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☆ Brent climbs ahead of OPEC+ oil production decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Colleen Howe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows a crude oil tanker at an oil terminal off Waidiao island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China January 4, 2023. Brent crude futures gained 29 cents, or 0.4%, to $81.71 at 0213 GMT, after settling down 0.7% in the previous session. Trading remained subdued because of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.On the demand side, poor refining margins have led to weaker crude demand from refineries in the U.S., analysts said. "Fundamentals developments have been bearish with rising U.S. oil inventories," ANZ analysts said in a note. In China, analysts say oil demand growth could weaken to around 4% in the first half of 2024 from strong post-COVID growth levels in 2023, as the country's property sector crunch weighs on diesel use.

Persons: Tony Sycamore, Brent, Colleen Howe, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Brent, . West Texas, of Petroleum, IG, ANZ, Petrobras, Thomson Locations: Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, Rights BEIJING, WTI, U.S, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Sydney

☆ Oil declines as traders speculate on OPEC agreement on output
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Oil rig and pump of H&P Rig 488 in Stanton, Texas, on June 8, 2023. Oil prices fell slightly Friday as traders speculated on whether OPEC+ would come to an agreement on further production cuts. Trading remained subdued because of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.On the demand side, poor refining margins have led to weaker crude demand from refineries in the U.S., analysts said. "Fundamentals developments have been bearish with rising U.S. oil inventories," ANZ analysts said in a note. In China, analysts say oil demand growth could weaken to around 4% in the first half of 2024 from strong post-COVID growth levels in 2023, as the country's property sector crunch weighs on diesel use.

Persons: Tony Sycamore, Brent Organizations: Brent, U.S, West Texas, of Petroleum, IG, ANZ, Petrobras Locations: Stanton , Texas, OPEC, Sydney, U.S, China

☆ China wealth manager Zhongzhi flags insolvency, $64 bln in liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Nov 23 (Reuters) - China's Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, a leading wealth manager, told investors it is heavily insolvent with up to $64 billion in liabilities, threatening to reignite concerns that the country's property debt crisis is spilling over into the broader financial sector. The firm, which has sizable exposure to China's real estate sector, apologised to its investors in a letter that said it had total liabilities of about 420 billion yuan ($58 billion) to 460 billion yuan ($64 billion). The liabilities compared to Zhongzhi's estimated total assets of about 200 billion yuan, according to the letter, which was issued on Wednesday and was seen by Reuters. 'ENORMOUS' HOLESigns of trouble at the Zhongzhi group first came to light in July when Zhongrong International Trust Co, a leading trust company controlled by Zhongzhi, missed payments on dozens of investment products. "The Zhongzhi group deeply apologises for the losses caused to investors.

Persons: Zhongzhi, Xu, Xing Zhaopeng, Christopher Beddor, Beddor, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Reuters, International Trust Co, Big, ANZ, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, Zhongzhi, China's, China

☆ China wealth manager Zhongzhi flags insolvency, $64 billion in liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

☆ China puts Country Garden on draft list of builders to support -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - China has placed debt-laden Country Garden Holdings Co (2007.HK) on a draft list of 50 developers eligible for a range of financing support, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Country Garden declined to comment. Once China's biggest private property developer, Country Garden missed a coupon payment in October, triggering default terms. It is unclear what specific measures will be taken to support the developers on the draft list.

Persons: Aly, CIFI, Bloomberg, Ting Meng, Nomura, Devika Nair, Xie Yu, Kim Coghill, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, Garden Holdings, HK, Bloomberg, Ocean Group, CIFI Holdings, Reuters, Wednesday, Regulators, Country, ANZ Bank China, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Beijing, Bengaluru, Hong Kong

☆ Dollar nurses losses as US rates seen peaking
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The index , which measures the dollar against a basket of six major currencies, fell 1.9% last week alongside a big rally in U.S. The yuan also hit a three-month high on the dollar on Monday as the central bank guided it higher. "The dollar continues to struggle, with the dollar index breaking below 104 on Friday and (now) below 103.5 ... as markets decide that the Fed is done," analysts at ANZ said in a note. The Australian dollar was marginally firmer at $0.6561, just below Monday's three-month high of $0.6564. The New Zealand dollar was steady at $0.6040.

