Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: Sweden’s centre-left opposition bloc leads the country’s election with 51.3% of the vote. The same bloc also led the TV4 exit poll with 51.3%. The bloc comprises the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, the Left Party and the Green Party.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump told reporters before returning to the United States that $5,000 checks will definitely be issued, saying the country is taking in trillions of dollars in revenue, including tariffs. Trump said he would not allow the large deficits other presidents permitted, adding that his approval rating in the US is high.

TREE NEWS update: Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said on social media on January 13 that a regional meeting set for January 14 in Salalah, southern Oman, has been postponed to seek consensus. He said Oman will keep working to promote dialogue and support regional stability and lasting cooperation. Iran and Oman had been expected to brief Gulf states at the meeting on their consultations over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

TREE NEWS reports: Prediction markets now put the probability of a 25 basis point Federal Reserve rate hike in September at 78%, up from earlier levels, while the odds of holding rates steady fell to 22%. Trading volume on the related prediction contracts has reached $145 million.

TREE NEWS reports: Arthur Hayes said in a post on X that if AI compute buyers such as Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX stop purchasing, the US government may have to step in as the buyer; alternatively, if vanishing compute demand triggers defaults on AI-related debt, the Federal Reserve may need to print money to rescue insurers holding that debt. Hayes said either path ends in more money issuance, joking that it amounts to “Yachtzee.”

TREE NEWS reports: BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes said the US government may ultimately backstop credit risk in AI infrastructure in one of two ways: directly taking over the “buyer” role of firms such as Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX in the compute market, or having the Federal Reserve print money to bail out insurers holding AI-related debt if compute demand falls and buyers disappear. Either path, he wrote, amounts to funding AI buildout and credit expansion through money issuance.

TREE NEWS reports: Tianfeng Securities said in a research note that its timing models remain bearish on both gold and silver, with near-term correction pressure on precious metals yet to clear. Silver rebounded midweek before a sharp selloff on Friday, matching the bearish call, while gold traded flat with a weak bounce. A firmer dollar and rising US Treasury yields on overseas rate-hike expectations are likely to keep precious metals under pressure.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump on September 13 asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop strikes on Russian diesel fuel facilities, saying the attacks are causing a diesel shortage in Russia. “Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop destroying Russia’s diesel fuel facilities,” Trump said when taking questions, adding that the strikes are causing damage and hurting the whole world.

TREE NEWS update: US House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Trump’s proposed $5,000 check plan requires congressional approval. The statement indicates the proposal cannot proceed without legislative action by Congress.

TREE NEWS update: White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said he and President Trump see no reason for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. Hassett added that it is important for the Fed to hold steady before the election, and that Trump fully respects Kevin Warsh’s independence.

TREE NEWS update: White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said he and President Donald Trump see no reason for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. Hassett said Trump respects the independence of Kevin Warsh, and that it is important for the Fed to hold its current stance before the election.

TREE NEWS reports: JPMorgan has terminated its lending services to AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness, founded by a former OpenAI researcher, after the fund suffered huge losses on AI-related leveraged bets and neared collapse. The US investment bank cut ties as the fund’s positions deteriorated.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said oil companies have called him to say they want to go into the North Sea, adding that the UK could become rich if it opens up North Sea oil and would go “broke” if it does not. Trump made the remarks without naming any of the companies involved or providing further details.

TREE NEWS update: Asked whether the AI industry should slow down, US President Donald Trump said whoever wins artificial intelligence wins the future. Trump added that safeguards can be put in place, but that some voices are being overly negative. He did not announce any specific policy or measure.

TREE NEWS update: President Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must stop striking diesel fuel targets. The statement, relayed without further detail, marks a direct public demand from Washington on Kyiv’s military targeting. No timeline, scope or response from Zelensky was given.

TREE NEWS update: President Donald Trump said the war with Iran will end immediately after the US midterm elections, or possibly before. In remarks on the Iran situation, Trump added that Iran is eager to reach a deal. He gave no further details on timing or the terms of any agreement.

TREE NEWS update: President Donald Trump said “I don’t know” when asked whether he expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. The remark came in response to a reporter’s question about the direction of US monetary policy. Trump gave no further detail on his expectations for the central bank’s rate path.

TREE NEWS update: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 13 in New Delhi that a resumption of trilateral talks on Ukraine in October cannot be ruled out. Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, said meetings in Moscow and Kyiv had made clear what could bring a long-term resolution to the conflict, and that new ideas had emerged that could be discussed at trilateral talks soon.

TREE NEWS reports: A disruption to Saudi Arabia’s oil pipeline would cut global oil supply by 4% unless flows resume within days, three sources said. Export storage at Yanbu holds only five to seven days of supply, with a small additional reserve in Egypt. The warning covers the kingdom’s pipeline network as the main export route.

TREE NEWS update: South Australian officials said on the 13th that the country has detected the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in an endangered Australian sea lion for the first time. Environment Minister Emily Bourke said the sea lion died on Kangaroo Island on the 11th and tested positive for H5N1.