yuan, down 5.964 billion yuan.

TREE NEWS reports: Galaxy Securities said a super El Niño has formed and expects soybean meal, rapeseed meal, the three major edible oils and sugar to trend stronger in the near term, while corn, hogs and cotton trade sideways. The brokerage cited weather premium from the event, a phase of domestic supply tightness in soybean meal, and firmer crude oil supporting biodiesel demand for vegetable oils.

TREE NEWS reports: The People’s Bank of China and its branches issued more than 40 administrative penalties against licensed payment institutions in the first three quarters of 2026, with total fines and confiscations exceeding 350 million yuan. The largest single penalty reached 74.45 million yuan. Regulators applied a dual-penalty system, holding both the institutions and their executives and directly responsible persons accountable.

TREE NEWS reports: Bank of America’s latest Global Fund Manager Survey found that the US 10-year Treasury yield would need to rise to nearly 6% before bonds become attractive enough to draw investors out of equities. The finding underscores the resilience of the stock market even as borrowing costs surge.

TREE NEWS update: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi said on the 13th that if the United States again commits aggression against Iran, the consequences will extend beyond the region. He warned that repeating past mistakes by resorting to military force and threats would lead to outcomes far exceeding the region. Gharibabadi said the US must now decide which path to take, adding that Iran has maintained a constructive stance toward diplomacy and negotiations while preparing for any scenario.

TREE NEWS reports: CITIC Securities said in a research note that stronger-than-expected ETF and central bank buying since September has sufficiently offset liquidity selling in the futures market, and gold prices have shown signs of stabilizing over the past two weeks and may rise from their end-June bottom. A steady gold price would be an important signal for a rebound in gold stocks, which led a price recovery in July, the brokerage said.

TREE NEWS update: The Export-Import Bank of China issued a 1-year bond of 3 billion yuan and a 6-month bond of 1 billion yuan. Both bonds were priced at a coupon of 0.0000%, matching expectations, with a bid-to-cover ratio of 1.00 and a marginal ratio of 1.00 for each tranche.

TREE NEWS reports: South Korea’s KOSPI extended its gain to 1.1% on the day. The benchmark index’s advance marks a continued move higher in Seoul trading. No further details on the drivers of the move were provided.

TREE NEWS update: Singapore’s Monetary Authority of Singapore said it will maintain the slope, width and midpoint of its policy band for the Singapore dollar nominal effective exchange rate. The central bank manages monetary policy through the exchange rate rather than interest rates, and the decision leaves its existing setting in place.

TREE NEWS reports: South Korea’s KOSPI opened up 39.05 points, or 0.65%, at 6074.4 on Wednesday, October 14. Japan’s Nikkei 225 opened 187.14 points higher, or 0.28%, at 67964.66 the same day. Both benchmarks started the session in positive territory.

TREE NEWS reports: Singapore’s economy grew 1.1% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter, missing the 1.4% estimate. On a year-on-year basis, GDP expanded 5.4%, beating the 5.1% forecast. The figures were released Wednesday, showing the city-state’s growth momentum remained uneven across the quarter.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan’s Nikkei 225 opened 0.2% higher and South Korea’s Kospi opened up 0.4%. The modest gains mark a positive start for the two Asian benchmarks.

TREE NEWS update: China is set to issue government bonds and policy bank financial bonds, with some already being issued. The move covers both sovereign debt and policy financial bonds from the country’s policy banks.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan’s M2 money stock grew 2% year-on-year in September, matching the previous reading of 2%. The steady pace leaves the broad money aggregate unchanged from August’s annual rate, with no acceleration or deceleration in the latest month.

TREE NEWS reports: Several Chinese A-share companies forecast large profit increases for the first three quarters of 2026, led by printed circuit board suppliers. Fuchun Dyeing expects net profit of RMB 338-378 million, up 1,347.69%-1,519.01% year on year. PCB peer Baoding Technology guided to RMB 330-370 million, up 536.88%-614.07%, while Xingsen Technology sees RMB 400-430 million, up 204.20%-227.02%.

TREE NEWS reports: Morgan Stanley raised its fourth-quarter Brent crude oil forecast by $5 to $105 a barrel. The upward revision puts the bank’s Q4 outlook above current Brent levels. No further detail on the rationale behind the change was given.

TREE NEWS reports: Australia’s Westpac leading index fell 0.06% month-on-month in September, following a 0.04% decline in the prior month, the index showed. The reading extends the prior month’s negative print and points to a continued softening in the forward-looking gauge of Australian economic activity.