Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: Peru’s central bank said El Niño will shave 0.99 percentage points off the country’s GDP growth this year. The estimate quantifies the economic toll of the climate pattern on the Peruvian economy for 2025.

TREE NEWS update: Volkswagen’s chief financial officer said the automaker must speed up cost reductions as pressure on the company intensifies, calling market changes “profound and permanent.” The CFO said the shift to electric vehicles is diluting the company’s profits.

TREE NEWS reports: ICE UK natural gas futures closed up 2.66% at 195.800 pence per therm in late European trading on Friday, September 18, gaining 1.28% for the week. Dutch TTF benchmark gas futures rose 0.52% to 79.012 euros per megawatt-hour, down 1.38% on the week. ICE EU carbon allowance futures gained 0.90% to 86.25 euros per tonne, up 1.49% for the week.

TREE NEWS reports: The Bank of Japan has conducted a rate check in the foreign exchange market, a move that can precede actual intervention. The check signals the central bank is monitoring yen moves closely and may be preparing to act against excessive currency swings.

TREE NEWS update: Federal Reserve’s Schmid said he voted in favor of raising interest rates, noting recent data shows inflation trending above 3%. He called the rate hike a step toward restoring the 2% inflation target, adding that price growth remains hot across a broad range of goods and services, not just energy. He said high inflation reflects supply-demand imbalances, while the economy is otherwise performing well with a labor market moving toward balance and steady growth.

TREE NEWS update: Russia struck a cargo vessel near Odesa, Ukraine, Moscow said. The attack targets commercial shipping around the Black Sea port, a route central to Ukrainian grain and freight exports. No further details on damage, casualties or the ship’s flag were provided in the statement.

TREE NEWS update: The IAEA said on August 18 it was informed that a cooling tower at a reactor unit of Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant was hit by a drone on August 17. The unit was reportedly operating at the time, with no impact on its operational status and no fire, the agency said in a social media post. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said any attack on nuclear facilities is unacceptable and reiterated calls for maximum military restraint to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident.

TREE NEWS reports: The MSCI Nordic Countries Index fell 0.9% to 395.33 points, with the Nordic industrials sector posting the steepest decline among the ten sectors tracked. Telecom group Elisa Oyj dropped 4.4%, the weakest performer among Nordic stocks.

TREE NEWS reports: Bitcoin rose to $81,000 at the start of Friday’s Wall Street trading session, gaining swiftly as US 30-year bond yields began climbing again. The move came against a backdrop of global oil-market woes that pushed long-dated Treasury yields higher.

TREE NEWS update: Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid said he supports a Federal Open Market Committee rate increase in September, adding that inflation is not confined to the energy sector. The remarks signal backing for tighter policy at the FOMC’s September meeting.

TREE NEWS reports: Germany’s DAX 30 closed down 1.58% at 25,310.29, a weekly loss of about 1%. France’s index ended down 1.64% and Italy’s down 1.67%, with Italian bank stocks off 2.33%. The UK index closed 1.45% lower.

TREE NEWS reports: Europe’s STOXX 600 closed down 1.11% at 635.45 on Friday, leaving the index 0.57% lower for the week. The eurozone’s STOXX 50 fell 1.37% to 6,236.20, down 1.41% over the week after a V-shaped run between Sept. 14 and Sept. 17. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 lost 1.12% to close at 2,537.93.

TREE NEWS update: Volkswagen Group cut its 2026 profit forecast to between -€500 million and €1.5 billion, down from a prior range of €1.5-3.5 billion, and now expects an operating return on sales of up to 1% against analyst estimates of 4.29%. The group guided to sales revenue of about €315 billion and net cash flow in the automotive division of €3-6 billion, citing a further deteriorating market environment and an accelerating shift in demand toward battery-electric vehicles.

TREE NEWS reports: France’s 10-year government bond yield rose 14 basis points to 4.582%, putting it on track for its largest single-day increase since May 15. The move marks a sharp repricing of French sovereign debt.

TREE NEWS reports: Pulp rose about 2.8% in China’s night trading session. Bitumen and ethylene glycol also each climbed more than 2%. Iron ore added 0.1%, while coking coal fell about 0.9% and coke lost about 1%.

TREE NEWS update: The Federal Reserve Board announced the termination of its enforcement action with SNB Bancshares and Bank of Eufaula. The order, issued by the central bank, lifts the previous supervisory measures imposed on the two institutions. No further details on the original action or its terms were disclosed in the announcement.

TREE NEWS reports: The dollar’s advance against the yen narrowed to 0.8% on the day, with the pair briefly pulling back below 157. The move marks a retreat from the session’s earlier highs as the greenback gave up part of its gain versus the Japanese currency.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for national agricultural mechanization, targeting a comprehensive mechanization rate for crop cultivation, planting and harvesting above 80% by 2030. Wheat, rice and corn — the country’s three main staple grains — are to reach a higher level of mechanization.

TREE NEWS update: BlackRock has been selected as the preferred manager for BpfBouw, a Dutch pension fund portfolio with assets of nearly €70 billion ($80 billion). The Amsterdam-based fund, which represents construction workers, carpenters and other building-sector employees, cited BlackRock’s global footprint, execution capability and alignment on socially responsible investing. Terms of the agreement are still under negotiation, with updates to follow.

TREE NEWS reports: Crypto KOL Ansem said on September 18 that the market has already bottomed after its worst cross-asset performance on record, when equities were rising parabolically and industry sentiment hit multi-year lows. He said veteran traders waiting for a ‘four-year cycle’ bottom will have to chase the rally, and that crypto is becoming an attractive momentum trade for TradFi investors seeking diversification and a long-term hedge against US fiscal irresponsibility.