Real-time News

January 31st - Analysts suggest that Friday's gold price plunge may have been accelerated by a so-called "gamma squeeze." This occurs when prices break through a significant number of option open interest levels. Traders holding short option positions need to buy more futures (or gold ETF shares) to balance their portfolios, and then sell when prices fall back below these levels. For the SPDR Gold ETF, a large number of options with strike prices at $465 and $455 expired on Friday, while CME Group's March and April options also had significant open interest concentrated at $5300, $5200, and $5100.

On January 31st, OCBC strategist Christopher Wong stated that gold's price action "confirms the adage 'a sharp rise is inevitably followed by a sharp fall.'" He believes that while Warsh's nomination as Fed Chair was the trigger, a correction was already inevitable. "It's like one of the excuses the market has been waiting for—to liquidate those parabolic price movements." Precious metals had already paved the way for sharp fluctuations, as soaring prices and volatility put pressure on traders' risk models and balance sheets. Goldman Sachs noted in a report that the record wave of call option buying also "mechanically reinforced the upward momentum," as sellers of these options hedged against rising prices by buying more metal.

On January 31, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko stated that the best guarantee for Ukraine's security is a concrete guarantee of Russia's security, a guarantee that no one in the West has offered. He emphasized, "If we believe that Ukrainian territory will not be used as a bridgehead threatening Russia's security, then Ukraine's security will also be guaranteed." The Russian Foreign Ministry previously stated that any scenario involving NATO member states deploying troops in Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable to Russia and could lead to a sharp escalation of the situation. The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that statements from Britain and other European countries regarding the possible deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine are incitement to continue the conflict.

January 31st - According to Yahoo Finance, Kevin Warsh, President Trump's nominee for Federal Reserve Chairman, appeared in newly released Epstein case documents released by the US government on Friday. The documents show that Warsh's name was listed in the email guest list for the "2010 St. Barths Christmas" event, alongside figures such as Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich; he also attended a dinner hosted by British aristocrat William Astor. This revelation occurred on the same day Warsh was nominated for Fed chairman. His main controversy previously stemmed from his relationship with Republican donor Ronald Lauder, who was accused of influencing Trump's interest in Greenland during his first term and holding business interests there. Warsh may now need to address his relationship with Epstein and his 2010 Christmas trip, and there is also speculation that Trump's nomination is related to their shared social circle.

January 31 – With the House of Representatives in recess and unable to consider the appropriations bill, the U.S. federal government entered a technical, partial shutdown at midnight local time on January 31. Analysts point out that although the shutdown is expected to be short-lived, it once again highlights the structural predicament of U.S. fiscal politics. In recent years, temporary funding, short-term extensions, and marginal shutdowns have become the norm in congressional budget battles, with government operations frequently hampered by political disagreements. Currently, the market generally believes that the direct impact of this technical shutdown on financial markets and economic operations is limited, but if subsequent congressional negotiations are again stalled, the risk of a prolonged shutdown and a wider impact cannot be ruled out.

January 31st - According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded to US President Trump's remarks on Sino-British cooperation in Shanghai on the 30th, stating that ignoring China would be "unwise." "It would be unwise to simply say 'we should ignore it.' You know, French President Macron has already visited (China) and had exchanges, and German Chancellor Merz is also coming to exchange views," Starmer said. "It would not be in our national interest for Britain to be the only country refusing to engage (with China)." Starmer added, "In the past 24 hours, the opening of market access has been warmly welcomed by the business community. They have reported a change in the atmosphere and a significant increase in willingness to cooperate. This is good for our economy."

On January 31st, China Merchants Securities, in its latest research report, also pointed out that its team recently surveyed liquor distribution channels in Henan, Anhui, Sichuan, and other regions. Overall demand is still declining (double-digit decline), but this is in line with previous expectations. Looking at different scenarios, business banquets are mainly small-scale events, mid-to-high-end dining remains sluggish, and gift-giving demand has partially rebounded. There is a clear differentiation among brands, with Moutai showing excellent sales performance due to pre-emptive stockpiling for the Spring Festival, while other brands are under pressure.

