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☆ Markets could be about to get a big clue on when the European Central Bank will cut rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Annette Weisbach | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde speaks as she presents the bank's 2022 Annual Report to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, eastern France, on February 26, 2024. FRANKFURT — The European Central Bank will meet again this week amid falling inflation, a slight recovery in economic activity and the overall understanding that its next interest rate move will be downward. The only question really for markets is, when will that happen? Some months ago, the markets were convinced that the March meeting will be "the one." The recent consumer price readings showed a slowdown of headline inflation to 2.6% in February, but service prices still rose by 3.9% for the month.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Dirk Schumacher Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB Locations: Strasbourg, France, FRANKFURT

☆ Natixis economist discusses South Korea trade data, says growth is not a challenge this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNatixis economist discusses South Korea trade data, says growth is not a challenge this yearTrinh Nguyen, senior economist at Natixis, discusses South Korea's trade data and the outlook for its monetary policy, saying the Bank of Korea is "very, very, very sensitive to what's happening in financial markets" and it's too early for it to adopt a dovish tone.

Persons: Trinh Nguyen Organizations: South, Bank of Locations: South Korea, Bank of Korea

☆ Spending in Shenzhen: Chinese used to escape to this former British colony. Now Hongkongers are heading in the opposite direction
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Chris Lau | Veronica Lin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Hong Kong CNN —With Hong Kong’s sky-high cost of living, residents like Andy Tsui have been looking for alternative ways to have more fun and spend less. Rather than spending his cash in his hometown of Hong Kong, he’s been crossing the border into mainland China to splurge instead. Such trips are noteworthy because, for much of Hong Kong’s modern history, the traffic has been largely — conspicuously, even — in the other direction. Hong Kong used to be the place where Chinese would escape to, not from. In 2023, just 26 million mainlanders — about half of the 2018 crowd — visited Hong Kong.

Persons: Andy Tsui, he’s, boba, ” Tsui, Justin Robertson, Noemi Cassanelli, CNN Hong Kong’s, Hong Kong —, misbehaving, —, ”, Steve Tsang, Hong, Shenzhen’s, Hongkongers, Gilles Sabrie, Hongkonger Eddy Lam, Lam, Cherrie Leung, Qilai Shen, Hugo Sin, “, Gary Ng, John Lee, Tsang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Shoppers, Yuen, Britain, Newspapers, Hong, Hong Kong Immigration Department, China Institute, SOAS University, Huawei, Tencent, Bloomberg, Getty, Sam’s Club, Costco, Sam’s, Walmart, Hong Kong, Shenzhen hasn’t, Xinhua, RTHK, SOAS University of London Locations: Hong Kong, China, splurge, Peking, Shenzhen, East, Hong, People’s Republic of China, British, Beijing, London, Bay Area, San Francisco , New York, Tokyo, Kowloon, Coco, Shanghai, “, Inner Mongolia, Taiwan, Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong’s, Britain, Canada, Australia, Bay, ”

☆ Small-cap stocks are the cheapest they've been since 2000 and are an under-the-radar way to profit from AI, a strategy chief predicts. Here are 5 ways to play their upcoming rally.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A soft landing would greatly boost small caps since they're economically sensitive, meaning they tend to thrive in expansions and fall during contractions. Marcelli also made note of smaller companies' weaker balance sheets, though those are arguably accounted for in valuations. With that said, those positive forces appear to be intact, so small caps could finally break out. Instead of selling AI chips or products, smaller companies can enhance their productivity by using the technology, the strategy chief said. 5 sectors where small caps can thriveWithin small caps, Temple said he's less focused on what sector a company falls into and more concerned with whether that firm is financially healthy.

