10 h. ago Top analyst says China is playing a 'key role' in the price of gold going through the roof, and he's got the data to prove it

Top analyst says China is playing a 'key role' in the price of gold going through the roof, and he's got the data to prove it  Fortune

Politics

12 h. ago Can J.D. Vance’s visit to Israel cement Gaza’s fragile ceasefire?

US Vice-President J.D. Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to shore up the fragile US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza that has teetered over the past few days following a burst of deadly violence and questions over how to move forward with the plan for cementing a long-term peace. Also on Tuesday, Israel said it has identified the body of a hostage that was released by Palestinian militants overnight, while the chief Hamas negotiator said the group remains determined to implement the ceasefire...

Politics

13 h. ago From pledges to policy: Indonesia’s Prabowo marks 1 year in office

As Prabowo Subianto marks his first year as Indonesia’s president, the former general is grappling with the challenge of turning his populist campaign promises into lasting policy. While early initiatives such as free meals for children have drawn praise, concerns over civil liberties, economic sluggishness and foreign policy decisions threaten to overshadow his administration’s achievements. Prabowo, who was sworn in on October 20 last year, campaigned on a platform of ambitious social...

Events

15 h. ago Apple’s iPhone and beauty products lead the charge in record

Alibaba Group Holding kicked off direct sales for its annual Singles’ Day shopping festival on Monday, with initial figures surpassing last year’s performance – a sign of strengthening domestic consumption during China’s biggest online retail event. Since direct sales began on Taobao and Tmall at 8pm on Monday, 80 brands had exceeded 100 million yuan (US$13.8 million) in sales within the first hour, while more than 30,000 brands doubled their takings from a year earlier, according to data...

Politics

15 h. ago Hong Kong an aviation hub for Greater Bay Area, beyond: Airport Authority chief

The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is poised to serve as a major infrastructure for the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and markets beyond, as a fresh surge of Chinese companies moves to expand globally over the next decade, according to the head of the city’s Airport Authority. “We mustn’t see the HKIA just as an airport for Hong Kong,” said Fred Lam Tin-fuk, Airport Authority chairman, in a speech at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Business Summit 2025 on Tuesday. “We very much see it as a...

Politics

16 h. ago Major foreign banks raise China’s GDP forecast, annual target seen as ‘on track’

Several major banks forecast stronger economic growth for China this year, buoyed by third-quarter data showing slightly better-than-expected expansion despite domestic and external headwinds. Investment bank Goldman Sachs raised its full-year gross domestic product forecast for 2025 from 4.8 per cent to 4.9 per cent, noting that the government’s target of “around 5 per cent” remains “largely on track”. The bank also revised its estimate for 2026, up slightly from 4.2 per cent to 4.3 per cent,...

Events

16 h. ago Overseas banks raise China GDP forecasts, say Beijing ‘on track’ for 2025 target

Several major banks forecast stronger economic growth for China this year, buoyed by third-quarter data showing slightly better-than-expected expansion despite domestic and external headwinds. Investment bank Goldman Sachs raised its full-year gross domestic product forecast for 2025 from 4.8 per cent to 4.9 per cent, noting that the government’s target of “around 5 per cent” remains “largely on track”. The bank also revised its estimate for 2026, up slightly from 4.2 per cent to 4.3 per cent,...

Events

22 h. ago Chinese coastguard patrols reefs controlled by Vietnam in South China Sea

The Chinese coastguard patrolled around disputed sites controlled by Vietnam in the South China Sea last week, vessel tracking information shows. Three patrol ships left a Chinese base on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands on Thursday and circled around a series of land features – some of which Vietnam has built facilities on – before returning to the reef on Saturday, according to Automatic Identification System data. The purpose of the patrol by the coastguard vessels – identified by the...

Politics

26 h. ago China AI plan offers hope for robot companions and kids by 2035

When the Chinese government launched the “AI+” initiative in August, it was widely perceived as a new economic stimulus. However, observers may have underestimated Beijing’s true ambition. On October 10, senior officials and experts published a series of analyses in the official journal E-Government, offering the public its first comprehensive look at the initiative’s deeper strategic intent. Far from being merely an economic policy, “AI+” is a decade-long national blueprint designed to propel...

