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2026-09-17 Thursday

2026-09-22

13:14:48

[Zuckerberg refutes “slowdown theory”: AI safety does not require external pressure, labs that do not focus on alignment will fall behind] (1) Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday that AI companies are inherently motivated to focus on safety when deciding on the timeline for building models, and do not need external pressure to maintain this timeline. (2) He posted on the social platform X that every lab has the responsibility and motivation to move at the pace required to safely train its models, and the ability to take action on its own to ensure that this is achieved. (3) Zuckerberg also asserted that people do not want to use agents that are inconsistent with them and do not act as they ask, which puts pressure on AI creators to make their models more in line with human values. (4) He added that there is a lot of debate about slowing down progress on capabilities before “alignment” catches up; his point is that trust and alignment are rapidly becoming the most important capabilities that differentiate agents and models, and any lab that does not focus on alignment will fall behind. (5) Zuckerberg’s post came after a wider debate surrounding AI development over the past week. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said over the weekend that the development of this technology must be slowed down to allow room for the implementation of necessary risk prevention and mitigation measures; tech peers Sam Altman and Elon Musk both support Amodei. (6) In a blog post, Amodei wrote: “We must slow down the pace of improving the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must use the time we gain wisely.” (7) The Anthropic CEO suggested that AI companies should quickly take steps to “adjust” the pace of model development and warned that if the technology is not put on the brakes, it could have serious consequences.

11:27:31

[Goldman Sachs Shifts Stance: Expects Another 25 Basis Point Rate Hike by the Fed in October, and Two More Rate Hikes in 2026] (1) Goldman Sachs now expects the Fed to raise interest rates by another 25 basis points in October, becoming one of the first major Wall Street investment banks to predict consecutive rate hikes after the Fed released hawkish signals on Wednesday. This reverses Goldman Sachs' previous view that the Fed had completed its tightening cycle after raising rates in September. (2) Goldman Sachs said that the Fed's latest interest rate forecasts show that the vast majority of policymakers expect at least one more rate hike this year, indicating that the "baseline expectation" for 2026 is two rate hikes. The brokerage said that October is the most likely time to take the next step, as policymakers will position further tightening of monetary policy to support a "more timely return" to the Fed's 2% inflation target. (3) The Fed raised interest rates by 25 basis points earlier on Wednesday to a range of 3.75%-4.00%. Goldman Sachs said the meeting was more hawkish than expected, citing factors including policymakers' interest rate forecasts, an increase in the neutral rate, and Chairman Warsh's repeated descriptions of the rate hike as merely "withdrawing a dose of easing." (4) According to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, traders expect a roughly 50% probability of another 25 basis point rate hike by the Fed in October; this probability rose sharply after policymakers hinted that further tightening might be necessary. (5) After Goldman Sachs adjusted its forecasts, Bank of America Global Research became the only major brokerage firm to expect a more aggressive tightening path, predicting rate hikes in October and December. (6) The market will also be watching the Bank of England's policy decision later that day, as well as the Bank of Japan's policy decision on Friday, for further clues about the global interest rate outlook.

11:26:14

[Dollar Holds Above Seven-Week High, Forex Market Focuses on Bank of Japan and Bank of England Decisions] 1. The dollar fluctuated around 100.35 on Thursday, maintaining a seven-week high. Overnight, the dollar index surged 0.7%, recovering the 100 level. This followed the Federal Reserve's rate hike announcement and hints at further tightening in the coming months. Investors are now awaiting the Bank of England's rate decision later in the day and the Bank of Japan's policy meeting results on Friday. 2. Federal Reserve Chairman Warsh supported the unanimously approved rate hike, causing the dollar and US Treasury yields to rise in tandem. Fed officials confirmed a hawkish policy path and expect another rate hike in 2026. 3. Commonwealth Bank of Australia FX strategist Carol Kong stated that Warsh's stance was significantly more hawkish than the market expected, and his unexpected provision of forward guidance on the future path of rate hikes prompted the market to revise its interest rate expectations upward, ultimately driving the dollar higher. The bank expects the dollar to remain strong. 4. According to the CME FedWatch tool, the interest rate futures market currently indicates a roughly 90% probability of the Fed raising rates by 25 basis points before the end of the year. 5. Market attention has shifted to the Bank of Japan. It is widely expected that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates to their highest level in 31 years on Friday and signal its intention to continue pushing up borrowing costs, joining other major central banks in addressing oil-price-driven inflationary pressures. Investors will be focusing on whether Governor Kazuo Ueda will provide clues about the timing and pace of future rate hikes. 6. Analysts point out that a more crucial question is how Ueda will describe the policy path after September, especially given that inflation remains high, and whether the Bank of Japan will hint at accelerating policy normalization. The yen is facing a test: last week, speculative positions turned to net long positions, and the yen rose to a seven-month high against the dollar, but Japanese retail investors are still maintaining short positions in the yen, believing that the recent gains may be unsustainable.

