Eurogroup chair Pierakakis said the nomination process for the ECB president has been initiated.

Hong Kong equities opened firmer but weakened into the session. The Hang Seng Index opened up 0.59% while the Hang Seng Tech Index opened >1% then trended lower and briefly turned negative intraday. At midday the Hang Seng was up 0.2% at 24,531.15 and the Hang Seng Tech was up 0.07% at 4,081.03; market turnover was HK$97.41 billion. Coal, biopharma and commercial aerospace led sector gains; lithium battery and building materials lagged. Auto names rallied early then faded: Leapmotor (09863.HK) -5.38%, Lantu (07489.HK) -2.67%, SERES (09927.HK) -2.65%. Major techs: NetEase-S (09999.HK) +2.2%, Baidu (09888.HK) +1.34%, Meituan (03690.HK) -5.47%, KE Holdings (02423.HK) -1.17%.

The French government will raise the net monthly minimum wage 1.6% to €1,502 (≈$1,680) from Dec. 1 to address cost-of-living protests while seeking to limit additional strain on fragile public finances, the prime minister said after talks with unions and employers. The move is described as the second-largest minimum-wage increase in 20 years. A minority government under pressure from student-led demonstrations that have broadened into wider public discontent—including episodes of violence such as looting and rioting on Oct. 17, though turnout eased last Saturday—says it has limited room to expand spending given a large budget deficit, lack of a parliamentary majority and under six months until the presidential election. Investors have sold French bonds in recent months, pushing up government borrowing costs.