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☆ UN Agency Says Aid Shipment Blocked in Israeli Port
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The main United Nations agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza is facing growing administrative hurdles from Israel, with a shipment amounting to a month's supply of food blocked in port, the agency's chief said. UNRWA has dismissed staff accused of involvement in the attack and launched an investigation. He said UNRWA had been informed by a contractor that provided handling services in the port of Ashdod that it could no longer continue working with UNRWA, following instructions from the Israeli authorities. Last week, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on social media platform X that Israel was cancelling tax breaks previously offered to UNRWA. The decision was not formally communicated to the agency which only learned about it when the statement appeared on the platform, Lazzarini said.

Persons: Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Lazzarini, Bezalel Smotrich, James Mackenzie, Steve Scheer Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, Israel, West Bank Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel, East, Ashdod, Turkey, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria

When Israel established a checkpoint near the Mousas' land a decade ago, the family converted their ancestral farm into a parking lot for Palestinian workers entering Israel. But the lot has been empty since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip, and Israel, fearing more attacks, barred Palestinian workers from the West Bank from entering Israel. Before October, over 10,000 Palestinian workers crossed the checkpoint there daily, heading to Israeli construction sites and farms. An estimated 200,000 Palestinians worked in Israel and Israeli settlements before the war, according to the Israeli workers' hotline Kav LaOved. The Palestinian economy in the West Bank contracted by over a fifth in the last quarter of 2023, according to the Palestinian economic ministry.

Persons: Mohammed Mousa’s, They've, Israel, “ I've, Mousa, “, Alaa Mousa, Ahmad Srour, ”, Srour, “ We’ve, we’ve, Nidal Khawaja, Khawaja, Israel's, Bezalel Smotrich, Khalid Al, Esseily, Khalidi, Raul Sargo, Mohammed Mousa Organizations: West Bank, —, Palestinian Authority, Bank, World Bank, Palestinian Economic Ministry, Palestinian, Associated Press, Israel, Israel's Finance Ministry, Israeli Builders Association Locations: West Bank, Nilin, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, U.S, israel

A man exercises in a gym near a barcode for Paytm, an Indian cellphone-based digital payment platform, in New Delhi on November 18, 2021. The Indian Finance Ministry, the RBI and Paytm did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment. A Paytm spokesperson has denied any violation of foreign exchange laws, calling them "unfounded and factually incorrect," according to Reuters. The shares saw a massive three-day sell-off following the RBI's order last week which wiped out more than $2.5 billion in value, before a subsequent bounce. Earlier in the week, Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Jio Financial Services denied media reports it was buying Paytm's wallet business.

Persons: Paytm, It's, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Nirmala Sitharaman, Sharma, Mukesh Ambani's Organizations: Reserve Bank of, CNBC, Reuters, Indian Finance Ministry, One97 Communications, India's National Stock Exchange, Financial Services Locations: New Delhi, Reserve Bank of India

☆ Russia's wartime economy is flush with resources and is weathering Western sanctions, European economist says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Economists have said Russia's economy is in rapid decline, evidenced by the plunge in the ruble and soaring inflation. Russia's only problem appears to be its worker shortage, Santi says. AdvertisementEconomists are divided over whether Western sanctions have successfully crimped Russia's economy, or if Moscow has managed to sidestep most of the consequences. Russia, for its part, has put up a show of defiance against Western sanctions, with Putin repeatedly emphasizing the resilience of the economy. In January, the Kremlin's budget deficit was five times smaller than it was last year, Russia's finance ministry said on Wednesday.

Persons: —, Michael Santi, Santi, Putin Organizations: Service, Business, Gallup, Bloomberg, Carnegie Endowment Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, European, Russia, Switzerland, Armenia, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Europe

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's state-owned development bank has sold shares in the company that owns the national postal service for about 2.17 billion euros ($2.3 billion), reducing the government's stake and raising money to help finance improvements to the country's rail network. The sale cuts the state's stake in DHL to 16.5%, though it is still the largest single shareholder. The proceeds are to be used to strengthen the capital of Germany's main railway operator, the state-owned Deutsche Bahn, to help it upgrade railway infrastructure, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. The government is turning to privatization proceeds to help finance improvements to the rail network after a court ruling forced it to plug a big hole in this year's budget and reconsider its wider financial plans. The maneuver ran afoul of Germany’s strict self-imposed limits on running up debt.

