Daily briefing
Compiled 07:00 HKT. Market figures are exchange closes from Alpha Vantage; each row carries the session it belongs to. Editorial sections are synthesised from English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese sources.
Russians voted in parliamentary elections in which no party opposing Putin or the war in Ukraine was permitted to stand. Euronews
Ireland's finance minister attributed the crisis to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz rather than the Ukraine conflict, as Macron convened a G7 meeting on energy. Euronews
A US-backed resolution to maintain oversight of sanctions on Iran was blocked at the Security Council. Euronews
The announcement lands amid warnings over Russian aggression and further hardens the European security picture. Euronews
Torrential rain forced school closures across Tunis, while thousands of migrants were moved to a new facility in Ceuta with police firing warning shots. Euronews
The housing ministry confirmed second-hand transactions reached 52% of total sales in the first eight months of 2026 — the structural shift away from new-build completions is now official policy language. 陆家嘴财经早餐
Both onshore and offshore rates strengthened past the level, with analysts framing the rest of 2026 as "first rise, then stable". 陆家嘴财经早餐
The city will build high-standard token factories for data-processing infrastructure, alongside new five-year pharma targets of 20%+ annual innovation-drug growth. 陆家嘴财经早餐
The former legislator, charged under the national security law, was detained while on bail pending trial. HKFP
Free HK Media founder Alan Keung was sentenced in connection with a publication; a former police officer separately received 10 months for seditious posts. HKFP
Development Secretary Bernadette Lin argued that conservation and infrastructure expansion can coexist on the island, as the reclamation debate continues. HKFP
Semiconductors led a firm US session. Broadcom added 2.97% and Micron 3.92%, the latter on volume around a third above its recent run rate and now roughly double its early-May level.
Crude is the standout of the board at $107.02, up 38.4% over 30 sessions — a genuine macro event that feeds inflation, complicates the rate path and pressures long-duration equities. Note this series reports on a lag.
The US 10-year eased 7bp to 4.94%, though it remains 25bp higher across the last 30 sessions. Gold firmed 1.63% to $4,354 while sitting 3.6% below where it traded a month ago.
Mainland equities rallied — the Shanghai Composite up 0.94% and Shenzhen up 1.72% on semiconductor and property strength, with turnover of 2.09 trillion yuan.
Crypto moved hardest: Bitcoin +5.93% and Ethereum +6.78%, both on volume close to twice their recent average.
| Name | Last | 1 day | Move | Volume | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equities & semis | |||||
| NVDANvidia | $222.27 | +1.34% | 1.6× avg | 09-18 | |
| AVGOBroadcom | $357.61 | +2.97% | 1.8× avg | 09-18 | |
| MSFTMicrosoft | $493.78 | -0.80% | 1.8× avg | 09-18 | |
| PLTRPalantir | $177.64 | +0.79% | 1.2× avg | 09-18 | |
| TSMTSMC | $434.67 | +1.02% | 1.3× avg | 09-18 | |
| MUMicron | $1,016 | +3.92% | 1.3× avg | 09-18 | |
| XYZBlock | $76.28 | -0.25% | 1.5× avg | 09-18 | |
| SOFISoFi | $16.96 | +1.37% | 1.1× avg | 09-18 | |
| Crypto | |||||
| BTCBitcoin | $80,875 | +5.93% | 1.7× avg | 09-18 | |
| ETHEthereum | $2,611 | +6.78% | 1.9× avg | 09-18 | |
| Commodities & rates | |||||
| XAUGold spot | $4,354 | +1.63% | — | 09-18 | |
| WTICrude oil (WTI) | $107.02 | +4.49% | — | 09-15 | |
| US10YUS 10-year yield | 4.94% | -7 bp | — | 09-17 | |
Up from under 1% in February, with more than 90% of tasks at collaboration level or higher — a concrete datapoint on AI self-improvement rather than a projection. buildfastwithai
The body would test powerful systems before release — the first serious industry-led pre-deployment regime. buildfastwithai
Modular AI data-centre manufacturing, and another signal that the constraint has moved from chips to the buildings and power around them. buildfastwithai
Large data centres would pay the full cost of grid upgrades — a direct hit to the economics of the power build-out. buildfastwithai
Applied Materials pledged $5bn alongside it; separately Z.ai says GLM-5.3-Flash now runs on 100,000+ Chinese accelerators at per-token costs comparable to Nvidia. buildfastwithai