China’s stock market, the second largest in the world, has entered a bear market. Its benchmark CSI 300 index closed 20% below its June peak on 22 October, and mainland shares have lost about US$2.4 trillion in value since May. The fall has not been a single dramatic crash. It has been a steady slide over roughly ten weeks, and there is still no clear sign of a turn. Here is what is behind it, how Beijing is responding, and what it could mean for global markets and Indian inv

On September 16, 2026, the US Federal Reserve raised its benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a target range of 3.75%–4.00% its first increase since 2023. The Federal Open Market Committee's decision was unanimous, a 12–0 vote, marking a shift from the split 9–3 outcome at July's meeting, when three regional Fed presidents had already pushed for tightening. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh described the US economy as “expanding at a solid pace” but flagged that inflation “