Politics

28 h. ago Weekly Grain Movement: Soybeans surge despite China’s absence

Weekly Grain Movement: Soybeans surge despite China’s absence  Farm Progress

Politics

35 h. ago China’s soybean imports surge as orders to US hit zero and American farmers fret

China imported no soybeans from the United States in September, but total imports remained at high levels amid a recent escalation in the US-China trade war, the latest Chinese customs data showed. Last month, the world’s largest food buyer purchased 12.8 million tonnes of soybeans – a crop heavily reliant on imports for its livestock industry – with a notable surge from Argentina during a brief suspension of export taxes, according to the detailed customs data released on Monday. The absence of...

Events

36 h. ago ‘Act of defiance’: China’s crude oil imports from Russia rise despite US pressure

Russia remained China’s top crude oil supplier in September, at a time when the United States is stepping up pressure on major economies to curb their reliance on energy from the Eurasian country. Imports from Russia rose 4.3 per cent in volume from August to 8.29 million tonnes in September, accounting for 17.5 per cent of China’s total crude imports, customs data showed – a sign of Beijing’s willingness to maintain trade links with Moscow despite geopolitical frictions. Chinese purchases of US...

Events

38 h. ago China posts lacklustre Q3 economic data as key Beijing conclave starts

China posts lacklustre Q3 economic data as key Beijing conclave starts  KTEN

Economics

39 h. ago Hong Kong’s social work, construction sectors hit as jobless rate rises to 3.9%

Hong Kong’s jobless rate rose to 3.9 per cent between July and September, with higher unemployment in social work and construction, authorities said. Preliminary data released by the Census and Statistics Department on Monday showed the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points over the preceding three-month period. This marks the highest rate since the three-month period between July and September 2022, when it was 4 per cent. Unemployment in the food and beverage sector remained...

Society

40 h. ago China Has An Underwater Data Center. The US Will Build Them In Space

China Has An Underwater Data Center. The US Will Build Them In Space  Forbes

Politics

41 h. ago China’s Akeso gets share boost as data shows cancer drug’s benefits

Shares of Chinese drug firm Akeso – likened by some Western media outlets to artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek – rose after the company unveiled clinical-trial data showing that its lung-cancer drug outperformed a highly effective existing treatment. The data showed that ivonescimab had “a decisive and strong positive outcome with both significant and clinically meaningful benefits”, Akeso said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday. The drug, used along with...

Events

42 h. ago Malaysia’s cheap petrol fuels ‘shadow economy bonus’ for smugglers

Malaysia has raised the alarm over potential misuse of subsidised petrol in its states bordering Thailand, with data showing some motorists rapidly exhausting their monthly quotas and raising suspicions that a new fuel aid scheme is being exploited to feed smuggling networks. Under the Budi95 scheme that was rolled out nationwide on September 27, eligible Malaysians pay 1.99 ringgit (42 US cents) per litre for RON95 petrol instead of the unsubsidised 2.60 ringgit. The subsided amount of fuel is...

Politics

42 h. ago Apple’s new iPhone 17 outsells previous generation by 14% in US, China

Apple’s latest generation of iPhones is off to a faster start than usual, with its most basic model surging in popularity in the US and China. The iPhone 17 series outsold the iPhone 16 range by 14 per cent over their respective first 10 days on sale in the US and China, according to Counterpoint Research. The data, giving the first quantified indication of consumer response in Apple’s top two markets, shows the standard iPhone 17 is in much higher demand than the corresponding US$799 model last...

Politics

42 h. ago Asia stocks rise on China data, trade talks; Nikkei hits record highs on Takaichi bet

Asia stocks rise on China data, trade talks; Nikkei hits record highs on Takaichi bet  Seeking Alpha

Events

42 h. ago Forvia Q3 revenue steady at €6.1 bln; China drag offsets Electronics surge

Forvia Q3 revenue steady at €6.1 bln; China drag offsets Electronics surge  Investing.com

Politics