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☆ China has somewhat resumed its path of economic transformation, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | 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 EmailChina has somewhat resumed its path of economic transformation, economist saysMarcos Troyjo, transformational leadership fellow at the University of Oxford and former deputy economy minister of Brazil, says China will have more of an "epicentric" role.

Persons: Marcos Troyjo Organizations: China, University of Oxford Locations: Brazil, China

☆ Argentina says Chevron to invest $500 mln in Vaca Muerta shale area
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Chevron Corp FollowJune 9 (Reuters) - U.S.-based oil major Chevron (CVX.N) will invest more than $500 million to develop the Trapial block in western Neuquen province, home to the massive Vaca Muerta shale basin, Argentina's economy ministry announced on Friday. The announcement followed a meeting between Economy Minister Sergio Massa and company officials, according to a ministry statement. Last year, Neuquen officials granted Chevron a concession for shale production in the area, with what the company said at the time would be a pilot stage investment of about $80 million. The Vaca Muerta shale formation is the world's fourth-largest shale oil reserve and the second largest for shale gas. Oil companies operating in the formation have been ramping up output from Vaca Muerta in recent months, which officials hope can eventually reverse the country's longstanding energy deficit.

Persons: Sergio Massa, Vaca Muerta, Carolina Pulice, David Alire Garcia Organizations: Chevron Corp, Chevron, South, Thomson Locations: Chevron, Neuquen, South American, Vaca

☆ Turkey's Erdogan appoints a former Goldman executive as its new central bank chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Exterior of the Turkish Central Bank, known as Turkiye Cumhuriyet Merkez Bankasi in Ankara. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appointed a former Wall Street banker Hafize Gaye Erkan as the country's new central bank governor — another move that could potentially mark a policy pivot away from economic unorthodoxy. Erkan, Turkey's first female central bank chief, was a former managing director at Goldman Sachs and co-CEO at First Republic Bank. She is also Turkey's fifth central bank governor in four years. The caveat would lie in how much autonomy the central bank could exercise, and to what extent —something that Demiralp says investors will have to wait and see.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hafize Gaye Erkan, —, Turkey's, Goldman Sachs, Mehmet Simsek's, Selva Demiralp, Demiralp Organizations: Turkish Central Bank, Wall Street, First Republic Bank, Princeton, Koç University, CNBC Locations: Ankara, U.S, Istanbul

Summary Kazakhstan plans selective mining tax increasesWants to raise VAT rates, cut fuel subsidiesWill borrow to finance China-EU shipping route bypassing RussiaASTANA, June 9 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan plans to raise taxes on mining companies and cut fuel subsidies to balance its budget, while borrowing to develop the shipping route between China and Europe bypassing Russia, Economy Minister Alibek Kuantyrov told Reuters. Kazakhstan has already hiked the mineral extraction tax rate for exchange-traded metals by 50% and other solid minerals by 30% this year, but Kuantyrov said there was room for further increases in the new tax code the cabinet is drafting. "Our minerals extraction tax rates are among the lowest in the world," he said in an interview. The government also wants to raise the VAT rate for most sectors from the current 12%, while cutting it for "socially important" ones such as food staples and medicines. The government wants to tax banks more heavily and will continue cutting car fuel subsidies, a move announced earlier this year.

Persons: Alibek Kuantyrov, Kassym, Jomart Tokayev, Kuantyrov, Mariya Gordeyeva, Tamara Vaal, Olzhas Auyezov, Toby Chopra, Kim Coghill Organizations: EU, Russia ASTANA, Reuters, RUSSIA Kazakhstan, European Bank for Reconstruction, European, Thomson Locations: Kazakhstan, China, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Caucasus, Moscow, Central Asia

☆ German firms to receive 4 bln euros through EU microelectronics push
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 8 (Reuters) - Over 30 microelectronics projects in Germany will receive about 4 billion euros ($4.29 billion) in funding after the European Commission approved a support scheme for such technologies, the German Economy Ministry said on Thursday. "The 31 microelectronics projects from 11 federal states strengthen Germany as a microelectronics location across the board and are an important industrial policy milestone," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck. A document provided by the German economy ministry showed Infineon (IFXGn.DE), Elmos Semiconductor (ELGG.DE) and Robert Bosch [RIC:RIC:ROBG.UL] among the companies to receive funds. The economy ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on the report. ($1 = 0.9316 euros)Reporting by Miranda Murray Writing by Rachel More Editing by Madeline ChambersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Robert Habeck, Robert Bosch, Habeck, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Madeline Chambers Organizations: European Commission, German Economy Ministry, European, Infineon, Elmos Semiconductor, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, German, Hamburg, Netherlands

The draft plan, which was presented at Kishida's top economic advisory panel on Wednesday, underscored the challenge for the leader, who is seen as a fiscal hawk, to strike a balance between economic growth and fiscal consolidation. The closely-watched policy framework will be approved by Kishida's cabinet this month, along with a separate action plan on his "new capitalism" agenda. "We will not abandon the flag of fiscal reform," Economy Minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters after the panel's meeting. "There's no change to the government stance of striving to achieve a primary budget surplus in fiscal 2025," Goto added. The framework said the government will conduct a review of any progress of its fiscal reform in the fiscal year 2024 so as to create a medium-term economy and fiscal scheme.

