DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoJuly 13 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. The one percentage point fall in June headline consumer price inflation to 3.0% strengthened hopes that the U.S. economy is heading for a 'soft landing', boosting risk appetite and, more importantly for emerging markets, slamming the dollar. The yen has risen five days in a row, its longest winning streak against the dollar since November. That would be the biggest fall in exports since January - economists at SocGen are penciling in a 15.7% crash. Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Thursday:- South Korea interest rate decision- China trade (June)- Thailand parliament elects new prime ministerBy Jamie McGeever; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Jamie McGeever, BOK, Josie Kao Organizations: Shanghai Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Asia FX, South Korean, Bank of, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Pudong, Shanghai, China, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Zealand, SocGen, Korea, Thailand

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Monetary policy divergence
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesThis report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. The United States and China, the world's largest economies, are on divergent monetary policy paths that are spelling some headaches. Beijing has so far cut rates in June and pledged "targeted and coordinated policy, which would be implemented in a timely manner." Complicating the macro watch for everybody, Nomura said other central banks in Asia could start cutting rates even earlier than the Fed.

Persons: Kokou Agbo, Nomura Organizations: Pudong Lujiazui Financial, Visual China, Getty, CNBC, PPI, Societe Generale Locations: Shanghai, China, United States, Beijing, U.S, Asia

General view of the financial district of Lujiazui in Pudong district in Shanghai on April 12, 2023. Asia-Pacific markets are set to largely rise ahead of key inflation reports this week, including the U.S. consumer price index report due Wednesday and the producer price index on Thursday. In the region, China's inflation rate and producer prices later today will provide more context to the country's recovery trajectory. Economists polled by Reuters expect the CPI reading to remain unchanged after producer prices plunged last month. However, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 is set to fall, with futures for the S&P/ASX 200 at 7,013, lower than the index's last close of 7,042.3.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Australia's Organizations: Reuters, Treasury, Nikkei Locations: Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, Asia, Pacific, U.S, Beijing, Japan, Chicago, Osaka

☆ CNBC Daily Open: China, the dozing dragon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Blinken unexpectedly meets XiU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his China visit by meeting with Xi Jinping, the country's president. Blinken's meeting could pave the way for U.S. President Joe Biden to meet Xi in November. The country's mortgage market's so volatile that HSBC temporarily stopped offering some home loans earlier this month.

Persons: Blinken, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Blinken's, Joe Biden, Xi, Buffett, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Morgan Stanley Organizations: CNBC, Xi U.S, U.S, Juneteenth, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo, HSBC, Asia Locations: Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, China, frayed U.S, America, Itochu, Berkshire, Japan, Asia Pacific

☆ Analysis: Struggling China local governments find a fundraising loophole, lifeline in "pearl bonds"
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, May 31 (Reuters) - China's cash-strapped local governments have suddenly rushed to an unusual corner of the debt market in Shanghai where ambiguous rules offer ways to skirt restrictions on onshore borrowing. LGFVs accounted for about two-thirds of the issuers and 60% of the debt sold this year nation-wide, according to Reuters' calculations. Among all the newly-issued FTZ bonds this year, 55, or two-thirds of all 82 issuers, were LGFVs, according to Reuters' calculations. The "pearl" or free trade zone (FTZ) bonds have been around since 2016 but are only now becoming popular as tighter central government supervision on LGFV debts starts to bite. AMBIGUOUS POSITIONING"Pearl bonds" differ from other offshore bonds as trades are cleared by the state-owned China Central Depository & Clearing Co, rather than a global clearing house.

Persons: Shi Xiaoshan, Fitch, Royston Quek, Tim Fang, Pearl, Zhang Hong, Georgina Lee, Tom Westbrook, Kim Coghill Organizations: U.S, Haitong International Securities, China Central Depository, Industrial, Group, Credit Agricole CIB, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Bank of Communications, Pudong New, Financial, Reform Commission, Reuters, The, Administration of Foreign Exchange, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, Shanghai, Beijing, U.S . Federal, Hong Kong, China, Zhejiang, Pudong, SINGAPORE

☆ The Tesla factory where a worker was crushed to death had safety weaknesses, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese inspectors want to punish Tesla after the death of a Shanghai factory worker, Caixin Global reported. A Chinese goverment investigation into the death of a Tesla employee in Shanghai concluded the electric carmaker has safety weaknesses, Chinese news site Caixin Global reported Wednesday. Meanwhile, people claiming to work at the Tesla Shanghai factory have complained on social media, and have appealed to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, saying their performance bonuses were cut after the employee's death. "Please pay attention to the performance of frontline workers at Tesla's Shanghai factory being arbitrarily deducted," one account tweeted. Two employees at Tesla's Shanghai factory told Reuters that supervisors pointed to a "safety incident" when they inquired about bonus cuts.

