Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: The Baltic Dry Index, which tracks freight rates for dry bulk commodities, fell 2.75% to 3,178 points. The decline marks a pullback in the benchmark gauge of global bulk shipping costs. No further details were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: A special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with US officials covering Ukraine and energy issues. No further details of the discussions were disclosed. The meeting marks continued contact between Moscow and Washington on the war in Ukraine and related energy matters.

TREE NEWS update: EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said Tuesday he has sent a “very clear signal” to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright that a diesel export ban would serve no one’s interest, and welcomed Wright’s earlier statement that he does not support such a measure. Speaking before a meeting of EU energy ministers, Jorgensen said energy must be allowed to flow as freely as possible during the current difficult period.

TREE NEWS update: European Central Bank Governing Council member Escriva said the ECB is still not in restrictive territory, adding that he is beginning to worry about a rising trend in global long-term interest rates, which could put pressure on rates. He said it would be concerning if high energy prices persist and generate second-round effects.

TREE NEWS update: China’s National Development and Reform Commission has opened 52 manufacturing investment projects to private companies, with total planned investment of 52.4 billion yuan ($7.2 billion). The projects span chemical raw materials, non-metallic mineral products, metal products, general equipment and special equipment, and are expected to draw 15.5 billion yuan in private capital. Companies may participate through sole ownership, controlling stakes or minority stakes in project companies.

TREE NEWS update: Ding Xuexiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council and Chairman of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), attended and addressed the council’s 2026 annual meeting in Beijing. No further details of the speech were disclosed in the material.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s State Taxation Administration said the country processed a cumulative 281.8 billion yuan in value-added tax credit refunds in the first year of a new refund policy. Four key sectors — manufacturing, scientific research, software and ecological industries — received 212 billion yuan of the total.

TREE NEWS update: French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife arrived in Spain on September 29 for a two-day state visit, the first of his presidency. During the visit, Macron will meet King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

TREE NEWS update: Douyin’s advertising platform has officially launched an “Official Platform Guarantee” badge, covering 37 industries including education, local services and home furnishing. The badge offers three protections — privacy protection, end-to-end support and refunds for non-conforming services. Since going live, it has helped users recover multiple economic losses.

TREE NEWS update: Iran said it held discussions with Azerbaijan on expanding energy trade between the two countries. The talks focused on broadening bilateral energy commerce. No further details on the scope, timeline or specific agreements were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Finance announced a mortgage interest subsidy policy for residents buying homes. Yan Yuejin, vice president of the Shanghai E-House Real Estate Research Institute, said the policy clearly signals strong support for rigid, or first-home, purchase demand. He noted that without activating rigid demand, subsequent trade-up and improvement demand would be affected, so supporting it at the source is a sound direction.

TREE NEWS update: A ship crossing the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an “unknown projectile” on the night of the 28th, setting the vessel on fire, the UK Maritime Trade Operations office said on the 29th, citing a third-party report. The fire has been extinguished, the crew is safe and the ship is continuing its voyage, with no assessment yet of environmental impact or damage. Vessels in the area are advised to transit with caution.

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s embassy in the UK said in a statement on the 28th that it categorically denies any connection to an attempted bombing near RAF Fairford, and condemned speculation by some British figures and media that Iran was involved. The statement followed reports of a suspected explosive device plot at the air base.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) held a consultation meeting to deepen cooperation, Xinhua reported. Zhang Yuzhuo thanked SASAC and central enterprises for their long-standing support of the CAE. He noted that since the two bodies signed a cooperation agreement in 2012, academician expertise and the industrial strengths of central enterprises have been systematically connected, with cooperation continuously deepening.

TREE NEWS reports: Spot gold climbed 1.0% on the day to trade at $4,156.09 an ounce. The move marks a fresh intraday gain for the precious metal, which has drawn steady demand as a safe-haven asset.

TREE NEWS reports: Brent crude fell 1.0% during the session to trade at $96.85 a barrel. The intraday decline put the global benchmark at that level as of the latest reading. No further details were immediately available.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Council has given in-principle approval to an implementation plan to expand medical rehabilitation and nursing services. The approval covers the ‘Medical Rehabilitation and Nursing Capacity Expansion and Enhancement Project Implementation Plan,’ which aims to broaden the supply of such services. No further details, funding figures or timeline were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: China FAW Chairman Qiu Xiandong told the company’s 2026 strategy seminar in Changchun on Sept 28-29 that the automaker must urgently adapt to changing conditions and quickly close two major shortcomings: intelligent connected new energy vehicles and overseas operations. He said success in the smart EV market requires grasping six “internal logics” from the customer’s perspective, including visible and trustworthy product safety, genuinely usable rather than gimmicky smart features, and anxiety-free charging and range.

TREE NEWS reports: J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s September report on the 2026 US midterms argues that politics is not an independent driver of equity returns, with data through September 18 showing Senate Republicans at 53 seats and Democrats needing a net gain of four. Since 1937, S&P 500 midterm-year total returns have averaged 9.2% versus 13.3% in non-midterm years, but the report attributes weak years such as 2018 and 2022 to Fed tightening rather than elections. It flags August CPI at 3.4% and the Fed’s September hike to 3.75%–4.00%.

TREE NEWS update: Qatar said it is relaying messages between the United States and Iran as part of efforts to explore possible solutions. The Gulf state did not disclose the content of the exchanges or name the officials involved. No further details on the channel or its timing were provided.