Persons: Fumio Kishida's, Takahide Kiuchi, Shigeyuki Goto, Goto, largesse, Kishida Organizations: Nomura Research Institute, Liberal Democratic Party, LDP ₎, International Monetary Fund, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

FRANKFURT, June 6 (Reuters) - The CEO of German technology group Merck KGaA (MRCG.DE) said that unravelling trade ties with China would come at great economic costs and that she was banking on dialogue to ease tensions between Beijing and Western powers. Belen Garijo, the Spanish CEO of the German maker of drugs, lab equipment and semiconductor chemicals, said late on Monday that dependencies between the powers were huge, speaking at a journalist club event in Frankfurt. But the two sides on Tuesday described meetings after the incident between senior U.S. and Chinese officials as constructive. For months, U.S. and German lawmakers have called for a reduction in trade to cut dependency on China. CEO Garijo said the company would look closely into "different scenarios on the basis of the potential escalation of the conflict", but such an escalation was not likely.

Persons: Belen Garijo, Garijo, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, David Evans Organizations: Merck, U.S, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, China, Beijing, Spanish, Frankfurt, Chinese, U.S, Taiwan, Berlin

☆ Erdogan's new pick for Turkish finance minister has markets hoping for economic orthodoxy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has named former economy chief Mehmet Simsek as his new treasury and finance minister. In the unveiling of his new cabinet, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan named former economy chief Mehmet Simsek as his new treasury and economy minister, leading to some optimism that the country will now forge a new economic path. Simsek was known for his market friendly policies, and subsequently went on to become the country's deputy prime minister from 2015 to 2018 after his stint as Turkey's finance minister. Simsek creating a new team in the key economy portfolio would imply that he will have "pretty strong control over broader economic policy," BlueBay Asset Management's Senior EM Sovereign Strategist Timothy Ash said via e-mail. "The Turkish economy has a chance of pulling back from the brink," he continued.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Simsek, Erdogan, Timothy Ash

Kishida has vowed to double childcare spending over the next three years in a bid to help reverse the country's dwindling birth rate. The government had previously estimated that it needed to secure around 3 trillion yen per year to cover the expansion of childcare allowances and other related benefits. Kishida unveiled the increased size of spending at a meeting of ministers, including Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, Goto said. The economy minister also attended the meeting. "Prime Minister Kishida told us to consider expanding childcare measures by around 3.5 trillion yen in the process of compiling the annual budget," Goto told reporters.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Shigeyuki Goto, Kishida, Shunichi Suzuki, Goto, Kyodo newsagency, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Finance, Kyodo, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

MEXICO CITY, May 31 (Reuters) - Better coordination between Mexico's government and telecoms companies is needed to ensure a faster roll-out of 5G services to meet the demand of major companies such as Tesla (TSLA.O), executives and officials said on Wednesday. But the federal government needs to help connect the manufacturing sector with telecoms providers to boost 5G services and attract more investment, said Gabriel Szekely, Chief Executive of Mexico's National Telecommunications Association (Anatel). "(The government) does not have a specific vision for the 5G world to be implemented in Mexico," Szekely said. About 15% of Mexico's population has access to 5G services, compared to 61% in the United States, Szekely said, citing a recent study. "In the case of the train... the government has not come out to say this is what is needed and this is the plan," Szekely said.

Persons: Tesla's, Gabriel Szekely, Szekely, Ivan Rivas, Rivas, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's, Lopez Obrador, Cassandra Garrison, Muralikumar Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico's National Telecommunications Association, Nuevo, Nuevo Leon Economy, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's Inter, Oceanic, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Nuevo Leon state, U.S, Mexico, Mexico City, United States, Nuevo Leon, Pacific, Gulf, Panama

☆ France in 'very close discussions' with S&P ahead of rating update
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks at a joint news conference after his meeting with World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Pool//File PhotoPARIS (Reuters) - French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire is in “very close discussions” with credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s, which put France on notice in January for a possible downgrade, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday. “There are very close discussions between Standard and Poor’s and Bruno Le Maire,” Borne told Radio J. “I think there were detailed explanations from Bruno Le Maire to Standard and Poor’s on everything we’re doing to control our public finances and I think that we act in this direction,” she said. Le Maire explained France’s reforms and its objective of cutting the country’s budget deficit to 2.7% of gross domestic product by 2027, she said.

