Eight fund managers — China Asset Management, Huitianfu, E Fund, Southern Asset Management, Harvest Fund Management, Eastmoney Fund Management, Fullgoal Fund Management and CITIC Securities Fund Management — will submit registration materials for the first Beijing Stock Exchange three-month holding-period thematic funds to the CSRC starting July 24, the Beijing Stock Exchange said.

Preliminary France July services PMI 49.8 vs 47.5 expected; seven-month high. Services demand rose for the first time since November, offsetting a softer manufacturing print, but the overall economy remains in contraction with the decline now limited. Private-sector employment fell again and business sentiment stayed weak; input and output price inflation slowed for a second month. S&P Global warned renewed oil and gas market tension — amid rising US‑Iran friction — raises uncertainty over inflation and borrowing costs, increases the likelihood of further ECB tightening, and therefore intensifies downside risks to the French economy.

The Trump administration and Venezuelan officials are exploring ways to unfreeze billions of dollars in overseas Venezuelan assets to help recovery from two earthquakes, sources say. The proposal aims to enable economic reconstruction without adding costs to US taxpayers or requiring Washington to deploy funds beyond the $386m already pledged. Venezuela remains unable to secure billions from the IMF or to access gold and other assets held at the Bank of England and other overseas accounts.