Organizations: BERLIN, —, Deutsche, DHL Group, DHL, Deutsche Bahn, Finance Ministry Locations: — Germany's, Germany's

☆ China expresses concerns to U.S. over tariffs, sanctions in Beijing talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China's financial officials expressed concerns to visiting U.S. Treasury officials about U.S. tariffs, investment restrictions and sanctions set up to "suppress" Chinese companies, the Chinese finance ministry said on Tuesday. China's financial officials expressed concerns to visiting U.S. Treasury officials about U.S. tariffs, investment restrictions and sanctions set up to "suppress" Chinese companies, the Chinese finance ministry said on Tuesday. Both sides had "in-depth, frank, pragmatic and constructive" exchanges on their macroeconomic situation and policy, and developing countries' debt, among other issues in the meetings this week in Beijing, the ministry said. They agreed to continue to maintain communications, it added. In a separate meeting, China's vice premier He Lifeng also met with U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs Jay Shambaugh on Tuesday, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

Persons: Lifeng, International Affairs Jay Shambaugh Organizations: U.S, Treasury, International Affairs, China's, Xinhua Locations: Beijing

☆ Factbox-Policy Pledges of Indonesia's Presidential Candidates
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

(Reuters) - Three candidates are running in Indonesia's presidential election on Feb. 14. The following is a summary of policy objectives they have pledged while campaigning. ANIES BASWEDAN- Target 5.5%-6.5% average annual economic growth from 2025-2029- Create 15 million jobs, including 'green' jobs- Raise the tax-to-GDP ratio from 10.4% in 2022 to 13%-16% by 2029- Target annual inflation of 2%-3% from 2025-2029- Offer incentives for renewable energy projects- Impose a carbon tax with proceeds to be used as an endowment fund to finance development of renewable energy- Increase the 'village fund' to 5 billion rupiah ($317,965) for each village, from the current 1 billion rupiah. - Widen access to global markets for palm oil farmers- Strengthen free trade agreements and Indonesia's role in international financial institutions- Minimise imports of staple foods- Create 2 million new affordable housing units, including for informal workers, youth- Expedite forest conservation and rehabilitation projects- Limit new construction of, and retire existing coal-fired power plants, especially in Java, Bali islands- Review debt of state-owned enterprises, continue debt restructuring programme- Revise Jobs Creation Law with goal to ensure fair wages for workers- Evaluate the $32 billion new capital city project- Evaluate food estate programme, replacing it with contract farming, a scheme to ensure farm products will be sold- Impose a wealth tax on Indonesia's 100 richest people- Audit the nickel industry with focus on its impact on the environment and ensuring welfare of domestic workers- Strengthen the anti-corruption agency by revising the law that regulates it- Ease permitting requirements for building places of worshipGANJAR PRANOWO- Continue programmes of outgoing President Joko Widodo's administration- Target average annual economic growth of 7%- Create 17 million new jobs- Expedite construction of new capital city- Increase the defence budget as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) to between 1%-2%, from about 0.8% presently. Modernise military hardware- Target 30% share for renewable sources in energy mix by 2029- Allow more renewable energy producers to use electricity grids of state utility firms to boost green energy adoption- Set up a dedicated ministry for the palm oil sector- Maintain moratorium on deforestation, accelerate reforestation programmes- Create digital tax collection system under the new tax agency separated from finance ministry- Limit permit issuance of new nickel smelter to avoid a further oversupply- Expand social welfare to cover 15 million families, up from 10 million currently- Provide funding to ensure at least one member of a poor family receives education until college- Strengthen national anti-corruption agency- Maintain foreign policy of non-alignment- Strengthen Indonesia's commitment to support fight of Palestinian people- Revitalise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its decision-making process, especially regarding South China Sea disputes.

Persons: ANIES, GANJAR, Joko Widodo's, PRABOWO, Joko, Stanley Widianto, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Bernadette Christina Munthe, Martin Petty Organizations: Reuters, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Locations: Java, Bali, South

☆ Russians are freezing as Soviet-era infrastructure in the country crumbles —and Moscow keeps spending on war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Heating systems are breaking down in Russia's harsh winter, leaving many people freezing. Much of Russia's Soviet-era infrastructure needs modernizing. AdvertisementHeating systems are breaking down in Russia's harsh winter, leaving many people freezing as Moscow continues to spend on its war in Ukraine. The brutal conditions are made worse because Russia's infrastructure is poorly maintained, with many of its facilitates dating from the Soviet era, according to media reports. About 40% of the communal heating grid in the country needs to be replaced urgently, she added.

