Vietnam plans to launch stock-index options tied to the VN30 in Q1 next year, Hanoi Stock Exchange general manager Vu Thi Thuy Nga said; contract testing is scheduled for November and December. The VN30 comprises the 30 largest-cap stocks on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange. FTSE Russell upgraded Vietnam from frontier to secondary emerging market last month, and phased inclusion into FTSE emerging-market indices is expected by 2027—an adjustment anticipated to help attract more global emerging-mar

Iran's parliament on Oct. 18 approved a new defense minister. The appointee, a decades-long defense industry official with senior roles in aerospace and missile programmes who is under U.S. and EU sanctions, told lawmakers he will rebuild Iran's military-industrial base, speed defence-technology R&D and expand cooperation with private firms. He said Tehran has taken necessary measures to respond if the U.S. uses the 'Mother of All Bombs' and warned: 'If the U.S. makes another strategic miscalculation, the Iranian people and Islamic fighters will respond unexpectedly and on a large scale.' He added: 'The U.S. president should focus on ensuring safe withdrawal of U.S. forces from our region. If he drops a bomb, let's see how many U.S. soldiers are carried out of the region sideways.'

China stock index futures morning session: CSI 300 (IF) main contract +1.05%; SSE 50 (IH) main +1.51%; CSI 500 (IC) main +0.47%; CSI 1000 (IM) main +0.21%.