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☆ Westpac flags margin squeeze from rising home loan competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/David Gray Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Reports quarterly cash profit A$1.8 billionLate loan repayments rises to 0.8% in AustraliaCET1 Ratio of 11.9%Aug 21 (Reuters) - Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), Australia's third-largest lender, on Monday posted a quarterly cash profit of A$1.8 billion ($1.15 billion), as increased competition for home lending squeezed margins. Australia's major banks have all flagged stiff competition in the mortgage space, along with higher expenses as inflationary pressures weigh. Sydney-based Westpac said expenses for the second half to date were up 5% from the first half, fuelled by higher supplier costs and staff wages. In Australia, loan repayments past 90 days late rose to 0.80% in the three-months ended June, up 7 basis points from 0.73% in March, Westpac said. The lender reported a core net interest margin of 1.86% for the quarter, down 4 basis points from the first half of fiscal 2023.

Persons: David Gray, Riya Sharma, Archishma Iyer, Lisa Shumaker, Sam Holmes Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Asian shares set for 3rd losing week on China woes, US rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.6% to just a whisker above a nine-month low hit the previous day. That brought the total loss for the week to 3.4% and marked the third straight week of declines for the index. Shares of Chinese property developers (.HSMPI) listed in Hong Kong fell 1.2%, after China Evergrande (3333.HK) filed for protection from creditors in a U.S. bankruptcy court. "At the start of the year China's economy was powering ahead. Brent crude futures dipped 0.2% to $83.94 per barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures was flat at $80.36.

Persons: Yuan, HSI, China Evergrande, Jonas Goltermann, Goltermann, Padhraic Garvey, Sam Holmes, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: SYDNEY, Nasdaq, Nikkei, Bank of, Technology, HK, Capital Economics, ING, Atlanta Federal, U.S ., U.S, Brent, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: Japan, Europe, Asia, Pacific, Bank of Japan, Hong Kong, China, U.S, Beijing, Americas

The property industry globally, and office building owners in particular, are struggling as working from home and e-commerce lead tenants to reconsider floor space just as higher interest rates reduce building values and raise debt servicing costs. Dexus sold the 18-story A-Grade office for A$293.1 million ($188 million), a 16.3% discount to its December 2022 valuation, according to company filings. Quintessential Equity, an Australian property developer and investor, announced itself as the buyer on its website without elaborating. Dexus will own a A$50 million stake in the trust that will hold the property, it said in a statement. In June, Dexus sold another premium office building in Sydney's central business district for A$393.1 million, a near 17% discount to an independent valuation made in December.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Dexus, Darren Steinberg, Lewis Jackson, Rishav Chatterjee, Subhranshu Sahu, Rashmi Aich, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Equity, Thomson Locations: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Australian, Bengaluru

☆ Asian shares head for 3rd week of losses on China woes, US rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) were up 0.1% after hitting a nine-month low the session before. It was, however, headed for a weekly loss of 2.8%, the third straight week of declines. Data early on Friday showed Japan's core inflation slowed in July, a result that is likely to support market wagers that the Bank of Japan is in no hurry to phase out monetary easing anytime soon. Chinese property giants gained 0.3%, pulling away from a nine-month low hit just a session ago. "At the start of the year China's economy was powering ahead.

Persons: HSI, China Evergrande, Jonas Goltermann, Treasuries, Padhraic Garvey, Sam Holmes Organizations: Nikkei, Bank of, HK, Capital Economics, ING, Atlanta Federal, Brent, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: Japan, SYDNEY, Asia, Pacific, Bank of Japan, China's, China, U.S, Americas

☆ Japan's core inflation eases, bolstering view BOJ will stand pat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 3.1% rise in the core consumer price index (CPI), which includes oil products but excludes volatile fresh food prices, matched a median market forecast, following a 3.3% increase in the previous month. The so-called core-core inflation index, which excludes fresh food and energy prices and is closely watched by the BOJ as a better gauge of trend inflation, rose 4.3% year-on-year in July, accelerating from the previous month. Still, analysts say an acceleration in service-led inflation is a positive sign that demand-side inflation, which the BOJ is looking to stoke, may be building. Gabriel Ng, economist at Capital Economics, said the key question is whether services inflation can pick up the baton. Food costs were among the major contributors to the overall inflation due to elevated prices of raw materials.

