As of the 23:00 close, China's main futures contracts were mostly lower: asphalt and coke down nearly 3%; liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and propylene down over 2%; low-sulfur fuel oil (LU) down nearly 2%; pulp, fuel oil and PVC down over 1%. On the upside, 20# rubber rose over 1%.

British politics is again in flux as Labour leader Keir Starmer faces an internal rebellion, raising the prospect of a seventh prime minister in ten years and extending policy uncertainty for markets. Two front-runners in early market pricing are Andy Burnham—advocating progressive capitalism, greater state intervention, stronger public services and devolution, long pro-EU but cautious on rejoining (prediction markets ~94% support)—and Wes Stretton, a centrist proposing tax reform (aligning capital gains with income tax) and an explicit pro-EU rejoin stance (prediction markets ~1%). Recent precedent shows leadership moves can be market-moving: Liz Truss’s short-lived fiscal package triggered severe market turbulence and a sharp fall in sterling; Boris Johnson completed Brexit but left after a governance scandal. Structural constraints persist: Brexit’s drag on trade, investment and labour mobility; intense intra-party politics that shorten leaders’ tenures; and concentrated socioeconomic pressures—manufacturing hollowing, ageing population, rising fiscal and public-service burdens, and regional disparities—limit any government’s ability to deliver quick fixes. For asset allocators and macro traders, the immediate implications are elevated political risk and policy uncertainty around fiscal, regulatory and EU-related direction rather than a clear directional break.

India plans to sign trade agreements with Canada, Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the trade minister said.