Flash News

TREE NEWS update: The Reserve Bank of Australia releases minutes of its September monetary policy meeting at 08:30 Beijing time, followed at 10:00 by the IMF’s World Economic Outlook. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth report earnings before the US open. Apple holds a smart-home product launch, and Fed Governor Waller speaks on economic policy at Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum.

TREE NEWS reports: The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach each logged their busiest month on record in September, with loaded import container volumes hitting all-time highs as shippers pulled freight forward to get ahead of rising transport costs tied to President Trump’s tariffs, drought-driven restrictions on the Panama Canal and higher fuel prices from the Iran war. Long Beach handled 997,177 TEUs, with imports up 31% year on year, while Los Angeles dockworkers moved 1,042,652 TEUs, with imports up 19%.

TREE NEWS reports: Analysts expect non-financial A-share companies to post continued high earnings growth in the third quarter, with technology and resources reinforcing a dual growth engine. With the 10-year US Treasury yield staying elevated and capping tech rebounds, they recommend near-term exposure to high-growth names and supply-cleared sectors, with October allocation centered on tech growth, resource dividends and manufacturing exports.

TREE NEWS reports: A total of 3,188 Chinese A-share listed companies have disclosed merger and acquisition progress so far this year as of October 12, with dealmaking concentrated in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, high-end equipment, biopharmaceuticals and new energy. Recent transactions include Narui Radar’s planned purchase of a 51% stake in Xintai Communication, GAC Group’s plan to buy 50% of FAW Toyota, and Zhongji Innolight’s completed transfer of a 10.47% stake in Sinomatech.

TREE NEWS update: Chery Automobile confirmed on October 12 that solid-state battery R&D at its battery division is progressing steadily, after issuing multiple 2026 solid-state battery equipment procurement projects on October 8 covering R&D, production and testing. BYD, SAIC Motor and Dongfeng Motor are also stepping up solid-state battery development work.

TREE NEWS reports: Chinese securities firms have injected more than 50 billion yuan into overseas subsidiaries this year, as international expansion shifts from Hong Kong hubs toward the Middle East and Central Asia. Guolian Minsheng Securities received no-objection from the CSRC for a 2 billion yuan capital increase in its Hong Kong unit, CITIC Securities’ international arm secured a Dubai International Financial Centre license, and Guotai Junan International signed a cooperation memorandum with the Almaty city government in Kazakhstan.

TREE NEWS reports: China has launched more than 150 fund-of-funds (FOF) products this year, raising close to RMB 150 billion, with both the number of products and total issuance setting annual records. More than 30 additional FOFs are currently or about to be issued, including 12 on October 12 alone. The minimum fundraising threshold for FOFs may drop from RMB 200 million to RMB 50 million, and FOFs would be allowed to invest in ETF feeder funds.

TREE NEWS update: Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that six vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and the nearby Gulf of Oman on 11 February. Four oil tankers were struck by unidentified projectiles while exiting the strait and a container ship was hit while entering, the notices said. A tanker near the Suhar anchorage off Oman was attacked by a drone, with local authorities assisting crew evacuation.

TREE NEWS reports: Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack said she wants the Fed to bring inflation down without damaging the labor market, which may require cooling hot business investment or curbing market-driven consumer spending. She said those factors are fueling demand and keeping inflation in a 2.5%-3.0% range, and that restrictive policy may be enough to lower inflation without pushing unemployment above its current 4.2%.

TREE NEWS reports: IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said AI investment is holding global growth near 3%, with Asian chipmakers the biggest beneficiaries, while warning the technology poses a “slow-moving tsunami” for young workers. She put the share of jobs exposed to AI at 40%, with young people first in line for disruption.

TREE NEWS update: Japan’s Omron plans to acquire OnLogic for approximately 100 billion yen, the company said. The deal would bring the industrial automation group the US-based industrial computer maker. No further terms or a closing date were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: The Saudi-led multinational coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi movement toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki announced the interception on social media on the evening of the 12th. No casualties or damage were reported.

TREE NEWS reports: Elon Musk has spent $276 million backing Republicans, a sum that already exceeds his political donations for the entire 2024 election cycle. The figure marks a new high in the billionaire’s political spending.

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi said no extra-regional power has the right to threaten, maintain a hegemonic presence in, or interfere in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The statement, issued by the IRGC chief, rejects outside authority over the strategic waterway.

TREE NEWS reports: Goldman Sachs strategists said the 10-year US Treasury yield could rebound, arguing that more favorable positioning and overstretched forward long-end rates will encourage yield-hungry long-term investors to build positions in longer-duration debt. With US Treasuries closed Monday for a holiday, the largest long-bond options flow of the day was a bullish structure betting the 30-year yield falls about 30 basis points from current levels. Monday’s oil price move was just one of several factors hinting at further Treasury weakness.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said the diesel agreement with Russia is not a deal for him personally but one made for the rest of the world. Speaking on the arrangement, Trump framed the deal as serving broader international interests rather than US-specific benefit. No further terms, timeline or scope of the diesel agreement were disclosed.

TREE NEWS reports: FTSE China A50 index futures closed 0.15% lower at 13,730 points in continuous overnight trading. The move reflects a modest decline in the benchmark tracking the 50 largest A-share companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges.

TREE NEWS reports: At Monday’s New York close on October 12, S&P 500 futures finished down 0.05% and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.75%, while Dow futures gained 0.42%. Russell 2000 futures closed 0.37% lower. The mixed close left blue chips higher while tech-heavy and small-cap gauges ended the session in the red.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said he may remove tariffs on Colombia, signaling a possible reversal of the levies imposed on the South American country. No timeline or specific terms were given in the statement. The remark marks a shift in US trade policy toward Colombia.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said he believes both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky support the energy ceasefire he disclosed. Trump added that he thinks Putin wants a deal more than Zelensky does. He gave no further details on the terms or timing of the arrangement.