News edition
Issue 2026-10-09
8 stories
ASEAN puts cross-border power at the centre of its energy-security push
ASEAN’s new energy outlook links regional integration to fuel-supply risks. The 2030 renewable targets date to 2025, while a Philippine oil reserve remains a plan for end-2027.
BYD’s Stella Li puts geopolitics first among expansion challenges
Stella Li says policy visibility shapes BYD’s investments. Its pause on US passenger-car sales is for now; comments on hiring, industrial robots and Nvidia do not announce new deals.
China restates opposition to competitive devaluation as yuan policy enters Europe’s trade debate
The People’s Bank of China says it sets no exchange-rate target and plans additional IMF foreign-exchange reporting from 2027. Europe’s concerns over trade imbalances still require a broader policy discussion.
Flock Safety plans roughly 270 job cuts, Reuters reports, amid privacy debate
Sources told Reuters Flock plans departures affecting about 18% of staff by late October. The company has not confirmed the plan, and privacy opposition alone does not establish its cause.
Google announces Gemini work agent with cross-app execution and enterprise controls
Google’s October 8 announcement combines knowledge work, content creation and coding. Financial and legal capabilities remain in preview, with no comprehensive rollout timetable.
LG Energy Solution flags 25.7% profit growth, with credits and compensation in focus
Preliminary Q3 operating profit is KRW 756 billion. Production credits enter both revenue and profit, and excluding them does not establish recurring earnings. The figures remain unaudited.
Oil jumps as AI financing scrutiny weighs on US technology stocks
Brent rose 4.1% and the Nasdaq fell 1.3% on October 8. Large AI funding talks and differing OpenAI revenue measures drew attention, but financing remains proposed and the accounting difference does not establish a forecast miss.
US initial jobless claims fall to 197,000, but hiring needs a separate test
Initial US unemployment claims eased in the October 8 release while continuing claims rose. Different reference weeks and August hiring figures call for a careful reading of labor-market turnover.