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(Reuters) -A boom at financial technology firms and growing demand to get to grips with artificial intelligence lifted financial sector job vacancy numbers in London in the third-quarter, Morgan McKinley's London Employment Monitor showed on Monday. Vacancies in the sector rose 9% year-on-year, the recruiter said, although it warned that graduate-level hiring was slowing as more roles are automated. Mark Astbury, director at Morgan McKinley, said a sharp dip in hiring earlier this year caused by uncertainty around potential trade tariffs had been offset by a striking rebound, as employers resumed delayed hiring plans. This year, employers have posted 6,425 fintech roles, already exceeding last year’s total, reflecting the race to commercialise AI platforms, Astbury said. But with the upcoming budget on November 26, many businesses, already hit by the British government's increase in national insurance taxes, are concerned about further tax rises, making them cautious. "In most cases, decisions are being delayed rather than withdrawn," Astbury said. He also noted structural changes that were reshaping the financial sector employment market, with more junior roles going to cities like Belfast and Glasgow and automation reducing administrative roles. London, on the other hand, continues to attract the bulk of senior positions, such as in technology, corporate finance and AI strategy. (Reporting by Phoebe Seers; Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Toby Chopra)

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By Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) -Asian stocks dived for cover on Monday after fresh broadsides in the U.S.-China trade war spooked markets with already stretched valuations, though there were signs risk sentiment had steadied with Wall Street futures bouncing. A holiday in Japan and the United States made for choppy early trading and political uncertainty still shrouded Japanese and European assets. While U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened 100% tariffs on China from November 1, he sounded more conciliatory over the weekend, posting that everything would be fine and the U.S. did not want to "hurt" China. Beijing defended on Sunday its curbs on exports of rare earth elements and equipment as a response to U.S. aggression, but stopped short of imposing new levies on U.S. products. "We expect the ultimate resolution will be an extension of the current tariff pause past November 10 along with some new but limited concessions from both sides," wrote Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs in a note. "However, the recent policy moves suggest a wider range of outcomes than was the case ahead of prior U.S.-China talks, with the possibility of greater concessions but also a risk of substantial new export restrictions and higher tariffs, at least temporarily." Many world leaders, including Trump, are due to meet in Egypt on Monday to discuss ceasefire plans for Gaza. Japanese markets had their own problems with the ascension of new LDP leader Sanae Takaichi to prime minister now in doubt, contributing to a sharp rebound in the yen and a 5% dive in Nikkei futures on Friday. The Nikkei was closed on Monday. Futures were trading up 1.5% at 46,770 but that was still far below the cash close of 48,088. Shares in South Korea slid 1.3%, while Australia lost 0.6%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 1.6%. Chinese blue chips fell 1.3%, though the rare earth and semiconductor sectors both firmed. Data pointed to some resilience in trade with exports rising 8.3%, almost twice the forecast, and imports up strongly. EARNINGS, FED LOOM LARGE Wall Street was making a comeback with S&P 500 futures rallying 1.3%, while Nasdaq futures jumped 1.8%. Earnings season kicks off this week with major banks reporting, including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo and Citigroup. S&P 500 companies overall are expected to have increased earnings by 8.8% in the third quarter from a year earlier, according to LSEG IBES, and strong results will be needed to justify the market's high valuations. Politics also cast a cloud over Europe as the French presidency announced Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's new cabinet line-up on Sunday, reappointing Roland Lescure, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, as finance minister. Lecornu's last cabinet lasted just 14 hours, and he still faces a tough task to steer a budget for 2026 through a deeply divided parliament. EUROSTOXX 50 futures edged up 0.4%, while DAX futures firmed 0.5% and FTSE futures 0.1%. Currency markets saw some stabilisation after Friday's rush into the traditional safe havens of the Japanese yen and Swiss franc. The dollar gained 0.5% to 151.98 yen, having slid 1.2% on Friday from a top of 153.29. The euro was steady at $1.1617, while the dollar nudged up 0.2% on the Swiss franc to 0.8010. The dollar index was off 0.1% at 98.921, after losing 0.6% on Friday. In bond markets, cash Treasuries were closed for a holiday but futures slipped 5 ticks as sentiment steadied. Yields had hit multi-week lows in the wake of Trump's tariff threat, while investors had added to wagers on more rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. Futures implied around a 98% chance of a quarter-point cut from the Fed later this month, and a similar probability of another move in December. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has a chance to offer his guidance when he speaks on the economic outlook at the NABE annual meeting on Tuesday. A host of other Fed members are appearing this week, along with a who's who of central bankers attending an IMF-World Bank meeting in Washington. In commodity markets, gold remained in high demand as a hedge against fiscal and political uncertainty, rising 0.8% to $4,049 an ounce and pipping last week's record to touch $4,059. [GOL/] Oil prices also regained some ground on hopes the U.S. and China would find some compromise on trade to avoid fresh tariffs. [O/R] Brent bounced 1.6% to $63.74 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose 1.6% to $59.88 per barrel. (Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Sam Holmes and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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BEIJING (Reuters) -China's export growth picked up pace in September, buoyed by manufacturers finding buyers in markets beyond the U.S. as a tariff deal with President Donald Trump remained elusive while investors grappled with the latest salvoes in their trade war. Outbound shipments from the world's second-largest economy rose an annual 8.3% last month, customs data showed on Monday, beating a 6% increase in a Reuters poll and registering the fastest growth since March. They compared with the 4.4% increase in August. Imports grew 7.4%, their fastest pace since April 2024, against a 1.3% gain a month prior, and a forecast rise of 1.5%. "Chinese firms are actively tapping into new markets with the relative cost advantage of their goods, that's for sure," said Xu Tianchen, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit in Beijing. "The United States now only accounts for less than 10% of China's direct exports," he added. "100% tariffs would no doubt add to the pressure China's export sector is under, but I don't think the impact will be as large as before." Trump on Friday unveiled additional levies of 100% on China's U.S.-bound exports, reviving the trade war between the two economic heavyweights, after Beijing put several new rare earth elements under export controls and imposed additional scrutiny on semiconductor users. Analysts said China was likely trying to increase its leverage ahead of expected talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. No other country comes close to matching U.S. consumption power, which once absorbed over $400 billion of Chinese goods each year. But policymakers are banking on factory owners boosting sales to Asia, Africa and Latin America to offset the trade curbs and keep the $19 trillion export-oriented economy on track to hit an official annual growth target of around 5%. The two superpowers appear to be struggling to chart a path beyond their current tariff truce, a 90-day pause from August 11 that ends around November 9. U.S. and Chinese officials met after last month's Madrid summit, widely viewed as a breakthrough for a deal struck on TikTok, to discuss technical issues that predated that meeting. In the meantime, Chinese exporters have made strides in other markets. Exports to regional rival India hit an all-time high in August, according to the most recent customs data, and shipments to Africa and Southeast Asia are on track for annual records. China's trade surplus fell to $90.45 billion in September, from $102.33 billion a month prior, and missed a forecast of $98.96 billion. Pointing to the persistent depressed domestic demand, South Korean exports to China – a leading indicator of the world's second-largest economy's imports – rose just 0.5% last month, recent data out of Seoul showed. A slice of optimism came at the end of September, though, when China's state planner said it will deploy 500 million yuan ($70.15 million) of policy-based financial tools to accelerate investment projects, as part of Beijing's efforts to support the slowing economy. The announcement came too late to influence September data, with manufacturing activity for the month, as well as the most recent retail sales and factory output figures for August lagging as China observers watched to see whether Beijing would announce fresh stimulus or a breakthrough with the Trump administration. (Reporting by Joe CashEditing by Shri Navaratnam)