Persons: —, Svetlana Razvorotneva, Vladimir Putin, Denis Volkov, ” Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Reuters, “, Levada Center Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Siberia, Soviet, St . Petersburg, The, Russian, Nizhny Novgorod

☆ Russia may have to raise taxes to meet the spiraling cost of invading Ukraine: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Kremlin has plans to hike Russia's spending by 26% in 2024, per the UK's Ministry of Defence. Russia's National Wealth Fund is "increasingly being used to fund its invasion of Ukraine," it said. AdvertisementThe Kremlin will likely need to impose austerity measures to resolve Russia's budget deficit amid the growing cost of its invasion of Ukraine, according to UK intelligence. Advertisement"It is likely that the government will need to reduce its contributions to the National Wealth Fund and increase domestic taxes and debt to fund its planned expenditure," the UK MOD said. Such policies will have negative medium-to-long-term impacts, the UK MOD said on Monday.

Persons: —, Alexandra Prokopenko, who's Organizations: Ministry of Defence, MOD, Wealth, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, National Wealth Fund, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Center of Eastern European, International Studies, Foreign, Reuters, Bloomberg, International Monetary Fund, IMF Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet Union, Russian

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey has seen its fifth central bank leader depart in as many years as Hafize Gaye Erkan, the first woman in the top role, stepped down after just eight months in the job. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesHere are key things to know about the central bank shakeup and what it means for Turkey's battered economy:WHY IS THERE A NEW CENTRAL BANK LEADER? Erkan resigned after weeks of media stories about her father’s undue influence in the central bank’s Istanbul office. Previous changes in central bank leadership has seen Erdogan row back on efforts to bring inflation under control through interest rate hikes. He was brought in as the bank’s deputy head at the same time Simsek took over the Finance Ministry and Erkan was appointed to lead the central bank.

Persons: Hafize Gaye Erkan, Goldman Sachs, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, — Erkan, ”, Fatih Karahan, Mehmet Simsek, Erdogan, Erkan, Karahan, Simsek's, Simsek, Liam Peach, Selcuki, ” “ It’s, ” Selcuki Organizations: —, Finance, WHO, FATIH, Finance Ministry, University of Pennsylvania, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Amazon, Capital Economics, Istanbul Economy Research Locations: ISTANBUL, — Turkey, Turkey, Istanbul, Simsek, U.S, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Columbia, New York, Ankara

☆ India's moment has arrived — but many hurdles remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Spriha Srivastava | Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

India's economy is expected to expand by 6.5% this year, according to IMF forecasts. The world's most populous nation was keen to talk up its prospects at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Advertisement"India has seized the moment," proclaimed housing minister Hardeep Singh Puri with confidence during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. The 10-strong group of emerging market nations now accounts for 45% of the world's population and 28% of global GDP. AdvertisementSome economists have criticized the government's narrative as a "false growth story," highlighting discrepancies in the data and criticizing the methods used to calculate economic growth.

Persons: —, Hardeep Singh, Smriti Irani, BI's Spriha Srivastava, that's, Narendra Modi's, Cash, Modi, SAJJAD HUSSAIN, I've, Andy Baldwin, EY, Narendra Modi, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Dan Kitwood, Getty, ISRO Goldman Sachs, Ashoka Mody, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Vladimir Putin, Singh Organizations: Economic, Service, BI, IMF, Business, Apple, ISRO, Princeton University, World Bank, US, of, Hindustan Times, Harvard Business Locations: Davos, India, China, Japan, Brazil, China India, India's, Ukraine

Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesThe sluggish property market also has dented local government revenue from vital land use sales, adding to public debt. The central bank and State Administration of Financial Supervision issued a list of 17 measures to support the rental housing market, due to take effect on Monday. Most have to do with financial services for leasing, promoting investment in rental housing and improving the financial management of rental properties. The aim is to “support various entities to build, renovate and operate long-term rental housing, and to revitalize existing housing stock, effectively increasing the supply of affordable and commercial rental housing,” it said. Beefing up the rental market would help free up more housing for young people and others who lack the means to purchase apartments.

