China securities regulator raises refinancing threshold
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said yesterday (October 9), that public-trading firms, if applying for refinancing, must pay dividends in cash. These dividends should amount to no less than 30 percent of distributed profits over the past three years. The CSRC said the move could help to encourage long-term investment and reduce market volatility.

Oil prices dropped below 80 dollars
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced yesterday (October 9) that the average crude oil prices dropped below 80 dollars per barrel on Wednesday, its lowest price since Oct. 2007. Oil price fell to 77.38 dollars per barrel after having dropped for eight consecutive trading days on investor fears that crude demand would weaken as a result of the global financial turmoil.

Dollar rises against major currencies
The Dollar rose yesterday (October 9) against the Euro and other major currencies, as falling stocks on Wall Street boosted demand of Dollars as a risk aversion currency.