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Oct 1 (Reuters) – The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. – The Federal Trade Commission is suing Zillow and Redfin, now owned by Rocket Companies alleging the two real estate advertising platforms made an unlawful pact that suppresses competition. – President Trump said Tuesday that his administration is "getting very close" to striking a deal with Harvard University that would see the Ivy League school pay about $500 million. – The U.S. government is taking a 5% stake in Lithium Americas a Vancouver, B.C.-based mining company, and a 5% stake in the company’s Nevada mining project, the Energy Department said Tuesday evening, restructuring a $2.26 billion U.S. government loan agreement from 2024. – Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is in talks to buy Occidental Petroleum's OxyChem petrochemical unit for about $10 billion. – The White House withdrew the nomination of conservative economist E.J. Antoni to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)

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Oct 1 (Reuters) – Officina Stellare SpA: * OFFICINA STELLARE, SKYLOOM SIGN AGREEMENT FOR SKYLOOM EUROPE * PROJECT AIMS FOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF OPTICAL COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES * SKYLOOM EUROPE PROJECT IN HIGH-GROWTH ORBITAL COMMUNICATION MARKET * NEWCO, HIGH-CAPACITY PLANT TO BE ESTABLISHED IN ITALY, AIM TO COMPETE IN GLOBAL OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS MARKET WITH OVERALL VALUE OF AROUND EUR 12 BILLION (ADDS DROPPED WORDS) Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom)

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Oct 1 (Reuters) – Ayco Grupo Inmobiliario SA: * SAID ON TUESDAY, H1 NET LOSS 639,515 EUROS * HI EBITDA 564,082 EUROS * IT HAS NOT GENERATED REVENUES IN H1 Source text: Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom)

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Oct 1 (Reuters) – Mercator Medical SA: * REPORTED ON TUESDAY Q2 NET LOSS AT 9.3 MILLION ZLOTYS * Q2 REVENUE FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES AT 144.6 MILLION ZLOTYS * Q2 OPERATING LOSS AT 13.2 MILLION ZLOTYS Source text for Workspace: Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom)

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Oct 1 (Reuters) – UMM AL QURA FOR DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION: * SIGNS RESERVATION AGREEMENT TO SELL A PLOT WITHIN MASAR DESTINATION * AGREED SALE VALUE OF SAR 220.6 MILLION Source text: Further company coverage:

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BEIJING, Oct 1 (Reuters) – China's coast guard held a National Day flag-raising ceremony on a ship in the waters off the disputed Scarborough Shoal, vowing to "stand guard" over the atoll, a major flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups and maritime clashes with the Philippines. Both countries claim the triangular feature in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, but it is effectively under Beijing's control. In September, China infuriated Manila with a plan to set up a "national" nature reserve there. Coast guard officers standing in formation on the rear deck of the patrol vessel Dahao (3304) saluted as the Chinese flag was raised, a video showed in a coast guard posting on Wednesday on Douyin, known as TikTok outside China. "We stand guard over these blue waters, assuring the nation of our unwavering commitment," the video subtitles read. The Philippine coast guard did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Wednesday. In 2012 China seized control of the shoal after a standoff with the Philippines and has since kept a deployment of coast guard and fishing trawlers there. A landmark ruling on South China Sea issues by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 went in favour of Manila but deciding sovereignty over the shoal was not within the scope of the decision. The ruling held that Beijing's blockade there violated international law as it was a traditional fishing ground for several countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam. Flare-ups near the shoal in recent years have included the use of water cannon, boat-ramming and manoeuvres by China's coast guard that the Philippines considers dangerously close, while jets have shadowed Philippine aircraft over it. Both sides accuse each other of provocation and trespassing, though none of the clashes have escalated into armed conflict. CCG vessel 3304 had been previously challenged by the Philippine coast guard for its "illegal presence" at the shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island while in the Philippines it is known as the Panatag Shoal. (Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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By Anant Chandak BENGALURU, Oct 1 (Reuters) – India's manufacturing sector expansion lost some momentum last month, slipping to its weakest pace in four months but remaining strong, while factory gate prices surged at the fastest rate in nearly 12 years to combat mounting input costs, a survey showed on Wednesday. That suggests the United States' punitive 50% tariffs on Indian goods could be starting to bite Asia's third-largest economy, which has been the fastest growing among major nations this year. HSBC's India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, fell to 57.7 in September from August's more robust 59.3 and lower than a preliminary reading of 58.5, reflecting the slowest improvement in operating conditions since May. PMI readings above 50.0 indicate growth in activity on a monthly basis. The slowdown was led by a moderation in new orders and output, which expanded at the weakest rate in four months. Survey respondents cited intense competitive pressures as a headwind to growth. That said, new export orders picked up pace from last month. "New export orders increased at a faster rate in September, indicating demand outside of the U.S. might be offsetting any decline in demand from the U.S. as a result of tariffs," noted Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC. Meanwhile, the employment picture deteriorated with hiring slowing to the weakest pace in a year. Only 2% of companies expanded their workforce. Cost pressures intensified with input price inflation rising to its highest since May, pushing firms to respond by raising their selling prices at the fastest rate since October 2013. Despite the loss of growth momentum and rising costs, business optimism strengthened to a seven-month high. Firms pointed to tax relief from recent goods and services tax rate changes and expectations of favourable demand as reasons for their confidence in the year-ahead outlook. "Business confidence, as indicated by expectations for future output, showed a big jump in September, potentially reflecting optimism about the boost in demand from the cuts in goods and services tax (GST), although U.S. tariffs remain a strong headwind to the economy," added Bhandari. (Reporting by Anant Chandak; Editing by Kim Coghill)