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BEIJING (Reuters) -China's export growth picked up pace in September, buoyed by manufacturers finding buyers in markets beyond the U.S. as a tariff deal with President Donald Trump remained elusive while investors grappled with the latest salvoes in their trade war. Outbound shipments from the world's second-largest economy rose an annual 8.3% last month, customs data showed on Monday, up from a 4.4% gain in August, and beating a 6.0% increase forecast in a Reuters poll. Imports grew 7.4%, against a 1.3% gain previously, and a forecast rise of 1.5%. No other country comes close to matching U.S. consumption power, which once absorbed over $400 billion of Chinese goods each year. But policymakers are banking on factory owners boosting sales to Asia, Africa and Latin America to offset the trade curbs and keep the $19 trillion export-orientated economy on track to hit an official annual growth target of around 5%. China appears to be increasing its leverage ahead of expected talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. Last week, China put several new rare earth elements under export controls and imposed additional scrutiny on semiconductor users, raising the risk of a another supply crunch for U.S. and European users. The two superpowers appear to be struggling to chart a path beyond their current tariff truce, a 90-day pause from August 11 that ends around November 9. U.S. and Chinese officials met after last month's Madrid summit, widely viewed as a breakthrough for a deal struck on TikTok, to discuss technical issues that predated that meeting. In the meantime, Chinese exporters have made strides in other markets. Exports to regional rival India hit an all-time high in August, according to the most recent customs data, and shipments to Africa and Southeast Asia are on track for annual records. China's trade surplus fell to $90.45 billion in September, from $102.33 billion a month prior, and missing a forecast of $98.96 billion. Pointing to the persistent depressed domestic demand, South Korean exports to China – a leading indicator of the world's second-largest economy's imports – rose just 0.5% last month, recent data out of Seoul showed. A slice of optimism came at the end of September, though, when China's state planner said it will deploy 500 million yuan ($70.15 million) of policy-based financial tools to accelerate investment projects, as part of Beijing's efforts to support the slowing economy. The announcement came too late to influence September data, with manufacturing activity for the month, as well as the most recent retail sales and factory output figures for August lagging as China observers watched to see whether Beijing would announce fresh stimulus or a breakthrough with the Trump administration. (Reporting by Joe CashEditing by Shri Navaratnam)