Persons: China Evergrande, Wang Dongwei, ” Organizations: —, Communist Party, Finance Ministry, Administration, Financial, Housing Locations: BANGKOK, — China, Beijing, Hong Kong, China, China's Guangdong

☆ India's finance minister touts unlikely export growth in a world of uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses the media after the interim budget on February 1, 2024 in New Delhi, India. So a lot of new people are accessing India," Sitharaman said, while touting that India was able to showcase its digital public infrastructure at the G20 summit it hosted in New Delhi last year. Sitharaman, when asked about what economic issues will define the vote, said "if economic issues are to dominate the election, it would be the recipients of the beneficiaries themselves coming out to say, 'I'm empowered now'." "If anything, for us it will be performance on the economic issues, good performance, inclusive growth that we've offered." The interim budget is typically a stop-gap financial plan during an election year, aimed at meeting immediate financial needs before a new government is formed.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Sitharaman, CNBC's, CNBC's Sri Jegarajah, Narendra Modi's, Pranjul Bhandari, Bhandari, Anantha Nageswaran Organizations: Hindustan Times, Getty, India's, CNBC's Sri, Mar, CNBC, India's Finance Locations: New Delhi, India, Europe, America, Brazil, Africa, Indonesia

☆ Indonesia's Presidential Contenders Promise Tax Reform to Boost Revenue
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The three main candidates contesting Indonesia's presidential elections this month are proposing to bolster government coffers by creating a new tax collection agency, despite scepticism from the tax and business community. Prabowo has set the highest tax-to-GDP target of 18%, or about $100 billion in additional tax revenue, if he wins the presidency, while also promising personal income tax cuts. NEW AGENCY NOT ENOUGHHowever, some economists and the business community say a new tax agency might not lead to higher revenue if other issues like the low tax base are not addressed. "There may be more binding constraints to revenue collection than administrative independence of the tax authority," the multinational lender told Reuters. "Tax officers should be fair ...

Persons: Joko Widodo's, Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo, Drajad Wibowo, Jakarta Governor Anies, Wijayanto Samirin, Jahen, Fajry Akbar, Tutum, Stefanno Sulaiman, Stephen Coates Organizations: Jakarta Governor, U.S . Internal Revenue Service, Central Java, University of Indonesia, Bank, Reuters Locations: JAKARTA, Asia's, Indonesia

☆ Ahead of Election, Pakistan Seals Plan to Sell National Airline
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

"Our job is 98% done," Privatisation Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad told Reuters when asked about the plan to sell the airline. Details of the privatisation process have not been previously reported. PIA had liabilities of 785 billion Pakistani rupees ($2.81 billion) and accumulated losses of 713 billion rupees as of June last year. Its CEO has said losses in 2023 were likely to be 112 billion rupees. PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan said the airline was assisting the privatisation process, extending "full cooperation" to the transaction adviser.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Fawad Hasan Fawad, Fawad, Ernst & Young, Shamshad Akhtar, Abdullah Hafeez Khan, Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Sharif's, Ishaq Dar, EASA, Brendan Sobie, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan International Airlines, International Monetary Fund, PIA, IMF, Reuters, Caretaker, Ernst &, Ernst, FAST, Pakistan Muslim League, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Kuwaiti Locations: Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Czech, Hungarian, Karachi, Europe, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Singapore, East, North America, Paris, New York

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with her staff poses for pictures as she leaves the Finance Ministry Office to present the annual budget in parliament in New Delhi on February 1, 2024. India's finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, said on Thursday the country's fiscal deficit for financial year 2025 will narrow to 5.1% from the revised 5.8% for 2024. Capital expenditure will rise by 11.1% to 11.11 trillion rupees ($133.9 billion) in fiscal year 2025, while tax revenue for the year would be 38.31 trillion rupees ($461.7 billion), she said while presenting the interim budget before the general elections. As much as 750 billion rupees at a 50-year interest free loan will be set aside for states to boost tourism. The Finance Ministry said earlier this week that India could become the world's third-largest economy by 2027 with a gross domestic product of $5 trillion.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Sitharaman Organizations: India's, Finance Ministry Office, Finance Ministry Locations: New Delhi, India

Vipin Kumar | Hindustan Times | Getty ImagesIndia is set to release its interim budget for 2024 on Thursday, ahead of the country's highly anticipated general elections. The interim budget is seen as a stop-gap financial plan during an election year, aimed at meeting immediate financial needs before a new government is formed. Typically, the interim budget won't include big and sweeping policy announcements. Fiscal deficit targetIndia's fiscal deficit stands at 6.4% of gross domestic product for the 2023-2024 financial year. TaxesDon't expect significant shifts in taxation as this is only an interim budget, analysts say.

