From 500 jets to salvage mode: Boeing’s China hopes shrink ahead of summitGoogle readies Gemini 4 launch as it seeks to regain ground in the AI model raceAUD little changed: Australia jobless rate hits 4.6%, highest since 2021, participation outpaces jobs beatAustralian jobs data for August 2026. Unemployment rate 4.6% (expected 4.5%, prior 4.5%)Heads up: China markets shut Friday for Mid-Autumn Festival, with week-long Golden Week break aheadPBOC sets USD/ CNY reference rate for today at 6.7489 vs. estimate at 6.7184)Japan flash PMI: growth slows to four-month low as price pressures stay intenseBangladesh orders 11 more Boeing jets as Dhaka courts US to ease tariff riskExplainer: why Japan may trim bond supply as scarcity in the JGB market easesUS weighs joint ventures to push dollar stablecoins overseas, Bloomberg reportsAnthropic’s Claude uncovers CRISPR-like enzyme system after scanning 200,000 enzymesICYMI: Goldman trims end-2026 gold forecast to $4,650 but holds $5,400 target for 2027Bitcoin ETF flows turn positive for 2026 after near $1 billion inflow dayUS and China extend Busan trade truce to January 10 as Xi arrives for Trump summitAustralia jobs preview: NAB leans to 4.4% unemployment on 20k gain in a close callFirst known AI agent hack of a government site deepens fears over containing the technologyBlackRock sees AI agents paying in stablecoins, with Ethereum and Arc as railsRussia trims gas output and LNG export forecasts as EU nears end of Russian gas purchasesOil jumps nearly 4% as Hormuz stalemate outweighs surprise US crude buildWhite House edges closer to 90-day US diesel export ban despite cabinet pushbackUS stocks close lower led by declines in the small-cap Russell 2000 and Nasdaq indices.investingLive Americas market news wrap: Strong US services PMI leads to a big breakdown in bonds
Summary:
Xi arrived in the US ahead of Thursday’s summit with Trump, who greeted him in person at the airportThe Busan trade truce, due to expire in November, has been extended to January 10, Bessent saidHopes for a fresh Chinese Boeing order at the summit are fadingOil edged slightly lower in the absence of fresh newsJapan reopened after a three-day holiday: the Nikkei rose 1.3% by midday on component-related shares, while the Topix gained 0.1%10-year JGB futures fell nearly 70 ticks on reopening, and the MOF is set to discuss trimming liquidity-enhancement bond issuanceJapan’s flash composite PMI showed an 18th month of expansion, at the slowest pace since May, with price pressures still elevatedUSD/JPY slipped to around 157.80 from above 158.20Australian employment rose 39,500 in August, but unemployment climbed to 4.6% as participation jumped; AUD/USD was little changedMainland Chinese markets are closed Friday for the Mid-Autumn Festival, with a longer National Day closure from October 1 to 7
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States ahead of Thursday’s summit with President Donald Trump, as Washington confirmed an extension to the trade truce the two leaders agreed in Busan, South Korea, last October. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the one-year arrangement, which had been due to expire in November, will now run until January 10, giving negotiators more time to work towards a potentially broader deal.
Trump travelled to the airport to greet Xi in person, a gesture described as the first time a president of either country has personally welcomed his counterpart at the airport, and the first time Trump has met another leader at the airport in Washington (he met Putin at an airport in Alaska). Talks are due to get fully under way on Thursday, US time. Aircraft deals appear to rank low on the agenda, with reports suggesting hopes of a fresh Chinese Boeing order are fading as the planemaker works to finalise a 200-jet agreement struck in May.
Oil prices edged slightly lower in a session devoid of fresh headlines.
In Japan, markets reopened after being closed from Monday to Wednesday for public holidays. The Nikkei 225 rose 1.3% by the midday break, led by computer component-related shares after Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a small handheld device called Meta Charm, which lifted expectations for demand for key parts. The broader Topix gained a more modest 0.1%.
Japan’s bond market had catching up to do. Ten-year JGB futures fell nearly 70 ticks on reopening, reflecting Wednesday’s global jump in yields. Separately, sources said the Ministry of Finance is set to discuss trimming liquidity-enhancement issuance of 5-to-11-year bonds with primary dealers next week, as supply shortages in that sector have eased.
Flash PMI data showed Japan’s private sector expanding for an 18th consecutive month in September, though at the slowest pace since May, while inflation pressures stayed elevated on the back of a weak yen and costs linked to the Middle East conflict. The yen firmed, with USD/JPY slipping to around 157.80 from earlier highs above 158.20.
In Australia, employment rose by 39,500 in August, around double expectations, but the unemployment rate climbed to 4.6%, its highest since late 2021, as participation jumped to 67.1%. Full-time jobs fell by 6,300. The local share market had touched a three-month low before the release and bounced modestly afterwards, while AUD/USD was little changed. The rise in unemployment was driven by more people seeking work rather than job losses, leaving the case for a Reserve Bank of Australia rate increase at next week’s meeting in place.
Looking ahead, mainland Chinese markets are closed on Friday for the Mid-Autumn Festival, with Stock Connect also shut and Hong Kong open. A longer break follows, with mainland exchanges closed from October 1 to 7 for National Day before reopening on October 8.
This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.