Real-time News

The Hang Seng Index closed down 169.28 points, or 0.7%, at 24,030.18 on Thursday, July 9; the Hang Seng Tech Index closed up 0.54 points, or 0.01%, at 4,731.56 on Thursday, July 9; the H-share Index closed down 86.93 points, or 1.08%, at 7,997.29 on Thursday, July 9; and the Red Chip Index closed down 50.82 points, or 1.31%, at 3,824.11 on Thursday, July 9.

Intel (INTC.O) shares rose nearly 4% in pre-market trading.

Taiwan's imports rose 51.8% year-on-year in June, below the expected 47.75% and the previous month's 54.90%.

Taiwan's exports rose 40.3% year-on-year in June, below the expected 48.6% and the previous month's 51.70%.

Norwegian offshore industry group: Production losses are increasing and are expected to reach approximately 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by the end of mid-July.

Norwegian offshore industry group: The strike by oil service workers has already caused operators to lose a historical and future production equivalent of 2.4 million barrels of oil this year.

On July 9th, Ukrainian drones struck two more oil tankers in southern Russia, and Ukrainian authorities are now expanding their attacks, targeting ships transporting fuel to the region amid a nationwide gasoline shortage in Russia. Yuri Slyusar, governor of Rostov Oblast on Russia's Sea of Azov coast, said on Thursday that the tankers were hit and suffered "mechanical damage" in Taganrog Bay, and both ships caught fire, one of which has been extinguished. In recent weeks, Ukraine has significantly intensified its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. In addition to oil tankers, refineries have also become targets, aimed at weakening Russia's fuel production capacity and pressuring the Kremlin to push for negotiations. The attacks have already caused several major refineries to shut down, exacerbating the nationwide gasoline shortage. In response, Russia has banned almost all exports of gasoline, aviation fuel, and diesel to prioritize domestic supplies. Previously, Ukrainian forces had attacked several small oil tankers sailing from the Sea of Azov to Crimea, attempting to cut off fuel supplies to the Russian-occupied peninsula. According to Ukrainian officials, several ships have also been attacked in the Black Sea.

The chart shows that at 22:00 Beijing time on July 9th, there will be large foreign exchange options contracts for Euros, British Pounds, Japanese Yen, etc. 10 of these contracts have a strike price of over 1 billion. Please manage your risks.

On July 9th, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued a "Notice on Making Every Effort to Do a Good Job in Flood Control and Drought Relief." The notice requires adhering to a systematic approach, coordinating upstream and downstream areas, left and right banks, and main streams and tributaries, promoting cross-regional collaboration, scientifically and accurately scheduling key flood control projects, fully leveraging the disaster prevention and mitigation role of the flood control engineering system, reducing the overall flood risk of the basin, and making every effort to prevent and respond to river floods. It emphasizes strengthening inspections of key areas such as structures crossing dikes, dangerous sections, historically problematic areas, reservoir dams, and spillways, improving the quality and efficiency of inspections and defenses, and promptly addressing any problems or hidden dangers discovered. It also calls for strengthening the management and control of river and lake flood storage and detention spaces, and preparing for the use of flood storage and detention areas. Finally, it stresses the need to coordinate the construction of flood control and drainage engineering facilities, and to prepare for and respond to torrential rains and floods during the critical flood season.

On July 9th, shares of Japanese space exploration company iSpace surged nearly 19% on Thursday, marking its biggest single-day gain in six months. This followed the company's announcement of a partnership with SpaceX to provide lunar payload transportation services using SpaceX's Starship rocket. The company will develop a mobile cargo system capable of transporting customer payloads weighing up to 500 kg several kilometers across the lunar surface. This system is expected to launch from Starship no earlier than 2030, and iSpace has already purchased 500 kg of payload space for it. CEO Takeshi Hakamada stated, "The potential demand for transportation services is huge, and this is the opportunity we hope to seize." He also pledged that the company will ensure a successful landing on the next mission. iSpace's previous two lunar landing attempts both failed—one in 2023 due to software issues, and the other in 2025 due to hardware malfunctions. According to the company's plan, its next lunar landing mission is scheduled for 2028, preceded by a planned launch of an orbiting satellite in 2027.