Persons: haven't, Russell, Marcelli, Ronald Temple, Temple, couldn't, there's, Jack Janasiewicz, Janasiewicz, he's, you've, I'd, they've Organizations: Business, Yahoo Finance, UBS Global Wealth Management, Lazard Asset Management, Temple, Reserve, Savings, Nvidia, Devices, Microsoft

☆ Moody's changes US ratings outlook to negative, affirms AAA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 10 (Reuters) - Moody's on Friday changed the outlook on the government of United States of America's ratings to "negative" from "stable". Moody's affirmed the long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings at "Aaa". COMMENTS:REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE ANDY HARRIS, ON X SOCIAL MEDIA“Moody’s just downgraded our credit rating outlook to negative because of our out-of-control government spending and deficits. "I don't think that there is a significant consequence. WALLY ADEYEMO, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY"While the statement by Moody’s maintains the United States’ Aaa rating, we disagree with the shift to a negative outlook.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Moody's, ANDY HARRIS, JOHN CORNYN, ” STEVEN RICCHIUTO, you've, ” THIERRY WIZMAN, MACQUARIE, “ Moody’s, ” MICHAEL GREEN, JACK ABLIN, CHICAGO “, it's, ”, ” QUINCY KROSBY, CAROL SCHLEIF, We've, CHRISTOPHER HODGE, KARINE JEAN, PIERRE, Moody’s, WALLY ADEYEMO, Biden Organizations: REUTERS, Aaa, Moody’s Investors Service, Capitol, FX, NEW, Republicans, Democrats, BMO, KARINE, Republican, Congressional Republicans, States ’ Aaa, Biden Administration, Global Finance, Markets, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, United States, MIZUHO, Japan, CHICAGO, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, MINNEAPOLIS , MN, American

☆ Reaction to Reuters report on potential Ping An rescue of Country Garden
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

EUGENE LAW, DIRECTOR OF CHINA GALAXY INTERNATIONAL:"If the central government steps in to help Country Garden, it's for easing the debt crisis and preventing a spillover to financial institutions. But it will not help the China property market, which depends on factors, including employment and consumer confidence. Homebuyers would not rush to buy property just because Country Garden gets out of trouble. For the broader property market, the key is still home sales." Country Garden may have reached a tipping point where it will need more liquidity to fulfill such a policy goal.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Ping, EUGENE LAW, Homebuyers, MICHAEL WONG, XU TIANCHEN, YAO, homebuyers, GARY NG, Clare Jim, Anne Marie Roantree, Edwina Gibbs, Kim Coghill Organizations: Ping An Insurance, REUTERS, Ping An Insurance Group, HK, Reuters, LU, OF CHINA GALAXY, Garden, Central Financial Work Conference, Thomson Locations: Shenzhen, China, HONG KONG

☆ U.S. earnings put the idea of recession behind us, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailU.S. earnings put the idea of recession behind us, strategist saysMabrouk Chetouane, head of global market strategy at Natixis Investment Managers, discusses U.S. earnings and the outlook for the wider economy.

Persons: Mabrouk Chetouane Organizations: Natixis Investment

CNN —Ivanka Trump’s appearance Wednesday was the highly anticipated conclusion to an unprecedented eight days of witness testimony that included Donald Trump and three of his adult children in the civil fraud trial brought by the New York attorney general’s office. Ivanka Trump proposed a change to lower the net worth requirement to $2 billion, in an email Solomon showed in court. Solomon asked Ivanka Trump whether the value of her purchase option was factored into her father’s financial statement. Discussions between Ivanka Trump and Jared KushnerIvanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner worked in Donald Trump’s White House as senior advisers to the president. In addition to the Trump family, the attorney general’s office called former Trump Org.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Louis Solomon, Solomon, Donald Trump’s, ” Ivanka Trump, ”, Jared Kushner Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Kushner, “, they’d, Allen Weisselberg, Jeff McConney –, ” Michael Cohen, Weisselberg, Arthur Engoron, – Engoron, Ivanka, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, New, Trump Organization, Deutsche Bank, Doral, Trump, Deutsche Bank’s, Deutsche, Capital, Post, Trump International, Trump Org, Ivanka Trump, ” Locations: New York, Ivanka, Florida, Doral, Washington

☆ This city never slept. Now with China tightening its grip, is the party over?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

China’s message at the time was that even if change was coming to Hong Kong, its spirit of “anything goes” would be staying put. People gather outside a restaurant on a near-empty street in the Soho area of Hong Kong. Officials say they were “fluorescent.”A Hong Kong government spokesman told CNN this week that the activities were “well-received by local residents and tourists”. Under Hong Kong’s pandemic restrictions, live music was all but banned in small venues for more than 650 days. Months before the virus emerged, China had been tightening its grip on Hong Kong in response to pro-democracy protests that had spread throughout the city.

