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Oil jumps above US$105 after Riyadh blasts, futures slip and yields near 24-year highs. TSX, Wall Street and global markets for Oct 8.

  Canadian Money Brief | Thursday, October 8, 2026 | Morning edition Oil is jumping, futures are sliding and bond yields are sitting near 24-year highs. Explosions in Riyadh, including a blast at the city's airport, sent crude sharply higher early Thursday and pushed U.S. stock futures lower. That follows a rough Wednesday for Toronto, where banks and miners dragged the TSX down. Here is where every major market stands before the open. Key takeaways Brent crude jumped about 5% to above US$105 a barrel; WTI rose about 5% to roughly US$92.75. S&P 500 futures are down about 0.6% and Dow futures about 1% after Wall Street's four-day winning streak ended Wednesday. The TSX fell about 1.7% Wednesday to near 35,040, led lower by the big banks and gold miners. The U.S. 10-year yield touched 5.36% on Wednesday, its highest since April 2002, and is hovering near 5.3% again. Markets are pricing in at least one Bank of Canada rate hike by year-end. Canada: TSX stumbles as banks and m...

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Vietnamese Real Estate Tycoon Sentenced to Death in $12.5 Billion Fraud Case

 


In a shocking development that underscores an intensifying anti-corruption drive in Vietnam, Truong My Lan, a high-profile businesswoman and real estate tycoon, has been sentenced to death in the country’s largest-ever financial fraud case. Let’s delve into the key details of this remarkable legal saga:

Who Is Truong My Lan?

  • Born in 1956, Truong My Lan started her journey by helping sell cosmetics alongside her mother, a Chinese businesswoman, in Ho Chi Minh City’s oldest market.
  • In 1992, she and her family established the Van Thinh Phat (VTP) company, capitalizing on Vietnam’s shift from a state-run economy to a more market-oriented one.
  • Over the years, VTP grew into one of Vietnam’s wealthiest real estate firms, with projects spanning luxury residential buildings, offices, hotels, and shopping centers.
  • Lan met her husband, Hong Kong investor Eric Chu Nap-kee, in 1992, and they have two daughters.

The Allegations Against Her

  • Lan’s involvement in the 2011 merger of the beleaguered Saigon Joint Commercial Bank (SCB) with two other banks caught the authorities’ attention.
  • She was accused of illegally controlling SCB between 2012 and 2022, orchestrating a complex scheme that involved siphoning funds through ghost companies and paying bribes to government officials.
  • The staggering amount involved in the fraud case is $12.5 billion, nearly 3% of Vietnam’s 2022 GDP.

The Unprecedented Verdict

  • While death sentences are not uncommon in Vietnam, it’s exceptionally rare for someone as high-profile as Truong My Lan to face such a fate in a financial crime case.
  • Her arrest, subsequent sentencing, and the sheer scale of the scam have sent shockwaves through the nation and beyond.
  • The court’s decision reflects the country’s determination to combat corruption and hold even influential figures accountable.

Truong My Lan’s case serves as a stark reminder that no one is above the law, regardless of their status or wealth. As Vietnam continues its fight against financial malfeasance, this verdict will reverberate throughout the business and legal communities.

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