Real-time News

A Reuters poll showed that 8 out of 14 economists believe the central bank of Israel will not adjust interest rates on Tuesday; 6 expect a 25 basis point cut to 3.25%.

Driven by rising international oil prices, U.S. energy stocks rose in pre-market trading. Halliburton (HAL.N) rose 2%, Valero Energy (VLO.N) rose 2.4%, Occidental Petroleum (OXY.N) rose 1.6%, Chevron (CVX.N) rose 1.6%, ExxonMobil (XOM.N) rose 1.4%, and Marathon Petroleum (MRO.N) rose 1.2%.

Spain's current account balance was €2.41 billion in June, compared with €1.84 billion in the previous month.

The chart shows that at 22:00 Beijing time on August 31, there will be large foreign exchange options contracts for Euro, Japanese Yen, British Pound, and Australian Dollar expiring, including 7 contracts with strike prices exceeding 1 billion. Please manage your risks.

Honda: Nissan and Honda have signed a joint development agreement aimed at standardizing electronic control units (ECUs) and software for next-generation software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

On August 31st, a survey by the Swiss Bankers Association revealed that Swiss bankers expect the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0% for the remainder of this year and into 2027. All surveyed bankers anticipate the SNB will keep rates at 0% for the remainder of 2026; 60% of respondents believe this policy will continue into next year. Approximately 40% of respondents expect the SNB to begin raising interest rates next year. Most predict the policy rate will rise to 0.25%, with one respondent expecting it to reach 0.5%. The SNB will announce the results of its next monetary policy assessment on September 24th. Current market pricing indicates a 97% probability of maintaining the current rate. The market expects the first rate hike to occur in June, with a projected increase of 25 basis points to 0.25%.

On August 31, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun held a regular press conference. A reporter asked about the announcement that Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang would visit Russia to attend the 11th Eastern Economic Forum, and to hold the 13th meeting of the China-Russia Investment Cooperation Committee, the 23rd meeting of the Energy Cooperation Committee, and the 8th China-Russia Energy Business Forum. Could the spokesperson provide background information, the schedule, and China's expectations for the visit? Guo Jiakun stated that the 11th Eastern Economic Forum will be held in Vladivostok, Russia, from September 1 to 4, with the theme "Far East—Development for the People." China is willing to take this visit as an opportunity to work with Russia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, promote the high-level development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, and jointly benefit the people of both countries.

Turkey announced that the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, established under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed by Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, will be held today in Istanbul. Prior to the meeting, the Turkish Defense Minister met with the Pakistani Defense Minister. The Turkish Chief of the General Staff also attended the meeting.

On August 31, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that both Russia and Israel had spread and amplified disinformation related to the large influx of migrants into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta last month. He cited a study by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic arm, which indicated that both countries were involved in the campaign. Sánchez stated that it was "obvious" that Russia and Israel were using the crisis to criticize the Spanish government, given their differing positions with Madrid on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

August 31st - According to the latest "Automobile Dealer Inventory Warning Index Survey" released by the China Automobile Dealers Association (VIA), the automobile dealer inventory warning index for August 2026 was 62.3%, up 5.3 percentage points year-on-year and 1.2 percentage points month-on-month, with the index above the boom-bust line.

On August 31, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun held a regular press conference. A Bloomberg reporter asked about US Treasury Secretary Bessenter's statement that the world cannot allow China to have a $1.2 trillion trade surplus, and that the G20 should re-examine its trade terms with China. What is the Foreign Ministry's comment on this? Guo Jiakun stated that the essence of China-US economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. China never deliberately pursues a trade surplus and opposes all forms of unilateral tariff measures. We adhere to high-level opening up to the outside world, providing new opportunities for all parties, including the United States, with China's large market. "China and the United States should jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, resolve relevant issues through consultation on the basis of equality, respect, and mutual benefit, and maintain the hard-won positive momentum in the current economic and trade field," Guo Jiakun said.

