Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: China’s C919 has logged more than 150,000 safe flight hours and carried over 8 million passengers across 26 cities, according to an update given at the fourth China Air Transport Association aviation conference. Two C919 variants are in development: a shortened version for high-altitude routes and a stretched version with nearly 80 more seats than the delivered model. The larger C929 is in a steady design phase.

TREE NEWS update: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Friday that single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds launched earlier this year have shortcomings. At a press conference, Lee said the products were introduced near the end of a stock market rally, and the subsequent reversal caused huge losses for investors. He did not apologize or name those responsible for the policy decision.

TREE NEWS update: Guizhou province issued 59.44 billion yuan ($8.2 billion) in local government bonds on Wednesday, including a 10-year general bond of 3.195 billion yuan at a 1.74% yield and a 20-year special bond of 16.94 billion yuan at 2.25%. Two 30-year special tranches totaling 39.31 billion yuan priced at 2.28%, with the 20 billion yuan other-special tranche drawing a marginal bid-to-cover of 347.23 times.

TREE NEWS update: The Export-Import Bank of China issued a 1-year bond totaling 140 billion yuan at a coupon of 1.3496%, slightly above the expected 1.3400%. The auction drew a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.31 times and a marginal ratio of 1.07 times. The bond sale was priced on the day of the auction.

TREE NEWS reports: All three major A-share indexes rose more than 1% in the session. The Shanghai Composite, Shenzhen Component and ChiNext each posted gains of over 1%, with no further details on turnover, sector leadership or individual movers disclosed in the material.

TREE NEWS reports: China exported 700,000 tonnes of gasoline in August, down 17.5% year on year, bringing January-August gasoline exports to 2.42 million tonnes, down 57.4%. Jet fuel exports rose 41.4% to 2.55 million tonnes in August, while diesel exports climbed 42.1% to 1.33 million tonnes. August refined product imports fell 32.8% to 2.25 million tonnes.

TREE NEWS reports: China exported 10,822 tonnes of rare earths and related products in August, down 17.6% from a year earlier. For the first eight months of 2025, cumulative exports reached 87,682 tonnes, up 3.2% year-on-year.

TREE NEWS reports: China exported 2.86 million tonnes of fertilizer in August, down 43.9% from a year earlier. Cumulative exports for the first eight months of 2025 reached 21.32 million tonnes, a 23.7% decline year-on-year.

TREE NEWS reports: China imported 320,000 tonnes of corn and corn flour in August, up 784% year on year, bringing the January-August total to 1.68 million tonnes, up 91.1%. August wheat and wheat flour imports rose 13.4% to 260,000 tonnes, with the cumulative total up 35.6% at 3.52 million tonnes. August sugar imports fell 20.9% to 650,000 tonnes, while August cotton imports rose 10.7% to 80,000 tonnes, with the cumulative cotton total up 87.9% at 1.11 million tonnes.

TREE NEWS reports: The Philippine stock index fell 1% intraday. The decline marks a drop of 1% for the benchmark gauge during the trading session. No further details on the drivers of the move were provided in the material.

TREE NEWS reports: The overnight Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (SHIBOR) fell 4.30 basis points to 1.4170%, while the 7-day SHIBOR rose 1.20 basis points to 1.4620%. The 3-month SHIBOR was unchanged at 1.4300%.

TREE NEWS update: The Bank of Japan said consumer price inflation is likely to accelerate clearly above 2% in the second half of fiscal 2026. The central bank said the economy is developing in line with its expectations, real interest rates remain low, and medium- to long-term inflation expectations are expected to rise. It flagged the risk that inflation could deviate to the upside from its price target, calling it essential to keep price trends stable around 2%.

TREE NEWS update: Bank of Japan board member Toichiro Asada said the economy cannot be described as strong while consumer inflation remains below 2%. Speaking on the central bank’s price target, Asada indicated that sub-2% CPI is inconsistent with characterizing economic conditions as robust. The remarks bear on the BOJ’s policy debate over when and how to normalize monetary stimulus.

TREE NEWS update: The Bank of Japan said it will continue raising interest rates depending on economic and price conditions, noting inflation is increasingly approaching its 2% target. The BOJ said price trends are expected to be consistent with target in the second half of fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2027, but flagged risks that inflation could deviate above target. Middle East tensions, AI and exchange rates are factors in assessing the timing of the next hike.

TREE NEWS reports: The US dollar rose sharply against the Japanese yen in a rapid short-term move. No specific level, percentage or catalyst for the currency pair’s jump was given. The move was reported as a sudden spike rather than a gradual trend.

TREE NEWS update: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the country’s leveraged ETF policy may have flaws, indicating a possible review of the rules governing these products. He did not specify which aspects of the policy he considers deficient or what changes might follow. The remark touches on a market segment that has drawn scrutiny for amplifying retail investor risk.

TREE NEWS update: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the government will move quickly to expand housing supply, signaling a policy push to add new homes to the market. He gave no specific timeline or target figures in the remarks. The comment points to housing affordability and supply as a priority for his administration.

TREE NEWS reports: The STAR 50 index, tracking the top 50 companies on Shanghai’s STAR Market, climbed more than 3% at one point during the trading session. The intraday gain marks a sharp move in the tech-focused benchmark, which tracks semiconductor, AI and hard-tech names listed in Shanghai. No closing level or specific driver was given.

TREE NEWS update: Africa CDC Director-General Kaseya said on 17 July that existing data cannot confirm the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has peaked, and the epidemic remains uncontrolled. As of 15 July, the DRC has reported 7,404 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,577 deaths, a case fatality rate of 48.3%. The outbreak has spread to 62 health zones across seven provinces, with Ituri province accounting for about 77.7% of confirmed cases.

TREE NEWS reports: UN Tourism lowered its forecast for growth in global international tourist arrivals in 2026 to 1-2%, down from 3-4%, in its latest World Tourism Barometer published on September 17. International arrivals rose just 0.4% year on year in the first half, to about 690 million, roughly 3 million more than a year earlier. Growth was 2% in the first quarter but turned to a 1% decline in the second, with June arrivals down 3% year on year.