Persons: Hong Kong, Boy George, Grace Jones, Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, China’s, Deng Xiaoping, China –, Deng, Deng’s, –, Noemi Cassanelli, Hong, John Lee, “, ”, Gary Ng, Covid, Benson Wong, Wong, Lan Kwai Fong, Cassanelli, Hong Kongers, Kongers, Ng, Yan Wai, ” Yan, hasn’t, Billy H.C, Kwok, Richard Feldman, Feldman, Becky Lam, ” Lam, “ They’ll, ” Feldman, Kwai Fong, Marco Chan, Chan, ” Allan Zeman, Allan Zeman, Lan, CNN “ They’ll, they’ll, Lam, Hong Kong’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, East, West, Britain, Occupy Central, National Security, Michelin, CNN, Hong, Tai Hang, National, Hong Kong Wine, HKSAR, Immigration Department, Chinese University of Hong, Soho Association, Netflix, “, Lan Kwai Fong Group, Hong Kong, Shady Locations: China, Hong Kong, Asia, Hong, Soho, Japan, Singapore, Tai, Thailand, Lan Kwai, expats, Britain, Canada, Australia, Natixis, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lan, revelers, California, Central, Shenzhen, Hong Kong’s Central, Bangkok, Shanghai, Taipei, Petticoat

☆ Euro zone inflation, growth slow as ECB hikes weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Francesco Canepa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Euro zone inflation lowest since July 2021 in OctGDP shrinks slightly in Q3FRANKFURT, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Inflation in the euro zone hit a two-year low a month after its economy began contracting, data showed on Tuesday, illustrating the dual impact of a steady diet of European Central Bank's interest rate hikes. But the brisk decline from the double-digit figures of just a year ago is coming at a cost: the euro zone economy dipped by 0.1% in the three months to September, according to a separate Eurostat release, and is flirting with a recession. "The data leaves the ECB firmly on hold," Dirk Schumacher, an economist at Natixis, said. "It's now down to weaker demand grinding down inflation and that's a slow process," Natixis' Schumacher said. "Still, continued economic and geopolitical uncertainty alongside the impact of higher rates on the economy will weigh on economic activity in the coming quarters."

Persons: Dirk Schumacher, It's, Natixis, Schumacher, Bert Colijn, Francesco Canepa, John Stonestreet Organizations: ECB, ING, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, European

☆ European Central Bank meets as bond markets wobble and economy turns south
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Annette Weisbach | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), speaks during an ECB press conference in July. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesFRANKFURT — The European Central Bank is expected to keep rates on hold when it meets this week in Athens. With recent bond market volatility, talk of an earlier exit from its quantitative tightening program might have to be postponed. Inflation declineThe inflation print in September showed a decline to 4.3% down from 5.2% in August according to Eurostat. That's faster than expected but upside risks to inflation prevail through wage effects and the threat of a higher oil price.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Dirk Schumacher, Downside Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB, Getty, FRANKFURT, Eurostat Locations: Athens, Israel, Frankfurt

☆ India is a ‘slow trundling elephant’ but a viable alternative to China, says veteran investor David Roche
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Veteran investor David Roche said India "is a slow trundling elephant" that still has many hurdles, but is now a viable alternative to China. "I think India stands to benefit from the decline in terms of the attractiveness of foreign direct investment and portfolio flows of China," Roche told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Friday. After overtaking China to become the world's most populous nation, India could also leapfrog its neighbor to also become the world's second-largest economy by 2075. "So I think we're looking at a transfer of not only fixed investment by corporations, but portfolio investments out of China and into India," Roche said. "I think one has to look to sound the current levels and a note of caution about that," Roche warned.

Persons: David Roche, " Roche, CNBC's, Roche, Alicia Garcia, Herrero Organizations: China, Investors, Economic, CNBC Locations: India, China, Asia, Natixis

☆ China ramps up yuan internationalisation under Belt and Road Initiative
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] A China yuan note is seen in this illustration photo May 31, 2017. And funding BRI projects has helped China revitalise the once-stalled process of yuan internationalisation. Another policy bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, signed a yuan-based loan agreement with Saudi National Bank, while Bank of China helped Egypt issue Africa's first yuan-denominated Panda bonds. Beijing also allocated an additional 80 billion yuan ($10.94 billion) to its Silk Road Fund for BRI projects. "Can you do this in a targeted way with MOUs with all BRI countries?