Persons: Takeshi Minami, Gabriel Ng, Ng, Kazuo Ueda, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Norinchukin Research, Capital Economics, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, stoke

Sam SchechnerSam Schechner covers technology, based out of The Wall Street Journal's Paris bureau, focusing on the intersection between technology, business and society. His stories have often tackled the role large technology platforms play on topics like privacy, competition and internet censorship. Previously, Sam covered business in France, and along with his colleagues in the Paris bureau shared in a New York Press Club award for their coverage of the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. He joined the Journal in 2005 as an entertainment columnist in New York, and later covered the business of television, including large media and cable companies such as Viacom and Comcast. Sam has a bachelor's degree from Brown University and lives in Paris with his wife, their two children and his childhood pet turtle.

Persons: Sam Schechner Sam Schechner, Sam Organizations: Facebook, Polk, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, New York Press, Viacom, Comcast, Brown University Locations: Paris, France, New York

☆ Australia July jobs take a surprise fall as market loosens
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A worker pushes a trolley loaded with goods past a construction site in the central business district (CBD) of Sydney in Australia, March 15, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Australia employment unexpectedly fell in July to end two months of very strong growth, while the jobless rate ticked higher in a sign the drum-tight labour market might finally be loosening. "Even so, the deterioration in the labour market has a long way to run before the RBA can completely relax." The labour market has proved remarkably resilient with 399,000 net jobs added in the 12 months to July even as interest rates have climbed 400 basis points to a decade-high of 4.1%. "It is getting harder to argue for a sustained lift in wage inflation momentum," said Justin Smirk, a senior economist at Westpac.

Persons: David Gray, Ben Udy, Justin Smirk, Wayne Cole, Jacqueline Wong, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Australia, Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS, Oxford Economics Australia, Westpac, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

The one unanimous conclusion they came to was that Beijing wants a greater state presence in these sectors. Kroeber says the crackdowns are about "defining what the state does, what the private sector does, and creating a more limited sandbox for the private sector to play in." That has left investors now picking the state over the private sector. The CCP's July Politburo meeting reinforced the message, with the top policymaking body pledging to put a floor under the property sector, help indebted local governments heal and boost consumer demand. Huang Yan, general manager of private fund manager Shanghai QiuYang Capital Co, said Beijing will crack down on any sector seen as increasing people's economic burden.

Persons: Aly, Jack, Arthur Kroeber, Kroeber, Zhang Kexing, Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong's, Thomas Masi, Masi, Xi, Nuno Fernandes, Fernandes, Huang Yan, Huang, Kumar Pandit, Pandit, Jason Xue, Ankur Banerjee, Vidya Ranganathan, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ant Group, CSI Medical Services, Beijing Tongrentang, HK, Poly, Beijing Gelei Asset Management, Communist Party's, Investors, Mao Zedong's Marxist, Boston, K Investment Management, Shanghai QiuYang, Somerset Capital, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights SHANGHAI, HONGKONG, Beijing, New York, London, Singapore

☆ China's new home prices fall for first time this year, dimming economic outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 0.2% fall month-on-month came after June's flat reading, according to Reuters calculations based on National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data. The decline in home prices comes amid a worsening debt crisis at major developers, sliding property investment and home sales. Among 70 cities, 49 saw a fall in new home prices month-on-month in July from 38 cities the previous month. However, most economists expect the downside trend in home sales and prices to persist for while. "Without additional major policy easing and/or fiscal support, property sales and investment may weaken further or stay at the bottom for longer than assumed in our baseline," said Wang.

Persons: Jason Lee, Goldman Sachs, Wang Tao, Wang, Qiaoyi Li, Liangping Gao, Ryan Woo, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Goldman, Asia Economics, China, UBS Investment Bank, Thomson Locations: Wangjing, China, BEIJING, Zhengzhou, Xian, Fuzhou

Construction workers take a nap in front of a wall of a construction site during their lunch break in Beijing, China, May 5, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon /File PhotoAug 15 (Reuters) - China suspended publication of its youth jobless data on Tuesday, saying it needed to review the methodology behind the closely watched benchmark, which has hit record highs in one of many warning signs for the world's second-largest economy. Fu Linghui, a spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said the release of data would be suspended while authorities look to "optimise" collection methods. "The declining availability of macro data may further weaken global investors' confidence in China," said Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, adding that youth unemployment was expected to have risen in July. The most recent NBS data on youth unemployment, published last month, showed the jobless rate jumping to a record high of 21.3% in June.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Fu Linghui, Fu, Ting Lu, Tuesday's, Laurie Chen, Albee Zhang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Sam Holmes, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Nomura, China News Service, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Weibo

