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The delay adds to a run of setbacks that point to rising execution risk across Australia’s (and global) data centre sector, where permitting, energy supply and community opposition are all lengthening timelines. Listed developers and landlords such as NextDC and Goodman have already pulled back or delayed projects this year, and a regulatory hold on a project in one of the country’s most sparsely populated regions suggests location alone will not clear the path. Slower approvals push out revenue for developers and could weigh on valuations that assume fast AI-driven growth. The setback is also a potential headwind for Northern Territory gas developers, whose demand outlook increasingly relies on data centre power.

- Even a cattle station…

The renewed campaign puts Russian refined product supply back in focus, particularly diesel, at a time when the Iran war has already tightened global energy markets. Damage to processing units, including a diesel hydrotreater at Novokuybyshevsk, could curb Russian fuel exports and support refining margins if outages last, although the extent of damage has not been independently verified. Russia may also redirect more unrefined crude to export if domestic processing is disrupted. The political angle adds uncertainty: Washington has pressed Kyiv to stop these strikes and has blamed them for high fuel prices, so any US response after Tuesday’s midterms could shift the outlook for Russian energy flows and sanctions.

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Earlier:

• OPEC+ holds…

The rollover was widely expected and does little to change near-term supply, because most of the producers involved cannot reach their existing targets while Hormuz flows remain disrupted. That leaves physical availability tied to the waterway rather than to OPEC+ policy, a point reinforced by Iran’s claim on Sunday that two tankers hit mines and exploded there. For oil traders, the near-term risk is still skewed toward supply disruption. The medium-term counterweight is the surplus forecasters see if Gulf barrels return in 2027, which puts the November 29 quota decision at the centre of next year’s supply outlook.

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OPEC+ chose to wait rather than act, keeping December targets flat because the Iran war, not quota policy, is setting how…

Monday’s session in mainland China and Hong Kong is the first chance for equities to react to the reports, and the prospect of state-backed support may help sentiment at the open after October’s heavy selling. Whether that lasts is likely to depend on detail. Traders have already seen last month’s measures fail to halt the slide, so the scale and terms of any expanded relending facility will matter more than the signal alone. A credible support package could also ease some pressure on the yuan and on broader Asian risk appetite. Without concrete steps, the combination of contracting PMIs and doubts over AI earnings leaves the downside case in place.

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After a record losing streak in Chinese stocks, Beijing appears to be reaching for more…

China’s private-sector manufacturing PMI is due at 01:45 GMT on Monday (20:45 US Eastern on Sunday), with economists expecting factory activity to keep growing in October, though at a slower pace than in September.

The RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI, compiled by S&P Global, is forecast to ease to 51.6 from 52.1, according to a Reuters poll. That would still leave the index comfortably above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction. September’s reading beat expectations and was the strongest in five months, supported by firmer demand at home and abroad, with foreign sales growing at their fastest pace in seven months.

The release follows a weak set of official figures on Saturday. The National Bureau of Statistics…

Taken at face value, a thaw in US-Canada trade relations would support the Canadian dollar and trade-exposed Canadian equities, which have carried the cost of months of tit-for-tat tariffs. Markets are likely to discount the headline until there is text to read, though, because neither side has said what tariffs would change or when. The timing, two days before midterms in which tariffs on Canada are a live issue in some border states, also invites scepticism over how much is policy and how much is campaign messaging. Any detail from the negotiating teams in the coming weeks will matter far more to the loonie than Sunday’s remarks.

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Washington and Ottawa are now very close to a deal in concept, which is reassuring for anyone who trades…

A claim that mines are now disabling tankers in Hormuz, including a supertanker, raises the perceived physical risk of every transit, not just those Iran targets, and is likely to feed through to freight rates, war-risk insurance premiums and the geopolitical premium in crude. The reopening plan offers a theoretical path to restored flows, but its conditions reach well beyond shipping, so traders are likely to treat it as a negotiating position rather than a near-term supply fix. Until there is independent confirmation of the incident and a US response to the proposal, upside risk to oil looks more immediate than the prospect of relief.

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Iran is using both mines and mediation in Hormuz, claiming two tankers were blown up on an unapproved…

Because the data came out on a Saturday, Monday’s Asian session is the first chance for markets to price the miss. Softer Chinese factory demand is usually a headwind for industrial metals such as copper and iron ore, and for China-sensitive currencies including the yuan and the Australian dollar. Chinese equities may be partly cushioned by expectations of more policy support. For oil, a weaker demand signal from a key crude buyer would normally weigh on prices, but for now it is likely to be overshadowed by supply risk in the Strait of Hormuz. Price sub-indices that are easing but still elevated also weaken the case for reading the release as disinflationary.

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Earlier

• ICYMI: Morgan Stanley sees 10%-15% more downside for Chinese offshore…

What protects Japan’s economy? And what does it mean for the yen?

Japan has global businesses, valuable overseas investments and a central bank moving away from years of very low interest rates. But a strong economy does not automatically mean a strong currency.

Look at a Japanese castle surrounded by a moat and a simple idea comes to mind: the water and walls help protect what is inside.

An economy can have defenses too. Japan’s include businesses that sell products around the world and substantial investments in other countries. But its defenses have gaps, including a reliance on imported energy.

That raises an interesting question for anyone watching the Japanese yen: if Japan has so many economic strengths, why can its currency still…

Risk-off sentiment was kinda scary across asset classes heading into Halloween 2026, driven by heavy tech distribution, crypto security shocks, and cross-market margin calls.

As Greg at investingLive.com detailed, the Nasdaq suffered its worst monthly drop since March 2025 as mega-cap tech and semiconductor names tumbled, creating a stark divergence between growth shares and the broader market.

That selling pressure quickly spilled over into digital assets, with Greg highlighting that Bitcoin tested critical technical support as Binance security fears triggered defensive de-risking.

The fallout hit alternative tokens even harder, with Giuseppe Dellamotta at investingLive.com noting that Ethereum broke below minor support levels following…

• Nasdaq suffers worst month since March 2025 as technology stocks tumble
• Bitcoin tests key support as Binance security fears weigh
• Week ahead: Elections, rate decisions and jobs take center stage
• Earnings next week: Can Apple, Palantir and AMD restore confidence?
• Fed’s Logan: At least two more quarter-point rate hikes needed
• Carney: Canada, EU working toward deepest possible partnership, short of accession
• Fed’s Daly: AI matters for near- and medium-term policy
• Fitch on UK Budget: Policy continuity leaves a tough delivery challenge
• Fed's Barkin: Direction of travel is straightforward for the Fed
• Canada GDP for August 0.0% vs 0.2% estimate
• US employment cost index for Q3 +0.8% vs +0.8% expected
• Morning Kickstart: Tech hammered as Amazon and Intel…

US stocks are trading sharply lower in the final session of October, with the Nasdaq indices again leading the declines. The selling caps a difficult month for technology, with the Nasdaq Composite down 5.30%—its worst monthly performance since March 2025.

However, the monthly performance shows a market that has been far from uniform. The Dow and Russell 2000 remain positive, highlighting the gap between battered technology stocks and pockets of strength elsewhere.

Today’s market: Nasdaq leads the selling

At the latest snapshot:

• Dow: Down 573.08 points, or 1.09%, at 51,775.17.

• S&P 500: Down 140.32 points, or 1.82%, at 7,580.07.

• Nasdaq Composite: Down 747.73 points, or 2.86%, at 25,437.00.

• Russell 2000: Down 47.37 points, or 1.66%, at…