Participants discuss at the Inno-SME Pavilion at the 2025 Pujiang Innovation Forum, in East China’s Shanghai, Sept 21, 2025. (PHOTO / XINHUA) BEIJING – Loans to China’s technology small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) grew at an average annual rate of over 20 percent during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), central bank governor Pan Gongsheng…
SCOTT BESSENT, America’s treasury secretary, recently deployed a metaphor to describe the state of play in the Russo-Ukrainian war. “We are in a race,” he said. “How long can the Ukrainian military hold up versus how long can the Russian economy hold up.” Tougher Western sanctions, including tariffs on countries buying oil from Russia, would…
Electric Vehicle Finance Market Size and Share Forecast Outlook 2025 to 2035 The electric vehicle finance market, valued at USD 89.0 billion in 2025 and forecasted to reach USD 1,419.1 billion by 2035 at a CAGR of 31.9%, demonstrates exponential scaling driven by rising electric vehicle adoption and supportive credit ecosystems. The cost structure of…
CHINA’S central bank has dusted off a liquidity instrument it last used eight months ago, part of a move to flood the banking system with cash before the Golden Week public holiday. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on Monday (Sep 22) pumped almost 300 billion yuan (S$54 billion) of cash into the banking system…
12 September 2025 On Tuesday, not only did we receive reports of yet another Russian attack on Ukraine, but also of an egregious violation of Polish and NATO airspace by Russian drones. This was not the first time Russian drones have violated Polish airspace, but this latest incident was unprecedented in scale. Around 20 drones…
Companies in Hong Kong moved swiftly on Monday to take advantage of a new Swap Connect rule that lets them hedge using China’s onshore loan prime rate (LPR), as demand rises to manage yuan interest-rate risks. The measure, which was introduced by mainland China and Hong Kong regulators in May and went live on Monday,…
Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s reunion, involving a friendly handshake and a brief chat, at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service has sparked hopes of a reconciliation after their public fallout earlier this year. Trump was seen shaking hands with Musk and talking to him as they sat in a stadium in Glendale, Arizona. From left, Dana…
US stock futures edged lower on Monday as traders caught their breath following a milestone week that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) and S&P 500 (^GSPC) notch fresh all-time highs. Futures on the Dow (YM=F), the S&P 500 (ES=F), and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) were all about 0.3% lower. The slight pullback…
Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida, the couple behind the LVMH Prize-winning Marques’Almeida, were in the mood for something lighter than their signature distressed denim for spring 2026. They devoted a big proportion of their collection to pastel, flowy dresses, some layered and adorned with watercolor floral prints, a response to what feels like a potentially…
The Shanghai Composite rose 0.22% to 3,829, while the Shenzhen Component gained 0.67% to 13,158 on Monday, as mainland stocks ended a two-day decline amid signs of progress in US-China talks. US President Donald Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping made headway on a TikTok agreement and plan to meet face-to-face in six…