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☆ Shares of China's second largest chip foundry Hua Hong jump 13% in Shanghai debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of the chipmaker opened on the Nasdaq-style Star Market at 58.88 Chinese yuan, according to Refinitiv data. That's a 13.2% jump from its offer price of 52 Chinese yuan ($7.23). The Shanghai-listed shares have since pared gains and were trading lower at 53.99 Chinese yuan on Monday afternoon. Hua Hong's Shanghai debut raised 21.2 billion yuan ($2.95 billion) — in what was the largest IPO in mainland China so far this year, according to EY's global IPO report. SMIC raised 46.28 billion yuan ($6.62 billion) during its IPO in 2020.

Persons: Hua Hong, Hua Hong's, Chips, Hong, Phelix Lee, Lee, SMIC Organizations: Huahong Group, Huahong, Getty, Shanghai Stock Exchange's, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, Nasdaq, Morningstar Asia, Hua Locations: Shanghai, China, Hua Hong's Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing

A panel displaying share prices is seen inside the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen October 23, 2009. The Shenzhen Stock Exchange, one of the two major bourses in the Chinese mainland, is in negotiations with the Saudi Tadawul Group (1111.SE), operator of the Saudi Stock Exchange, for ETF Connect, as the programme is called, two of the sources said. The China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Tadawul Group did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. China has launched 'ETF Connect' projects in recent years with offshore stock exchanges in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Reporting by Xie Yu and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh in Dubai; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bobby Yip, HONG KONG, HKEX, Jackie Choy, Xie Yu, Selena Li, Hadeel Al, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: Shenzhen Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Saudi Tadawul Group, Saudi Stock Exchange, Connect, China's, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Tadawul, Singapore . Industry, Government Bond Index, Management, Saudi, Hong Kong Exchanges, Clearing, Tadawul Group, Hong Kong bourse, Morningstar Asia, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment, Saudi Aramco, Thomson Locations: Shenzhen, HONG, China, Saudi, Beijing, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, East Asia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, HK, Hong, Europe, East, Africa, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Dubai

HONG KONG, July 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's stock exchange will no longer require companies to spell out China-related business risks in listing applications from Tuesday, in a move that aligns the city more closely with disclosure changes ordered by Beijing. China's securities watchdog published updated rules for offshore listings in February and Hong Kong followed with its own consultation on proposed changes a week later. In a summary of rule revisions, the exchange didn't list the removal of China risk disclosures as a major change. The majority of Chinese companies' offshore listing proposals have been filed with the Hong Kong exchange since the country new offshore listing regime came into effect on March 31, but few of them have got Beijing's nod to start raising funds. Reporting by Selena Li and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Selena Li, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Christina Fincher Organizations: bourse, Hong Kong Exchanges, Clearing, HK, People's, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Reuters, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Hong, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Beijing, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, United States, Hong

☆ Asia shares slip as China casts a pall, dollar's slide abates
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-People walk past a screen displaying the Hang Seng stock index outside Hong Kong Exchanges, in Hong Kong, China July 19, 2022. Investors are waiting for clearer signs that inflation is cooling, with the readings on U.S. retail sales and industrial production to be released later on Tuesday. Economists reckon retail sales in June will show a 0.5% rise from May, strong enough to keep the soft landing scenario without rekindling worries about inflation. The Fed, European Central Bank and Bank of Japan are holding policy reviews next week. The U.S. dollar index dipped slightly to 99.71 in Asia trade, having struck its lowest since April 2022 on Friday.

Persons: Lam, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Gary Ng, Ng, Brent, Selena Li, Simon Cameron, Moore, Sam Holmes Organizations: Hong Kong Exchanges, REUTERS, Federal, Bank of America, Natixis Corporate, Investment Bank, The, European Central Bank and Bank of Japan, Japan's Nikkei, ECB, Fed, Bank of England, U.S, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Asia, Pacific, Japan

LONDON/BEIJING, July 13 (Reuters) - The Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) is looking to expand its commodities warehousing network outside China, and is examining systems and regulations in the sector overseas, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. China, the world's largest consumer and producer of industrial metals such as copper, wants domestic players to be able to exert more influence over prices, the sources said. To achieve that, two of the sources said, it launched an international copper futures contract in November 2020 on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE). KEY DIFFERENCESSources say there are a couple of major differences between the way warehousing works in China and the rest of the world. Outside China, metal is insured by its owner and the warehouse company is typically only liable if it was proved negligent.