Persons: Vipin Kumar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nomura, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Nilesh Shah, Shah, it's, Bathini, Modi, India's Organizations: Hindustan Times, Getty, India, Bharatiya Janata Party, Goldman, Mahindra Asset Management, CNBC, Capital, WealthMills Securities, India's Finance, BJP Locations: New Delhi, India, China, Japan, Germany

☆ Indonesia Chief Security Minister to Tender Resignation 'Soon'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's Chief Security Minister and vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD on Wednesday said that he would tender his resignation to President Joko Widodo once he has the chance to meet the president. Mahfud did not say why he would be stepping down from the job. Mahfud is the running mate of former provincial governor Ganjar Pranowo, who is up against Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, and ex-Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan. Mahfud's resignation comes amid speculation and reports in local media about the potential resignation of respected Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The finance ministry has said Sri Mulyani is continuing to carry out her duties in managing state finances.

Persons: Mahfud, Joko Widodo, Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo Subianto, Anies Baswedan, Mahfud's, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Mulyani, Ganjar, Prabowo, Widodo's, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Stanley Widianto, Martin Petty Organizations: Defence Locations: JAKARTA, Jakarta, Indonesia

☆ Evergrande liquidation: Here’s what may happen next
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But there is still little clarity over how the liquidation of Evergrande will unfold. That’s because the legal systems of Hong Kong and China remain distinct, despite Beijing’s growing control over the former British colony in recent years. No Chinese company as huge as Evergrande — which was once China’s second largest developer— has been wound up by a Hong Kong court. Hui Ka Yan, chairman of property developer China Evergrande. Since then, Evergrande has been building and selling apartments in mainland China, even though it has been unable to repay its debts.

Persons: Alvarez, Marsal, —, ”, John Bringardner, Hong, Hui Ka Yan, Xu Jiayin, Hui, Xiao En, Bobby Yip, Xiao, Evergrande, Florence Lo, homebuyers, Will, Andy Wong, Diana Choyleva, Xiao Yuanqi, ” Bringardner, ” Choyleva, Choyleva, “ Evergrande Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Shimao, Kaisa Holdings, Group, “, Real, Century Business Herald, China Index Academy, Enodo, Communist Party, China’s, Financial Regulatory Administration, Getty, People’s Bank of China, Finance Ministry, Evergrande, Marsal Locations: Hong Kong, United States, China, British, New York, China . Hong Kong, Shenzhen —, Asia, Florence, Beijing, Real, Hainan

☆ India set to be world's third largest economy by 2027, finance ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

India could become the world's third-largest economy by 2027 with a gross domestic product of $5 trillion, the finance ministry has said. The projections come ahead of an interim budget due to be released later this week. In a report released Monday, the finance ministry said the economy is poised to grow at or above 7% in the fiscal year 2024. If it meets this year's target, it will be the third straight year of 7% GDP growth for India. India's chief economic advisor, V Anantha Nageswaran, said the government's goal is to become a developed country by 2047.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, V, Nageswaran Organizations: Indian Finance, Bombay Stock Exchange Locations: Mumbai, India

MILAN (AP) — The European Commission on Tuesday announced an in-depth investigation of German airline Lufthansa’s planned takeover of Italian carrier ITA Airways, citing competitive concerns. Lufthansa signed a deal last year for a 41% minority share in the long-struggling ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia. The deal calls for a 325-million-euro ($354 million) investment by Lufthansa, and another 250 million euros ($272 million) from the Italian Finance Ministry. The European Commission cited concerns about reduced competition on short-haul flights between Italy and Central Europe and long-haul routes between Italy and the United States, Canada, Japan and India. ITA Airways and Lufthansa compete on the Central European flights, where low-cost players generally serve secondary airports.

