Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: The Bank of Canada is expected to raise its benchmark interest rate to 2.5% this week. Investors will watch the central bank’s assessment of the escalating US-Canada trade war and tariff measures, which it currently sees as concentrated in a few sectors. Markets will also look for signals on the future rate path and updated forecasts for growth and inflation, including the pass-through risk from higher energy prices.

TREE NEWS reports: Bitumen futures rose more than 3% at the night session open, leading gains in Chinese commodity futures. Ethylene glycol, fuel oil and crude oil each climbed over 2%, while plastics, methanol, polyester staple fiber, bottle chip and low-sulfur fuel oil advanced more than 1%. Caustic soda was the outlier, falling more than 1%.

TREE NEWS update: UK Chancellor Healey said the bank surcharge will rise from 3% to 6%, doubling the rate levied on banks. The change was announced as part of the government’s fiscal measures. No effective date or revenue estimate was given in the statement.

TREE NEWS update: The death toll from a high-speed train collision in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region rose to 64, the regional government said on the 28th. The crash occurred on the morning of the 28th in Toledo, the region’s capital. No further details were immediately available.

TREE NEWS update: Shanghai’s financial authorities launched a pilot allowing cross-border reinsurance inward business income to be invested offshore, known as the “foreign-in, foreign-use” policy, at the 2026 Shanghai International Reinsurance Conference. PICC P&C, CPIC P&C, Ping An P&C and China Re P&C are the first four pilot institutions, working with ICBC, Bank of China and CCB as partner banks and the reinsurance trading center.

TREE NEWS update: UK Chancellor Healey said cutting energy costs is the government’s top priority, pledging to extend the VAT cut on electricity to July and provide £100 in energy support to 20 million households at a cost of £2.6 billion. He also confirmed the commitment to net zero by 2050 and said the upcoming gas shipper obligation will be scrapped.

TREE NEWS update: UK Chancellor Healey said the government will convert more older renewable energy projects to fixed-price contracts and exempt retirees with income no higher than the state pension from income tax. The measures were announced without further detail on timing or scope.

TREE NEWS update: China’s gross ocean product reached 8.5 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of 2025, up 4.9% year on year, the Ministry of Natural Resources said on October 28. The growth outpaced national GDP by 0.3 percentage points, and the marine economy contributed 0.4 percentage points to overall economic growth. The ministry also said reforms to allocate sea-area resources are being deepened, including trials of layered three-dimensional use of maritime space.

TREE NEWS reports: The UK’s forecast for GDP growth in 2027 has been cut to 1% from 1.6%. The revision marks a 0.6 percentage point reduction in the expected expansion for that year. No further detail on the source of the forecast or the reasons for the downgrade was provided.

TREE NEWS update: The UK 10-year government bond yield fell further during a speech by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, dropping 1.4 basis points to 5.34%. The move extended a decline in gilt yields as the chancellor delivered remarks.

TREE NEWS update: Guangzhou registered more than 2,200 newly introduced projects in the first three quarters of 2026, with planned investment totaling 349.3 billion yuan, up 149% year on year, Han Zhenxiang, deputy director of the Guangzhou Investment Development Commission Office, said at a press conference on the 2026 Greater Bay Area Global Investment Promotion Conference. Investment activity strengthened notably in emerging sectors including semiconductors and integrated circuits, intelligent equipment and robotics, biomedicine and health, artificial intelligence, and new energy and energy storage. Fixed-asset investment completed by Guangzhou investment projects rose 20.6% year on year over the same period.

TREE NEWS reports: The UK’s fiscal headroom under current budget rules stands at £15 billion, coming in slightly below the £15.2 billion forecast. The shortfall of roughly £200 million leaves the government with marginally less room to maneuver against its own fiscal targets than had been anticipated.

TREE NEWS update: Zhou Qunfei, 56, of Lens Technology returned to the top of China’s richest women list with 127 billion yuan ($17.9 billion) in wealth, the Hurun Research Institute said on Oct. 28, her second time at No. 1 after an 11-year gap. Her fortune rose 17 billion yuan, or 15%, from a year earlier. The top 50 women entrepreneurs hold a combined 1.93 trillion yuan, with the entry threshold at 16.5 billion yuan.

TREE NEWS update: Shenzhen attracted more than 44 billion yuan in actual foreign investment in the first three quarters of 2026, up over 60% year on year, Liu Zhenqiang, deputy director of the city’s investment promotion bureau, said at a press conference held by the Information Office of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government. The city has been leveraging its hosting of the APEC meeting this year to position itself as a top global investment destination.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has issued the National Plan for Improving the Quality of Agricultural Products under the 15th Five-Year Plan. The plan sets out key tasks including strengthening high-quality standards, advancing green production, increasing the supply of premium agricultural products, tightening quality and safety oversight, boosting technological support, and expanding international cooperation. The ministry said the goal is to ensure the public can eat safely, reassuringly and nutritiously.

TREE NEWS update: The People’s Bank of China Hubei branch said on Oct. 28 that it has organized 82 special ‘project financing express’ matchmaking sessions in Hubei this year, reaching 1.7 trillion yuan in medium- and long-term intended financing. Of that total, 91.5 billion yuan in credit lines was granted to fields related to the ‘Six Networks,’ covering infrastructure, technological innovation, industrial development, rural revitalization and investment in people.

TREE NEWS update: UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Healey said the budget will be grounded in fiscal discipline, warning that the country faces a global economic storm. Debt interest payments will rise by £14 billion this year, he said.

TREE NEWS reports: As of the close on October 28, 2026, more than 60% of ChiNext-listed companies had disclosed their third-quarter 2026 reports. The 869 companies that have reported posted combined revenue of 2.49 trillion yuan, up 27.14% year on year, and combined net profit of 184.978 billion yuan, up 18.02%. Third-quarter revenue totaled 914.228 billion yuan, up 7.46% from the prior quarter, while third-quarter net profit reached 65.803 billion yuan, up 4.78% quarter on quarter.

TREE NEWS reports: The People’s Bank of China’s Shanghai head office reported that RMB deposits in the Yangtze River Delta region increased by 5.31 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of 2026. RMB loans in the region rose by 4.69 trillion yuan over the same period, according to the monetary and credit data released by the central bank branch.

TREE NEWS reports: US retail inventories increased 0.3% in September from the prior month, matching the revised 0.3% gain in August. The reading tracks the stock of goods held by retailers and feeds into broader inventory and GDP calculations. No further breakdown was provided.