Persons: Thomas White, Vladimir Putin, Xi, Alicia Garcia Herrero, China revitalise, Malaysia's Maybank, Haoxin Mu, Natixis, Garcia Herrero, Samuel Shen, Tom Westbrook, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Initiative, Forum, Asia Pacific, Natixis, China International Capital Corp, China Development Bank, BBVA, Export, Import Bank of China, Saudi National Bank, Bank of, Fund, Thomson Locations: China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, Beijing, Russia, Asia, U.S, Ukraine, Africa, Europe, Egypt's, BBVA Peru, Bank of China, Egypt

☆ Is India still a bright spot? IMF upgrades growth, but economists say it will be a bumpy ride
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Pedestrians walk towards the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station at dusk in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. The International Monetary Fund has raised its growth forecast for India, saying the country's growth will remain strong in 2023 and 2024 — but analysts warn there will be headwinds ahead. According to the IMF's October update of its World Economic Outlook., India's economy will grow 6.3% in 2023, an increase from an earlier forecast of 6.1%. "India will continue to be a bright spot in the global economic picture," Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis said. Consumer spending remains one of the biggest growth drivers in the world's most populous nation, she added.

Persons: Alicia Garcia, Herrero Organizations: Monetary, CNBC, Asia Pacific, Consumer Locations: Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, India, Natixis

The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. Companies accounting for 40% of Chinese home sales - mostly private property developers - have defaulted on debt obligations since a liquidity crisis hit the sector in 2021, leaving many homes unfinished. The developer had been working towards announcing a restructure of its offshore debt, Chinese media reported on Monday. Country Garden faces another big test next week when its entire offshore debt could be deemed in default if it fails to pay a $15 million September coupon by Oct. 17. "The difficult situation shows that Chinese developers face severe liquidity pressure from weak home sales, and repayment to bondholders is still a lower priority," said Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank.

Persons: Aly, Houlihan Lokey, Sidley Austin, Morningstar, Jeff Zhang, Sandra Chow, CreditSight's, Gary Ng, Scott Murdoch, Xie Yu, Rishav Chatterjee, Rashmi Aich, Lincoln, Jamie Freed 私 Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, Garden Holdings, HK, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, China International Capital Corporation, Asia, Natixis Corporate, Investment Bank Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Sydney, Bengaluru

DUBAI, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates is refashioning state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in the image of an international oil major by stepping up its global expansion and finding new revenue streams to maximise earnings for the Gulf state. The state-owned company also told Reuters it was investing in energy trading, without giving further details. ADNOC has two trading arms, both set up in 2020: ADNOC Trading, which is focused on crude oil, and ADNOC Global Trading, a joint venture with Italy's Eni (ENI.MI) and OMV which is more focused on refined products. Other recent hires include Bart Cornelissen, who left Deloitte to become ADNOC's senior vice president for group strategy and portfolio last month, according to LinkedIn. Recent senior hires for ADNOC's trading arms include alumni of Gunvor, Litasco, Shell and TotalEnergies, the employment network showed.

Persons: ADNOC, Galp, Austria's, Mohammed bin Zayed, headcount, Michele Fiorentino, Baker Hughes, Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Al Kaabi, Bart Cornelissen, Michael Hafner, Hafner, Morgan Stanley, Neil Quilliam, Sultan al, Jaber, John Kerry, Abu, Maha El Dahan, Yousef Saba, Ron Bousso, David Clarke Organizations: United, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Reuters, BP, NewMed Energy, Italy's Eni, UAE, IOC, Aramco, LinkedIn, Mubadala Energy, Deloitte, Greenhill &, Deutsche Bank, UBS, HSBC, Shell, Eni, Gunvor, The, Chatham House, United Nations, Masdar, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Africa, Mozambique, ADNOC, Geneva, London, The UAE, Europe, Sultan, Dubai

☆ China’s economy will be hobbled for years by the real estate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Absorbing this “excess capacity” in the property sector will inevitably hurt China’s economic growth, according to Garcia-Herrero. The money from the sales funded their breakneck expansion, making real estate moguls some of the country’s richest people. The strategy largely worked until about three years ago when the Chinese government cracked down on excessive borrowing by the real estate industry because it was worried about the risk of financial instability. But overall, the property sector has contracted severely as it adjusts to a collapse in demand. “A fundamental rewiring of China’s economy will necessitate a focus on developing new industries, improving productivity, and bolstering rental markets,” said analysts from Stanford University and the ASPI.