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Oct 1 (Reuters) – Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening higher on Wednesday, with futures up 0.05%. * THAMES WATER: Some creditors of Thames Water will pledge to retain their ownership in the British utility until 2030 as part of a rescue plan, Sky News reported. * ANTOFAGASTA: The union for supervisors at Antofagasta's Los Pelambres copper mine in Chile has rejected a contract offer, paving the way for a potential strike, the group said. * INTEREST RATES: Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said that a recent climb in headline inflation was unlikely to last and there were risks to the economy if interest rates are kept high for too long. * STANDARD CHARTERED: Singapore's High Court has dismissed a bid by foreign liquidators to sue Standard Chartered and BSI Bank over transactions alleged to be linked to Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, according to a judgment. * BP MARSH: BP Marsh has acquired a 10% shareholding in Oneglobal, the London-based international retail and wholesale insurance intermediary. * COMMODITIES: Oil prices steadied in early trade ahead of potential OPEC+ plans for a larger output hike next month. Gold prices surged to a record high after the official start of the U.S. government shutdown and London copper futures strengthened following top-producer Chile's steepest output drop in over two years. * FTSE: FTSE 100 closed at a record high adding 0.5% on Tuesday and logged its biggest quarterly performance since October 2022, helped by a weaker pound that increases earnings for companies that are reliant on export revenues. * UK CORPORATE DIARY: Taylor TW.L Investor Day Wimpey Greggs GRG.L Q3 Trading Update * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Simone Lobo in Bengaluru)

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* Malaysian stocks hit highest since January * Manila shares snap seven days of losses * Singapore stocks highest since mid-September By Rishav Chatterjee Oct 1 (Reuters) – Emerging Asian equities kicked off the month on a firm note on Wednesday, clawing back some losses from the prior session, with Malaysian shares hitting a nine-month high and Taipei stocks surging just shy of a peak as Wall Street notched modest gains. Currencies, however, were more restrained. Regional units remained muted against the U.S. dollar as investors kept to the sidelines after the shutdown of the U.S. government. The U.S. government partially shut down on Wednesday after bitter partisan divisions blocked Congress and the White House from striking a funding deal. The Indonesian rupiah and Thai baht fell 0.2% each while the Philippine peso and Taiwan dollar were trading unchanged. The U.S. dollar index, which measures itself against a basket of currencies, hovered near a one-week low versus major peers ahead of the shutdown. Markets remain wary that a prolonged shutdown could delay the release of key jobs data, leaving the Federal Reserve without critical visibility ahead of its October 29 policy meeting. Trading in currency markets remained subdued on Wednesday with investors lacking any major cues as China’s markets remain shut for the week-long holiday from Wednesday. "Asian currencies are trading subdued today in absence of fresh catalyst while China onshore markets are out for Golden Week holidays, in turn providing little cues," said Christopher Wong, a currency strategist with OCBC. "There is also a 'wait-and-see' stance in light of the risk of U.S. government shutdown, as it raises concerns of economic slowdown if the shutdown persists for longer." Across equities, Taiwan’s benchmark jumped as much as 2% to trade just shy of a record high, while MSCI’s index of EM Asia shares rose 0.7%, heading for a third straight gain. A similar ASEAN gauge added 0.3%. Three major indexes on Wall Street closed higher in a choppy session overnight, a move that aided the benchmark in Taipei. Stocks in Kuala Lumpur added as much as 0.7% to hit their highest since early January. Equities in Singapore gained 0.8% and touched their highest since September 17 and were on track for their third straight session of gains. Maybank analysts noted that Malaysian equities gained despite both mid-cap and small-cap indexes declining. "This suggests the market focus is shifting back to big-cap counters while the broader market undergoes a healthy consolidation phase," they added. Shares in Manila which dragged 3.3% in September, were trading 0.8% in the green after having fallen for seven straight days. Stocks in Bangkok gained 0.1% while the benchmark indexes in South Korea and Indonesia added 0.8% and 0.1%, respectively. HIGHLIGHTS: ** Indonesian 10-year benchmark flat at 6.342% ** Death toll rises to 27 after powerful quake hits central Philippines ** New Thai central bank chief says he will work with government but maintain independence Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0409 GMT COUNTRY FX RIC FX DAILY FX YTD INDEX STOCK STOCK % % S S YTD DAILY % % Japan -0.01 +6.26 China India +0.03 -3.55 Indones -0.18 -3.59 Malaysi -0.10 +6.13 Philipp +0.02 -0.33 0.79 -8.10 ines S.Korea Singapo -0.09 +5.78 0.56 14.17 re Taiwan -0.04 +7.55 Thailan -0.20 +5.52 (Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)

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INDIAN RUPEE LITTLE CHANGED AFTER RBI'S STATUS QUO ON RATES; LAST AT 88.76 PER U.S. DOLLAR

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