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BEIJING (Reuters) -China's car sales accelerated in September, the traditional peak season for the auto market, as dealers and consumers took advantage of trade-in subsidies before more local governments suspended the incentives. Domestic car sales rose 6.6% year-on-year to 2.27 million units, following a 4.9% increase in August, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Monday. Sales of electric vehicles and hybrid cars made up 57.2% of total sales and grew 15.5%, compared to 7.5% in August. This time of year, known as "Golden September" in China, is usually peak season as automakers rush to launch new models and consumers return to showrooms after a lull during the stifling summer months. Local government-subsidised trade-ins spurred car sales in the first half but are showing signs of tapering off due to a funding shortage. Eastern Jiangsu province and the southwestern region of Guangxi were among those that announced last month they would suspend local auto replacement subsidy programmes. More cities such as Wenzhou and Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province joined the suspension this month. The sales growth also came as dealers took on more inventory last month. Data from the China Automobile Dealer Association showed the dealers had a total of 3.04 million units of cars in their inventory by the end of September, up from 2.6 million a month ago. Cui Dongshu, CPCA secretary-general, last week called for financial policies to support the dealers who have been suffering widespread losses from new car sales while automakers kept offloading inventory onto them despite tepid demand. Top player BYD logged the first monthly fall in car sales last month since February 2024, alongside an additional output cut. BYD's sales in its home market accounted for 14% of China's domestic car sales in September, compared to 18% in the same period in 2024. Smaller domestic rivals including Geely, Leapmotor, Xpeng and Xiaomi outperformed BYD with record high sales last month. Tesla, which exported 19,287 China-made EVs in September, saw its sales in China down 0.9% from the year before, extending a losing streak to the third month. China's car export growth picked up to 20.7% from 20.2% in August, CPCA data showed. (Reporting by Qiaoyi Li, Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kate Mayberry)

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(Reuters) -Jefferies Financial Group said on Sunday its exposure to bankrupt auto parts maker First Brands Group is limited and any potential losses will be "readily absorbable". First Brands, which makes filters, brakes and lighting systems for the automotive industry, filed for bankruptcy protection last month after its lenders began investigating irregularities in the company's financial reporting. Jefferies said its total indirect exposure to First Brands could lead to some financial losses over time, including about $43 million through its Point Bonita fund and about $2 million tied to First Brands' bank loans via its Apex platform. Financial firms exposed to First Brands include Jefferies, which disclosed $715 million in exposure through Leucadia Asset Management, and UBS, which is assessing its exposure on more than $500 million tied to the company. Reuters reported last week that Morgan Stanley's asset management unit had asked investment bank Jefferies to return some money it invested in the latter bank's Point Bonita Capital fund, citing a person familiar with the situation. Shares in Jefferies fell 8% in after-hours trading on Friday. (Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Subhranshu Sahu)

