TREE NEWS reports: The Conference Board’s US consumer expectations index rose to 72.6 in October, up from 63.6 in the prior reading. The 9-point gain marks a sharp improvement in households’ outlook for the coming months. The expectations gauge is a component of the Conference Board’s monthly consumer confidence survey.
TREE NEWS reports: The US Richmond Fed manufacturing index for October came in at -2, unchanged from the prior reading of -2, the regional Federal Reserve bank reported. The reading keeps the gauge in negative territory, indicating continued contraction in manufacturing activity across the Richmond Fed district.
TREE NEWS reports: US new home sales came in at 676,000 in September, above the 650,000 expected by economists, but down from the prior reading of 684,000. The figure, released as an annualized rate, shows sales slowing slightly from August’s pace while still beating market forecasts.
TREE NEWS reports: STAR Market companies launched 114 new share buyback plans in 2026 as of Oct. 26, with a combined maximum repurchase value of 18 billion yuan, alongside 42 new shareholding increase plans capped at 1.5 billion yuan. Activity accelerated in October, which alone saw 23 new buyback plans worth up to 5.8 billion yuan, about one-third of the year’s total, plus 6 new increase plans totaling 250 million yuan.
TREE NEWS update: A senior Houthi leader said on the 27th that the Egyptian parliament’s authorization for the president to take measures in support of Saudi Arabia amounts to a “declaration of war against Yemen.” The statement escalates rhetoric over Egypt’s potential military role in the Saudi-led coalition. No further details were provided.
TREE NEWS reports: Quantitative hedge fund giant Two Sigma is exploring the sale of shares in an effort to break a deadlock between its founders. The firm has not disclosed the size, structure or timing of any potential transaction. No buyer or valuation was identified.
TREE NEWS update: China Development Bank said it completed the rollout of its 365 billion yuan ($50bn) new policy-based financial instrument for 2025 as of Oct. 27, with all funds used to replenish project capital. The financing covers projects with total investment of 5.5 trillion yuan, the bank said, underscoring its role as a lead policy lender supporting economic growth.
TREE NEWS update: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on the 27th that it dismantled two terrorist groups and arrested their members in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. The Guard said the groups had planned to carry out multiple terrorist attacks in the region.
TREE NEWS reports: The Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Charles Schwab jointly released the 2026 China New Wealthy Wealth Health Index, the tenth consecutive annual edition. The index covers people earning 125,000 to 1 million yuan a year with investable assets below 7 million yuan, and shows wealth health stabilizing and rebounding, with stock and fund allocations together at only about 20%.
TREE NEWS update: The Federal Reserve’s two-day Federal Open Market Committee monetary policy meeting began as scheduled at 09:30 ET, the central bank said. The meeting is the Fed’s latest scheduled policy gathering, with the rate decision and accompanying statement due at its conclusion.
TREE NEWS update: Merck China President and Managing Director of Merck Life Science China Roger Luo said China is one of the world’s largest markets and a global innovation engine, noting the country’s growing weight in global drug R&D. In a recent interview, he said Merck, a multinational focused on life sciences, healthcare and electronics, will firmly expand its footprint in China.
TREE NEWS reports: US stocks opened modestly higher, with the Dow up 0.09%, the S&P 500 up 0.3% and the Nasdaq up 0.47%. Boeing fell 2.5% after its Q3 loss came in larger than expected, while General Motors rose more than 3% on plans to transfer its listing from the NYSE to Nasdaq. Broadcom gained 3.6% after D.A. Davidson upgraded the stock, and neocloud names rose, with Nebius up 3.8%.
TREE NEWS reports: The S&P 500 opened 22.70 points higher, up 0.30%, at 7,699.47. The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened 84.09 points lower, down 0.16%, at 52,277.49. The Nasdaq Composite opened up 116.92 points, a 0.45% gain, at 26,286.31.
TREE NEWS reports: A total of 33 private fund managers in China have bought 1.744 billion yuan ($240 million) of their own products so far in 2026, as of October 26. July was the busiest month, with 25 managers purchasing 1.429 billion yuan of their own products, accounting for 88.54% of the total.
TREE NEWS update: China Media Group said it has noted the public apology from Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappé over remarks about China and will judge him by his conduct, not just his words. The broadcaster called on La Liga, Real Madrid and Mbappé to learn from the incident, apologize sincerely and change their behavior. The statement was carried by CCTV.
TREE NEWS update: Iran’s security chief Rezaei met with Yemen’s ambassador, the two sides confirmed. The meeting was held as part of ongoing diplomatic engagements between Tehran and Sanaa. No further details were disclosed.
TREE NEWS reports: China’s public bond fund assets surpassed 12.6 trillion yuan at the end of the third quarter, a record high. Bond funds grew by more than 500 billion yuan from the end of the second quarter and drew over 280 billion net subscriptions, the largest among the seven major fund categories including equity, mixed, money market, commodity, QDII and FOF funds.
TREE NEWS reports: Chinese commodity night futures opened mixed, with coking coal rising nearly 3% and soda ash gaining nearly 2%. Glass, synthetic rubber, ethylene glycol (EG), polypropylene, propylene and coke each climbed more than 1%, while caustic soda, soybean No. 2 and palm oil each fell more than 1%.
TREE NEWS reports: The Baltic Dry Index, a gauge of global bulk shipping rates, fell 0.95% to 2,603 points. The decline reflects weaker freight demand across dry bulk commodity routes. The index tracks the cost of transporting raw materials including iron ore, coal and grain by sea.
TREE NEWS reports: The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index rose 2.65% year over year in August, exceeding the 2.6% consensus estimate and accelerating from a 2.47% gain in July. The reading marks a pickup in annual home price growth across major US metropolitan areas.