Persons: ”, Alicia Garcia, Herrero, Garcia, they’re, Evergrande, Xu Jiayin, Xi Jinping, ” Mark Williams, Sheana Yue, Zichuan Huang, “, — Michelle Toh Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Investment, Asia Pacific, Getty, Bank, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Regulators, Capital Economics, People’s Bank of China, Oxford Economics, Stanford University, Asia Society Policy Institute, Oxford Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Natixis, Wuhan, China's, Hubei, Japan

HONG KONG/BEIJING, Sept 28 (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group's (3333.HK) founder is being investigated over suspected "illegal crimes", the embattled developer said on Thursday, as creditors become increasingly concerned about the group's prospects amid an uncertain debt revamp plan and liquidation risk. Evergrande has been working to get creditors' approval for restructuring its offshore debt. The offshore debt restructuring plan now looks set to falter and the risks of the company being liquidated are rising, some analysts said. An Evergrande sign is seen near residential buildings at an Evergrande residential complex in Beijing, China September 27, 2023. "We believe that Evergrande's debt turmoil has had a great turmoil and negative impact on the global economy, and the things behind it are not simple."

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande, Hui, Gary Ng, Ng, Florence Lo, They've, Christopher Beddor, Yan Yuejin, Saxo, Redmond Wong, Upasana Singh, Donny Kwok, Scott Murdoch, Ziyi Tang, Anne Marie Roantree, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill, Shri Navaratnam, Lincoln, Miral Fahmy, Susan Fenton Organizations: HK, Trading, Asia Pacific, Reuters, REUTERS, Evergrande, China Research, Development Institution, Buyers, China Market, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, BEIJING, China, Asia, Beijing, Evergrande, Shanghai, Bengaluru, Hong Kong, Sydney

"The figures reinforce the view that interest rates have likely reached their peak in the current tightening cycle." The inflation drop was broad-based, with all price categories growing at a slower pace and energy prices falling outright for a fifth consecutive month. Euro zone inflation briefly hit double digit last autumn amid a combination of soaring energy costs, post-pandemic snags in supply chains and high government spending. So far, the ECB is sticking to its expectations of an economic rebound next year, partly thanks to higher real wages as inflation falls. "The rise in interest rates has been much quicker than in previous times so looking to the past as a model may mislead," Schumacher added.

Persons: Diego Iscaro, Dirk Schumacher, Schumacher, Francesco Canepa, Toby Chopra Organizations: Central, ECB, P Global Market Intelligence, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, China

☆ Evergrande shares halted as concerns mount about developer's prospect
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An Evergrande sign is seen near residential buildings at an Evergrande residential complex in Beijing, China September 27, 2023. Evergrande has been working to get creditors' approval for restructuring its offshore debt. The offshore debt restructuring plan now looks set to falter and the risks of the company being liquidated are rising, some analysts said. The company shares ended down 19% on Wednesday in the Hong Kong market, taking their losses to 81% since the resumption of trading in late August after a 17-month suspension. The recent regulatory easing may stabilize the housing market in the world's second-largest economy to some extent, Saxo Greater China Market Strategist Redmond Wong wrote in a research note.

Persons: Florence Lo, Hui Ka Yan, Hui, Evergrande, Gary Ng, Ng, Redmond Wong, Donny Kwok, Scott Murdoch, Ziyi Tang, Anne Marie Roantree, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, Bloomberg, Reuters, Asia Pacific, China Market, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG KONG, China's, Evergrande, Asia, Hong Kong, Saxo, Sydney, Lincoln

☆ Analysts react to Federal Reserve leaving interest rates unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Fed policymakers at the median still see the central bank's benchmark overnight interest rate peaking this year in the 5.50%-5.75% range, just a quarter of a percentage point above the current range. I do think that they'll remain data dependent and you'll probably hear that from Powell at the 2:30 press conference and going forward as well. So yes, they're talking about higher rates for longer, but it's really the economy that matters. This is because when the Fed announces an interest rate increase, credit card interest rates typically follow shortly thereafter, which may result in larger minimum monthly payments for credit card holders. While the decision not to raise interest rates this time round mitigates that for now, more interest rate increases may be on the horizon.

