Economy

FCC approves sale of 49.5% equity stake in Paramount to investors from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar

Paramount Global agreed to sell a 49.5% equity stake to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar investors according to the FCC decision.

Federal Reserve announces a rate hike.

The Federal Reserve announced a quarter-percentage-point rate hike to 3.75%-4.0%.

Deniliquin rice mill cuts jobs amid drought and policy issues.

SunRice cut jobs at the Deniliquin rice mill due to lower production.

Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby announce a closer partnership driven by financial challenges

Ping An Life and other insurers see leadership turnover with many executives from Ping An background

Ping An Life and other insurers see leadership turnover with many executives from Ping An background

Turkish finance minister says $18.3 billion in fund liquidations pose no widespread systemic risk and will not pressure Borsa Istanbul

Turkey's finance minister said $18.3 billion in fund liquidations pose 'no widespread systemic risk' and regulators will monitor the market closely. Regulatory changes should prevent any contagion risk, according to the finance minister.

Pentagon publicly lists 18 US military deaths since the Iran war began

The Pentagon publicly lists 18 US military deaths since the Iran war began

A high-investment plant in Hubei processes reed for high-end materials

According to 中国新闻网, a new high-performance paper-based materials park in Hubei's Shishou with a total investment of 10 billion yuan aims to produce 2.5 million tons of pulp and paper annually for high-end applications, creating over 4,000 jobs and counting on PLA and enzymatic lignin from reeds as key outputs. The project, developed by 湖北仙鹤新材料有限公司 and linked to 湖北首鼎实业有限公司, emphasizes automation and green bio-refining to replace petrochemical plastics and advance energy storage materials.

Civil lawsuit accuses Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google of coordinating to slow AI progress

Estes Global Logistics announces a $56 million investment to expand cross-border and offshore freight operations

Estes announced a $56 million investment to expand cross-border and offshore freight operations

L3Harris Technologies receives a $60 million Air Force contract for C-HOBS

L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a $60 million Air Force contract for the C-HOBS program.

OpenAI cash burn forecast to $278B by 2030, FT reports

CEO sells shares for $2.6 million.

CEO Lebovitz sold 50,000 shares for $2.6 million.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rise, posting their biggest gains in six weeks.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted their biggest gains in six weeks.

Needham analysts raise price target for Teledyne Technologies on defense and short-cycle recovery expectations

Needham raised Teledyne Technologies' price target to 760 dollars on defense and short-cycle recovery expectations.

Semiconductor stocks rise as AI spending concerns ease

Volksbanken reveal new crypto offerings to attract younger customers

Volksbanken announced new crypto offerings aimed at attracting younger customers.

Anthropic and Accenture to invest at least $1 billion each over the next five years to independently evaluate frontier AI models

National railway authorities reported 3.321 billion passenger trips in January-August

China's national railway completed 3.321 billion passenger trips in the first eight months of 2026.

China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning spotlights AI with 500+ products

A court orders Paramount and Attorney General Bonta to meet for merger settlement talks

Nasdaq ends losing streak as Nvidia climbs following an Amazon-related deal

NVIDIA gains as it soars on an Amazon deal (according to the article)

Beijing launches case against four online hotel booking platforms

Beijing authorities filed cases against four online hotel booking platforms for suspected improper conduct.

Sydney Swans reflect after preliminary-final loss to Fremantle

The Cultural and Tourism Development Plan for the 14th Five-Year period was released, outlining targets through 2030. It sets inbound tourism at 190 million and domestic outbound trips at 8.3 billion, and aims to提升 the contribution of culture and tourism to GDP, while expanding high-quality, immersive and personalized travel experiences. It also calls for improved public services, broader tourism product supply, and more convenient travel and payment services to boost domestic and inbound tourism growth.

China National Chemical Corporation’s CNNC Fertilizers unit collaborates with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to translate research into fertilizer products and planting plans

Sinochem Fertilizers announced collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to translate research into fertilizer products and planting plans for higher efficiency in nutrient use.

Nscale files to go public on NYSE under NSCL

China Aviation Association releases a report showing aviation logistics growth to new highs and major milestones for 2025.