Persons: ShFE, Pratima Desai, Veronica Brown, Jan Harvey Organizations: LONDON, Shanghai Futures Exchange, Reuters, bourse, London Metal Exchange, Shanghai International Energy Exchange, Hong Kong Exchanges, HK, South East, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, United States, Europe, Asia, The London, LME, Singapore, Thailand, South East Asia

A net 1,400 lots of short positions were covered by the time the market was suspended at 08:15. Xiang Guangda, the charismatic head of China's Tsingshan Holding Group, has attracted much media attention for being the big nickel short. The existence of at least once big nickel short wasn't exactly a secret in the market. LME nickel crisis had turned into potential LME clearing house crisis with Chamberlain having to juggle both parts of the meltdown while also being a nickel market specialist. The handful that remained, as one participant later recalled, knew nothing whatsoever about what was going on in the nickel market so decided to call everyone else back into the room.

Persons: Elliott, Street, Matthew Chamberlain, Chamberlain, Jane Street, Oliver Wyman's, Xiang Guangda, wasn't, Oliver Wyman, John Maynard Keynes, Xiang, doesn't, David Evans Organizations: London, Royal, of Justice, Hong Kong Exchanges, HK, Elliott Associates, Jane, Global, Tsingshan Holding, SEE, Bloomberg, Thomson, Reuters Locations: U.S, Ukraine

☆ Hong Kong's new dual counter scheme 'solidifies' city's role as yuan trading hub, HKEX CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

HONG KONG, CHINA - JUNE 05: A pedestrian walks by an electronic screen displaying the numbers for the Hang Seng Index on June 5, 2023 in Hong Kong, China. The dual counter model covers securities listed in both Hong Kong dollar and renminbi counters only. The Hong Kong Exchange said all shares of the same securities in the two different trading counters will be "fully interchangeable between counters." The HKEX CEO noted that the initial batch of 24 companies make up about 40% of the average daily trading volume in the Hong Kong. Not the first tryThis is not the first time that such a scheme is being introduced in Hong Kong.

Persons: Chen Yongnuo, Nicolas Aguzin, Aguzin Organizations: China News Service, Getty Images, Getty, Hong Kong, Companies, Baidu, Hong Kong Exchange, Hong Kong Exchanges, Investments, Connect, Stock, Stock Connect, Reuters, Bloomberg Locations: HONG KONG, CHINA, Hong Kong, China, renminbi

☆ HKEX CEO discusses the 3 aims of its new HKD-RMB dual counter model
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHKEX CEO discusses the 3 aims of its new HKD-RMB dual counter modelNicolas Aguzin, CEO of Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing, says the model aims to give more options to investors, among other things.

Persons: Nicolas Aguzin Organizations: Hong, Hong Kong Exchange Locations: Hong Kong

☆ China property liquidation risk heightened by delisting threat, says S&P
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, June 7 (Reuters) - Some of China's distressed property developers face the risk of being delisted, which would reduce their options for restructuring and make them more vulnerable to liquidation, S&P Global Ratings said on Wednesday. The Shanghai stock exchange delisted Sichuan Languang Development on Tuesday, the first such case for property A shares, and Sinic Holdings was delisted from Hong Kong in April. In mainland China, S&P said the 11 firms at risk of being delisted, including Shanghai Shimao (600823.SS) and Yango Group (000671.SZ), have offshore and onshore bonds outstanding collectively worth $21 billion. Shanghai Shimao and Yango did not immediately respond to request for comment. China Evergrande Group (3333.HK), the world's most indebted developer, and Shimao Group (0813.HK), both listed in Hong Kong, have been suspended from trading for 14 months.

Persons: Yango, Esther Liu, Evergrande, Clare Jim, Barbara Lewis Organizations: HK, Sinic Holdings, Shanghai Shimao, Yango, China Evergrande, Shimao, Hong, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Asia, Shanghai, Sichuan, Hong Kong, China, Shenzhen

Refinitiv data shows foreigners sold $1.71 billion worth of mainland shares this month via Stock Connect, a key cross-border link between the mainland and Hong Kong exchanges, after selling $659 million in April. Despite outflows in February, April and May, foreigners' net purchases of mainland shares still stood at $25.05 billion for the first five months of this year, compared with net buying of about $6.36 billion worth over the whole of 2022. "Foreigners seem to have been selling because of the underwhelming near-term economic data points and, perhaps, because of the opportunities available to investors with a broader (pan-Asia or global) mandate," Pershad said. "We presume other investors have re-allocated some capital from China to those markets (and others) this year." Reporting By Patturaja Murugaboopathy and Gaurav Dogra in Bengaluru; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan & Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pruksa Iamthongthong, Refinitiv, Alexander Davey, Vikas Pershad, Pershad, Patturaja Murugaboopathy, Gaurav Dogra, Vidya Ranganathan, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Stock Connect, Reuters, National Bureau of Statistics, P Global, PMI, Morningstar, Allianz All China Equity WT, HK, HSBC Asset Management, U.S . Federal Reserve, G Investments, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, Morningstar ,, Taiwan, Shanghai, Asia, Bengaluru

LONDON, June 1 (Reuters) - The London Metal Exchange (LME) is once again looking to shine more light on what lies in the shadows of its warehousing system. The exchange's daily stocks reports offer a rare hard data point in a murky statistical landscape for metal traders. LME stocks are flatlining but is this down to the market or changed market behaviour? Traders will game any system they come up against but the current LME stocks reporting regime makes it too easy. Restoring trust in exchange stocks reporting is a key step in winning back the broader confidence of the market.

