Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: Honda’s China vehicle sales totaled 25,564 units in September, down 53.1% year-on-year, the automaker’s China unit said. The figure marks a sharp contraction for the Japanese brand in the world’s largest auto market.

TREE NEWS reports: Very large crude carrier (VLCC) freight rates have surged to their highest level in 60 years after US and Israeli military strikes on Iran reshaped Middle East crude trade flows, compounded by a severe shortage of vessels. ING said shipping a barrel of crude from Saudi Arabia to the Netherlands in September cost about $35 per barrel in freight terms, more than a third of the crude price, versus a 2025 average of just $2 on the same route. Rates remained elevated in October.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s overnight Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (SHIBOR) stood at 1.2960%, up 0.27 basis point. The 7-day SHIBOR came in at 1.3460%, up 1.50 basis points, while the 3-month SHIBOR was unchanged at 1.4300%.

TREE NEWS reports: Researchers in Panama have recorded more than 200 aftershocks since a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the country’s central region on the 9th. Néstor Luque, head of the University of Panama’s Institute of Earth Sciences, said on the 11th that further aftershocks are expected, though their strength is steadily weakening and the intervals between them are growing longer.

TREE NEWS update: Huawei Group spent a record 121.4 billion yuan on research and development in the first half of 2026, with R&D intensity at 25.9% of revenue, up 25.2% year on year, Huawei Terminal BG CTO Li Xiaolong said at the company’s terminal innovation technology briefing. Li, who also heads hardware engineering and product development management at Huawei’s terminal unit, announced the figure as a same-period high for the group.

TREE NEWS reports: Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett argues in his latest Flow Show that the most bullish event for risk assets before year-end would be a Fed rate hike on Oct. 28, as it would cap runaway long-end Treasury yields. Global central banks have delivered 54 rate hikes in 2026, their first net tightening since September 2023. Cash funds drew $166.4 billion in the week to Wednesday, the largest inflow since April 2020.

TREE NEWS reports: Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) data showed the MMLC battery-grade lithium carbonate morning mid-price at 114,600 yuan per tonne on Thursday, down 5,650 yuan per tonne from the previous day’s 16:30 level. The decline marks a lower opening reference for the battery material used in EV and energy-storage cells.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced countermeasures against Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, Fonseca. The ministry did not specify the measures imposed or the reasons behind the decision. Belize is one of the few countries that maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

TREE NEWS update: Tibet issued 8 billion yuan ($1.1bn) of local government bonds in four tranches, including a 10-year general bond of 400 million yuan at a 1.73% coupon, a 7-year special bond of 70 million yuan at 1.56%, a 15-year special bond of 230 million yuan at 2.05% and a 20-year general special bond of 100 million yuan at 2.22%. Bid-to-cover ratios ranged from 1.50 to 3.00 times.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Foreign Ministry announced countermeasures against Paraguay’s Minister of Information and Communication Technologies, Gustavo Villate, in a retaliatory move. The ministry did not specify the measures in the announcement. The action marks an escalation in Beijing’s response to Paraguay’s diplomatic alignment with Taiwan.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Supreme People’s Court, the People’s Bank of China, the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the China Securities Regulatory Commission jointly released six model cases on protecting the rights of financial consumers and investors. The cases span financial lending, fund wealth management, digital finance, life insurance and securities investment, focusing on standard-form clauses, fair dealing, suitability obligations, rights remedies and diversified dispute resolution.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that the 140th Canton Fair will run from October 15 to November 4, 2026, in Guangzhou. Premier Li Qiang will attend the opening ceremony and related events and deliver a keynote speech, ministry spokesperson He Yadong said.

TREE NEWS reports: The ChiNext Index dropped more than 1% while the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.14% and the Shenzhen Component fell 0.91%, with real estate, semiconductors, computing hardware and precious metals leading the declines. More than 4,300 stocks fell across the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing exchanges.

TREE NEWS reports: The Philippine stock index rose 1.1% on the day. The move marks a gain for the benchmark gauge of Philippine equities. No further details were immediately available.

TREE NEWS reports: Saudi Arabia’s air defense system has faced a shortage of interceptor missiles since last month, US media reported on October 11, as civilian airports inside the kingdom have been repeatedly attacked by Yemen’s Houthi forces in recent days. The interceptor stockpile problem predates the latest strikes, the report said.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s A-share battery supply chain extended its rally, with Shidai Wanheng sealing a sixth consecutive daily limit-up and Dexin Technology also at the ceiling. Bolibao, Fengyuan shares, Xiongtao shares and Huasheng Lithium gained more than 6% each, as the sector’s advance broadened across upstream and midstream names.

TREE NEWS reports: Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1% on the day. The move marks a gain for the benchmark gauge of Hong Kong-listed equities. No further details on the session’s drivers or individual sector performance were provided.

TREE NEWS reports: China A-share agriculture stocks extended gains, with Jinjian Cereals Industry and Baiyang Investment Group both hitting their second consecutive daily limit-up. Wanxiang Doneed, Dunhuang Seed, Guannong Co. and COFCO Sugar also advanced. The sector has seen repeated strength in recent sessions.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s treasury futures opened higher, with the 30-year main contract up 0.12%, the 10-year up 0.02%, the 5-year up 0.01% and the 2-year up 0.01%. The modest gains across the curve came at the start of trading.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite Index opened 0.18% lower at 3806.98, with all major mainland gauges starting the session in the red. The Shenzhen Component fell 0.43% to 12586.96, the ChiNext Index dropped 0.65% to 3023.51 and the CSI 300 slipped 0.26% to 4305.91. The STAR 50 led declines, opening down 0.92% at 1443.81.