Shanghai Gold Exchange gold T+D rose 0.46% to 907.0 yuan/gram at the start of the July 7 evening session; silver T+D fell 1.74% to 14,858.0 yuan/kg.

The SFC said it welcomes PBOC measures to support Hong Kong fixed-income and money markets. The China Foreign Exchange Trade System will co‑build an electronic fixed‑income and money‑market trading platform with HKEX in Hong Kong; launch timetable to be announced. Onshore China government bonds and policy bank bonds held under Bond Connect northbound will be accepted as eligible collateral by HKEX’s two clearing houses — Hong Kong Futures Clearing Corporation Ltd and HKEX Options Clearing House Ltd — with a target implementation date of end‑2026. The SFC is discussing further optimisation of Swap Connect with the PBOC, including a plan to add the interbank 7‑day deposit institution repo fixing rate (FDR007) as a Swap Connect contract reference rate in Q4 2026.

A French appeals court on Wednesday upheld far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s conviction for misusing EU funds but shortened the period she is barred from holding public office, effectively allowing her to run in the 2027 presidential election. The court sentenced Le Pen to three years, two suspended, and ordered her to wear an electronic ankle monitor for one year. The ankle-monitor requirement and remaining sentence complicate the practical and political logistics of a presidential campaign and raise doubts over whether she will seek the presidency next year.