A private gauge of China’s manufacturing activity signaled that the sector returned to growth in October, in a potential sign that Beijing’s more aggressive efforts to boost the economy are having an effect, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 50.3 in October from 49.3 in September, according to data released by Caixin Media Co. and S&P Global on Friday. A reading below 50 suggests that activity is shrinking and one above indicates that it is expanding.

China's push to shift its food import sources since 2018 has put it in a better position to impose tit-for-tat tariffs on U.S. farm goods with less harm to its food security if trade friction with Washington flares after the U.S. presidential election, Reuters reported. The threat of a trade war looms for China, the world's top importer of farm products such as soybeans and corn, with Republican candidate Donald Trump floating blanket 60% tariffs on Chinese goods in a bid to boost U.S. manufacturing. His opponent Kamala Harris, a Democrat, is also expected to confront China on trade.

The Bank of Japan’s governor struck a less cautious tone about the outlook as the central bank delivered a widely expected rate hold and reaffirmed that it’s on track for stable inflation and economic growth, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Japanese central bank maintained its target for the overnight call rate at 0.25%, the level reached after the last hike in July. Thursday’s decision came as no surprise to most BOJ watchers as Gov. Kazuo Ueda had flagged concerns about the uncertain global economic outlook and said that the bank needed to spend time analyzing risk factors.

China’s residential property sales rose in October, the first on-year increase of 2024, as the government’s latest stimulus blitz brought back buyers, Bloomberg News reported. The value of new-home sales from the 100 biggest real estate companies rose 7.1% from a year earlier to 435.5 billion yuan ($61.2 billion), reversing from a 37.7% slump in September, according to preliminary data from China Real Estate Information Corp. Sales surged 73% from a month earlier.

The bankruptcy court has rejected Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking’s application to direct the liquidator of Spark Green Energy (Satara) Ltd to categorise it as a secured financial creditor and also admit its claim of Rs 156 crore, the Economic Times of India reported. The city-based public utility undertaking had approached the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) after the liquidator of Spark Green Energy (Satara) rejected the company’s claim to admit the amount.

In January, the Catalan regional government in Spain created a specialized desk dedicated to increasing investment and trade with China, the world’s second-largest economy. In July, the Port of Barcelona approved plans to build a terminal with direct access to the port’s railway for electric vehicles that China is exporting to Europe, the New York Times reported. Last month, during a visit to Beijing by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Chinese wind turbine giant Envision Energy agreed to team up with his government and invest $1 billion to build a green hydrogen industrial park.

Indonesian textile giant PT Sri Rejeki Isman is contesting a court decision that declared it bankrupt as the company owner pledged to keep its factory open and see through the revival of the business, Bloomberg News reported. Sritex, as the company is more commonly known, filed an appeal on Oct. 25, requesting a review of the local court’s bankruptcy ruling, according to the court’s website.

China is considering approving next week the issuance of over 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) in extra debt in the next few years to revive its fragile economy, Reuters reported. China's top legislative body, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), is looking to approve the fresh fiscal package, including 6 trillion yuan which would partly be raised via special sovereign bonds, on the last day of a meeting to be held from Nov. 4-8.