☆ Angry Tesla Shanghai workers vent to Elon Musk over bonus cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles are seen during a delivery event at its factory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. The situation marks a rare outburst of discontent at Tesla's Shanghai plant, whose workers Musk praised last year for burning "the 3 a.m. oil" to keep operations running during the city's two-month COVID lockdown. Some took to Twitter, owned by Musk and blocked in China, to tweet to the billionaire, his mother Maye Musk, and Tesla. "Please pay attention to the performance (bonus) of frontline workers at Tesla's Shanghai factory being arbitrarily deducted," said a person with the handle @AFeiywu on Twitter in a tweet directed at Elon Musk and Tesla's Asia unit. She recently completed a two-week tour in the country during which she visited the Shanghai factory and promoted her memoir.

☆ Factbox: Tesla's Shanghai plant, targeted by worker protest, is key hub for EV maker
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here are key facts about Tesla's operation in Shanghai:BACKGROUNDTesla’s Shanghai plant, which began operations in late 2019, is the automaker’s largest manufacturing hub. The plant employs some 20,000 workers and accounted for more than half of Tesla’s global output in 2022. Some Tesla workers were told their performance bonuses were being cut because of the accident and took to social media to protest. KEY EXECUTIVETesla promoted its China chief Tom Zhu to take oversight of its global production and sales earlier this year. Under Zhu, the Tesla Shanghai plant managed a quick rebound from lost production last year due to COVID lockdowns in China.

☆ Tesla Shanghai factory workers appeal to Elon Musk on bonus cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles are seen during a delivery event at its factory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. "Please pay attention to the performance (bonus) of frontline workers at Tesla's Shanghai factory being arbitrarily deducted," said a person with the handle @AFeiywu on Twitter in a tweet directed at Elon Musk and Tesla's Asia unit. The workers said Tesla supervisors mentioned a "safety incident" when they were asked about reasons for the bonus cut. Several online posts claimed workers at the Shanghai plant were being unfairly punished for an incident this year at the factory where one worker died in February. According to a report published by the local Pudong government on April 12, there was a mechanical accident in the welding workshop at Tesla's Shanghai plant on Feb. 4 that killed one worker.

☆ Tesla Shanghai: Social media protests over 'unfair' bonus cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Workers at Tesla’s electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Shanghai are reportedly using social media to protest against what they call unfair cuts in performance-related pay and to ask CEO Elon Musk to intervene. Social media posts published over the weekend by people who say they work at the factory — the company’s main export hub — expressed anger over recently announced cuts in their monthly bonus pay. They said they were given news of the “significant” and “malicious” cuts after a fatal accident occurred at the Tesla (TSLA) facility in February. Just six months later, in November, the Shanghai factory set a fresh monthly delivery record of more than 100,000 vehicles. In 2022, Tesla delivered 1.31 million vehicles globally, more than half of which were from Shanghai, according to the company’s financial results.

☆ China is waging a war on its financial industry. Some high-profile bankers are ensnared
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Last Friday, authorities opened a similar probe into Liu Liange, former chairman of state-owned Bank of China, the country’s fourth largest lender. And in January, Wang Bin, who headed state-owned China Life Insurance from 2018 to early 2022, was charged by national prosecutors with taking bribes and hiding overseas savings. They include financial giants such as China Investment Corp, the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, China Development Bank, which provides financing for key government projects, and Agricultural Bank of China, another large state-controlled lender. “The current financial crackdown is a new wave of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign against the financial sector for consolidation of his power,” said Chongyi Feng, an associate professor in China Studies at the University of Technology Sydney. But the deepening crackdown on the vast financial sector could rattle investors.

☆ China will make up nearly 40% of the rise in global oil demand in 2023, Wood Mackenzie says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesChina will make up a sizeable portion of the world's demand recovery for oil as the global economy braces itself for a slowdown in the wake of interest rate hikes, Wood Mackenzie said. That means 38.5% of global oil demand recovery would come from China. Our China high-growth scenario centers on the economy growing by 7% in 2023 and 5.5% in 2024. The firm is, however, optimistic about global growth this year — despite the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund warning of a bumpy road ahead. "Our China high-growth scenario centers on the economy growing by 7% in 2023 and 5.5% in 2024," the firm said in the report.