Persons: Pierre Wunsch, Kit Juckes, Christine Lagarde, Tom Westbrook, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: European Central Bank, New Zealand, ANZ, Conference, Federal Reserve, Futures, Generale, U.S, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, U.S, Japan, Tokyo

☆ Rupee likely to inch up on more dollar losses; eyes oil prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee is likely to open slightly higher on Monday after the dollar declined to its lowest in over two months against a basket of major peers. Non-deliverable forwards indicate rupee will open at around 83.24-83.25 to the U.S. dollar, compared with 83.27 in the previous session. The dollar index fell 1.8% last week, the worst performance since mid-July. Asian currencies were mostly higher"It looks like it is setting up to be like last week.. rupee will do much in the face of the dollar's struggles," a forex trader at a bank said. "And let's say, for whatever reason, the dollar turns later this week, then too the rupee will not budge.

Persons: Brent, Mary Daly, Susan Collins, Nimesh Vora, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: U.S ., Federal Reserve, Fed, San Francisco Fed, Boston, ANZ, Brent, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Asia, U.S

☆ Asia stocks waver, expectations of Fed pause intact after data
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Julie Zhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. economic data this week has left investors in the same state of confusion about Fed policy as they have been in for weeks. "A period of consolidation seems warranted, especially if Fed officials push back against the recent easing in financial conditions." Australian shares (.AXJO) were down 0.33%, while Japan's Nikkei stock index (.N225) slid 0.36%. On Wednesday, U.S. stocks closed slightly higher, as the inflation data reinforced investor hopes the Fed is done raising interest rates, while retail stocks were boosted by an upbeat forecast from Target. The two-year yield , which rises with traders' expectations of higher Fed fund rates, touched 4.8991% compared with a U.S. close of 4.916%.

Persons: Issei Kato, HSI, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Brent, Julie Zhu, Vidya Ranganathan, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, ANZ, Japan's Nikkei, Nikkei, Target, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, HONG KONG, Asia, Pacific, U.S

[1/2] FILE PHOTO: Robotic arms assemble cars in the production line for Leapmotor's electric vehicles at a factory in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China, April 26, 2023. Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, rose 7.6% in October, quickening from a 5.5% gain in September and hitting the fastest growth since May. Analysts had expected retail sales to grow 7.0% due to the low base effect in 2022 when COVID curbs disrupted consumers and businesses. The PBOC has cut banks' reserve requirement ratio (RRR) twice this year to free up liquidity to aid the economic recovery. Fixed asset investment expanded 2.9% in the first 10 months from the same period a year earlier, versus expectations for a 3.1% rise.

Persons: Xing Zhaopeng, Albee Zhang, Liangping Gao, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, National Bureau of Statistics, Analysts, ANZ, People's Bank of China, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China, Rights BEIJING, quickening

☆ China c.bank boosts liquidity injection through policy loan, rate unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A gardener works outside the headquarters of the central bank of the People's Republic of China in Beijing October 8, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA) Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, Nov 15 (Reuters) - China's central bank ramped up liquidity injection but kept the interest rate unchanged when rolling over maturing medium-term policy loans on Wednesday, matching market expectations. The central bank said the loan operation was meant to maintain banking system liquidity reasonably ample to counteract short-term factors including tax payments and government bond issuance. All 31 market watchers polled by Reuters this week had expected the central bank to inject fresh funds to exceed the maturity. The most likely outcome is for PBOC to inject more support through open market operations, while leaving the MLF rate unchanged."

Persons: Jason Lee, Carlos Casanova, corporates, Xing Zhaopeng, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Christian Schmollinger, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, People's Bank of China, Reuters, AAA, ANZ, Thomson Locations: People's Republic of China, Beijing, China, CHINA, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, Asia, UBP, United States

☆ Oil prices edge up after OPEC says market fundamentals are strong
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tatiana Meel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Oil prices inched up on Tuesday after an OPEC report said market fundamentals remained strong and due to concerns supplies might be disrupted as the U.S. cracks down on Russian oil exports. Last week, oil prices slid to their lowest level since July, hurt by concerns that demand could wane in in top oil consumers U.S. and China. Iraq's oil minister expects to reach an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government and foreign oil companies to resume oil production from the Kurdish region's oilfields and resume northern oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. Oil prices were also supported by a U.S. crackdown on Russian oil exports, potentially disrupting supply. Focal points for the market include the International Energy Agency's latest monthly oil market report later in the day.