At the three-day China Aviation Association conference, the release of the China Air Transport Development (2026) report shows aviation logistics in China reaching new highs, with 2025 marking a historic leap: cargo and mail throughput reached 1017.2 ten-thousand tons (up 13.3% year-on-year), and international routes accounted for 440.25 ten-thousand tons (up 22.1%), over 40% of total freight. The industry also opened 252 new cargo routes (214 international), deployed 272 all-cargo aircraft, widened wide-body share to 22%, and 24 key airport logistics hubs accounted for over 85% of national airport cargo; experts say the sector is evolving from expansion to higher-quality efficiency, with emphasis on matching supply and demand and advancing digitalization and information interconnectivity.

Chinese equities rally with SanDisk market cap surge and Alibaba up over 4%

Alibaba rises over 4% as market rallies

Anthropic is expected to pursue an initial public offering ahead of competitor OpenAI

NASA awards SpaceX a $946 million contract to fly three more astronaut missions to the ISS, expanding the program through 2030

CATL to invest 1.4 billion yuan to expand lithium carbonate capacity in Ya'an

Credit access tightens, impacting consumer auto loan terms and availability

Credit access is tightening, affecting auto loan terms and availability.

People's Bank of China and Bank of Laos jointly launch cross-border digital payment interconnection under bilateral financial cooperation framework.

The People’s Bank of China and the Bank of Laos jointly launched cross-border digital payment interconnection in Nanning, Guangxi on September 18. Attended by PBOC Deputy Governor Lu Lei and Bank of Laos Deputy Governor Surisak Samnuon, the move advances bilateral financial cooperation under a June framework MoU on financial innovation, digital payments, and legal digital currency.

National Post Bureau reports eight-month postal delivery volume up 4%, with express delivery up 4.6%; postal revenue up 6%.

In the first eight months, the postal sector handled 1454.6 billion units, up 4% year over year, with express delivery totaling 1340.6 billion units, up 4.6%. Postal revenue (excluding Postal Savings Bank) reached 12304.5 billion yuan, up 6%, while express revenue stood at 10289.2 billion yuan, up 7.4%.

140th Canton Fair to run Oct 15–Nov 4 in Guangzhou

China reports foreign direct investment of 479.95 billion yuan for January-August 2026

China's Ministry of Commerce announced that the country utilized 479.95 billion yuan in foreign capital between January and August 2026. While the total figure represents a 5.3% year-on-year decline, investment in high-tech industries grew by 35.1%.

Bitcoin reaches $80,000 while major US stock indices turn lower and storage-chip stocks rally

Bitcoin rose to $80,000.

Pokemon launches 30th anniversary trading card collection and ANA-themed airliner

Oil prices decline for third straight session

US Treasury intervention shifts BOJ rate hike expectations

Shipowners order over 200 supertankers as trade routes shift

Bitcoin holds strong after analysis points to 125k by early 2027

South Korea extends fuel-tax cuts through November

Swiss watch exports rise 9.1% in August on demand from China and Japan

eBay UK launches 200,000 pound grants for young entrepreneurs

Spinnova signs non-binding LOI to acquire Tearfil

Spot silver prices reach 66.56 US dollars per ounce

Global markets prepare for US and Japanese interest rate adjustments

Government to focus help on sectors hit by inflation

US Federal Reserve raises rates by 25 basis points to 3.75-4.00%

Bank of Japan raises policy rate to 1.25% for 31-year high

Rhodium Group reports on annual recurring revenue of AI companies

China Releases 15th Five-Year Plan for Pharmaceutical Industry Development

Hong Kong and Mainland Stocks Fall After US Fed Rate Hike

European Central Bank Reports Wage Tracker at 2.7% in H1 2027

The European Central Bank reported its wage tracker at 2.7% for the first half of 2027. This figure points to a modest uptick in negotiated wage growth across the region.

Google and Terradot Launch Brazil Rice Farm Climate Project

Google has partnered with Terradot on a climate project across Brazilian rice farms. The initiative aims to remove 1 million metric tons of methane by 2030 and 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2040. The project uses irrigation changes and crushed volcanic rock as a scalable model for climate action.

Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% Amid Inflation Warnings

Global Oil Supply Strained by Saudi Pipeline Closure