Category: Flash News

On March 18th, BMW sold $4 billion in the US high rated bond market through its subsidiary BMW US Capital LLC. According to insiders, among the six maturity dates of blue chip bonds, the longest duration is 10 years, and the pricing is 1.15 basis points higher than the yield of comparable US bonds – originally discussed as about 1.35 percentage points. (Bloomberg)

On March 18th, US President Trump nominated Bryan Bedford as the Director of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Trump stated that as the former president and CEO of Republic Airways, Mesaba Airlines, and Business Express Airlines, Bedford has over 30 years of experience in aviation and executive leadership. Trump said Bedford will work with US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to vigorously reform the agency and ensure the safety of nearly 1 billion passengers annually.

On March 18th, the offshore Chinese yuan (CNH) against the US dollar was reported at 7.2271 yuan at 04:59 Beijing time, up 108 points from the end of last Friday’s trading in New York, and rose for the second consecutive trading day. The overall trading was in the range of 7.2447-7.2251 yuan during the day.

On March 18th, the Trump administration announced plans to build housing on federal land, stating that this move could help address the shortage of 7 million affordable housing units in the United States. The heads of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development announced in a video that they will collaborate to assess the national housing demand and identify “underutilized” land suitable for development.

On March 18, Wal Mart said that its CEO Douglas McMillon had joined the stock trading plan. From June 2025 to April 2026, McMillon will sell 19416 shares of stock per month, with a planned maximum sale of 233000 shares.

On March 18th, the German Federal Constitutional Court rejected an emergency application submitted by several members of the Federal Parliament, clearing the way for the vote on the amendment to the Basic Law the next day. According to the ruling, the current Federal Parliament of Germany can still vote on the relevant amendments to the Basic Law on March 18, which mainly include relaxing debt brake restrictions to support defense spending and local government finances, establishing a special fund with a total amount of 500 billion euros for infrastructure investment, and promoting carbon neutrality by 2045.

On March 18th, Bakkt Holdings Inc. applied to postpone the release of its 10-K annual report. Bank of America will not renovate/renew commercial agreements, and its franchise service revenue accounts for 16% of the company’s total. Webull will not renew the commercial agreement either.

On March 18th, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced that he had a phone conversation with French President Macron. Zelensky emphasized in the call that Ukraine is willing to unconditionally cease fire for 30 days, but in order to achieve this step, Russia must stop proposing additional conditions. Both sides also discussed the issue of providing security guarantees for Ukraine and agreed to further engage and maintain contact with partners.

On March 18th, data from the New York Federal Reserve showed that an increasing number of American consumers stated that they are not seeking loans because they expect to be rejected in a tightening credit environment. The latest consumer expectations survey by the New York Federal Reserve shows that the proportion of “discouraged borrowers” who have borrowing needs but do not apply due to not expecting approval has risen to 8.5%. This is the highest level since the start of this study in 2013. The possibility of different forms of credit being rejected, from bank cards to guaranteed loans for buying houses and cars, is considered to be on the rise. About one-third of car loan applicants are expected to be rejected, the highest proportion since the start of the survey series, and nearly half of the respondents in the February survey stated that it will be more difficult to obtain credit in a year.

On March 18th, as global funds gradually shift their focus to Chinese assets, multi billion dollar private equity firms are targeting Hong Kong stocks, which are a low value area for Chinese assets. Recently, Gao Yuncheng, a partner of the billion dollar private equity firm Jinglin Asset Management, revealed in an internal communication that he has sold all of his holdings of American companies and focused on holding Hong Kong stocks. Since February, Ningquan Asset Management, led by well-known fund manager Yang Dong, has been actively buying multiple Hong Kong stock targets. According to interviews with reporters, several well-known private equity firms with billions of dollars are actively investing in Hong Kong stocks. From the specific investment opportunities they are concerned about, technology, pharmaceuticals, and other areas are important directions. In the eyes of industry insiders, the reassessment of Chinese assets has already begun, and Hong Kong stocks and A-shares may become a battleground for domestic and global capital. (Shanghai Stock News)