ASIA/PACIFIC
-South Korea stocks surged more than 5% for best session since March 2020 after authorities said short selling will be banned until the end of June 2024.
-In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 closed higher: Lender Westpac rose nearly 2 percent after raising dividend and announcing a share buyback.
-Tweaks to Beijing Stock Exchange set off China IPO boom: Round of revisions targeting small and midsize enterprises fuel enthusiasm, Caixin reported.
EUROPE
-European markets opened slightly higher Monday as positive momentum carried over from last week.
-The Eurozone Composite PMI Output Index came in at 46.5 in October, falling by 0.7 index points from the month prior, and reaching a 35-month low, S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank’s (HCOB) final report showed.
-FTSE 100 companies are due to have another record year for share buybacks, having already spent £55bn this year, according to new figures from AJ Bell.
AMERICAS
-U.S. equity futures were slightly higher on Monday after the major averages capped their best week so far this year.
-South America poised for more M&A in lithium: Larger players eye Argentina and Chile for projects as explorers struggle to raise funds, executive told Latin Finance.
-Amazon Farmers Embrace Cocoa to Combat Deforestation, the Rio Times reported.
AFRICA
-Daily News Egypt monitors Egypt’s 5 most rising stocks since beginning of year 2023:
The list includes: Misr Fertilizer Production (MOPCO), General Co. for Ceramic and Porcelain Products (SHEENI), Ezz Steel, Memphis Pharmaceuticals and Chemical Industries, and Delta Sugar.
-Kenya’s diaspora inflows for the first nine months of the year grew at the slowest pace in the past 13 years, putting more pressure on the country’s supply of dollars, data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) showed.
-The Nigerian financial market has limited capacity to cater to MSME funding demands, such as equity funding, grants, low-cost debt financing, and patient capital, according to a new report by the Nigerian National Advisory Board for Impact Investing (NABII).
MIDDLE EAST
-Saudi Aramco has set its December official selling price (OSP) for its Arab Light grade for Asian customers at $4 a barrel over the Oman/Dubai average, the same premium as November, taking a pause of a five-months price hike, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.
-Saudi Arabia’s non-oil sector witnessed strong growth in October, resulting in a significant rise in employment levels, a business survey by the Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia showed.
-Gold prices slips in Dubai at the start of the week: The Dubai Jewellery Group data showed 24K trading at Dh240.25 per gram at the opening of the markets on Monday.