Japan’s Q2 GDP grows fastest in more than two yearsMarcel Thieliant, head of Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics, said the export-driven momentum in growth is unlikely to be sustained. Exports expanded 3.2% in the second quarter led by car exports and inbound tourism, while capital expenditure was flat. Strong U.S. and European demand has also supported exports while the post-COVID boom in foreign tourists has given the economy a much-needed tailwind. That boost in external demand, or net exports, added 1.8 percentage points to second quarter growth. It doesn't mean a strong recovery in Japanese economy," said Takumi Tsunoda, senior economist at Shinkin Central Bank Research Institute.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Marcel Thieliant, Thieliant, Takumi Tsunoda, Shigeyuki Goto, Goto, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Pasit Kongkunakornkul, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, TOKYO, Capital Economics, Private, U.S, Shinkin Central Bank Research Institute, The Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, China

☆ Asia suffers China blues; dollar hits 2023 top on yen
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) eased another 1.1%, after shedding 2% last week. Japan's Nikkei (.N225) was off 0.5%, even as exporters drew support from the weak yen. The sour mood saw S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures shed early gains to each ease 0.1%. That rise juiced the dollar against the low-yielding yen, lifting it as far as 145.22 and a peak not seen since November last year. The rise in the dollar and yields was weighing on gold at $1,911 an ounce , having fallen for three weeks in a row.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Brent, Wayne Cole, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: Nikkei, SYDNEY, Japan's Nikkei, Zhongrong International Trust Co, HK, Nasdaq, Amazon's, Federal, Goldman, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Russian, Black, Asia, Pacific, Japan

☆ Google-backed Anthropic raises $100 mln from South Korea's SK Telecom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of SK Telecom is pictured at the GSMA's 2023 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File PhotoSEOUL, Aug 14 (Reuters) - South Korea's largest telco SK Telecom (017670.KS) said it will invest $100 million in U.S. artificial intelligence firm Anthropic to strengthen its telecommunications-driven AI business. SK Telecom, which also made a smaller investment in May, said on Sunday that the two companies plan to jointly develop a global telecommunications-oriented multilingual large language model and build an AI platform. SK Telecom declined to reveal the size of its May investment or the size of its stake in Anthropic. In July, SK Telecom agreed with Deutsche Telekom, e& and Singapore Telecommunications to form an alliance to jointly develop telecommunications-driven AI businesses.

Persons: Nacho, Anthropic, Claude, OpenAI's, Joyce Lee, Sam Holmes Organizations: SK Telecom, Congress, REUTERS, telco SK Telecom, OpenAI, Google, Spark Capital, Deutsche Telekom, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, SEOUL, KS, Anthropic

☆ Naver's 'Webtoon' CEO says barrier for new entrants is high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The global webtoon industry made $4.7 billion in 2021 and is projected to make $60.1 billion by 2030, according to Spherical Insights & Consulting. But Kim Junkoo, CEO and founder of Webtoon Entertainment - a unit of Naver which originated the format in 2004 - says rivals will struggle to build a viable business. Webtoon Entertainment and its subsidiary have run amateur artists' debut programmes for years, generating 1.6 million titles from 900,000 creators as of January. Naver said in recent earnings calls that it expected to list the Webtoon business in the United States next year, but did not elaborate on size, timing or venue. Webtoon Entertainment reported a 13 billion won operating loss in the April-June quarter, smaller than the 21.4 billion won loss in the first quarter.

Persons: Kim Junkoo, Kim, we've, Apple, Naver, 1,330.1200, Joyce Lee, Sam Holmes Organizations: WEBTOON, REUTERS, Consulting, Amazon Japan, Apple, Webtoon Entertainment, Entertainment, Korea Creative Content Agency, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, SEOUL, Korean, Silicon, Japan, Korea, United, United States

☆ 'Outlander' season 7 will return in November 2024. Here's everything you need to know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

"Outlander" aired eight episodes of season seven in 2023 before taking a midseason hiatus. It's been announced that season seven will return in November. AdvertisementWarning: This article contains spoilers for "Outlander" season seven. As audiences may already already know, the current season is the show's longest since season one, consisting of 16 episodes. AdvertisementFrom which cast members you can expect to see in the remaining episodes to details on the Diana Gabaldon books the episodes will be based on, here's everything we know about the second part of "Outlander" season seven.