Futures Market News, August 31st: Aluminum prices have recently rebounded after fluctuating. The main reasons are: 1. The US Treasury announced an expansion of its long-term bond repurchase program, leading to a decline in long-term interest rates and improved market risk appetite, resulting in a rebound in aluminum prices; the US July PCE price index slightly exceeded expectations, but the market reaction was limited; Nvidia's second-quarter earnings report exceeded expectations, driving continued strong growth in related computing power and power investment. 2. While aluminum prices rose, downstream demand cooled slightly, while aluminum exports and the recycling sector maintained steady consumption. Looking ahead, considering the hawkish signals released by the Wash-Jackson Hole symposium and the remaining geopolitical uncertainties, aluminum prices may continue to fluctuate between 23,800-24,300 yuan/ton.

Market news: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Sergei Peszhian will meet in Bishkek at 2 p.m. Indian time (4:30 p.m. Beijing time).

On August 31, the Securities Association of China (SAC) is soliciting opinions from the industry on the "Guidelines for the Management of Integrated Client Accounts of Securities Companies." This move aims to optimize securities firms' account management functions, standardize the management of integrated client accounts, and improve the level of wealth management services offered by securities firms. Based on the experience gained from previous pilot programs for optimizing account management functions, and under the guidance of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the SAC drafted the relevant document. The draft guidelines are based on pilot practices while also considering general applicability. Based on a comprehensive survey and summary of the practical experience of 21 pilot securities firms, the guidelines take into account differences in industry practices and further standardize service requirements such as fund transfers between accounts under the same name and the management of categorized accounts, promoting a "unified understanding, unified implementation, and unified experience" across the industry. At the same time, reasonable space is reserved for service diversity beyond the basic requirements, taking into account the actual situation of securities companies of different sizes and business structures.

On August 31, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun held a regular press conference. A reporter asked: Rescue efforts for the Gyirong landslide disaster are still underway. Could China provide further updates on the progress of foreign-related rescue work? Guo Jiakun stated that the sudden glacial collapse in the Nepalese border region triggered a severe landslide disaster, causing significant casualties and missing persons in both China and Nepal. While urgently carrying out its own rescue and relief efforts, China immediately extended a helping hand to Nepal, supporting its emergency disaster relief efforts. As of noon yesterday, all Chinese personnel who had been contacted in the disaster area of Nepal had been properly transferred and resettled and were in safe condition. Currently, China is making every effort to search for missing persons both domestically and internationally, and is maintaining close communication with foreign embassies in China to jointly conduct investigations and handle the aftermath for missing foreign nationals.

On the morning of August 31 local time, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Harmony Palace in Bishkek. Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Kyrgyzstan should deepen practical cooperation, implement the intergovernmental economic and trade cooperation plan, enrich trade categories, and expand new growth points such as digital trade and cross-border e-commerce; build the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, a vital transportation artery carrying the hopes of the region's people, with high quality; modernize border crossings; and deepen "soft connectivity" in systems, standards, and rules; implement more landmark projects in renewable energy and resource recycling; implement green mineral cooperation documents; and carry out cooperation across the entire industrial chain; jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative joint laboratory; strengthen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence; and empower and enhance bilateral cooperation through technological innovation; further promote people-to-people exchanges; strengthen cooperation in youth, media, tourism, sports, healthcare, and local areas; and continuously consolidate the social and public opinion foundation for China-Kyrgyzstan friendship.

Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez: Research by the European External Action Service indicates that disinformation about the Ceuta crisis was spread by Russia and Israel.

On August 31, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced a record budget request of 7.8 trillion yen (approximately US$49 billion) to accelerate investment in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and other strategic industries at the heart of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic growth agenda. The METI submitted the budget request on Monday, with funds earmarked for the fiscal year beginning April 2027. This follows Takaichi's call for a combined 370 trillion yen in public and private sector investment over the next 14 years in key industries. This unusually large budget request reflects reforms to Japan's budgeting process. Under the new process, ministries can submit proposals with no spending caps in a single budget request round. The Japanese government hopes this will reduce its reliance on supplementary budgets. Of the 7.8 trillion yen requested, 6.31 trillion yen is planned for investment under the "Strong and Prosperous Japan" category, reflecting Takaichi's initiative to promote economic recovery. This includes approximately 2 trillion yen for artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and robotics; 680 billion yen to secure the supply of key minerals, including rare earth elements; 220 billion yen to strengthen naphtha supply capacity; and 180 billion yen to cooperate with the Ministry of Defense to enhance defense and dual-use capabilities.