Daily Briefing · 2026-10-30

GDP growth rate for the July-September quarter of 2026 accelerated to an annualized 3.4%. Robust personal consumption and increased AI investment drove the economic growth. The Bank of Japan kept its policy interest rate unchanged at 1.25%. The European Central Bank also kept its policy interest rate unchanged, with attention focused on whether there will be an additional rate hike in December. ECB President Lagarde is expected to step down in February 2027. Regarding Nvidia CEO Huang, ties to Chinese collaborators have been pointed out. Concerns are growing over risks of tighter regulations and a scale-back of China operations amid escalating U.S.-China tensions. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry proceeded with procedures for an improvement order against Chubu Electric Power. Electricity rates for the seven major power companies in November are expected to reach record highs. Volkswagen's July-September earnings showed a loss of over 80 billion yen due to weak sales in the Chinese market. Suzuki fell to second place domestically in global vehicle sales for the first half of the year. Shiga Bank and Ikeda Senshu Holdings have agreed to a business integration. Spain's high-speed rail accident was found to have been caused by a failure in the operation control center's transmission of speed restrictions. The U.S. military presented Iran with military options and a naval blockade measure. In Israel's general election, neither the ruling nor opposition bloc secured a majority, making coalition negotiations necessary. The Chinese Communist Party expelled 33 senior officials from the party as part of an internal crackdown. German Chancellor Merz requested that Japan provide air defense support to Ukraine. Venezuelan opposition leader Machado, in her first press conference since returning to the country, pledged to advance democratization. At the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, personal information of more than 40,000 employees was leaked due to a cyberattack.