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According to US financial media Semafor, the US government is about to announce that all 50 states will implement most-favored-nation pricing for certain drugs under the Medicaid program.

Royal Bank of Canada: It expects the Bank of England to raise interest rates by 25 basis points in November 2026.

The Hang Seng Index (HSI) closed up 146.49 points, or 0.6%, at 24,750.78 on Friday, September 18. The Hang Seng Tech Index closed up 94.76 points, or 2.2%, at 4,405.5 on Friday, September 18. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) closed up 50.04 points, or 0.61%, at 8,225.4 on Friday, September 18. The Hang Seng Red Chip Index (HSC) closed up 10.89 points, or 0.27%, at 4,051.74 on Friday, September 18.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde: We have not yet seen a second round of (inflation) effects.

UBS: The Bank of England is expected to raise interest rates by 25 basis points each in November 2026 and February 2027, compared with previous forecasts of rate cuts in February and April 2027.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde: We will decide on interest rates at each meeting.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde: The growth outlook is better than we expected.

Hong Kong stocks closed higher, with the Hang Seng Index rising 0.60% and the Hang Seng Tech Index rising 2.20%. Sectors such as chips, optical communications, robotics, and artificial intelligence led the gains. Lenovo Group (00992.HK) rose more than 9%, with its market capitalization exceeding HK$460 billion, a record high.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf recently posted the "Strait Taylor Equation" on the social media platform X, mocking the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike. He wrote, "Let's see if raising interest rates can open the SOH (Strait of Hormuz) or produce a barrel of oil." "You can't open a choke point with 25 basis points." "This is the SOH risk premium, and we set it." Hours after the post, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points as expected. "This is a brilliant political propaganda move by Iran," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG Group. "This country has at least demonstrated an impressive ability to sting its American adversaries by 2026." In March of this year, Ghalibaf repeatedly commented on market and energy prices on social media, mocking the Trump administration's attempts to influence the crude oil futures market, arguing that manipulation in the financial markets cannot truly get gas stations "actual fuel." Last month, Ghalibaf posted an image with the caption "Make America Hungry Again," a parody of Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, accompanied by data on food shortages and hunger in the United States. He stated, "You can't cover up failure with falsehoods." Negal Motawasi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington, said that Kalibaf was trying to convey that the Fed's interest rate hikes could not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, nor could they compensate for disrupted oil supplies. She pointed out that Kalibaf's revised "Taylor Rule" added the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to a formula that originally focused primarily on inflation and economic output. "He's using the Fed's own policy language to try to show that the economic costs of the war are partly dependent on maritime security, which is an area Iran can influence." Motawasi believes this is more about emphasizing Iran's economic leverage than seriously proposing a new method for setting interest rates. She also noted the timing of the release: Kalibaf released the chart around the time the Fed announced a 25-basis-point rate hike. He has previously released numerous articles on financial markets, one of his aims being to allow the American public to more intuitively understand the economic costs of war through prices, markets, and monetary policy.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals shares fell 27.5% in pre-market trading after the company paused recruitment of new patients for its antidepressant drug trial.

Intel (INTC.O) shares rose more than 3% in pre-market trading.

The European Central Bank's 3-year CPI forecast for the Eurozone in August is 2.9%, compared to a previous forecast of 2.80% and a previous reading of 2.70%.

The European Central Bank's 1-year CPI forecast for the Eurozone in August is 3%, down from the expected 3.10% and the previous reading of 2.90%.

The Eurozone's unadjusted current account balance for July was €36.5 billion, compared to €46.9 billion in the previous month.

U.S. S&P 500 E-MINI futures rose 0.35%, Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.63%, and Dow Jones futures rose 0.25%.

The statement shows that India's net direct tax revenue increased by 13% year-on-year to 12.1 trillion rupees from April 1 to September 17.

The Eurozone's July seasonally adjusted current account will be released in ten minutes.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda: However, exchange rates may fluctuate due to various temporary factors such as changes in interest rates.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda: The credibility of a nation's currency depends on whether the inflation rate is effectively controlled.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda: The Bank of Japan, the Federal Reserve, and the European Central Bank all seem to be responding to the same factors, such as inflationary pressures from the situation in the Middle East.