Persons: it's, Mark Potter Organizations: London Metal Exchange, Hong Kong Exchanges, HK, Shanghai Futures, Traders, CME, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Malaysia's Port Klang, Singapore, Shanghai

☆ Asian shares inch up as investors brace for China data, Fed speakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The guarded optimism is set to extend to Europe when markets open, with pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.2%. Both S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures were mostly flat. China is due to report monthly industrial production, retail sales and fixed asset investment data on Tuesday. "However, with China's data throwing up a few concerns of late - we've seen poor import, PPI, and loan data - China's growth is very much at the heart of market moves," said Weston. U.S. crude futures fell 0.6% to $69.61 per barrel, while Brent crude futures were down 0.6% to $73.68 per barrel.

☆ HKEX launches China-Hong Kong Swap Connect to help offshore bond investors hedge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Signage of the Hong Kong stock exchange in Hong Kong. HKEX has added a new scheme that will connect capital markets in Hong Kong and mainland. Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing (HKEX) added a new Connect scheme linking markets in the financial hub with the mainland on Monday, by expanding into onshore interest rate derivatives to help offshore investors in Chinese bonds hedge their exposure. The interest rate Swap Connect scheme would further promote the yuan currency's global status, HKEX CEO Nicolas Aguzin said. Aside from helping offshore investors to manage interest rate risk and lower financing costs, the new scheme would improve efficiency of clearing and capital usage, said Haifeng Xu, deputy chief executive at Bank of China (Hong Kong).

The Shenzhen-listed company, known for its flagship SF Express delivery business, has started preparations for the Hong Kong listing and aims to file the prospectus with the Hong Kong exchange by June, one of the sources said. SF Holding, which has a market value of 267 billion yuan ($38.63 billion), did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Bloomberg News on Friday first reported SF Holding's listing plans, citing people familiar with the matter. Its express delivery business covers nearly 100 countries overseas including the United States and Japan, according to its 2022 annual report. SF went public in Shenzhen in 2017 and listed two of its units - SF Real Estate Investment Trust (2191.HK) and Hangzhou SF Intra-City Industrial (9699.HK) - in Hong Kong in 2021.

☆ Hong Kong bourse’s profit pop looks passive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Thomas Shum | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, April 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - What does a stock exchange operator do when equity markets are weak and interest rates are high? Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (0388.HK) posted a 28% year-on-year profit pop on Wednesday, largely propelled by stellar investment returns as opposed to its core business. Sustained weakness in equities trading and initial public offerings could augur tougher times ahead if transaction volumes don’t come back soon. Though Hong Kong’s IPO pipeline is better than many, with over 90 applications as of the end of March, the issue sizes are restrained. Net profit amounted to HK$3.4 billion ($434 million), up 28% from a year ago, with revenue and other income rising 19% year-on-year to HK$5.56 billion.

☆ Facing fallout from nickel crisis, LME appoints 'interim' chairman
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - The London Metal Exchange (LME) said on Friday it had appointed John Williamson, currently a non-executive director, as interim chairman from the end of April, when current Chair Gay Huey Evans steps down. Williamson's appointment comes as the world's largest and oldest metals forum grapples with slumping nickel volumes after the chaos in March 2022 when the LME suspended nickel trading for more than a week. Metal industry sources are surprised that Williamson's appointment is on an interim basis, which they say creates uncertainty during a tumultuous time. The LME declined to comment on why the appointment was on an interim basis. A lawsuit brought by Elliott Associates and Jane Street Global Trading against the LME for cancelling nickel trades will be heard in a London court on June 20-22.

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - A year on from the nickel crisis the London Metal Exchange (LME) is still struggling to regain trading momentum. Volumes dropped sharply after the controversial decision to suspend nickel trading and cancel trades. In this subdued metals trading landscape there are currently two unlikely star performers: London lead and Shanghai tin. The Shanghai nickel contract took a big collateral hit from the LME's crisis and volumes remain depressed, down by half year-on-year in the first quarter. ShFE volumes year-on-year change in Q1 2023LEAD GETS INDEX BOOSTERThe two metallic stand-outs in terms of first-quarter trading activity were LME lead and ShFE tin.