11:08:34

[Bank of England Decision Preview: Rates Expected to Remain Unchanged, Markets Betting on November Action, Hawkish Signals Under Watch] 1. The Bank of England is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.75% on Thursday, but the market is closely watching for any signals that soaring energy prices may force the central bank to follow the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank in raising interest rates. 2. A survey last week showed that most economists expect the Bank of England to keep interest rates unchanged for the remainder of the year, with only three of the nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee expected to vote for a rate hike this week. However, financial markets priced in a 25 basis point rate hike in November at an 80% probability, with investors expecting about four rate hikes over the next year. Economists are relatively cautious, with only about one-eighth of respondents expecting a rate hike in November. 3. Since the beginning of this month, UK natural gas and Brent crude oil futures prices have risen by nearly 20%, putting pressure on the UK, which is highly dependent on energy imports. The UK's inflation rate reached 3.1% in August, higher than the central bank's 2% target; in the past five years, the Bank of England has only achieved its inflation target in three months. JPMorgan economist Allan Monks said he expects the central bank to keep interest rates unchanged this week to avoid reinforcing expectations of rapid tightening, but still anticipates a rate hike in November, noting that energy price trends suggest inflation could reach 3.9% by February next year, and the central bank "clearly has no reason to delay any longer." 4. Some analysts also believe a rate hike is not a certainty. They point out that the labor market is cooling and market interest rates are already at a high level, which in itself helps the central bank tighten financial conditions. Bank of England Governor Bailey said after the last policy meeting: "Please don't leave this room with the idea that 'the Bank of England is gradually moving towards raising interest rates.'" 5. Bond investors will also be watching the Bank of England's annual update on reducing its balance sheet. The Daily Telegraph reported that the central bank will stop selling 20-year and 30-year bonds that have been hit hard by the bond sell-off, which could leave more fiscal space for Chancellor Healy to prepare his first budget on October 28. The report also stated that the central bank may stop selling any bonds to the secondary market and instead sell them to the Office of the Debt Management. Royal Bank of Canada strategist Peter Schaffrik points out that this will make the DMO the sole supplier of UK government bonds in the market, thus giving it complete control over government bond issuance strategies.

10:43:47

[US House Democrats Publicly Shelve $2.8 Billion Bomb Sale to Israel, Rare Public Opposition] (1) On Wednesday, House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking Democrat Meeks publicly announced the shelving of the Trump administration's plan to sell 40,000 one-ton bombs to Israel, worth $2.8 billion. (2) Meeks stated that he still supports Israel's security and self-defense, but is concerned about the large number of deaths and civilian risks caused by the wars in Gaza against Hamas and Lebanon against Hezbollah, and therefore will not approve the sale at present. This decision does not weaken Congress's support for Israel's legitimate defense, but reflects Congress's need to ensure that US-aided weapons are used legally and responsibly. (3) Such opposition is usually carried out behind the scenes, and Meeks's public stance is rare, reflecting the Democratic Party's dissatisfaction with the Trump and Netanyahu administrations. Senior members of Congress are usually notified by the State Department and can informally shelve the sale to obtain information; the State Department usually respects this, but the Trump administration ignored Meeks's opposition and proceeded with a partial arms sale in February 2025. (4) According to The Washington Post, the weapon package included 40,000 2,000 bombs (20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s) and 20,000 I2000 penetrating warheads. The MK-84 could create a crater 50 feet wide and 36 feet deep, penetrate 15 inches of metal or 11 feet of concrete, and project fragments up to 400 yards.

10:41:22

Liu Yu, chief economist at Industrial Securities, pointed out that the Federal Reserve is highly likely to raise interest rates by at least another 25 basis points. At the latest September FOMC meeting, the Fed announced an increase of 25 basis points in the target range for the federal funds rate, raising it to 3.75%-4.0%. Liu believes that after the start of this rate hike cycle, in order to cool down the overheated economy and suppress high inflation, there is still at least 25 basis points of room for further rate hikes. Looking at the Fed's dot plot, there will be another 25 basis point rate hike before the end of this year, which is largely in line with current market expectations. Whether there will be further rate hikes in 2027 depends mainly on the performance of subsequent US economic growth and inflation data. If capital expenditure in the AI field can maintain a high growth rate, regardless of whether final productivity improves, the possibility of a Fed rate hike in 2027 is not low, and the final interest rate of this rate hike cycle will most likely fall within the 4%-5% range. Due to the pressure of debt size, the probability of this round of rate hikes ultimately reaching above 5% is relatively low, unless a significant improvement in US productivity can be confirmed. From an asset performance perspective, the Federal Reserve's continued interest rate hikes can enhance the credibility of its policies, which is conducive to stabilizing long-term US Treasury yields in the short term and pushing the yield curve towards flattening. Looking at the longer term, the rise in long-term US Treasury yields is mainly driven by three factors: rising oil prices, high fiscal deficits, and expansion of AI capital expenditures. Oil prices may turn downwards in the next 1-6 months, but the fiscal deficit and AI capital expenditures are structural factors, and the possibility of a reversal in the short term is very low. There is still a risk that long-term US Treasury yields will continue to rise, and the 10-year US Treasury yield may subsequently rise to the 5.2%-5.5% range.

Real-Time Popular Commodities

Instrument Current Price Change

XAU

4336.96

-6.56

(-0.15%)

XAG

65.908

-0.096

(-0.15%)

CONC

93.09

0.72

(0.78%)

OILC

101.43

1.40

(1.40%)

USD

100.373

-0.037

(-0.04%)

EURUSD

1.1472

0.0009

(0.08%)

GBPUSD

1.3381

0.0016

(0.12%)

USDCNH

6.6952

0.0027

(0.04%)