Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: South Korea’s KOSPI index gave up an early gain of 2.3% and turned lower, with SK Hynix among the decliners. The reversal in Seoul came as the chipmaker’s shares weakened, dragging the benchmark index off its morning highs.

TREE NEWS update: China Industry and Information Technology News, a media outlet affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, published an article saying the recent ‘de-CATL’ narrative in China’s new energy vehicle industry has been repeatedly hyped into an opinion spectacle. It argued that automakers adjusting supply chains, adding suppliers and developing in-house batteries are normal market behavior, and that the real question is what kind of industrial competition China’s NEV sector needs as it enters a high-quality development phase.

TREE NEWS update: Roche said its once-weekly dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist Enicepatide beat placebo on both primary endpoints in the Phase II CT-388-104 trial in adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity. The company plans to start a Phase III glycemic control study and a cardiovascular outcomes trial in the first half of 2027.

TREE NEWS reports: Indonesia’s nickel-producing hub is set to reduce output as an El Niño-driven drought curtails operations. The world’s top nickel supplier faces supply constraints from the dry conditions, with the reduction affecting a key source of the metal used in stainless steel and EV batteries.

TREE NEWS update: Ding Xiangqun, party secretary and director of China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration, met Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan on September 21. The meeting also included Treasury Secretary Christopher Hui, HKMA chief executive Eddie Yue and SFC chief executive Julia Leung. The two sides exchanged views on economic and financial development in the mainland and Hong Kong, deepening connectivity between their financial markets and consolidating Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre.

TREE NEWS reports: Global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud shipments fell 0.7% year-on-year to 82.1 million units in the second quarter of 2026, the first annual decline since Q2 2023. Omdia expects open wearable stereo (OWS) earbuds to remain one of the TWS segment’s fastest-growing categories, with annual shipments rising from 43.9 million units in 2026 to 90.5 million in 2030, nearly one-fifth of total TWS volumes.

TREE NEWS reports: Global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud shipments fell 0.7% year-on-year to 82.1 million units in the second quarter of 2026, the first annual decline since the second quarter of 2023. Omdia expects open wearable stereo (OWS) earbuds to remain one of the TWS segment’s most promising growth areas, with annual shipments rising from 43.9 million units in 2026 to 90.5 million in 2030, nearly a fifth of total TWS volumes.

TREE NEWS update: China and South Korea held the fourth meeting of their maritime affairs dialogue and cooperation mechanism in Tianjin on Sept. 21, with plenary sessions and working groups on maritime order and practical cooperation. Both sides agreed maritime affairs are an important part of bilateral ties and pledged to manage differences, advance maritime boundary delimitation talks, and deepen cooperation in defense, law enforcement, fisheries, research, environmental protection, shipping and search and rescue. They agreed in principle to hold the fifth meeting in South Korea next year.

TREE NEWS update: China and South Korea held the fourth meeting of their maritime affairs dialogue and cooperation mechanism in Tianjin on September 21, with both sides exchanging views on maritime issues in plenary and working-group sessions covering maritime order and practical cooperation. The two sides agreed to continue talks on maritime boundary delimitation and to deepen cooperation in defense, law enforcement, fisheries, research, environmental protection, shipping and search and rescue, and agreed in principle to hold the fifth meeting in South Korea next year.

TREE NEWS update: Eurozone September consumer confidence flash reading is due at 22:00 Beijing time, with ECB President Christine Lagarde delivering pre-recorded video remarks at 19:00. New York Fed President John Williams and Fed Vice Chair Jefferson speak at the New York Fed’s 2026 US Treasury market conference, while Bundesbank President Nagel and other ECB Governing Council members are also scheduled. The Yunqi Conference opens in Hangzhou on September 22-24.

TREE NEWS update: Guangdong issued 10 billion yuan of 20-year special-purpose local government bonds at a coupon of 2.1938%, with a marginal bid-to-cover of 1.52 times against an expected 2.33. The province also sold 2.58688 billion yuan of 10-year general bonds at 1.68% and 16.19164 billion yuan of 5-year special-purpose bonds at 1.41%.

TREE NEWS update: European Central Bank Chief Economist Philip Lane said inflation will come in higher than expected and persist for longer, adding that geopolitical risks appear to be rising again. The remarks signal the ECB sees renewed upward pressure on prices as it weighs its policy path.

TREE NEWS update: Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock said the Australian dollar is broadly within a reasonable range that reflects fundamentals. The remark is the central bank chief’s assessment of the currency’s current level. No further details were provided.

TREE NEWS reports: Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock said the productivity boom from artificial intelligence is still in its early stages. The remarks from the central bank chief indicate the RBA sees AI-driven efficiency gains as a longer-term force for the economy rather than a near-term shift.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s national power trading volume reached 5.18 trillion kWh in the first eight months of 2024, up 19.2% year on year, the National Energy Administration said. Intra-provincial trades rose 21.5%, while inter-provincial and inter-regional trades grew 12.1%. In August alone, trading volume was up 15.2% from a year earlier.

TREE NEWS update: BOE Chairman Chen Yanshun said at the BOE Global Innovation Partner Conference 2026 on September 22 that the company expects to spend more than 80 billion yuan on research and development over the next five years and to release over 800 billion yuan in procurement funds. He said BOE will pursue “three openings” — opening its technology capabilities, application scenarios and cooperation platforms — to advance global ecosystem partnerships.

TREE NEWS update: A residential land parcel in Chengdu’s Shuangliu district sold on September 22 for 865 million yuan, a 39.6% premium over its 619 million yuan starting price. The 25,809-square-meter site, with a planned floor area of 51,618 square meters and a floor-area ratio of 2, drew multiple developers and nearly 100 rounds of bidding before Yutai won at 16,750 yuan per square meter.

TREE NEWS update: Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock said the current pullback in housing prices is broadly consistent with the scale of adjustments seen in past historical periods. The remarks address the extent of the recent decline in Australian property values, which Bullock characterized as within the range of previous housing market corrections. No further policy details were provided.

TREE NEWS reports: The Shanghai Composite closed the morning session at 3,958.64, up 0.22%. The Shenzhen Component rose 0.62% to 13,814.87, while the ChiNext Index gained 0.93% to 3,431.11. The CSI 300 added 0.51% to 4,562.50, the STAR 50 climbed 1.33% to 1,679.50, the CSI 500 rose 0.23% to 7,868.26 and the CSI 1000 was up 0.42% at 7,799.27.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s A-shares closed the morning session higher on September 22, with the ChiNext Index up 0.93%, the Shenzhen Component up 0.62% and the Shanghai Composite up 0.22%. Media stocks led gains, as Xinhua Winshare hit its third straight limit-up and Huamei Holding and Xinhua Media each posted a second. Roughly 2,900 stocks rose across the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing exchanges, with half-day turnover at 1.44 trillion yuan.