☆ CME debuts offshore yuan options to tap rising trading demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, April 3 (Reuters) - Chicago's CME Group (CME.O) opened options trading for Chinese yuan futures on Monday, as it looks to deepen a market that investors use for betting or hedging against moves in China's currency. Hong Kong has offered similar exchange-traded options since 2017, though bringing the product to CME - the world's biggest derivatives exchange - may be a step toward competing with the banks that dominate options by selling directly to customers. "We hope to see liquidity develop there that's comparable to the over-the-counter market," said Tim Brooks, London-based head of FX options at Optiver, which will deal in the new CME derivatives. The CME options have a range of expiry dates from weekly, to monthly or a year and are based on futures contracts with a notional amount of $100,000. CME is a much smaller yuan-trading hub than Hong Kong.

☆ Tencent applies for dual counter trading on Hong Kong exchange
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 31 (Reuters) - Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) said on Friday the video game company has applied for a dual currency counter with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to allow investors to trade its shares in the yuan, in addition to the Hong Kong dollar. The stock exchange said in December it will introduce a new dual counter trading model from the first half of 2023. Other Hong Kong-listed companies such as insurer AIA Group Ltd (1299.HK) have also applied for a dual currency counter with the Hong Kong exchange. The launch of the dual currency counter is aimed at further advancing the internationalisation of the Chinese yuan, the Hong Kong bourse operator said earlier this month. Reporting by Nausheen Thusoo in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hong Kong makes new rules for specialist tech firm listings, cuts rev threshold
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 24 (Reuters) - The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) said on Friday it had framed new listing rules for specialist technology companies, adopting a lower revenue threshold for these firms set out in earlier proposals. The bourse operator, a unit of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (0388.HK), said it would welcome applications operating in frontier industries, including new energy, robotics, semiconductors, quantum computing, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and new food and agriculture technologies. A commercialised company should have no less than HK$6 billion ($764.38 million) in market capitalisation, according to the rules, lower than HK$8 billion stipulated in a consultation last October. These rules are designed to retain the attractiveness of Hong Kong's capital markets amid continued geopolitical tensions. ($1 = 7.8495 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Poonam Behura in Bangalore and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON, March 21 (Reuters) - The London Metal Exchange (LME) has discovered that some of its registered nickel is missing. Bags of stones shouldn't pass any inspection, whether at original load-in or during the annual audit of registered stock required by the LME's warehousing agreement. But it folds into the bigger issues around the exchange's governance and regulatory capacity after the blow-out of the nickel contract this time last year. BROKEN NICKELThe latest scandal will also intensify the question of whether the LME nickel contract is fulfilling the function of efficient price discovery forum. The nickel market was already looking for different pricing solutions before the March 8, 2022 suspension of LME nickel trading.

☆ Middle East pivot to Asia is strategic this time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Xi Jinping has brokered a deal the United States would have found hard to secure, despite its traditional military influence in the Middle East. The Middle East has trained its financial sights on Asia before. At current rates of growth, emerging Asia will become the top trade partner for the Gulf countries by 2028, per Asia House, surpassing advanced economies. As U.S.-China relations continue to sour, the Asian financial centre is looking to the Middle East to find new foreign companies to trade in the territory. Delegations from the two Middle East countries held talks in Beijing between March 6 and 10, the statement added.

The world's largest and oldest metals market annulled all nickel trades in March last year after chaotic price action and suspended trading for the first time since 1988. "That the FCA has decided to investigate means it considers there are circumstances suggesting that LME may have committed serious misconduct. ACTIVE STEPSThe 146-year-old LME said it had taken active steps to enhance nickel market liquidity and transparency, including 15% daily price limits and over the counter (OTC) position reporting for all physically delivered metals. The FCA and Bank of England began a review last April into the trading halt by the LME, owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (0388.HK). In January management consultants Oliver Wyman released an independent review of the nickel trading debacle and the exchange said it would set out an implementation plan for the report's recommendations by the end of March.

☆ We are the window that connects China and the world, says HKEX CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | 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 EmailWe are the window that connects China and the world, says HKEX CEONicolas Aguzin, CEO of Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing, says it is doing what it can to ensure there is more interaction and connectivity.

☆ Hong Kong spreads its wings, and its bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

HONG KONG, Feb 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - For a sign that Hong Kong’s recovery is more than wishful thinking, look no further than the city’s Disneyland. The house of Mickey Mouse is implicitly betting Hong Kong will soon be back, and bigger than before. At its core, Hong Kong’s unique selling point is that it’s China-by-proxy for investors; enterprises in the People’s Republic account for 78% of the market capitalisation of Hong Kong’s main boards. Against such a backdrop, it’s logical that Hong Kong is trying to spread its bets. Hong Kong exchange boss Nicolas Aguzin’s pitch is strengthened by a Chinese plan to let overseas companies listed in Hong Kong be included in the Connect programme.

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