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By Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) -A supertanker carrying oil to the Chinese port of Rizhao in Shandong province changed its destination from there over the weekend after the U.S. imposed sanctions on an import terminal at the port on Friday, LSEG data shows. The Very Large Crude Carrier New Vista, chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, known as Sinopec, switched its destinations to the ports of Ningbo and Zhoushan for arrival on October 15, the LSEG data showed. The New Vista was originally scheduled to discharge at Rizhao on Sunday, the data showed. The ship can carry 2 million barrels of crude and is currently carrying Abu Dhabi's Upper Zakum oil. Sinopec did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal, half-owned by a Sinopec logistics unit, was among the entities listed by the U.S. Treasury in a round of sanctions that also includes ships transporting Iranian crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas, as well as an independent Chinese refinery. The terminal, in the city of Lanshan in Shandong province, a major Chinese oil refining hub, was sanctioned for receiving Iranian oil on board sanctioned vessels, the U.S. said. Sinopec handles one-fifth of its crude oil imports at the Rizhao terminal, according to industry executives and analysts. (Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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By Christine Chen and Shivangi Lahiri SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's Treasury Wine Estates on Monday pulled its earnings guidance for 2026 and paused an A$200 million ($130 million) share buyback, citing weak sales of its flagship Penfolds wines in China and distribution challenges in the U.S. The announcement sent shares of Treasury, one of the world's top five winemakers by volume, down 14% to A$5.99, their lowest point in more than 10 years. Treasury said sales of Penfolds in China had been weaker than expected due to changing alcohol consumption habits, including fewer large-scale banqueting occasions. China has been central to the Melbourne-based winemaker’s growth since Beijing lifted steep import tariffs that had kept the iconic label off shelves for more than three years. "If the performance trends indicated by the preliminary data continue through F26, Penfolds depletions targets for F26 in China are unlikely to be achieved," the company said. As a result, it said it was no longer appropriate to retain Penfolds guidance for low- to mid-double-digit earnings growth in 2026 and 15% earnings growth in fiscal 2027. "The complete withdrawal of guidance for Penfolds in FY26 and FY27 speaks to the high level of uncertainty caused by evolving consumption dynamics in the Chinese market," RBC Capital Markets analyst Michael Toner said. In the U.S., Treasury said its operations had been disrupted by the exit of its distributor in California, Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC). The transition to new partner Breakthru Beverage Group would cost around A$50 million in sales, it said, with negotiations continuing over roughly A$100 million of inventory held by RNDC. The setbacks led Treasury to withdraw its group-wide earnings forecast for the 2026 fiscal year and pause a planned A$200 million share buyback programme announced in August. It already repurchased about A$30 million of shares. RBC’s Toner said the pause on the remainder of the buyback was "unexpected" but "prudent in our view in the context of near-term trading uncertainty". The winemaker said several initiatives were being implemented to mitigate the impacts of a weaker Chinese market in the year to June 2026, including pursuing opportunities to re-allocate product to select customers in other key markets. Treasury will hold its annual general meeting on Thursday. ($1 = 1.5333 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney and Shivangi Lahiri in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio, Diane Craft, Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Sonali Paul)

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(Corrects company name in paragraph 6 to Republic National Distributing Company. RNDC was incorrectly named in TWE release.) (Reuters) -Shares of Treasury Wine Estates slumped on Monday to their lowest point in more than 10 years after the Australian winemaker suspended its A$200 million ($130.02 million) share buyback plan and withdrew EBITS growth outlook for fiscal 2026. The decision comes in response to an uncertain outlook for its flagship Penfolds business in China, as well as challenges facing its Treasury Americas portfolios. Treasury Wine, the country's largest standalone winemaker, had earlier flagged a shift in alcohol consumption behaviour in China as large-scale banqueting gives way to smaller-scale occasions, resulting in slower depletion of its Penfolds stock in the key market. Shares of the firm fell as much as 14.2% to A$5.99 by 2310 GMT, hitting their lowest level since September 2015. The firm noted that depletion for its Penfolds business "remains weak relative to plan", with the firm now no longer retaining its forecast for the same for low- to mid-double-digit EBITS growth in fiscal 2026 and approximately 15% EBITS growth in fiscal 2027. In its Treasury Americas portfolio, depletions were impacted by the closure of Republic National Distributing Company's (RNDC) operations in California, which was the company's incumbent distributor. While the firm looks to mitigate the full impact to fiscal 2026 EBITS associated with RNDC's closure, it still flagged increased uncertainty of its occurrence, thereby withdrawing its forecast for the segment. Similarly, given the uncertain outlook around trading conditions and expectations, Treasury Wine said it is prudent to pause the buyback until greater clarity is available. "Several initiatives are now being implemented to mitigate the expected impacts in China in F26, including pursuing opportunities to re-allocate product to select customers in other key markets in a manner that is sustainable and minimises the risk of parallel imports back into the China market," the winemaker added in its statement. ($1 = 1.5382 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Shivangi Lahiri in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio, Diane Craft and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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(Reuters) -Jefferies Financial Group said on Sunday its exposure to bankrupt auto parts maker First Brands Group is limited and any potential losses will be "readily absorbable". First Brands, which makes filters, brakes and lighting systems for the automotive industry, filed for bankruptcy protection last month after its lenders began investigating irregularities in the company's financial reporting. Jefferies said its total indirect exposure to First Brands could lead to some financial losses over time, including about $43 million through its Point Bonita fund and about $2 million tied to First Brands' bank loans via its Apex platform. Financial firms exposed to First Brands include Jefferies, which disclosed $715 million in exposure through Leucadia Asset Management, and UBS, which is assessing its exposure on more than $500 million tied to the company. Reuters reported last week that Morgan Stanley's asset management unit had asked investment bank Jefferies to return some money it invested in the latter bank's Point Bonita Capital fund, citing a person familiar with the situation. Shares in Jefferies fell 8% in after-hours trading on Friday. (Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Subhranshu Sahu)

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