Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have signed an expanded free trade agreement as both sides face increased protectionism from the United States.

The ASEAN bloc of Southeast Asian nations and China on Tuesday signed an upgrade to their free trade agreement, which includes sections on digital, the green economy and other new industries, Beijing's Commerce Ministry said.

Stocks spiked to al-time highs to start the week. extending gains from Friday's record-setting rally. Chips and rare earth stocks were among the big movers.

Wall Street is in an upbeat mood as it gears up for a pivotal week featuring the Federal Reserve’s expected interest rate cut and a barrage of Big Tech earnings, as well as Trump's visit to Asia.

Investors sent major global indexes higher on optimism that President Trump and China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, could reach a wider agreement this week.

In reality, President Xi may have other ideas. While US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushes China to light a fire under consumer spending and the White House touts Trump’s Asia trip as a ringing success, China’s latest five-year plan appears to show Trump’s rebalancing dream to be—as far as Beijing is concerned— a fantasy.

By Ishaan Arora and Sherin Elizabeth Varghese (Reuters) -Gold fell more than 2% to a three-week low on Tuesday, as optimism over easing trade tensions lifted risk appetite and squeezed demand for safe-haven bullion,

China's Sany Heavy Industry traded flat on its Hong Kong trading debut Tuesday after raising HKD$12.36 billion ($1.59 billion) in one of the city's largest listings this year.