German Chancellor Merz: An agreement has been reached with the United States on the purchase and deployment of Tomahawk missiles.

July 9 – On July 9, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning held a regular press conference. On July 7 local time, the UN General Assembly decided by an overwhelming majority to continue the debate on “the necessity of ending the US economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba,” with 136 votes in favor, 30 abstentions, and nine countries including the United States voting against. What is China's comment on this? Mao Ning stated that for over 60 years, the United States has imposed blockades and sanctions on Cuba, and recently has repeatedly escalated related measures and created an energy crisis, seriously violating the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and other basic norms of international relations, severely infringing upon Cuba's right to survival and development, and causing profound suffering to the Cuban people. “The US should seriously listen to the just calls of the international community and immediately cease its blockade and sanctions against Cuba, as well as any form of coercion, pressure, and military threats. China is willing to work with the international community to resolutely defend international fairness and justice, and firmly support Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and dignity and opposing foreign interference,” Mao Ning said.

German Chancellor Merz: The Canadian submarine deal will create €100 billion in value.

German Chancellor Merz: The NATO summit's results exceeded expectations.

July 9th - A report from Bank of Japan (BOJ) branch governors at Thursday's meeting showed that the Japanese economy remains robust overall despite headwinds including Middle East tensions, rising oil prices, and a weak yen. The BOJ stated that logistical disruptions and raw material shortages caused by geopolitical risks have put pressure on exports and production. The bank added that the risk of a sharp economic downturn has diminished due to the implementation of alternative procurement programs and adjustments to transportation routes. This could strengthen market expectations for further interest rate hikes in the near term. Overnight index swap market pricing currently indicates that the market expects at least one more BOJ rate hike before the end of this year.

July 9th Futures News: On July 9th, the Shanghai Futures Exchange's energy and chemical warehouse receipts and changes are as follows: 1. Pulp futures warehouse receipts: 293,788 tons, an increase of 3,416 tons compared to the previous trading day; 2. Pulp futures mill warehouse receipts: 20,000 tons, unchanged compared to the previous trading day; 3. Offset paper futures warehouse receipts: 1,557 tons, unchanged compared to the previous trading day; 4. Offset paper futures mill warehouse receipts: 6,640 tons, unchanged compared to the previous trading day; 5. Fuel oil futures warehouse receipts: 336 tons. 6. Petroleum asphalt futures warehouse receipts: 9310 tons, unchanged from the previous trading day; 7. Petroleum asphalt futures factory warehouse receipts: 12970 tons, unchanged from the previous trading day; 8. Medium-sulfur crude oil futures warehouse receipts: 2961000 barrels, unchanged from the previous trading day; 9. Low-sulfur fuel oil futures warehouse receipts: 0 tons, unchanged from the previous trading day; 10. Low-sulfur fuel oil futures factory warehouse receipts: 0 tons, unchanged from the previous trading day.

Yields on UK government bonds of all maturities fell by about 4-6 basis points in early trading.

On Thursday, July 9th, the German DAX 30 index opened 247.33 points higher, or 0.99%, at 25113.00; the UK FTSE 100 index opened 30.04 points lower, or 0.29%, at 10459.00; the French CAC 40 index opened 59.35 points higher, or 0.72%, at 8312.01; the Euro Stoxx 50 index opened 56.94 points higher, or 0.92%, at 6261.85; the Spanish IBEX 35 index opened 211.39 points higher, or 1.11%, at 19260.69; and the Italian FTSE MIB index opened 418.25 points higher, or 0.81%, at 52235.50.

Gold prices rebounded above $4,100 an ounce on July 9th after Wednesday's sell-off. This rally was supported by a weaker dollar and renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following Wednesday's renewed clashes between the US and Iran. However, rising energy prices could complicate the inflation outlook, reinforcing market expectations that the Federal Reserve will maintain high interest rates for a longer period or raise rates further. The minutes of the Fed's mid-June policy meeting highlighted a hawkish shift within the committee, putting pressure on precious metals. Thomas Ryan, an economist at Capital Economics, said, "The minutes reiterated that the door to a September rate hike remains very open."