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US President Donald Trump has said he hopes to transform one of his golf courses in Florida into a presidential retreat, where his successor can spend peaceful weekends on the green. He described it as "a kind of Camp David" and noted that the site already has many of the security facilities needed to host presidents and world leaders.

[Japanese and South Korean Stocks Close Lower] The NI225 index closed down 993.60 points, or 1.42%, at 69,042.11 on Thursday, October 8. The South Korean KOSPI index closed down 159.63 points, or 2.35%, at 6,644.27 on Thursday, October 8. SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics both fell by approximately 2.4%.

When asked what accelerated the progress of the digital euro project, ECB Executive Board member Cipolo Nee stated that geopolitics undoubtedly played a role. Following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Europe has begun to focus more on strategic autonomy. Initially, the focus was on energy dependence, especially natural gas, but then we realized that similar vulnerabilities exist in other strategic areas. Without our own digital payment system, we are subject to other operators. Having Europe's own technology is no small matter. Achieving this requires inspection and testing, and we have been doing this for some time. We are developing an innovative platform that will enable markets to offer more advanced services based on the digital euro.

The French finance minister stated that investors still have demand for French government bonds.

ECB Executive Board member Cipolo Nee: Several important legislative discussions are currently underway in Brussels to develop the European-level legislation needed to launch the digital euro. The relevant legislative texts should be ready by the end of this year.

ECB Executive Board member Cipollone: ​​The pilot project (for the digital euro) was launched this summer, and the first test will begin next year, with the first payment taking place in less than 12 months.

ECB Executive Board member Cipollone: ​​With the digital euro, merchants will have a public payment alternative. For small merchants, the cost of accepting digital payments could be reduced by half.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi: We will strive to maintain the issuance of Japanese government bonds at around 40 trillion yen in fiscal year 2025.

British Foreign Secretary Miliband: After discussions with the Israeli government, our consulate building will not be closed.

ECB Executive Board member Cipollone (when asked if it's possible to see a digital euro in 2029): It's possible. It's not just a technical issue, and not everything is decided by the ECB.

British Foreign Office: We reiterate our position that East Jerusalem belongs to the occupied territories.

Israeli Foreign Minister: We have authorized the British government to continue its activities within the consulate building, but these activities are limited to seven diplomats. We agree to continue intergovernmental dialogue, during which both sides can raise important issues of concern.

Kyodo News: Japan plans to provide farmers with a 5.4% sales subsidy.

ECB Executive Board member Cipollone: ​​Over 80% of people support the single currency. People trust the euro, our common currency.

Israeli Foreign Minister: The British Consulate in Jerusalem ceased operations today.

ECB Executive Board member Cipollone: ​​Perhaps some people initially worried that the purpose of the digital euro was to replace cash, but that is not the case.

Germany's seasonally adjusted imports rose 0.9% month-on-month in August, below the expected 2.6% and the previous figure revised from -5.70% to -5.50%.

Germany's seasonally adjusted trade balance for August was €19.5 billion, below the expected €19 billion and the previous figure revised from €21.3 billion to €21.1 billion.

Germany's seasonally adjusted exports fell 0.8% month-on-month in August, compared with a forecast of 0.6% and a previous reading of -0.80%.

Germany's August seasonally adjusted trade balance will be released in ten minutes.