Belgium

Key Facts The multi-month decline in China’s official US Treasury holdings may not represent active selling by Beijing, according to Fortune, the Globe and Mail and the South China Morning Post on October 18. Some of the holdings may have been relocated through custodial and intermediary accounts in Canada and Belgium, allowing exposure to Treasuries to be maintained while reducing the visibility of official holdings. Market participants note that Canada may, on a statistical basis, displace China as one of the top three holders of US government debt. If confirmed, the picture would materially shift the narrative around Treasury demand structure, the trajectory of US–China financial relations and the medium-term rebalancing of global foreign-exchange reserves. ...

A severe fire broke out at an apartment building in Antwerp, Belgium, killing at least six people and injuring several others. Fire departments have contained the blaze and the cause is under investigation.

Belgium’s government announced plans to buy all nuclear reactors from French energy giant Engie to secure the country’s energy supply, reversing nuclear phase-out legislation from the early 2000s.