Crypto News: US election looms over IMF meeting

Good morning and welcome back, it's Ainsley here with all the news you need to start your working week.

Today's must-reads:
• Finance, monetary chiefs gather in Washington
• Vale-BHP mine disaster deal moves closer
• Asian IPOs set for blockbuster week

Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from around the world gather in Washington this week for the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Hanging over the meeting is the toss-up US presidential election that offers starkly different economic outcomes for the world. RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser holds a fireside chat at the meeting today, while RBNZ chief Adrian Orr speaks on policy on the sidelines of the IMF confab later in the week.

BHP and Vale are a step closer to finalizing a deal with Brazilian authorities to provide a multibillion dollar settlement for one of the country's worst mining disasters. Ongoing negotiations that also involve Vale-BHP's iron ore joint venture, Samarco, point to a total deal valued at about 170 billion reais (A$45 billion) as settlement for the 2015 disaster, Vale said Friday in a filing. It comes more than eight years after a tailings dam collapsed at Samarco's mine in southeastern Brazil, unleashing a torrent of waste that killed as many as 19 people.

Ukraine will soon be sold out, writes Max Hastings for Bloomberg Opinion. The Middle East wars have distracted attention from Ukraine, at tragic cost to President Vladimir Zelenskiy's people. Fewer American weapons are available for shipment to Kyiv, and the eyes of Western governments are focused overwhelmingly on Israel and Iran, even as Russian forces advance.

Asia's stock markets are gearing up for their busiest week of listings in more than two years, offering a crucial test of demand as companies rush to raise money before the US election. Around 20 companies from Asia Pacific are listing shares in deals that may raise as much as $8.3 billion, the biggest weekly volume since April 2022, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

A day after a Hezbollah drone penetrated Israel's air defenses and exploded next to the private home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he held a series of meetings with top security aides to discuss the next attack on Iran. The planning for such an assault has been underway for three weeks since Iran fired some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel following Israeli assassinations of leaders of Iran-sponsored militias.

Boeing and the union representing 33,000 striking workers reached a tentative accord with help from the White House. The proposed contract includes a wage increase of 35% spread over four years, a guaranteed annual bonus of at least 4% and an additional $7,000 reward if workers approve the deal. A ratification vote is set for Oct. 23, the same day as earnings.

Former general Prabowo Subianto was sworn in as Indonesia's eighth president on Sunday, capping a 26-year rise that followed his dismissal from the military over alleged human rights abuses tied to protests that ousted his late former father-in-law and dictator, Suharto.

A large billboard featuring an image of Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia's president, during a presidential parade along Bundaran HI in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg