Real-time News

According to US financial media Semafor, a bipartisan funding bill may be passed this week.

On July 28th, the Ministry of Finance released national lottery sales figures for June 2026. In June, national lottery sales totaled 75.978 billion yuan, an increase of 21.496 billion yuan, or 39.5%, year-on-year. This increase was mainly driven by the surge in sports betting sales during the FIFA World Cup. Specifically, welfare lottery sales reached 16.757 billion yuan, a decrease of 1.373 billion yuan, or 7.6%, year-on-year; while sports lottery sales reached 59.221 billion yuan, an increase of 22.869 billion yuan, or 62.9%, year-on-year. From January to June, national lottery sales totaled 326.874 billion yuan, an increase of 9.02 billion yuan, or 2.8%, year-on-year. Welfare lottery sales reached 100.089 billion yuan, a decrease of 7.021 billion yuan, or 6.6%, year-on-year; while sports lottery sales reached 226.785 billion yuan, an increase of 16.041 billion yuan, or 7.6%, year-on-year.

According to Japanese media: A factory chimney collapsed in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Libya's National Oil Corporation: Protesters' incursion has brought operations to a standstill, disrupting natural gas production and supply.

According to Israeli media, an Israeli minister stated that Israel does indeed want to attack Iranian energy targets, but the United States has not yet authorized such an attack.

Libya's National Oil Corporation: The number of generator units shut down has increased due to natural gas and fuel shortages.

July 28th - As oil prices fell, investors lowered their expectations for a Bank of England interest rate hike in the coming months. With negotiations aimed at resolving the Middle East conflict resuming, data from the London Stock Exchange Group shows that the market now reflects an expectation of a total 35 basis point increase in the UK benchmark interest rate by 2026, down 12 basis points from the expectation reflected last week.

July 28th - According to statistics from the People's Bank of China, at the end of the second quarter of 2026, the outstanding balance of inclusive micro and small enterprise loans in RMB reached 38.52 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.3%, 3.1 percentage points higher than the growth rate of all loans, with an increase of 1.95 trillion yuan in the first half of the year. The outstanding balance of operating loans to farmers with single-household credit lines of less than 5 million yuan reached 10.21 trillion yuan, an increase of 399.8 billion yuan in the first half of the year. The outstanding balance of student loans reached 350.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 31.1%.

On July 28, the People's Bank of China reported that, at the end of the second quarter of 2026, the outstanding balance of medium- and long-term loans in local and foreign currencies to the industrial sector was RMB 27.81 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 5.9%, 0.8 percentage points higher than the growth rate of all loans, with an increase of RMB 1.21 trillion in the first half of the year. Specifically, the outstanding balance of medium- and long-term loans to heavy industry was RMB 23.45 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%; and the outstanding balance of medium- and long-term loans to light industry was RMB 4.36 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 11.3%. At the end of the second quarter of 2026, the outstanding balance of medium- and long-term loans in local and foreign currencies to the service sector was RMB 76.22 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%, 1.3 percentage points higher than the growth rate of all loans, with an increase of RMB 3.33 trillion in the first half of the year. Excluding the real estate sector, the outstanding balance of medium- and long-term loans to the service sector increased by 9.2% year-on-year; while the outstanding balance of medium- and long-term loans to the real estate sector decreased by 4.2% year-on-year. At the end of the second quarter of 2026, the outstanding balance of medium- and long-term loans in local and foreign currencies to infrastructure-related industries was RMB 45.19 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 4.8%, with an increase of RMB 1.53 trillion in the first half of the year.

According to NHK, a freight train derailed after an earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.

According to NHK, Japan's Kyushu Railway Company has suspended all services in the Kyushu region, and Kumamoto Airport has also stopped taking off and landing.

July 28 - The Japan Meteorological Agency held a press conference on the evening of the 28th local time, reminding people in the earthquake-affected areas to be alert for earthquakes with a maximum intensity of 7 in the coming days, especially in the next two to three days.

According to Japanese media: Minamishimabara City in Nagasaki Prefecture has issued a citywide evacuation order, and Kumamoto City has opened an evacuation center.

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Fire and Disaster Management Agency: There are currently no reports of damage to critical facilities.

Japan Meteorological Agency: The tsunami warning will be lifted soon.

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, on July 28, with a maximum intensity of 7. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the coast near the epicenter, predicting maximum waves of up to 1 meter. The agency said the earthquake occurred at approximately 4:27 PM local time (3:27 PM Beijing time), with its epicenter located at 32.6 degrees north latitude and 130.7 degrees east longitude, at a depth of about 10 kilometers. Several aftershocks of around magnitude 4 followed the initial 7.1 magnitude earthquake within 20 minutes. Television footage showed strong tremors in Kumamoto Prefecture. According to a Xinhua News Agency report from Seoul, the earthquake was also felt in Busan, South Korea, with some residents taking emergency evacuation measures.

Fitch: Affirmed Taiwan's rating at "AA"; outlook is stable.

Nissan Motor: Production is proceeding normally as planned, and there are no reports of casualties.