☆ Israel watchdog seeks data from banks in interest rate probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a bid to rein in inflation, the Bank of Israel last week raised its benchmark interest rate by another 25 basis points to a 2006 high of 4.75%, its 10th straight hike of the key rate that stood at 0.1% last April. Mortgage and loan payments, often tied to both inflation and the central bank's rate, have in turn jumped. Banks have been slow to pass on the benefits of higher rates to customer deposits, the Competition Authority said. The Competition Authority, formerly the anti-trust authority, said it had launched the investigation in 2022 when interest rates were starting to rise, and based on preliminarily results, it asked banks last week to provide more data. Yair Avidan, the supervisor of banks, last week told reporters that 82% of the rate hikes have been passed on to customers.

☆ Russia's finances are 'in the shit,' says a former Russian economy minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Russian economy minister warned of a looming financial crisis in Russia, per local outlet The Insider. "It's not that we're in the shit, it's that we've decided to settle down in it," Andrei Nechayev, a former economy minister said. "It's not that we're in the shit, it's that we've decided to settle down in it," Andrei Nechayev, Russia's former economy minister, said at a financial forum last week, according to a translation by The Insider, a Russian independent outlet. Nechayev, who was Russia's first economic minister from 1992 to 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union, also warned of a looming economic crisis for the country. The former minister isn't the first high-profile voice to warn of Russia's technological decline following the sanctions.

☆ Chile's state miner launches subsidiaries to manage lithium takeover plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SANTIAGO, May 19 (Reuters) - Chilean state miner Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said on Friday it had created two subsidiaries to run a newly mandated lithium business amid a government plan to increase state control over the industry. The government instructed Codelco in April to begin talks with companies running lithium mining operations in Chile's Atacama salt flats as part of a new lithium strategy that will see the state take majority stakes in all "strategic" projects. As well as talks with the world's two largest lithium miners, Albemarle (ALB.N) and SQM (SQMA.SN), Codelco has also been tasked by President Gabriel Boric's government with developing new alliances. On Thursday, SQM said it expected to begin talks with Codelco in the coming weeks. Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The letter did not disclose either how much Berlin had proposed in state help, or by how much this had been reduced. The conflict lays bare how much industrial heavyweights depend on aid to decarbonise their businesses as well as the need for governments to approve subsidies quickly to avoid companies from shifting investments or stopping them altogether. Thyssenkrupp in August made the investment decision for the so-called direct reduction iron (DRI) site at its steel base in Duisburg, provided substantial subsidy commitments by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin were fulfilled. Tekin Nasikkol, who heads the works council of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, told Reuters last week that Berlin needed to quickly approve hundreds of millions in subsidies for the site, adding workers' patience had run out. ($1 = 0.9084 euros)Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Additional reporting by Christoph Steitz and Christian Kraemer; Editing by Friederike HeineOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Subsidy cuts could derail Thyssenkrupp's green steel project -labour bosses
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUESSELDORF, May 17 (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp's <TKAG.DE> labour bosses cranked up the pressure on Berlin to help fund a 2 billion euro ($2.2 billion) green steel production site, warning in a letter to Economy Minister Robert Habeck that a further cut could choke off the project. Reducing subsidies further would trigger a "massive discussion" within Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board over whether to pull the plug on the investment, the letter, dated May 17 and co-signed by the group's deputy chairman Juergen Kerner, said. Thyssenkrupp in August made the investment decision for the so-called direct reduction iron (DRI) site at its steel base in Duisburg, provided substantial subsidy commitments by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin are being paid. Thyssenkrupp <TKAG.DE> and the economy ministry had no immediate comment. ($1 = 0.9084 euros)Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Additional reporting by Christoph Steitz and Christian Kraemer; Editing by Friederike HeineOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea signs $130 mln aid package with Ukrainian minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho speaks during an interview with Reuters in Incheon, South Korea, May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiSEOUL, May 17 (Reuters) - South Korea signed an agreement with Ukraine on Wednesday on its plan to provide a $130 million financial aid package, a day after the visiting first lady of the war-hit country asked for military assistance. South Korea's finance ministry said Minister Choo Kyung-ho and Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, in Seoul to attend a conference, signed the agreement on the package, which will consist of donations and aid loans. South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, has said it was not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia. Reporting by Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine rebuilding would be small wager for Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The irony is that effort had started when Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in 2014, thus ensuring that Ukraine would firmly aspire to belong to Europe. The war inflicted severe damage on Ukraine, with GDP down 30% last year according to the International Monetary Fund. Rebuilding Ukraine will require help, expertise and guidance – and a lot of time and money. And the United States, Japan and multilateral organisations such as the IMF will continue to flank Europe in its efforts to rebuild Ukraine. Nevertheless, it is in Europe’s interest to play a major part in Ukraine’s reconstruction before the country is accepted as a formal candidate member of the EU.

