Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for coordinated urban renewal spanning housing, neighborhoods, communities, and urban districts, urging faster transformation of old blocks and factory zones. He emphasized actively introducing new industries and business formats. The remarks were reported by Xinhua.

TREE NEWS update: The UK government under Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to announce a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday. The move signals a tougher policy on an issue important to the ruling Labour Party, but risks angering US President Donald Trump.

TREE NEWS reports: The Trump administration is seeking to expand US access to Venezuela’s mineral resources, including gold, beyond oil. The move could open Venezuela’s mining sector to US capital and secure supplies of minerals critical to national security.

TREE NEWS reports: The US has asked South Korea to submit investment projects totaling more than the $350 billion agreed in last year’s trade deal, Yonhap reported, citing an unnamed parliamentary official. Seoul is in final talks to ensure actual commitments do not exceed the agreed amount. Projects under discussion include the Encinal gas power plant in Texas, eight large nuclear reactors, and an Alaska LNG project.

TREE NEWS reports: Willem Sels, global chief investment officer at HSBC Private Banking and Premier Wealth, said US equities are not as expensive as they appear, with valuations still not fully reflecting AI-driven productivity and earnings growth. The P/E gap with European stocks has narrowed, and the S&P 500’s forward P/E of about 19 times versus Stoxx 600’s near 15 times supports this. However, surging bond yields pose the biggest risk to the stock market.

TREE NEWS update: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 8 that Russia hopes to resume trilateral negotiations on Ukraine involving Russia, the United States, and Ukraine. He made the statement at a briefing, signaling Moscow’s willingness to return to the three-party format for resolving the conflict.

TREE NEWS update: BYD denied on September 8 a report that its management said in a conference call that orders for vehicles supporting flash-charging technology have piled up to about 250,000 units, with production capacity sufficient by Q1 2027. The company said the information is untrue.

TREE NEWS reports: With the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday approaching on September 25, retailers are stocking up, lifting sentiment in the high-end baijiu market. Prices for 53-degree 500ml Moutai have risen 10 to 70 yuan across various sales channels in recent days.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang chaired the National Textbook Work Conference in Beijing on September 8, emphasizing the need to accelerate the development of a high-quality textbook system with Chinese characteristics, centered on the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education.

TREE NEWS reports: Venezuelans are sharply divided over the oil agreement between the Trump administration and the country’s interim authorities, with half of respondents saying the deal will benefit the US more than Venezuela. An AtlasIntel poll for Bloomberg News, released Tuesday, found about 38% oppose the deal, 35% support it, and 27% are undecided.

TREE NEWS update: Japan’s financial regulator is closely monitoring whether banks are properly managing risks from rising interest rates across bond holdings, corporate loans, and ultra-long-term mortgages. Financial Services Agency Commissioner Yutaka Ito said the agency has full visibility into financial institutions’ asset conditions and is reviewing their risk management. “If we find deficiencies, we will urge them to take corrective measures,” Ito said.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade on the morning of September 8 in Xiamen, Fujian province. His remarks underscored China’s commitment to further opening up and attracting foreign investment.

TREE NEWS update: The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will be held from September 15 to 17 at the Beijing International Convention Center, with preparations basically complete. The forum is a major security dialogue platform in the Asia-Pacific region.

TREE NEWS reports: The UN Conference on Trade and Development reported on Sept. 8 that disruptions to trade transport through the Strait of Hormuz are impacting global businesses, with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hit hardest. Large firms can diversify suppliers, markets, and financing, but SMEs face squeezed profit margins and supply chain risks as energy, transport, and financing costs rise. Some may be forced to cut output, delay investment, or exit markets, weakening inclusive and resilient global growth.

TREE NEWS update: CICC Chairman Chen Liang met with Abdullah Bin Salem Al Salmi, CEO of Oman’s Financial Services Authority, to discuss strengthening China-Oman capital market cooperation. The two sides reached multiple consensus points on enhancing collaboration, signaling deeper financial ties between the two countries.

TREE NEWS update: Pimco has hired Sora Amada, former head of Japanese trading at Credit Agricole, as portfolio manager and executive vice president, joining in late September. She will report to Tomoya Masada, Pimco Japan co-head, amid intensifying talent competition in Asia’s financial hubs.

TREE NEWS reports: India’s central bank sold dollars in both onshore and offshore markets on Tuesday to support the rupee. The intervention aims to curb volatility in the currency amid global pressures.

TREE NEWS reports: Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank are rolling out portfolios of French bonds, including some of the riskiest bank debt, to let investors profit from or hedge against various outcomes of next year’s French election. The move turns the vote into a tradable opportunity on Wall Street.

TREE NEWS reports: European benchmark gas futures rose as much as 3.4% on Tuesday, reaching their highest level since January 2023, as traders rushed to replenish inventories ahead of winter. The market awaits details of a potential Iran-Oman agreement on Hormuz shipping, while US strikes on Iranian tankers and an attack on Saudi energy facilities add uncertainty, boosting oil prices.

TREE NEWS reports: The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for the US dropped to 98.7 in August, below the expected 99.2 and the prior 99.8. The decline signals cautious sentiment among small business owners amid economic uncertainty.