Treasury

Bessent: a successful engagement. Xi is still coming.

Treasury after He Lifeng in New York. Asian stocks up. Brent $102. The summit is this week.

The Rocket News · Economy · New YorkSeptember 21, 2026 · 4 min read

Bessent after He Lifeng: a very successful engagement. Xi is still coming.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters after Sunday talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York that the United States had “a very successful engagement.” Asian stocks mostly advanced Monday. U.S. futures were higher. The Economy desk files the warm word before the cold meeting.

Xi sees Trump this week in Washington. Trade, tariffs, AI, Iran, Taiwan — the list is the relationship. China’s surplus is on pace to top $1 trillion again. Brent fell 2 percent to about $102 as some Hormuz traffic moved. WTI about $94.

A very successful engagement.

The Economy desk files Monday as it is: Bessent’s successful, a $102 barrel, and a summit that has not started.

Wire and further reading: usnews.com

Filed under Economy

Keep reading

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Musandam, Oman, Oct. 2, 2026. Reuters. It is a file photograph. It is not Wednesday’s trade, and no one is named.

Oil

Brent was $104.36 at 0730 GMT.

Reuters, Wednesday morning: up 76 cents. WTI was $96.72. That is not a New York close. The photograph is Oct. 2, not today’s trade.

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Nov. 2, 2026. Brendan McDermid, Reuters. It is not Tuesday’s Asian print, and no trader is named.

Markets

Brent was $105.19 in Asia. That is not a New York close.

Reuters, Tuesday: Brent was up 0.4 percent at $105.19 in Asian trading after a drop of about 7 percent on Monday. The photograph is the New York Stock Exchange on Nov. 2, not that print.

The U.S. Capitol, framed by fall foliage, Sept. 28, 2026. Kylie Cooper, Reuters. It is not a trading floor, and it is not Sunday’s session. Markets were closed.

The budget

The deficit is still about 6 percent. That count is Friday's.

Reuters, Friday in New York: investors see no fix for a deficit around 6 percent of GDP and a $2 trillion gap, whoever wins Tuesday. The photograph is the Capitol on Sept. 28.