Foreign holdings of Italian government paper increased in February after 10 consecutive monthly declines, according to Bank of Italy data. "This is a magic moment for Italian bonds," he told Reuters. The share of Italian government debt held by foreign investors fell to below 20% at the end of 2022 from around 50% before the 2008 financial crisis, Bank of Italy data shows. The Italian Treasury has already taken steps to shore up demand for its bonds as the ECB retreats, by boosting purchases among domestic households and companies. Together, Italian families and firms now hold around 215 billion euros, or 9%, of Rome's debt, UniCredit's Cazzulani said, the highest level since mid-2015.

☆ Argentina raises interest rate to 97% as it struggles to tackle inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Central Bank of Argentina raised its key interest rate Monday by six percentage points to 97% in an effort to tackle soaring inflation that has reached 30-year highs. Central banks across the globe are struggling to rein in inflation, but it’s a particular problem in Argentina, where the annual inflation rate soared above 100% last month. (By comparison, inflation hovers below 5% in the US, where the central bank has raised key interest rates by five percentage points over 14 months.) Argentina’s central bank is also hoping the rate hike will incentivize investments in the country’s currency, according to the central bank’s statement released Monday. “When a central bank raises the interest rate, the effects are felt some two or three months afterward, and that timescale is not effective in Argentina’s situation.”— Elisabeth Buchwald contributed reporting.

☆ European Union upgrades outlook for economy as energy prices retreat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Yet Europe’s economic prospects have brightened in recent months, according to the European Commission. It now expects the EU economy to expand 1% this year, up from an estimate of 0.8% in February. But it reflects sharply lower energy prices, which are reducing costs for businesses and easing the strain on households. Even so, the Commission acknowledged that higher borrowing costs aimed at taming rising prices will weigh on growth in the months to come. Growth in Germany, the bloc’s biggest economy, is expected to slow sharply to 0.2% in 2023.

☆ Analysis: North Africa backslides toward swirling debt troubles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Making debt payments could become almost impossible. EGYPTEgypt's finances also look stretched despite it securing a $3 billion IMF rescue plan in December. The rating agency, which downgraded Egypt's credit rating again on Friday, highlights that only default-stricken Sri Lanka would need to pay more. "It would not be immaterial if it were to default" Ross said about the impact on global money managers. "These very wealthy Gulf countries have generally enhanced financial stability in the region," via their support he added.

☆ Rebuilding Ukraine depends on luring private money
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

KYIV, May 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Oleksandr Gryban is already thinking of the moment when Ukraine can build again. But the real challenge is to convince sceptical private investors both at home and abroad that Ukraine is a good destination for their cash. Investors can take solace that the team tasked with rebuilding Ukraine has proven competent and resourceful. There is a bull case for private investment in Ukraine. The other factor that might lure private capital involves Ukraine helping itself, by completing reforms initiated in the last few years.

MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - The Mexican government on Monday set out fresh details of a plan to attract businesses to a corridor straddling a narrow isthmus of southern Mexico, part of a larger push to pump investment into the relatively poor region. The plan, called the Inter-Oceanic Corridor, will include 10 new industrial parks along the stretch connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca state with the Gulf coast hub of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state, officials said. Officials also hinted at plans to construct four wind plants across the area, home to major installations of state-run oil company Pemex. Another reason to push manufacturing to the south is that the north - which benefits from its proximity with the United States - is facing a drought, officials say. Reporting by Kylie Madry; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by David Alire GarciaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexican officials roll out investment plans for southern corridor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Officials announced details for 10 industrial parks along the corridor connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca state with the Gulf coast hub of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state. Four of the parks will be located in Veracruz and six in Oaxaca, officials said during an event touting the potential of the Interoceanic Corridor development plan. Lopez Obrador has repeatedly argued that southern states like Oaxaca are prime for investment versus the country's more industrial north. He has also touted southern Mexico's more ample water resources. The minister added that the Interoceanic Corridor project will be presented to companies from the United States, Canada, Taiwan and Germany, among others.

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