News

ASUS showcased a PC featuring PROART technology powered by NVIDIA RTX SPARK at IFA 2026 in Berlin, Germany.

According to Iran's Mehr News Agency, a US airstrike on Ravan Island in Iran has killed three members of the Bass Benchmark military organization.

Russian Economy Minister: Russia has revised its 2026 GDP growth forecast upward to 0.6% from the previous 0.4%.

Traders said India’s edible oil imports rose 4% month-on-month in August to 1.54 million metric tons, a new high in 11 months.

Traders said India’s sunflower oil imports fell 38% month-on-month in August to 157,000 metric tons, the lowest level in six months.

Traders said India’s soybean oil imports surged 21% month-on-month in August to a record 601,000 metric tons.

Traders said India’s palm oil imports rose 7% month-on-month in August to 780,000 metric tons, a six-month high.

Ukraine's state-owned energy company: Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack last night on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the Odessa region.

Volkswagen shares fell 1.6%, with local traders noting that the stock is on the verge of being removed from the Euro Stoxx 50 index.

An IRNA economic reporter interviewed Iranian officials regarding the US's alleged economic blockade of Iran. The chairman of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce's Customs Committee emphasized that sanctions and economic blockades cannot completely halt the country's foreign trade. Given Iran's geographical location, geopolitical capabilities, and numerous neighbors, Iran has multiple avenues to continue trade. The official added, "In addition to existing regional trade capabilities, Iran is also working to eliminate domestic trade barriers to reduce the difficulties faced by businesspeople and economic activists." Regarding Iran's foreign trade situation, he stated, "Iran is exploring various avenues in foreign trade, aiming to ensure that Iranian trade does not stagnate even under increasing sanctions pressure." Regarding trade agreements Iran has joined, he said, "Agreements such as the Eurasian Economic Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are important forces for Iran's development of trade relations, and these agreements are being implemented and followed up." He pointed out, "Bilateral and regional monetary agreements and financial agreements signed with neighboring countries play a key role in promoting smooth foreign trade, reducing dependence on intermediate currencies, and facilitating liquidity, which helps develop Iran's non-oil exports."

ECB Governing Council member Nagel: Germany's GDP growth this year is around 1%.

French Foreign Minister: France has summoned officials from the Russian Embassy in Paris regarding the attempted drone attack in Leipzig.

According to the Financial Times, investors are reassessing the impact of French political risks on the bond market, with France set to announce its budget in October and hold presidential elections next spring. France's fiscal situation is not a new problem. Since the birth of the euro, French public finances have been precarious almost every year. It has exceeded the EU's deficit limits more than 20 times, and its debt-to-GDP ratio has consistently exceeded the limit since 2003. French bond yields are now similar to those during the 2009-2012 eurozone sovereign debt crisis. However, yields in other countries are roughly similar. A bigger problem lies in interest rate spreads. The yield on French 10-year OAT bonds is about 0.87 percentage points higher than that on German bonds, and about 0.4 percentage points higher than the average since former ECB President Draghi announced in 2012 that he would "do whatever it takes" to save the euro. France came closest to a debt crisis in the 21st century around 2011, when its interest rate spread with Germany reached 1.89 percentage points. France weathered the storm, but this was less due to fiscal reforms and more because it acted as a middle child, its problems overlooked while the bond market was busy tending to the "weaker" children. The biggest difference then compared to now lies in the implicit support from the European Central Bank. Draghi made it clear that the monetary union was a political project European leaders were committed to maintaining, regardless of economic shortcomings. The option of bond purchases lent credibility to that commitment. If French yield spreads continue to widen, we may see the availability of the ECB's Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) and Outright Bond Purchase (OMT) tools. One source of vulnerability in the French bond market is its investor base. Over 60% of French debt is held by foreign investors, compared to about one-third in Italy. These investors are more likely to "vote with their feet." Larissa de Barros Fritz of ABN AMRO estimates that about 35% of French bondholders are price-sensitive, meaning that pressure on French bonds doesn't require a massive sell-off; even a slight decrease in marginal buyer demand could put upward pressure on yields.

The German DAX 30 index opened down 71.07 points, or 0.27%, at 25887.24 on Wednesday, September 2nd; the UK FTSE 100 index opened down 12.70 points, or 0.12%, at 10776.58 on Wednesday, September 2nd; and the FCHI index opened down 6.48 points, or 0.08%, at 8295.37 on Wednesday, September 2nd. The Euro Stoxx 50 index opened down 7.23 points, or 0.11%, at 6361.75 on Wednesday, September 2nd; the Spanish IBEX 35 index opened up 3.11 points, or 0.02%, at 19818.61 on Wednesday, September 2nd; and the Italian FTSE MIB index opened down 39.68 points, or 0.08%, at 51875.50 on Wednesday, September 2nd.

Spain's unemployment figures changed by 44,400 in August, compared to 19,500 in the previous month.

Spain's unemployment rate rose 1.92% month-on-month in August, compared with 0.85% in the previous month.

French Foreign Minister Barro: Calls on the EU to send a mission to support the Palestinian elections.

HSBC: The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to raise interest rates in September and in the fourth quarter, with the cash rate reaching 4.85%.

France's July government budget was -€145.91 billion, compared to -€106.77 billion in the previous month.

Japanese money broker Tokyo Tanshin: The probability of a Bank of Japan rate hike in September has risen to 97%.