EU-China Trade Tensions: France and Germany are pushing a faster EU trade-defense tool aimed at “systemic market-distorting practices,” with China likely in focus, but a Chinese expert warns it’s unilateral and could damage the EU-China relationship. EU-China Talks: EU Trade Commissioner Šefčovič meets China’s commerce minister Oct. 8-9 to discuss market access, shipments to the EU, and rare-earth export controls as disputes spill into defense. Markets & FX: Sterling steadied after a three-month high as French bond moves calmed; euro weakness reflected political and fiscal jitters. AI & Stocks: Nvidia surged toward a $6T market cap milestone, helping lift US futures and reinforcing the “rates vs equities” debate. Crypto & Tokenization: Crypto spot trading rebounded in September for a second month; tokenized stocks hit a record $3.8B market cap, while DigiFT launched tokenized access to Fidelity’s US Treasury money-market fund. Banking & Cybersecurity: South Korea’s state financial firms face rising AI-assisted hacking but staffing lags, spotlighting security budget pressure. UK Watchdog Scrutiny: MPs demand investigation into the FCA’s handling of an Epstein whistleblower after his death. Corporate/Deals: Kenmare shares jumped on takeover talks with IRH; Orient Cables shares slid after a strong IPO debut. Africa Finance & Trade: Afreximbank calls for a sovereign African financial system to fund trade and infrastructure; AU leaders stress productive continental integration beyond a free-trade area.