China’s GDP Growth Sinks to New Low of 6 Per Cent – Financial Times

China’s economy expanded at its slowest pace in about 30 years at 6 per cent in the third quarter of 2019 compared with a year earlier, delivering another blow to global growth, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday.

• Six Warning Lights Flashing for China’s Slowing Economy – Reuters

EU and UK Reach Brexit Deal After Lengthy Negotiations – Financial Times

UK and EU negotiators have struck a long-awaited Brexit pact. However numerous stumbling blocks remains, particularly in London where Boris Johnson faces opposition from key corners.

• Brexit Deal Clinched in Brussels, Johnson Still Needs Backing at Home – Reuters
• EU and UK Reach Agreement to Put Brexit Within Boris Johnson’s Grasp – Bloomberg

Johnson Increasingly Optimistic Brexit Deal Can be Agreed by End of the Week – Daily Telegraph

Boris Johnson is increasingly optimistic that a Brexit deal could be agreed before the end of the week as negotiators began work on a draft text in Brussels.

• Johnson Hit by Prospect of No Brexit Until 2020 – The Times
• Pound Dips as Traders Brace Themselves for Dramatic Swings – Financial Times
• What are the Final Roadblocks on the Path to an Elusive Brexit Agreement – The Times
• The Market’s Brexit Enthusiasm Is Exaggerated – Wall Street Journal

EU Mulls New Emergency Summit to ‘Get Brexit Deal Done’ – BBC

EU internal talk is focussing now on a possible “holding pattern statement” at this week’s EU leaders summit, along the lines of “we’ve made great progress in negotiations but still need more time”. There are also renewed mutterings about a new Brexit summit maybe towards the end of the month.

• Johnson’s Brexit Deal on Knife Edge as EU Needs More Time – Bloomberg
• Pound Shaken Up by Positioning in Fear of Swift and Brutal Move – Bloomberg

Trump’s China Handshake Fails to Lift Economic Gloom – Bloomberg

The pledges China and the US made to keep prospects alive for a comprehensive trade deal did little to alter the deteriorating growth outlooks for both countries because they were sealed with something economists don’t trust: a handshake.

• China September Exports, Imports in Deeper Contraction as Tariffs Bite – Reuters
• Dollar Holds Near 2-1/2-Mth High Vs Yen on Trade Progress – Reuters
• China Is Cool on Trump Trade ‘Deal’ Its Economy Still Needs – Bloomberg 
• How Hard has China Been Hit by the Trade War? – Financial Times

Day 1 of US-China Trade Talks Ends with Hopes for Limited Deal – Reuters

Top US and Chinese negotiators wrapped up a first day of trade talks in more than two months on Thursday as business groups expressed optimism the two sides might be able to ease a 15-month trade war and delay a US tariff hike scheduled for next week.

• Trade Talk Flop Would Hurt Stocks More Than Mini-Deal Would Help – Bloomberg
• China Hit by EU Tariffs as High as 66% – Bloomberg
• Trump to Meet Chinese Vice-Premier in Washington for Trade Talks – Financial Times

China Lowers Expectations for US Trade Talks After Blacklist: Officials – Reuters

Surprised and upset by the US blacklisting of Chinese companies, China has lowered expectations for significant progress from this week’s trade talks with the United States, Chinese government officials told Reuters, even as President Donald Trump on Wednesday expressed fresh optimism.

• US and China Make No Progress in Two Days of Deputy-Level Talks: Sources – South China Morning Post
• US Weighing Currency Pact With China as Part of Partial Deal – Bloomberg
• US Tariffs on China are Working, says US Secretary of Commerce – Reuters

Johnson Gets Last Chance to Keep Brexit Deal Alive – The Times

Boris Johnson is fighting to salvage his Brexit deal after an explosive row with Angela Merkel put talks on the brink of collapse.

• Brexit is a Journey Without End for Britain – Financial Times
• ‘Many’ Tory MPs to Quit if it Comes to No‑Deal Brexit – The Times

HKEX Drops £32bn Bid for LSE After Charm Offensive Fails – Financial Times

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing said it would drop a £32bn offer for the London Stock Exchange Group, ending its attempt to create a global capital markets operator with a dominant position in Europe and Asia.

US Unemployment Rate Hits 50-Year Low – Financial Times

Evidence of stronger hiring over the summer and the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years were offset by signs of a slowdown in wage growth during September.

• Low Inflation? Nothing to Worry About: Fed’s George – Reuters