Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Zhipu has raised $5 billion through a zero-coupon convertible bond with a premium conversion feature, earmarking the proceeds mainly for computing infrastructure and model research and development. The financing was disclosed in a roundup of market developments that also flagged a rise in Fed rate-hike odds to nearly 90% for this week after August core CPI came in at 0.3% month-on-month, above expectations.

TREE NEWS reports: Saudi Arabia has submitted amendments to a proposal by Oman and Iran concerning the Strait of Hormuz, a Gulf official said. Riyadh fears the wording of the proposal could effectively establish a new status quo in the Strait that neither Saudi Arabia nor other Gulf Cooperation Council members could accept.

TREE NEWS update: New China Life Insurance signed an investment agreement with Brookfield Asset Management on September 7 to commit 4 billion yuan to the Brookfield China New Energy Fund, backing China’s energy transition and green low-carbon development. On the same day, Dajia Life Insurance announced it had closed a private equity investment, as Chinese insurers step up private fund allocations to strategic emerging industries including new energy and advanced manufacturing.

TREE NEWS update: Yemen’s government forces said on September 13 that a month of fighting with the Houthis along the country’s western coastal areas and nearby islands left about 2,000 of their own troops killed or wounded, while more than 1,000 Houthi fighters were killed and several thousand more injured. The clashes have persisted for a month across the western coast and associated islands.

TREE NEWS reports: Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have rejected a 25 trillion won prepayment plan proposed by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), Yonhap reported. The two chipmakers declined the utility’s proposal to pay electricity costs in advance. No further terms or reasons were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: E Fund, ChinaAMC, Fullgoal, Invesco Great Wall and other Chinese fund managers on September 11 issued premium risk notices for nearly 20 QDII funds, flagging secondary-market prices well above net asset value. The firms said they may ask exchanges for intraday temporary trading halts, extended suspensions or consecutive halts if premiums do not fall, urging investors to participate rationally.

TREE NEWS reports: Sweden’s general election result is too close to call, with vote counting potentially taking several days. Neither bloc has emerged with a clear majority as the tally continues. The final outcome may not be known until later in the week, leaving the next government uncertain.

TREE NEWS update: The China Securities Regulatory Commission said it will dynamically refine its listing standards system and orderly expand coverage for new and high-quality companies, as part of its “15th Five-Year Plan” priorities for the capital market. The regulator also pledged to smooth the fundraising, investment, management and exit cycle for private equity and venture capital funds, guiding capital toward early-stage, small, long-term and hard-tech investments.

TREE NEWS update: Key events on the calendar include RBA Assistant Governor Hunter at 10:30 Beijing time, Japan’s final July industrial output at 12:30, a State Council policy briefing on small-business payment arrears at 15:00, ECB’s Schnabel speaking at 17:15, Canada’s August CPI at 20:30 and ECB’s Cipollone at 21:00. All times are Beijing time.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said he would not object to Chinese automakers building factories in the United States, telling Fox News on 11 March that “if China wants to come in and build a factory here and make cars, I’m fine with it.” Trump pointed to Japan’s similar practice, saying the key is that such plants employ American workers. The remarks come despite broad opposition from US lawmakers and automakers.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said he has found Canada to be the hardest country to deal with, while Canada is pressing hard to reach an agreement. The remark points to continued friction in US-Canada talks as Ottawa seeks a deal.

TREE NEWS update: Thirteen small and mid-sized Chinese fund managers filed a second batch of amortized-cost bond funds with the China Securities Regulatory Commission on the evening of Sept. 11, less than a month after the product category was reopened. All the filings are 63-month closed-end bond funds. The applicants include Boyuan Fund, Ruida Fund, Zhonghai Fund, Taixin Fund, Huiquan Fund, Hengyue Fund, Quanguo Fund, Suxin Fund, Huibaichuan Fund and Yimin Fund.

TREE NEWS reports: Chinese brokerage strategy reports expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by 25 basis points at this week’s meeting, characterizing the move as precautionary tightening that mainly disturbs market sentiment in the short term. Once the September FOMC meeting concludes and overseas uncertainty clears, A-share risk appetite is expected to recover and usher in a phase of improvement, the reports said, after the past week’s rangebound trading driven by Middle East tensions lifting oil prices and rising Fed hike expectations.

TREE NEWS reports: Brent crude oil futures and WTI crude oil futures both rose more than $3 during the trading day. The intraday gains mark a sharp upward move in benchmark oil prices.

TREE NEWS reports: European natural gas futures climbed 3.8% following the shutdown of a Saudi oil pipeline and the postponement of a meeting on the Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline closure and delayed talks added to supply concerns in the region.

TREE NEWS reports: US equity futures slid in early Asian trading, with S&P 500 futures down 0.6% and Nasdaq 100 futures down 1%. International oil prices climbed, with WTI crude futures up more than 2%.

TREE NEWS update: An ammonia leak at a fertilizer company in the Khor Al Zubair area of Basra province, southern Iraq, killed at least two people and injured about 50 on the evening of the 13th, the country’s civil defense directorate said. Ten employees were rescued from the site and roughly 50 people were hospitalized after inhaling the gas. A preliminary investigation found the accident was caused by an accidental gas leak, and specialist teams have taken measures to secure the site and contain the situation.

TREE NEWS update: Several loud explosions were heard in the Sirik area of Iran’s Hormozgan province in the early hours of Feb. 14 local time, Iranian sources said. The nature of the blasts has not been determined and no official statement has been issued.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said on the 13th that he supports Northern Ireland leaving the United Kingdom to unify with Ireland, repeating remarks made a day earlier that drew strong opposition from British politicians. Speaking to media in Ireland, Trump said merging the two seemed the most natural thing to him. Asked about Scotland, he said that issue would not be discussed now and would be left for later.

TREE NEWS reports: US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned oil traders not to count on a breakthrough over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran prepares to propose a shipping agreement to other Gulf states. Wright’s caution came as Tehran readies the maritime proposal for its neighbors. No further details were disclosed.