☆ China's post-Covid year gets off to a disappointing start
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Most categories within retail sales rose, but big-ticket items of autos and home appliances saw sales decline. Online retail sales of physical goods rose by 5.3% for the first two months of the year from a year ago. But within that category, investment in real estate fell by 5.7% in January and February from a year ago. That follows a 10% drop in real estate investment for all of last year. Infrastructure and manufacturing investment rose at a slower pace in the first two months of the year than in 2022.

☆ Over a dozen Chinese-based firms say they have minimal exposure to SVB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, March 13 (Reuters) - Over a dozen Hong Kong-listed companies have stepped forward to say they had little or no exposure to Silicon Valley Bank, the failed U.S. lender which has roiled investors and markets globally. Startup-focussed SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O), which did business as Silicon Valley Bank, collapsed on Friday in the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. China-based drug developer Beigene Ltd (6160.HK) said it has uninsured cash deposits held at the bank representing 3.9% of its last reported total cash and cash equivalents. Six Hong Kong-listed companies, mostly Chinese pharmaceutical firms also over the weekend disclosed cash deposits at Silicon Valley Bank. Broncus Holding Corporation (2216.HK) said it held $11.8 million at SVB, representing around 6.5% of its total cash.

☆ Andon Health: Chinese company says it has full access to SVB-parked funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Andon Health, a maker of medical devices, says it has full access to funds parked at Silicon Valley Bank, after the US government intervened to backstop all the deposits at the failed lender. The Tianjin-based company, which manufactures consumer health devices and supplied Covid test kits to the United States during the pandemic, has cash deposits at SVB worth 5% of its total cash and cash equivalents. “Our deposits at Silicon Valley Bank can be used in full and have not suffered any losses,” the company said in a Tuesday filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Those measures include guaranteeing that customers of the bank will have access to all their money starting Monday. The SPD Silicon Valley Bank, which was owned 50-50 owned by SVB and local partner Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, said Saturday that its operations were “sound.”

☆ SVB collapse will have limited impact on Asia, but one analyst says it could be a warning sign
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

HANGZHOU, CHINA - MARCH 12, 2023 - Photo taken on March 12, 2023 shows the logo of SPD Silicon Valley Bank in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesAnalysts say the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank is not likely to have a major contagion effect in Asia, but one person says it could be seen as a "warning" — especially for economies that haven't hiked interest rates aggressively. It came after U.S. regulators announced measures to further stem systemic risks from Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. While a number of companies within Asia's venture capital and tech start-up sector do have exposure to Silicon Valley Bank, not many have openly admitted to seeing major losses from SVB's bankruptcy. SPD Silicon Valley Bank, a joint venture between Shanghai Pudong Bank and Silicon Valley Bank sought to reassure investors over the weekend and said its operations have been "independent and stable."

☆ Chinese companies and tycoons rush to calm investors after SVB collapse causes anxiety
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), which courted Chinese start-ups, has caused widespread concern in China, where a string of founders and companies rushed to appease investors by saying their exposure was insignificant or nonexistent. “As China’s first technology bank, SPD Silicon Valley Bank is committed to serving Chinese science and technology companies, and has always had sound operations in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations.”It’s unclear what will happen to SVB’s ownership of the joint venture. BeiGene, one of China’s largest cancer-focused drug companies, said Monday it had more than $175 million uninsured cash deposits at SVB, which represents approximately 3.9% of its cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. Zai Lab, a pharmaceutical firm, announced that its cash deposits at SVB were “immaterial” at about $23 million. “We never opened an account with Silicon Valley Bank, nor placed a deposit,” he said late Sunday on his Weibo account.

☆ Six Hong Kong-listed firms say their deposits at SVB are immaterial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, March 12 (Reuters) - Six Hong Kong-listed companies, mostly Chinese pharmaceutical firms, disclosed cash deposits at Silicon Valley Bank on Sunday, adding that their exposure to the failed U.S. lender and its impact on operations were immaterial, in an effort to calm investors. Startup-focussed SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O), which did business as Silicon Valley Bank, collapsed on Friday in the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis, roiling global markets and stranding billions of dollars belonging to companies and investors. Broncus Holding Corporation (2216.HK) said it held $11.8 million at SVB, representing around 6.5% of its total cash. Noah Holdings Private Wealth and Asset Management Limited has less than $1 million with SVB, less than 0.2% of its total cash. CANbridge Pharmaceuticals Inc (1228.HK) said the amount of cash deposited with SVB is "immaterial and is generally within the amount guaranteed by the FDIC accordingly", without giving any figures.

