Flash News

TREE NEWS update: The Danish Prime Minister’s Office said Greenland, Denmark and the United States are expected to sign an agreement next week to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic region. The office announced the anticipated signing without giving further details on the pact’s contents or the exact date.

TREE NEWS update: The White House issued a proclamation imposing entry restrictions on certain nonimmigrant workers, with President Trump extending the H-1B visa entry restriction by 12 months through September 2027. The announcement covers specific categories of nonimmigrant workers entering the United States.

TREE NEWS update: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Greenland agreement fully resolves security concerns, in a statement that addressed the arrangement directly. Rubio gave no further details on the terms or the parties involved. The remark is the latest official US comment on the deal.

TREE NEWS update: Former Vitol Group oil trader Javier Aguilar was sentenced to four years in prison for bribing Latin American officials to win oil contracts, US District Judge Eric Vitaliano ruled Friday in Brooklyn federal court. The 52-year-old was convicted on two separate foreign bribery conspiracies, with the sentences on each count merged under an agreement with prosecutors.

TREE NEWS reports: The two-year US Treasury yield rose 7.92 basis points to 4.7433% on Friday, its highest close since late April 2024, as it approached the April 30 peak of 5.0434%. It gained 11.79 basis points on the week, trading between 4.5975% and 4.7583%, with a sharp intraday move on September 16, the Fed’s rate-decision day. The 10-year yield added 6.57 basis points to 4.9961%, up 2.92 basis points for the week.

TREE NEWS reports: In Friday’s New York late session on September 18, S&P 500 futures closed up 0.27%, Dow futures fell 0.09%, and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.73%. Russell 2000 futures dropped 0.52%.

TREE NEWS update: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told South Korea that cooperation in the Strait of Hormuz is crucial, the State Department said. Rubio and South Korea’s foreign minister also pledged cooperation in the semiconductor sector. No further details were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the evening of the 18th that the “nuclear triad” remains the guarantor of Russia’s national sovereignty and plays a key role in maintaining the global balance of power. He made the remarks in comments carried by Russian state media.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said the United States has reached an agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland granting Washington permanent control over Greenland’s security affairs and all related needs, at no cost. Under the deal, no US adversary may establish bases, deploy military forces or make sensitive investments in Greenland without explicit written US approval.

TREE NEWS reports: The FTSE China A50 index futures closed the continuous night session up 0.01% at 14,484 points. The move was a marginal gain for the Singapore-listed contract tracking the performance of the 50 largest A-share companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges.

TREE NEWS reports: The offshore yuan (CNH) closed at 6.6955 per dollar in late New York trading on Friday, up 86 pips from Thursday’s close and its strongest level since July 2022. The currency broke through the 6.70 mark at 09:15, the first time since January 16, 2023, and traded between 6.6934 and 6.7044 during the session. CNH gained 0.19% for the week.

TREE NEWS update: Poland’s finance minister said the country is taking Moody’s downgrade of its sovereign credit rating “seriously but calmly.” The minister’s remarks addressed the rating action directly, without indicating any planned policy response. No further details on the downgrade or its market impact were provided.

TREE NEWS reports: Spot gold rose 0.83% to $4,377.73 an ounce in Friday’s New York close, ending the week up 0.68%. The metal fell to $4,235.59 on Sept. 16 as the Fed announced a rate hike, its dot plot signaled one more increase this year, and Chair Warsh’s press conference ended. COMEX gold futures gained 0.18% on the week to $4,416.90; spot silver rose 1.57% to $66.2452, up 2.73% for the week.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said on September 18 that the war with Iran “will end very soon” and reiterated that Iran will not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. He said gasoline prices would fall back to previous levels, or lower, once the war ends, and that the United States is in contact with Yemen’s Houthi forces.

TREE NEWS reports: MSCI’s emerging markets stock index gained 1.4%, while the developing-nation currency index added 0.1%. The moves reflect a session of modest gains across emerging-market equities and currencies.

TREE NEWS update: Moody’s affirmed Greece’s Baa3 credit rating and raised the outlook to positive from stable. The upgrade of the outlook reflects upside developments in Greece’s credit profile. Greece’s debt level will remain among the highest in Moody’s rated universe through the end of the decade.

TREE NEWS reports: US bank deposits totaled $19.657 trillion last week, up from $19.566 trillion the prior week. The weekly increase of about $91 billion marks a continued build in deposit levels tracked by the central bank.

TREE NEWS update: Rosatom reported that a Ukrainian drone exploded on the cooling tower of Unit 1 at the Kursk nuclear plant’s second phase on September 17, causing minor damage. The unit continues operating at 100% power and background radiation levels remain normal and unchanged, the state nuclear corporation said. Earlier the same day, the IAEA said it had been informed of the drone strike, a claim the plant’s press office subsequently denied.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said he is in discussions with Senate Majority Leader John Thune over the Power User Protection Act. Trump did not give further details on the talks or a timeline. No legislative text or vote schedule was disclosed.

TREE NEWS reports: On Friday, September 18, the soybean fund closed down 1.04%, the US real estate ETF fell 0.96% and the agricultural commodities fund dropped 0.95%, leading declines among major US asset-class ETFs. The 20+ year Treasury ETF, Brent crude oil fund, long-yen position, Russell 2000 ETF and Dow ETF each fell as much as 0.65%. The Nasdaq 100 ETF rose 0.63% and the gold ETF gained 0.73%.