Flash News

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at a White House welcome banquet on the evening of September 24. In his remarks, Trump said he had felt the warmth and hospitality of the Chinese people during his visit to Beijing earlier this year, and that he hoped to extend the same hospitality to the Chinese delegation on their first visit to Washington in more than a decade.

TREE NEWS reports: The Hang Seng Tech Index extended its intraday decline to 2%, with Xiaomi and Alibaba each falling more than 3%. The move marks a broad pullback in Hong Kong-listed technology shares, with the two companies among the index’s heaviest-weighted constituents.

TREE NEWS reports: Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index opened down 0.96% at 24,523.50 points, while the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 0.99%. Alibaba and NetEase each dropped more than 2%, and JD Health and BYD shares slipped nearly 2%.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan’s Topix index extended its advance to 1% on the day. The broader Tokyo benchmark’s move came as the index widened its gain during the session. No further details on the drivers of the move were given.

TREE NEWS reports: FTSE China A50 index futures opened 0.05% higher, after closing the previous night session up 0.03%. The modest early gain extends the prior session’s slight advance in the Singapore-listed contract tracking the largest A-share companies.

TREE NEWS update: Changan Automobile said at a recent roadshow that it aims to begin mass production of humanoid robots in 2028 and launch a flying car on a commercial route by 2030. The Chinese automaker said it is accelerating the industrialization of embodied-intelligence humanoid robots and flying cars, with all research and development proceeding on schedule and specific progress subject to official company announcements.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan’s 40-year government bond yield climbed 5.5 basis points to 4.255%. The move extends upward pressure on the longest end of the Japanese sovereign curve.

TREE NEWS reports: European equity futures opened slightly higher, with Euro Stoxx 50 and German DAX futures each up 0.4% and UK FTSE futures up 0.2%. In the US, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures each fell 0.2%.

TREE NEWS update: French President Emmanuel Macron said on the 24th that France will send troops to protect oil facilities at the Saudi port of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement, aiming to stabilize oil supply and contain price rises. In a joint interview with two French television stations, Macron said France has completed discussions with Saudi Arabia and will deploy soldiers along with radar and defense systems, adjusting air force assets stationed in the Middle East as the situation evolves. He stressed the move is to protect Yanbu’s oil facilities, not to join the conflict.

TREE NEWS reports: Japan’s Nikkei 225 opened 0.3% higher on Thursday, while South Korean stock markets remained closed for a public holiday. Trading in Seoul was suspended for the day, leaving the Tokyo benchmark as the main gauge of regional equity sentiment at the open.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan attended a welcoming banquet hosted by US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House on the evening of September 24 local time. Xi delivered remarks at the banquet. The event took place during Xi’s visit to Washington.

TREE NEWS reports: Costco Wholesale Corp. reported quarterly profit above Wall Street estimates, helped by a gain tied to tariff refunds. Excluding some items, earnings per share came in at $6.75 for the quarter ended Aug. 30, ahead of the analyst average compiled by Bloomberg. Tariff refunds added 15 cents to EPS.

TREE NEWS reports: Oracle has issued a force majeure notice on its “Project Jupiter” data center in New Mexico, a move bankers and investors say has chilled the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure financing market. Blue Owl said the notice does not change its commitments to the project. SB Energy, which is developing an Ohio data center campus for OpenAI, has decided to postpone its IPO this week.

TREE NEWS reports: The UK’s GfK consumer confidence index came in at -13 for September, improving from -14 in the previous month and beating expectations of -16. The reading marks a stronger-than-expected recovery in household sentiment.

TREE NEWS reports: Russia’s Defense Ministry said on the 24th that its forces took control of multiple settlements in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, downed over 200 fixed-wing drones and destroyed one unmanned boat, with Ukrainian losses exceeding 1,200 personnel. Ukraine said that as of 8 a.m. local time on the 24th it had downed or suppressed four Zircon hypersonic missiles, three Iskander-M missiles and 220 drones, after Russia launched missiles and more than 200 drones overnight, mainly at Odesa and Kyiv regions.

TREE NEWS update: A high-level international meeting on implementing the two-state solution was held on the 24th at UN headquarters in New York during the 81st UN General Assembly high-level week. Co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, the EU and Norway, participants discussed the Gaza situation and moving the two-state solution from political commitment to practical implementation. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal said after the meeting that Gaza must not be separated from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, politically or territorially.

TREE NEWS reports: NYMEX natural gas futures dropped 4% in early Asia-Pacific trading on Friday, falling to around $3.156 per million British thermal units. The move marks a sharp decline in the front-month contract during the region’s opening session.

TREE NEWS update: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran never sought war and does not want one now, stating he is convinced humans should not kill one another and that dialogue should be used wherever problems can be solved through talks. He said the war was imposed on Iran under Israeli incitement, that Iran does not want the fighting to continue, and that the decision on whether to end the conflict rests with the United States.

TREE NEWS reports: The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage climbed sharply to 7.45% on Thursday. Other trackers including Freddie Mac had reported earlier Thursday that the rate had just crossed 7%, but that reading reflected last week’s average.

TREE NEWS update: Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan will attend a welcome banquet hosted by President Trump and his wife on the evening of September 24 local time. The Chinese president and his wife are scheduled to appear at the event. No further details on the venue or agenda were provided.