Hong Kong stocks opened lower; Hang Seng Index down 0.69%, Hang Seng Tech Index down 0.88%. MINIMAX-W (00100.HK) rose more than 3.8%, Pop Mart (09992.HK) fell more than 3.3%, NetEase (09999.HK) fell more than 2.8%.

Ukraine's military denied Russian claims that Ukrainian drones struck a bus carrying children in Russia's Bryansk region.

Shanghai Clearing House (SCH) and the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS) said on June 18 they will introduce an FX repo optimization service from June 22, 2026 to improve foreign‑currency repo trading and clearing and support market collateral management and diversified settlement. During the life of pledged FX repos, counterparties may initiate pledged‑security substitutions for unsettled trades via SCH’s integrated business system or CFETS’ FX trading system; substitutions take effect after counterparty confirmation. Before the trade settlement date, counterparties may initiate cash delivery in SCH’s system; SCH will complete buy‑out repo maturity settlement per cash‑delivery instructions. CFETS will publish its specific rollout timetable separately.