Persons: It's, Sam Heughan, Caitríona Balfe, —, Jamie, Brianna, Sophie Skelton, Roger, Richard Rankin, Diana Gabaldon Organizations: Service, Starz Locations: Claire, Scotland, Saratoga, na Dun

☆ Chinese bourses improve trading mechanism to revive stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man wearing a mask walks by the Shanghai Stock Exchange building at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China, February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoHONG KONG, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges said late Thursday they would study measures to lower investors' trading costs and improve liquidity to further stimulate the market. They also came after China's securities regulators nudged mutual fund managers to cut fees to reduce trading costs. More specifically, investors trading stocks or listed funds would be allowed to place orders of a minimum of one share, or one unit. Such a change would reduce investors' costs, enable more efficient use of capital, and help improve market liquidity, the bourses said.

Persons: Aly, HONG KONG, bourses, Samuel Shen, Twinnie Siu, Bernadette Baum, Sam Holmes Organizations: Shanghai Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Pudong, Shanghai, China, HONG, Shenzhen, Beijing, Hong Kong

☆ Shares, dollar gains after moderate US CPI data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Herbert Lash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The consumer price index (CPI) gained 0.2% last month, the Labor Department said, lifting the annualized rate to 3.2% from 3% in June. The pace of core CPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, slowed to 4.7% in July from 4.8% the prior month. But investors remained cautious as another CPI report and jobs data await Fed policymakers before their next meeting in September. MSCI's gauge of stock performance across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) gained 0.38%, while the pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) rose 0.79%. Gold prices ticked up after the U.S. inflation data on speculation the Fed is at the end of its rate hike cycle.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Russell Price, Price, Brad Bechtel, Brad Conger, Callaghan, Brent, Herbert Lash, Samuel Indyk, Ankur Banerjee, Edwina Gibbs, Sam Holmes, Susan Fenton, Alexandra Hudson, Richard Chang Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Global, Labor Department, Reuters, Fed, Ameriprise, FX, Jefferies, Co, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Treasury, U.S, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Troy , Michigan, Conshohocken , Pennsylvania, CHINA, China, Asia, Pacific, Japan, London

"We're going to see our first rise in headline inflation after 12 consecutive months of falling prices," said Ben Laidler, global markets strategist at eToro. The pan-European benchmark STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.5%, supported by gains in the luxury sector (.STXLUXP) after China lifted a ban on group tours in the United States and other key markets. In currency markets, the dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six peers, eased 0.4%. "We've got $1 trillion coming down the pipe over the next three months," eToro's Laidler said. "Any sign that markets are absorbing that well, which we got the first signs of yesterday, will be very well taken."

Persons: Ben Laidler, Laidler, Germany's DAX, Rodrigo Catril, We've, eToro's Laidler, Bond, Brent, Samuel Indyk, Ankur Banerjee, Edwina Gibbs, Sam Holmes, Susan Fenton, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse, Reuters, CAC, FTSE, Wall, National Australia Bank, U.S, Treasury, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Silicon, China, United States, Europe's, Europe, CHINA, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Russia

☆ Japan wholesale inflation slows again, bolstering case for stimulus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File PhotoSummary Wholesale inflation slowest since March 2021Govt subsidy on utility bills weighs on wholesale pricesEasing inflation may keep BOJ stimulus intact for nowTOKYO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Japan's wholesale inflation eased for a seventh month in July as pressure from high global commodity prices eased, a development economists say is likely to encourage the central bank to keep its monetary stimulus in place. It was the slowest wholesale inflation since March 2021 when prices turned positive to mark 1.0% growth, Bank of Japan (BOJ) data showed. After peaking at 10.6% in December, wholesale inflation has decelerated for seven months in a row. On the month, wholesale prices rose 0.1%, up for the first time in three months. As domestic corporate goods prices continue to slow, consumer prices will also slow from autumn," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at the Norinchukin Research Institute.

Persons: Yuya, Takeshi Minami, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes, Shron Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of Japan, Norinchukin Research, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

☆ Japan's July wholesale inflation slows for seventh month
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO-A shopper looks at items at a drug store in Tokyo, Japan, May 28, 2015. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File PhotoTOKYO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Japanese wholesale inflation slowed in July year-on-year, easing for a seventh straight month due to softer energy utility costs, central bank data showed on Thursday, a sign the pressures that drove up consumer prices are running their course. After peaking at 10.6% in December, wholesale inflation has slowed for seven months in a row, the data showed. The data underscores the Bank of Japan's view that consumer inflation will slow in coming months as global commodity prices slide from last year's peak levels. Yen-based import prices fell 14.1% in July from a year earlier, falling for a fourth straight month, easing concerns about elevated import bills for companies reliant on raw material imports.