Persons: Jerome Powell, GARRETT MELSON, presser, GINA BOLVIN, Powell, BRIAN JACOBSEN, MENOMONEE, KARL SCHAMOTTA, GENNADIY GOLDBERG, it's, TOM MARTIN, MICHELE RANERI Organizations: Federal Reserve, U.S, Treasury, Fed, PPI, OF, TOM, Global Finance, Markets, Thomson Locations: BOSTON, Powell, WISCONSIN, TORONTO, U.S, ATLANTA, CHICAGO

☆ Sunac, Country Garden debt deals bring respite for China's property sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HONG KONG, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Chinese developers Sunac (1918.HK) and Country Garden (2007.HK) brought some relief to the crisis-hit property sector by forging debt deals with creditors, but the outlook remained clouded by uncertainty about a recovery in home sales. Shares in Sunac China Holdings surged as much as 14% on Tuesday after creditors approved its $9 billion offshore debt restructuring plan, the first green light of such a debt overhaul by a major Chinese developer. The developments come as Beijing steps up efforts to revive the property sector, which accounts for roughly a quarter of the world's second-largest economy, with a raft of support measures unveiled over the last few weeks. While Sunac is among a string of Chinese developers that have defaulted on their offshore debt obligations since an unprecedented liquidity crisis hit the property sector in 2021, Country Garden has not missed any offshore payments yet. PROPERTY SECTOR OUTLOOKMajor developers in the process of restructuring their debt include China Evergrande Group (3333.HK), whose liquidity crunch was a turning point in the country's real estate crisis.

Persons: Sunac, Gary Ng, ANZ Senior China Economist Betty Wang, It's, Donny Kwok, Xie Yu, Steven Bian, Kevin Huang, Anne Marie Roantree, Sumeet Chatterjee, Lincoln Organizations: HK, Sunac China Holdings, Country Garden, Natixis Corporate, Investment Bank, China Evergrande, ANZ Senior China Economist, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Beijing, Hong Kong, Sunac, China, Shanghai

Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, also increased at a faster 4.6% pace in August aided by the summer travel season, and was the quickest growth since May. The upbeat data suggest that a flurry of recent measures including property support policies to shore up a faltering economic recovery are starting to bear fruit. "Despite signs of stabilisation in manufacturing and related investment, the deteriorating property investment will continue to pressure economic growth," said Gary Ng, Natixis Asia Pacific senior economist. Ng said confidence remains the root of most problems requiring larger "constructive policy and regulatory changes" to boost growth momentum. For August, property investment extended its fall, down 19.1% year-on-year from a 17.8% slump the previous month, according to Reuters calculations based on NBS data.

Persons: Gary Ng, Ng, Albee Zhang, Liangping Gao, Kevin Yao, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Natixis Asia Pacific, Thomson Locations: Wuhan, Hubei province, China, BEIJING, U.S

☆ Pausing interest rate hikes now would be the right decision from the ECB, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPausing interest rate hikes now would be the right decision from the ECB, strategist saysMabrouk Chetouane, head of global market strategy at Natixis, says a pause in the European Central Bank's rate-hiking cycle is necessary to assess the state of European economies.

Persons: Mabrouk Chetouane Organizations: ECB

"The inflation momentum is simply too strong for the ECB to pause," Danske Bank economist Piet Haines Christiansen said. In contrast, markets have fully priced in unchanged rates at next week's meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve, which started raising rates earlier and has moved higher than the ECB. "We doubt that this will be possible and expect that a decision to hold rates steady today would mark the end of the tightening cycle." The euro zone's biggest economy, Germany, is bearing the brunt of an industrial slump and heading for recession, according to several forecasts. ECB President Christine Lagarde will hold a news conference at 1245 GMT.

Persons: Piet Haines Christiansen, Dirk Schumacher, Christine Lagarde, Catherine Evans Organizations: ECB, European Central Bank, Reuters, Danske Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, Services, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany

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