☆ SVB collapse could add to China stock investors' anxiety
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Summer Zhen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SHANGHAI, March 12 (Reuters) - China stock investors, already disillusioned by Beijing's lower-than-expected economic growth target for the year, will be further disheartened by the shock collapse of U.S. lender SVB Financial Group, market participants said. The market mood could be damped further following Friday's sudden collapse of start-up focused lender SVB (SIVB.O), which stirred heated discussion over the weekend in China about its fallout. But many Chinese tech start-ups, especially those with dollar funding, have opened U.S. accounts at SVB. He is cautious about tech stocks that could be impacted by US-China frictions. Still, domestic A-shares will likely outperform offshore China stocks, which are more vulnerable to potential spillover from the SVB collapse, analysts say.

[1/3] A man wearing a protective mask is seen inside the Shanghai Stock Exchange building, as the country is hit by a new coronavirus outbreak, at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoNEW YORK/SINGAPORE, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Many large money managers are steering clear of Chinese assets, missing out on the nation's post-COVID stock market rally in the latest example of strategic concerns trumping juicy returns. "For our investors who might have that concern, there are plenty of other opportunities away from China." The concern flagged by some is whether this is part of a structural downgrade for Chinese assets, said Will Malcolm, a Singapore-based portfolio manager at Aviva Investors. That could attract cash in a hurry, but the behaviour of large investors so far suggests that a large sentiment shift will be needed.

☆ January flows to emerging markets largest in two years - IIF
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Rodrigo Campos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The January figure of $65.7 billion net inflows outpaced the $30.9 billion for all of last year according to IIF data. Debt securities outside of China raked in $44.6 billion, the largest monthly figure on IIF records back to 2018. Reuters GraphicsThe first week of the year saw a record of about $28 billion in issuance from emerging market sovereigns and companies. Flows to Chinese equities also posted a strong rebound last month, bringing in the largest inflow since December 2020. Regionally, Asia and Latin America saw the largest inflows last month with $34.4 billion and $15.9 billion respectively.

☆ Most Chinese provinces set growth targets of above 5% in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Most Chinese provinces aim for economic growth of above 5% this year, pledging to focus on boosting consumption following a lifting of stringent COVID curbs, according to local government work reports. Zhejiang province, which is a "demonstration zone" for China's common prosperity campaign, has set a more than 5% growth target this year, after missing its "around 6%" goal by half in 2022. Growth is expected to rebound to 4.9% in 2023, according to a Reuters poll. China is likely to aim for economic growth of at least 5% in 2023 to keep a lid on unemployment, policy insiders said. The tropical southern province of Hainan set an ambitious target of around 9.5% for 2023 growth, after the island's main tourist hub, Sanya, locked in tens of thousands of tourists last August.

☆ How China planted an FBI mole who was discovered only after gutting the CIA's vast spy network
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

At the time, four years after the handover from Britain to China, much of Hong Kong remained a world of neon and noise. "Five years ago, everyone looked down on you if you spoke Mandarin," said a Beijing executive living in Hong Kong. As soon as the Hong Kong Arts Festival ended, the Hong Kong International Film Festival began. In February 2006, Alex Ma, China's mole in the FBI, sent David photos he received from his handlers of five suspected human sources. Born in Hong Kong like Alex, Lee grew up in Hawaii and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

The removal of inbound quarantine prompted a surge in demand for plane tickets in countries like Singapore which have large communities of overseas Chinese. “China remained closed off after Singapore reopened, so to go back, people needed to do PCR tests, undergo quarantine, and prices of flight tickets skyrocketed. Chu said she had missed her parents, her 83-year-old father and 78-year-old mother, and worried about their failing health. Her biggest wish was to spend as much time with them as possible when she goes back this time. “I haven’t seen them for three years, and they both got COVID, and are quite old.

☆ Asia-Pacific shares trade mixed as U.S. inflation data remains firmly in spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 01: Skyscrapers stand at the Pudong Lujiazui Financial District on March 1, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Asia-Pacific shares traded mixed as investors look ahead to the U.S. consumer price index report Thursday. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 traded up 1.03% in its first hour of trade. The Nikkei 225 dipped fractionally after reversing earlier gains, while the Topix climbed 0.19%. South Korea's Kospi traded flat, while the Kosdaq declined 0.19%.

Search resuls for: "Pudong"

25 mentions found