Persons: Yuya, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, of, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

But there are new good deals all the time, you just have to go out to find them." That's what deflation looks like in China. As witnessed by Japan in the 1990s, deflation - if prolonged - can weigh on economic growth. "Good deals are needed to get consumers through the door so there is a lot of pressure on these businesses to find margins," said Ben Cavender, managing director at China Market Research Group in Shanghai. Restaurant worker Dong went to a wet market in central Beijing around lunchtime on Thursday, but did not buy anything.

Persons: Gao Yi, Ben Cavender, Zhu Danpeng, Joey Wat, Dong, Sophie Yu, Marius Zaharia, Sam Holmes Organizations: China Market Research Group, Guangdong Provincial Food Safety, Alliance, HK, KFC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Japan, Shanghai, Guangdong

People wearing face masks are seen on an overpass in front of a residential building in Beijing, China August 11, 2020. Investors may get their first read on the market reaction when official property investment and price data for August is released next month. It was not the curbs that were holding the market down, they said, but Chinese doubts about better days ahead. While not bullish on real estate, she thinks of big-city properties as a "slightly bruised apple amidst a bunch of rotten ones." "I'm concerned about the change," said a 26-year-old pharmaceuticals worker surnamed Song, who had considered buying a property in Beijing before realising he needed his parents' support.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Kate Ren, hasn't, Ren, Ting Lu, Sophia Chen, Chen, Zhuran Zhang, Zhang, Song, Liangping Gao, Ella Cao, Shuyan Wang, Marius Zaharia, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Nomura, Investors, July's Communist Party, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, HONG KONG, Shanghai, China's, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou

☆ Reaction to China inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Below are comments from analysts on the inflation data:XING ZHAOPENG, SENIOR CHINA STRATEGIST, ANZ, SHANGHAI"Both CPI and PPI in year-on-year terms fell into negative territory and confirmed economic deflation. "With destocking and credit expansion, we expect PPI and CPI will rebound from the bottom in the fourth quarter. The CPI deflation may put more pressure on the government to consider additional fiscal stimulus to mitigate the challenge." XIA CHUN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, YINTECH INVESTMENT HOLDINGS, HONG KONG"The lower inflation data reflects weak demand on the mainland, which is biggest challenge facing China's economy. It also shows China's slower-than-expected economic rebound is not strong enough to offer the weaker global demand and lift commodity prices."

Persons: XING ZHAOPENG, CHUAN, FRANCES CHEUNG, Rather, ZHIWEI ZHANG, MARCO SUN, XIA CHUN, GARY NG, Liangping Gao, Ellen Zhang, Winni Zhou, Samuel Shen, Li Gu, Sam Holmes Organizations: ANZ, CPI, PPI, OCBC, SHANGHAI, MUFG BANK, ASIA PACIFIC, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, CHINA, SHANGHAI, China, SINGAPORE, HONG KONG, Japan, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong

☆ WeWork could head to the scrapyard of American dreams. There's a stark warning in there for AI.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

WeWork's rise and fall offers a stark warning for the AI era. Companies racing for glory in the AI era would do well to learn from the over-exuberance in the WeWork saga. Since the launch of ChatGPT last year, private tech investors have abandoned their temporary pullback in startup investment to throw money at almost any company with AI in the name. ChatGPT's creator OpenAI has bagged billions of dollars from Microsoft, while venture capitalists announced $10.7 billion of generative AI startup deals in the first quarter of the year, per data firm Pitchbook. But equally, investors would be wise to learn from WeWork and look under the hood of any AI firm claiming it will fundamentally alter any market.

Persons: OpenAI, Adam Neumann, Jackal Pan, Getty Images Neumann, –, It's, Sam Hogan Organizations: Microsoft, Visual China, Getty Images Locations: American

☆ China's July exports, imports fall much faster than expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo/File PhotoBEIJING, Aug 8 (Reuters) - China's exports fell 14.5% in July year-on-year, while imports contracted 12.4%, customs data showed on Tuesday, in the biggest decline in outbound shipments from the world's second-largest economy since February 2020. A Reuters poll of economists had forecast a 12.5% fall in exports and a 5.0% drop in imports. China's economy grew at a sluggish pace in the second quarter as demand weakened at home and abroad, prompting top leaders to promise further policy support at a meeting of the Politburo last month. South Korean exports to China fell 25.1% in July from a year earlier, the sharpest decline in three months. China's trade surplus grew by $80.6 billion, beating a forecast of $70.6 billion in the poll.

Persons: Aly, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, BEIJING, Beijing, Asia, South

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