With Sudan's civil war entering its fourth year, the EU is expected to approve new trade curbs on Sudan's gold sector on Monday under a Dutch-French initiative. Measures reported include a ban on imports of Sudanese gold, bans on sales of cyanide and mercury to Sudan, and restrictions to prevent re-exports of Sudanese gold to the EU via third countries. The package is aimed at curbing an industry that may fund the conflict; the EU has also imposed sanctions on individuals linked to the fighting.

Japan’s push to steer more national pension assets into domestic markets risks redirecting billions into Japan and trimming fee revenue for foreign managers. Finance Minister Katayama said last Friday the government aims to substantially raise the national pension fund’s allocation to domestic assets, prompting investor bets that billions of dollars could flow into Japanese markets. The Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) manages $1.8 trillion; roughly $93 billion of overseas exposure is almost entirely run by foreign managers. As of the fiscal year to March 2025, GPIF relies on 35 external managers for overseas mandates; those firms collectively earned about JPY21bn (~$130m) in fees, and some global managers could face losses of tens of millions of dollars in management fees. Broadridge Asia-Pacific head of growth solutions Yoon Ng says passive foreign managers may come under pressure while domestically strong active managers stand to benefit.

SK Hynix (SKHY.O) shares fell as much as 9.9% to an intraday low.