Flash News

TREE NEWS update: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed reforms to widen individual investor access to private markets, including private equity and early-stage startups. One proposal would let registered investment advisers charge up to 20% performance fees, moving closer to the “2% management fee plus 20% performance” hedge-fund model. The SEC also proposed broadening the accredited-investor definition to include credentialed professionals such as CPAs and chartered financial analysts, Chairman Paul Atkins said.

TREE NEWS reports: Bitcoin climbed after the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure came in cooler than expected, prompting traders to cut rate-hike odds. The move came as bond yields reached 20-year highs, with the cooler PCE reading giving crypto traders a reason to buy.

TREE NEWS update: The Securities and Exchange Commission voted to propose rule amendments aimed at facilitating capital formation in public and private markets by expanding retail investor choice and promoting innovation in regulated fund structures. The proposal, announced by the agency, would broaden retail participation in private markets while keeping the structures within the existing regulatory framework. No effective date or further details were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: Swiss National Bank board member Tschudin said the design of digital currencies must not restrict central banks’ ability to carry out their functions. Stablecoins, and features weakly tied to the two-tier financial system, make the transmission of monetary policy more difficult, he said. Tschudin did not specify which stablecoins or jurisdictions he was referring to.

TREE NEWS update: The US Treasury said it will purchase up to $6 billion of 10- to 20-year Treasury notes in a liquidity buyback operation on Oct 1. The operation is part of the Treasury’s liquidity support buyback program.

TREE NEWS update: US Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Congress may raise the debt ceiling after the midterm elections. The remark, made on September 30, signals that lawmakers could delay action on the federal borrowing limit until the political calendar clears. No specific timeline or legislative vehicle was given.

TREE NEWS update: A White House official said President Trump is expected to announce Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office that South Korea plans to invest $200 billion in US energy projects, including eight nuclear power plants, a power generation facility in Texas and participation in an Alaska LNG export project. The $200 billion is the first tranche of projects to win support under last year’s US-South Korea trade framework, in which Seoul pledged $350 billion in US investment. Seoul has not publicly confirmed the details.

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s foreign ministry issued a statement on September 29 strongly condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United Arab Emirates. The ministry said regional countries should not allow their territory to be used as a platform for subversive activities against other states.

TREE NEWS update: China’s permanent representative to the UN Office at Geneva, Jia Guide, delivered a joint statement on behalf of 71 countries at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 30, calling for the correction of international human rights governance. The statement urged that the Global Governance Initiative serve as a guide in building a just, reasonable and inclusive global human rights governance system.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Natural Resources activated a Level IV geological disaster defense response for Chongqing municipality and Guizhou province. The Level IV designation is the lowest rung in China’s four-tier emergency response system for geological hazards such as landslides and mudslides. No further details on the triggering conditions or affected areas were disclosed.

TREE NEWS reports: A survey released on September 30 by a Japanese research firm projects that more than 3,000 food and beverage items will rise in price in Japan in October. Japan’s major electric power and gas companies had also announced they will raise electricity and gas charges starting in October.

TREE NEWS update: The Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors voted 6-1 on Wednesday to adopt changes to its annual bank stress tests, the post-2008 crisis framework that gauges how Wall Street banks would fare in a hypothetical recession. Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said the reform keeps the tests robust by making them more transparent, granular and risk-sensitive. The two final rules largely match versions proposed in 2025, and the Fed also sought comment on a plan to better reflect differences in fee income across bank business models.

TREE NEWS reports: The premium investors demand to hold French 10-year government bonds over German Bunds rose 5 basis points to 124 basis points. The widening spread reflects a further divergence in borrowing costs between the eurozone’s two largest economies.

TREE NEWS update: BMW plans to cut one-fifth of its management positions by mid-next year, using AI deployment as part of an already-agreed buyout program aimed at reducing costs and improving profitability. The automaker intends to shed roughly 8,000 positions, about 5% of its global workforce. BMW targets restoring its automotive margin to a long-term 8%-10% range by early next decade, with a 3%-5% return as an interim goal for 2028.

TREE NEWS reports: Singapore’s crypto economy grew 55.4% to $284 billion, driven by a 94% surge in institutional-platform activity, even as the wider region contracted. The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam stood out for small-value peer-to-peer transfers.

TREE NEWS update: The Federal Reserve Board finalized changes to its stress test framework aimed at enhancing transparency and public accountability while reducing volatility in stress test-related capital requirements. The decision, announced by the central bank, sets the rules for how banks’ capital buffers are calculated under the annual exams. No specific date or implementation timeline was provided in the announcement.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Arts Development, setting a 2030 target of a new phase of high-quality arts development. The plan calls for stronger artistic quality, more diverse forms of expression and dissemination, broader public arts participation, a more scientific evaluation and award system, and a mature multi-tiered talent cultivation system. It also pledges continued improvement of the policy framework and the arts ecosystem.

TREE NEWS update: China’s customs chief Sun Meijun and Russian customs head Pikalyov co-chaired the 18th meeting of the China-Russia Customs Cooperation Subcommittee of the Prime Ministers’ Regular Meeting Committee in Shanghai on Sept 29. The two sides reviewed a year of cooperation under the consensus of their heads of state and reached broad agreement on smart customs, international single-window trade, AEO mutual recognition and risk management, signing meeting minutes.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held a party group meeting urging an all-out effort on autumn agricultural production, including autumn grain harvesting, autumn planting and disaster prevention, to secure a full autumn grain harvest. The meeting also called for stricter whole-chain safety oversight of fishing vessels, farm machinery and confined-space operations, and pushed pilot work on extending rural land contracts for another 30 years after expiry.

TREE NEWS update: Romania’s parliament rejected Prime Minister Siegfried Muresan’s proposed cabinet on September 30. Of 464 lawmakers, 321 attended the joint session, with 197 valid votes cast: 182 in favor and 15 against. The Muresan government needed at least 233 votes in favor to be sworn in.