Sources say ARAMCO is considering cutting the official selling price (OSP) for crude loaded in the Gulf of Oman to compensate buyers for surging freight and boost attractiveness to Asian refiners. Discussions with some Asian buyers cover potential discounts for cargoes offered this week that are due to load mid-to-late October and be sold via ship-to-ship transfers; one source put the discount being discussed at about $9/bbl. In recent weeks, barrels loaded outside the Strait of Hormuz in the Gu

MOFCOM said China’s Mid-Autumn holiday saw strong consumer demand, adequate supply and stable staple prices. Average daily sales at major retail and catering firms rose 6.1% YoY for the lunar holiday period. A consumer goods trade-in campaign reached 1.907 mln participants and generated 11.53 bln yuan in sales on Sept. 25–26. Foot traffic and turnover at 78 MOFCOM‑monitored pedestrian streets rose 6.4% and 5.1%, respectively. Smart, green and health-focused categories outperformed: smart wearables sales were up 1.2-fold YoY, embodied intelligent robot sales +93.1% YoY, organic food +36.3% and outdoor sports equipment +30.2%.

Shanghai issued local implementation rules for commodity housing sales reform, mandating a sponsor-bank system. From Aug 28, 2026, projects with newly signed loan contracts must adopt the sponsor-bank regime: if a single bank provides the development loan that bank is the sponsor; for syndicated loans the syndicate lead bank is the sponsor. Real estate developers must open project fund accounts at the sponsor bank; during the project lifecycle all project-related funds—including development loans, developers’ own capital and proceeds from sales of completed homes—must be managed through that account. City and district real estate transaction centers will serve as housing-fund supervisors and carry out funds supervision as prescribed.