Markets — 747 insights
Gold rebounds after Fed rate rise as banks back long-term demand outlook
Markets

Gold rebounds after Fed rate rise as banks back long-term demand outlook

Gold prices bounced back after the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate increase, as analysts and investment banks maintained a positive long-term outlook for the metal, citing structural challenges facing the world’s largest economy. Spot gold traded at US$4,288 an ounce on Thursday morning in Asia, after diving as much as 2.7 per cent to US$4,234 at 3am in Hong Kong on Thursday. The US central bank announced a widely expected 0.25 percentage-point rate rise early on Thursday, its first in three...

US rate increase should only have short-term impact on Hong Kong stocks: CICC
Markets

US rate increase should only have short-term impact on Hong Kong stocks: CICC

Rise in US interest rates could put pressure on Hong Kong stocks, but the impact is likely to be short-lived, investment bank says Hong Kong stocks could face greater volatility from renewed US monetary tightening, but the impact should be short-lived unless the Federal Reserve embarks on a sustained rate-increase cycle, according to China International Capital Corporation (CICC). “When fundamentals can outweigh [the impact of higher rates], it is not a major factor,” Liu said at a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

HKMA raises base rate by a quarter point to 4.25%, the first increase since 2023
Markets

HKMA raises base rate by a quarter point to 4.25%, the first increase since 2023

The HKMA and US Federal Reserve lift key interest rates amid high inflation spurred by the Middle East conflict Hong Kong’s de facto central bank increased its base rate by a quarter of a percentage point on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve raised its target range for the federal funds rate to tackle inflation amid conflict in the Middle East. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) raised the city’s base rate to 4.25 per cent, hours after the Fed lifted the target range to between 3.75 per cent and 4 per cent after the sixth meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) this year. The moves marked the first rate rises by the Fed and the HKMA since July 2023, when they also increased rates by a quarter of a percentage point. “The plain fact is that inflation is too high and has been for too long,” said Kevin Warsh at a news briefing after presiding over his third FOMC meeting as Fed chairman.

Prometheum Capital, HashKey Digital Asset Group, and Velocity Capital Sign Binding MOU to Internationalize Tokenized U.S. Equities
Markets

Prometheum Capital, HashKey Digital Asset Group, and Velocity Capital Sign Binding MOU to Internationalize Tokenized U.S. Equities

Agreement establishes a pathway built on SEC-registered broker-dealer infrastructure to distribute U.S. equities to eligible international investors through HashKey's licensed exchange network [The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] NEW YORK – SEPT. 16, 2026 – Prometheum Inc. (“Prometheum”), a market infrastructure provider for crypto assets, today announced that its subsidiary Prometheum Capital LLC (“Prometheum Capital”), an SEC-registered, FINRA member crypto asset custodian and clearing broker-dealer, has signed a binding memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) with HashKey Digital Asset Group Limited (“HashKey”) and Velocity Capital, LLC (“Velocity”), an SEC-registered, FINRA member broker-dealer authorized for traditional securities clearing and execution, to internationalize tokenized U.S. equities. HashKey will serve as the international distributor through its eligible licensed exchanges in multiple jurisdictions. Prometheum Capital and Velocity Capital will collectively provide the traditional securities and crypto asset custodial, execution, and clearing solutions to HashKey. “U.S.

China’s AI chip stocks face crucial test as MetaX lock-up period expires
Markets

China’s AI chip stocks face crucial test as MetaX lock-up period expires

The Chinese AI chip firm enjoyed a blockbuster market debut in December, but its stock is now under pressure ahead of a major share release China is bracing for a potential massive sell-off of a high-profile artificial intelligence chip stock on Thursday, when a lock-up period affecting 14 million shares in MetaX Integrated Circuits is set to expire. Analysts expect MetaX to face “significant selling pressure” when the restricted shares are released for trading, after the expiry of a similar lock-up period for shares in fellow AI chip firm Moore Threads last week sparked an avalanche of sales that wiped nearly 49 billion yuan (US$7.3 billion) off the company’s value in a single day. The looming release of the MetaX shares is seen as a crucial test for China’s AI chip stocks, which have attracted huge investor interest as China strives to develop domestic challengers to US graphics processing unit behemoth Nvidia.

