Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: DoubleLine founder Jeffrey Gundlach said the Federal Reserve should have raised rates by 50 basis points on Wednesday rather than 25, calling his approach “stun and done.” He said a half-point hike would have offered markets a “calibration” back toward the fed funds rate, criticized Fed Chair Warsh’s September 16 press conference as “quite empty” and lacking transparency, and noted the 2-year Treasury yield sits more than 100 basis points above the fed funds rate.

TREE NEWS update: Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean said creating a state-owned company to build natural gas pipelines would be a “last step” to attract data centers, speaking Wednesday at the Oil Sands Expo in Fort McMurray. The province has abundant natural gas and is using it to draw data centers, but lacks sufficient infrastructure to transport the fuel, Jean said.

TREE NEWS reports: AT Global Markets expects USD/JPY to extend gains and possibly rise above 158 before the Bank of Japan’s policy decision on Friday. Sydney-based chief market analyst Nick Twidale said the Fed’s hawkish stance confirms the pair’s recent decline was overdone, and he expects further correction in coming sessions.

TREE NEWS update: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority raised its base rate by 25 basis points to 4.25%, following a 25 basis point increase by the US Federal Reserve overnight. The move tracks the city’s linked exchange rate system, which keeps Hong Kong rates in step with US policy.

TREE NEWS update: The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday aimed at shielding households from electricity rate increases caused by data center expansion, the first legislation to directly address the economic fallout of the industry’s growth. The Ratepayer Protection Act would require state utility regulators to consider whether large power users, including data centers, should bear the incremental costs of the electricity infrastructure built to serve them.

TREE NEWS reports: The International Monetary Fund urged the Reserve Bank of Australia to maintain a hawkish policy stance, warning of upside risks to inflation. The IMF’s recommendation points to continued pressure on Australian monetary policy as price growth risks persist.

TREE NEWS update: China Bond Valuation Center released two panda bond indices on Sept. 16 — the ChinaBond Panda Bond Composite Index and the ChinaBond Investment-Optimized Panda Bond Index — to offer diversified benchmarks and investable targets for the renminbi bond market. Panda bond issuance reached 243.045 billion yuan year-to-date as of Sept. 16, a record high and up 81.44% year on year.

TREE NEWS reports: Several Chinese listed companies including Jiaozuo Wanfang, Jinchengzi and Puluton have announced the termination of major asset restructuring plans. Puluton’s shares fell sharply after its cancellation notice. Changing external market conditions and failure to agree on key deal terms were the two main reasons cited, with some deals called off shortly after the restructuring intent was first disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: Rural commercial banks in Sichuan, Shanxi and Hunan have won approval to increase their registered capital, as the lenders move to shore up core tier-one capital. Rural commercial banks’ overall capital adequacy ratio stood at 12.91% at the end of the second quarter, below the 15.26% banking-sector average, with some regional lenders under pronounced strain. Capital injections via share placements have become a key tool for the banks to optimize ownership and strengthen risk buffers.

TREE NEWS reports: New Zealand’s economy grew 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter, beating expectations of 0.1%. The reading marks a slowdown from the revised 0.8% expansion in the prior quarter. The figures cover the three months through June.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s private fund products posted an average return of 4.53% in August, lifting the year-to-date average to 4.99%, with more than 60% of products in positive territory,597 products as of Aug. 31. Stock strategies led the five major categories with a 5.44% average return, followed by multi-asset at 3.84%, fund of funds at 3.47%, futures and derivatives at 3.14%, and bond strategies at 0.44%.

TREE NEWS reports: New fund issuance in China has surpassed 800 billion yuan so far this year, with equity funds accounting for more than half of the total, while “fixed income plus” and FOF products continued to attract inflows. Innovation products are being launched in quick succession, including the first batch of ChiNext computing infrastructure ETFs, the first batch of ChiNext fintech ETFs, and the first batch of CSI New Energy Metals 50 ETFs, all of which have been filed.

TREE NEWS update: Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh held the shortest press conference ever by a Fed chair after a regular policy meeting on September 16, lasting about 30 minutes. He focused on this week’s meeting and Fed officials’ views on the economy, keeping his commitment not to signal the Fed’s future moves. A Warsh task force will review the Fed’s communication practices, including how it conveys policy deliberations and decisions amid uncertainty.

TREE NEWS update: The Federal Open Market Committee voted 12-0 to raise its target rate range by a quarter point to 3.75%-4%, the first Fed rate increase since 2023, with the median projection now at 4.1% at end-2026 versus 3.8% in June. Bitcoin spiked to $76,499.99 five minutes after the release and gave the move back within half an hour. Zcash ran to $1,383.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said the United States could impose high tariffs on Europe if it deems the admission of Canada as an observer state to be a hostile act. Trump added that Washington will impose tariffs should Europe take malicious measures. He did not specify which body or grouping the observer status referred to, nor give a figure or timeline for any tariffs.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said he hopes the United States is moving closer to the end of the war with Iran. The remark was made in a statement carried in the material, with no further details on timing or terms. No additional context or official confirmation was provided.

TREE NEWS update: The Bank of England publishes its interest rate decision at 19:00 Beijing time on Thursday, one of several events on the day’s calendar. Eurozone August final CPI is due at 17:00, followed by US August housing starts, building permits and initial jobless claims for the week ended September 12 at 20:30, and US pending home sales at 22:00.

TREE NEWS reports: Chinese mutual funds that launched since the third quarter have moved quickly to build positions, with net asset values of several active equity funds shifting markedly. Institutional research activity climbed to a historically high level, exceeding 40,000 site visits in the month to September 15. Semiconductors and electronic equipment manufacturing drew the most attention from institutions.

TREE NEWS update: US President Trump said he has spoken with Federal Reserve Chair Warsh, reiterating that Warsh has a difficult board to work with. Trump said interest rates are too high and that he told Warsh to do what he wants to do. Asked whether he still has confidence in Warsh, Trump answered yes.

TREE NEWS update: Japanese trade minister Ryosei Akazawa will remain in his post under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Yomiuri reported. The decision keeps the incumbent in charge of Japan’s trade portfolio as the Takaichi government takes shape. No further details on the scope of his duties were given.