Persons: Gregory Alegi, bailouts, ’ Alegi Organizations: MILAN, European Commission, Lufthansa’s, Italian, ITA Airways, Lufthansa, Alitalia, Italian Finance Ministry, Central, ITA, Air Canada, United, European Union, LUISS University Locations: Italy, Central Europe, United States, Canada, Japan, India, Milan’s Linate

☆ West Stands to Lose at Least $288 Billion in Assets if Russian Assets Seized -RIA
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia's state RIA news agency said on Sunday it had calculated that the West stood to lose assets and investments worth at least $288 billion if it confiscated frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine and Moscow then retaliated. After President Vladimir Putin sent forces into Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. and its allies prohibited transactions with Russia's central bank and finance ministry, blocking around $300 billion of sovereign Russian assets in the West. It said EU nations held $223.3 billion of the assets, of which $98.3 billion was formally held by Cyprus, $50.1 billion by the Netherlands and $17.3 billion by Germany. It said the top five European investors in the Russian economy also included France with assets and investments worth $16.6 billion and Italy with $12.9 billion. It said the United States had $9.6 billion worth of Russian assets at the end of 2022, Japan $4.6 billion and Canada $2.9 billion.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, RIA, Andrew Osborn, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Seven, Kremlin, European Union, RIA Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, U.S, West ., Belgium, Russia, Europe, Australia, Switzerland, Russian, Cyprus, Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Britain, United States, Japan, Canada, Norway

☆ Israel's ban on Palestinian workers is causing supply shocks to its economy: central bank governor
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"And it's primarily in the construction industry where ... a third of that industry is Palestinians from the West Bank, and now they're not coming in to work." "It's also affecting agriculture, where they are in, and there are other foreign workers," Yaron said. watch nowThe ban on most of these workers returning to their employment in Israel has dramatically hurt the economy of the West Bank. In late December, Israel's finance ministry warned that the ban on Palestinian workers could cost Israel's economy billions of shekels per month. Fifty percent of the sites are closed and there is an impact on Israel's economy and the housing market."

Persons: Amir Yaron, Kobi Wolf, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Yaron, Raul Sargo Organizations: Bank of Israel, Bloomberg, Getty, Economic, West Bank, Israel, Times, Israel Builders Association Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Davos, Gaza, Times of Israel, Thailand

☆ Russia has burned through almost half of the liquid reserves in its national wealth fund as it bleeds money amid the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewThe stash of liquid assets in Russia's national wealth fund has fallen over 44% since Moscow invaded Ukraine, according to a Bloomberg report of Russian finance ministry data on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the national wealth fund's total holdings tumbled 12% over the same period. The massive slump in the national wealth fund's liquid assets came as its holdings in Russian companies and in infrastructure bonds surged by 2 trillion rubles, per Bloomberg calculations. AdvertisementRussia's finance ministry also used around 3 trillion rubles from the fund to cover its budget deficit in 2023 after it doubled defense spending in the same period. Alex Isakov, an economist at Bloomberg Economics, said Russia's national wealth fund's liquid assets will last for another year or two if the country's oil export prices fall below $50 a barrel.

Persons: —, Alex Isakov Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Business, National, Bloomberg Economics Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Russia's, Israel

☆ Moody’s warns it may downgrade China
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Laura He | Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The lowering of its outlook does not automatically mean the ratings agency will downgrade China’s creditworthiness, but it increases the chances. Analysts say the property downturn is likely to drag on, hobbling China’s growth prospects for years. Slower growth, weaker demographicsMoody’s expects China’s annual economic growth rate to slow to 4% in both 2024 and 2025, and average 3.8% a year from 2026 to 2030. “The affirmation of the A1 rating reflects China’s financial and institutional resources to manage the transition in an orderly fashion,” the agency said. “Its economy’s vast size and robust, albeit slowing, potential growth rate, support its high shock-absorption capacity.”China’s Finance Ministry said Tuesday it was “disappointed” with Moody’s decision to downgrade the country’s credit outlook.

Persons: Hong Kong / New Delhi CNN — Moody’s, China’s, Moody’s, “, Hong, Seng, Anna Cooban Organizations: Hong Kong / New Delhi CNN, China’s Finance, CSI Locations: China, Hong Kong / New Delhi, China’s, “, Shanghai, Shenzhen

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