News

German Chancellor Merz: The wave of protectionism is disrupting global trade.

UK Maritime Trade Operations Office: All crew members are reportedly safe.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office reports that a tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile and caught fire, which has been extinguished.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office has received a report of an incident in the waters near Bukha, Oman.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, sources revealed that the Bank of Japan will decide at its policy meeting next week whether the current inflation rate has reached its 2% target level.

Nebius (NBIS.O) rose 4.3% in pre-market trading, while Coreweave (CRWV.O) rose 3%.

Investment research and consulting firm HFI Research points out that, based on the traffic data they've observed, the US appears to be slightly adjusting its strategy regarding passage through the Oman shipping lanes. They are no longer pursuing a continuous, stable daily flow of traffic, as this would consume significant resources. Instead, the US military has begun escorting oil tankers in and out of the lanes in batches. This approach may be effective initially, but once Iran figures out this strategy, it could make the operation more dangerous.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSI) closed down 215.87 points, or 0.9%, at 23,651.87 on Wednesday, October 21. The Hang Seng Tech Index closed down 51.14 points, or 1.26%, at 3,994.77 on Wednesday, October 21. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) closed down 86.85 points, or 1.08%, at 7,943.41 on Wednesday, October 21. The Hang Seng Red Chip Index (HSC) closed down 51.59 points, or 1.29%, at 3,939.86 on Wednesday, October 21.

Goldman Sachs points out that the recent weakness in US transportation stocks may be related to market concerns that high energy prices will ultimately weaken consumer resilience. However, as of the report's release, the bank's channel research has not yet shown this impact taking place. The bank believes that trucking supply remains constrained, demand remains stable, and the US manufacturing PMI above 50 continues to support the sector. Recent Fed rate hikes and the possibility of further rate hikes may also suppress related stock prices. However, Goldman Sachs believes that if rate hikes are limited to one or two times, they will not change the underlying recovery prospects of the transportation industry. (Goldman Sachs US Transportation Industry Tracking Report, October 19)

Netflix (NFLX.O) shares fell 6.1% in pre-market trading after the company lowered its fourth-quarter profit forecast and its full-year advertising revenue forecast.

Tesla (TSLA.O) shares rose 1.8% in pre-market trading.

Supermicro (SMCI.O) shares rose 16% in pre-market trading after the company projected first-quarter revenue that would exceed expectations.

SpaceX (SPCX.O) shares rose 9.2% in pre-market trading after the company released its earnings report, with Musk calling a merger with Tesla "a good idea."

U.S. S&P 500 E-MINI futures rose 0.3%, Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.8%, and Dow futures were flat.

Governor of Leningrad Oblast, Russia: Three drones were shot down.

According to Hungarian media outlet Telex, former Governor of the Central Bank of Hungary, Gyorgy Matolcsy, has been detained.

LSEG data shows that Germany's base-load electricity price fell by 28.88% the following day to €153.05 per megawatt-hour.

Norwegian gas transportation management company Gassco: The planned gas supply disruption from October 22nd to 23rd has been increased from 7.6 million cubic meters to 13.6 million cubic meters.

The UK Energy Secretary reiterated that the UK will not issue new drilling licenses in the North Sea.

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama: We will accelerate the virtuous cycle of investment and wage growth.