Kimi creator Moonshot draws global funds seeking ‘top-tier’ Chinese AI developers: sources
Markets

Kimi creator Moonshot draws global funds seeking ‘top-tier’ Chinese AI developers: sources

China’s Moonshot AI has attracted global investor interest spanning Europe, Asia and the Middle East, people familiar with the matter say, as international capital scrambles for access to Chinese frontier artificial intelligence labs, betting on their high-stakes race against US rivals. The Beijing-based developer of the Kimi family of AI models has seen mounting interest from overseas players ranging from European investment firms to Middle East family offices, with some seeking indirect...

Developer family’s deals highlight capital shift across Hong Kong property sectors
Markets

Developer family’s deals highlight capital shift across Hong Kong property sectors

A Mid-Levels transaction comes on the heels of the family’s commercial divestment, tracking a wider reallocation across the city A third-generation member of a long-established Hong Kong developer family has bought a HK$98.8 million (US$12.6 million) luxury flat in Mid-Levels, weeks after the family sold a long-held North Point property, highlighting a broader market trend of capital shifting across real estate sectors. John Lai Sung-ziang agreed to buy a high-floor unit at Estoril Court on August 31, Land Registry records showed. The price for the four-bedroom flat, which has a saleable area of 2,888 square feet, translates to HK$34,211 per square foot. According to Chinese media reports, Lai is part of the family behind Majestic Textiles and St Louis Land Investment, a property developer and owner.

US crypto bill stumble sparks call for Hong Kong to seize ‘critical strategic window’
Markets

US crypto bill stumble sparks call for Hong Kong to seize ‘critical strategic window’

City urged to act fast as window could vanish once Washington regains regulatory momentum Beijing’s ban on crypto remains in force in mainland China, but Hong Kong has received approval to develop itself as a digital asset hub, with the stalled push in Washington presenting the city with what analysts called a “critical strategic window” to secure a regulatory lead. US Senators on Wednesday blocked the bill, which was expected to accelerate the integration of digital assets into mainstream finance. Senate Democrat Elissa Slotkin slammed the bill’s ethics provisions as “thin” in a post on X on Wednesday, and accused US President Donald Trump of “making billions of dollars” from crypto by “bilking everyday Americans out of their hard-earned money”.

Tesla revives China discounts; Iran war drives shift to electric cars: 7 EV reads
Markets

Tesla revives China discounts; Iran war drives shift to electric cars: 7 EV reads

We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Market squeeze: Tesla revives China price cuts to stem slumping deliveries Tesla China has launched discounts on its Shanghai-made cars for the first time since the end of 2024, responding to falling deliveries in the world’s largest market for electric vehicles (EVs). 2. ‘Key pillar’:...

First update made to ISO 9001 in a decade, with China shaping AI, cybersecurity standards
Markets

First update made to ISO 9001 in a decade, with China shaping AI, cybersecurity standards

Global organisation says China will play a greater role in writing tech rules which pave the way to a more ‘inclusive, sustainable future’ The ISO made the comments as it released ISO 9001:2026 on Wednesday, which is the first major revision to ISO 9001 – an international benchmark for quality management – in a decade, it added. ISO Secretary-General Sergio Mujica told the South China Morning Post that China had shown great leadership and vision, heading around 100 ISO technical committees. International standards are crucial in facilitating the country’s participation in regional and international markets. “Beijing has been responsible for the development and revision of around 600 ISO standards. I expect the city to play an even greater role in international standardisation in the coming years,” Mujica said.

ByteDance’s AI-enhanced short-drama app eclipses China’s Netflix rivals combined
Markets

ByteDance’s AI-enhanced short-drama app eclipses China’s Netflix rivals combined

TikTok parent ByteDance has scored another hit in China with Hongguo, an artificial intelligence-powered short-drama platform. Launched in 2023, Hongguo quickly became a household name by riding China’s short-drama boom. A surge in AI-generated content propelled it past some of the country’s biggest professional streaming platforms, while iterations of AI-animated dramas – using AI video models including ByteDance’s Seedance – gave it further lift. Hongguo has overtaken the country’s four...

Hong Kong rated Asia’s top financial hub for fourth straight year: report
Markets

Hong Kong rated Asia’s top financial hub for fourth straight year: report

Hong Kong has retained its status as Asia’s top financial hub for a fourth consecutive edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), even as many of the world’s leading centres saw their scores slip slightly amid rising geopolitical headwinds. The city also ranked third globally in the 40th edition of the twice-yearly report, released on Wednesday amid a remarkably tight race at the top of global finance. Hong Kong scored 756, just one point behind London and a point ahead of Singapore....