Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting that called for comprehensively strengthening the protection and management of traditional Chinese medicine knowledge, in order to safeguard the foundation for the sector’s survival and development. The meeting did not announce specific policy measures or timelines.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting that called for strengthening the medical rehabilitation and nursing service system with a focus on the grassroots level. The meeting said rehabilitation and nursing resources should extend into communities and households, improving urban and rural residents’ access to such services.

TREE NEWS update: Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting in China, which stated that sports events are of great significance for meeting the public’s diverse living needs and improving people’s quality of life. The meeting addressed the role of sporting events in enhancing daily life for citizens.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting to advance the national strategy for actively responding to population aging and to promote the comprehensive development of programs for the elderly. The meeting called for in-depth implementation of the strategy. No further details were disclosed.

TREE NEWS reports: Brent crude rose $0.84 a barrel in five minutes to $99.13, while WTI gained $0.69 to $96.16, after Saudi Arabia told European refiners they will receive no crude supply next month. The reported supply cut drove the short-term rally in both benchmarks.

TREE NEWS update: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said she has not discussed her personal future with eurozone finance ministers. The statement addresses speculation about her tenure at the head of the ECB. No further details were provided.

TREE NEWS reports: SF Holding reported combined revenue of RMB 25.489 billion for August 2026, up 2.83% year on year. Express logistics revenue slipped 1.35% to RMB 18.406 billion on 1.286 billion parcels, down 8.53%, while revenue per parcel rose 7.84% to RMB 14.31. Supply chain and international business revenue climbed 15.55% to RMB 7.083 billion.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Council Food Safety Office has issued a notice requiring local food and drug safety offices to tighten food safety supervision during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. The notice calls on regulators to stay problem-oriented, strengthen risk prevention and take active measures to eliminate hazards so the public can enjoy a safe holiday.

TREE NEWS reports: Goldman Sachs strategists led by Ben Snider said concerns about a US corporate “earnings bubble” are overstated, pointing to strong economic prospects and the AI boom. S&P 500 constituents posted roughly 30% profit growth in each of the first two quarters of the year, among the strongest on record, with full-year earnings growth expected to be the highest since the post-pandemic rebound in 2021. The team expects profit growth to slow gradually in coming years rather than collapse.

TREE NEWS update: Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on the 17th in Bangkok that China’s development not only creates opportunities for the Chinese people and improves their lives, but also plays an important role in driving regional and world economic growth. He made the remarks in comments on China’s economic role.

TREE NEWS update: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said interest rates do not move in step with energy prices, pushing back on the notion that the ECB mechanically follows energy costs when setting policy. The remark, made without further elaboration on the rate path, underscores the central bank’s focus on underlying inflation pressures rather than volatile energy inputs. No new policy guidance accompanied the comment.

TREE NEWS reports: The premium on French 10-year government bonds over German bunds has widened to 100 basis points. The spread — a key gauge of perceived credit risk between the eurozone’s two largest economies — reached the level as French yields rose relative to their German counterparts. No further details on the drivers or timing were provided.

TREE NEWS update: French Finance Minister Lescure said the 3% deficit target should not be abandoned, calling it a goal “we should all keep in mind.” He said he wants France to take a credible path. Lescure also called closer ties between the European Union and Canada an “excellent idea.”

TREE NEWS reports: Currency volatility has stayed so low for so long that traders now treat it as a lasting regime rather than a temporary lull, with the topic dominating an annual industry conference in Amsterdam for a second straight year. Even sharp moves in bonds, oil and geopolitics have failed to spark sustained FX swings, said Harish Neelakandan, co-CIO of trend-following fund AlphaEngine Global Investment Solutions, describing a long-term structural decline in currency volatility.

TREE NEWS reports: Eurogroup President is considering convening an emergency meeting in response to surging energy costs. No date or further details of the potential gathering were given. The move would bring euro-area finance ministers together to address the energy price surge.

TREE NEWS update: Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on September 18 that it summoned the UK’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow to lodge a formal protest over Britain’s continued supply of drones and other weapons systems to Kyiv. The ministry said large-scale deliveries of long-range offensive weapons only prolong and escalate the conflict and push a political settlement on Ukraine further away.

TREE NEWS update: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said Friday she will step down in 2027, but declined to say whether she will serve until her term ends next October. “I will leave in 2027,” Lagarde said, adding that the matter would be handled “in the most professional manner” whenever it happens. She said filling vacancies on the ECB’s key decision-making bodies is critical, with Chief Economist Philip Lane and Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel also due to end their terms next year.

TREE NEWS update: The Kremlin said no further decisions have been made regarding Nestle and Auchan, with discussions currently limited to introducing external management for the two companies’ assets. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that the option is under discussion. No other measures have been decided.

TREE NEWS update: The People’s Bank of China and the Bank of the Lao PDR jointly launched a China-Laos cross-border digital payment interconnection at a kickoff meeting in Nanning, Guangxi. PBOC Deputy Governor Lu Lei and Bank of the Lao PDR Deputy Governor Sulisak Samnouvong attended and delivered remarks. The launch marks a formal start to the bilateral digital payment link.

TREE NEWS update: SoftBank Group secured an additional $450 million on an existing credit facility, raising it to $6.5 billion. The original $6.05 billion arrangement was due to mature this month, but now lets SoftBank draw for another year at a larger size. It is unclear whether SoftBank has used or intends to use the new facility, which involves more than 20 banks and carries an interest rate of 210 basis points over SOFR.