On January 31, Michal Baltek, Vice Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Slovak Parliament, stated in an interview with a reporter from China Central Television that the dispute surrounding Greenland is no longer merely a territorial or security issue, but reflects deep-seated challenges to US-EU relations, European strategic autonomy, and the international rules-based system. Baltek also stated that the US's use of trade tools to exert political pressure not only violates the spirit of international law but also undermines the rules-based international trading system.

On January 31st, according to a Weibo post by Lei Jun, Chairman of Xiaomi Group, he will be hosting a live stream at 8 PM on February 1st at the Xiaomi Auto factory laboratory in Beijing, giving viewers a tour of some of the labs. This will be an educational live stream to help viewers understand the development process of the new generation SU7 and to casually discuss some recent hot topics related to Xiaomi Auto, such as the GT7 and resale value.

Algeria's Remote Sensing Satellite-3B was successfully launched.

January 31st - According to the Dongguan Statistics WeChat official account, based on the unified accounting results of Guangdong Province's regional GDP, Dongguan's GDP in 2025 reached 1,276.02 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.0% at constant prices. Specifically, the added value of the primary industry was 3.69 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.5%; the added value of the secondary industry was 716.544 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%; and the added value of the tertiary industry was 555.787 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%.

On January 31st, a research report from CITIC Securities pointed out that the Trump administration's domestic and foreign policies are expected to profoundly impact global markets this year. CITIC Securities believes that one of the Trump administration's core objectives is to push down long-term interest rates through personnel changes at the Federal Reserve and a series of initiatives to boost the traditional economy and support the midterm elections. Success would be beneficial for global stock markets and commodities. However, its foreign policy focuses on domestic affairs and voter demands, and may only have a short-term impact on major asset classes. The extent of the fiscal deficit expansion remains uncertain, which is beneficial for gold and non-ferrous metals. The midterm election results are crucial; although Trump has tried his best to gain an advantage, a Republican defeat would be a short-term negative for risk assets other than US Treasuries.

On January 31, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) held a video conference on January 30 to deploy the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush work. The meeting focused on studying and implementing the important instructions and directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping on Spring Festival travel rush and work safety, and mobilized and deployed the 2026 civil aviation Spring Festival travel rush work. CAAC Deputy Director Ma Bing attended the meeting and delivered a speech. The meeting emphasized the need to solidify work responsibilities and go all out to ensure the success of all aspects of the Spring Festival travel rush work. It stressed implementing all safety requirements for the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, as well as winter operations, focusing on key safety aspects, strengthening the investigation and rectification of hidden dangers and supervision and inspection, and ensuring aviation safety; providing special Spring Festival services, strengthening support for key groups, handling irregular flights properly, standardizing market prices, and optimizing the passenger travel experience; strengthening market dynamic monitoring and optimizing Spring Festival flight arrangements; ensuring sufficient and capable on-duty personnel, properly handling emergencies, and providing care and support for frontline staff.

U.S. Border Affairs Director Homan: My message is consistent with the position that has been in place since President Trump took office on January 20: we will conduct large-scale deportations, but will prioritize arresting criminals and those who threaten public safety.

January 31 – According to a report in the New York Times, documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday show that billionaire businessman Howard Lutnick, who served as Commerce Secretary in the Trump administration, planned to visit Jeffrey Epstein's private island. This planned visit took place in 2012 – a time when Lutnick had previously claimed to have severed ties with Epstein. Records show that in December 2012, Lutnick emailed Epstein to inquire about his location, stating that he, his family, and another family were in the Caribbean and asking if he could join them for a meal. Epstein replied through an assistant with his location on Little St. James Island, near the coast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the two sides finalized the arrangements for a luncheon. The documents confirm that the visit did take place: the meeting was scheduled for December 23, 2012, and the following day, Epstein's assistant forwarded Lutnick a message from Epstein that read, "It's a pleasure to see you." In recent years, the visits of prominent figures closely associated with Epstein to the island have been subject to public scrutiny, but Lutnick's planned itinerary for this trip had not been disclosed before.