Persons: Dun Jiao, Tatiana Meel, Emily Chow, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Brent, Organization of, Petroleum, ANZ Research, Kurdistan Regional Government, of Commerce, U.S . Treasury Department, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, International Energy, Energy, Thomson Locations: Nakhodka, Russia, Rights SINGAPORE, U.S, China, Iraq, Kurdish, Turkey, Washington, Moscow

☆ Philippine central bank likely to hold rates at 6.5% on Thurs, may hike again in Dec: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Veronica Dudei Maia Khongwir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO: A security guard stands beside a logo of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) posted at the main gate in Manila, Philippines April 28, 2016. “We do not rule out any possibility of further rate hikes unless there is consistent improvement in the successive months’ inflation prints. Median forecasts showed rates at 6.75% until mid-2024, with a first rate cut seen as coming in Q3 - later than predicted in a poll taken before the recent surprise hike. “To maintain the strength of the peso, the BSP needs to ensure a healthy interest rate differential with the U.S. Therefore, a pause by the U.S. Fed adds to a case that BSP will do likewise,” said Sarah Tan, economist at Moody’s.

Persons: Romeo Ranoco, Eli Remolona, ”, Debalika Sarkar, “, Sarah Tan Organizations: ng Pilipinas, Central Bank of, REUTERS, Reuters, ANZ, U.S Locations: BENGALURU, Philippine, Philippines, Manila

☆ ANZ CEO says Suncorp Bank acquisition is 'important but not critical' to the group
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | 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 EmailANZ CEO says Suncorp Bank acquisition is 'important but not critical' to the groupShayne Elliott, CEO of ANZ says the bank's strength is coming from its international diversification, adding that the proposed acquisition of Suncorp Bank would be "exciting" for its Australian retail banking division.

Persons: Shayne Elliott Organizations: ANZ, Suncorp Bank

☆ Australia's CBA Q1 profit flat as competition in home loan market intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Himanshi Akhand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Even though rate hikes since last year have boosted interest incomes and margins at Australian banks, rising cost of repayments has intensified competition in the home loan market, capping profit margins and hindering credit growth. Australia's biggest lender said cash net profit after tax was A$2.50 billion ($1.59 billion) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, same as the year earlier. CBA dominates Australia's A$2 trillion mortgage industry, which benefited from a property boom through COVID-19 restrictions. That had prompted Australia's "Big Four" banks to start offering cash payments for mortgage refinancing to lure borrowers. CBA's rivals National Australia Bank (NAB.AX), Westpac (WBC.AX) and ANZ Group (ANZ.AX) all posted higher annual profit earlier this month despite inflationary headwinds.

Persons: Edgar Su, CBA's, Matt Comyn, Australia's, Himanshi, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, REUTERS, Commonwealth Bank of Australia's, Citi, CBA, National Australia Bank, Westpac, ANZ Group, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Australia's, COVID, Bengaluru

CBA said cash profit was A$2.5 billion ($1.6 billion) for the quarter, which was 3% better than a consensus estimate for the period, according to data aggregator Visible Alpha. "Home lending margins stabilised in the quarter," it added, without giving figures. Shares of CBA rose as much as 1% in morning trading, in line with the broader market (.AXJO) as analysts welcomed the better-than-expected margin outcome and a smaller-than-expected provision for potential loan impairments. Commenting on the bank's stabilising home loan margins, E&P Financial analyst Azib Khan said that "it would be helping on this front that CBA has been willing to forgo market share". For the year to September, CBA said it grew its mortgage book at 0.7 times the rate of the overall mortgage industry.

Persons: Brendan Sproules, Azib Khan, Himanshi, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of, ANZ, Westpac, National Australia Bank, CBA, Citi, P, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

That pushed net profit from the bank's institutional unit up 53% to overtake its retail unit, by dollar value, in the year to September, and helped the Melbourne-listed company grow overall profit 14% to A$7.4 billion ($4.7 billion), just missing a Visible Alpha consensus forecast of A$7.56 billion. But analysts expressed concern about a faster-than-expected narrowing of profit margin from the bank's retail unit, the only one of Australia's so-called big four lenders that has persisted with offering cash handouts to lure mortgage customers looking for a cheaper deal. The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott denied forgoing margin to grow mortgages faster than the market, and challenged comments from other banks that have said they were intentionally slowing mortgage growth while competition eroded profit. ANZ declared a final dividend of 94 Australian cents per share, up from 74 cents a year ago.

Persons: NIM, Lucy Craymer, Shayne Elliott, we've, Byron Kaye, Rishav Chatterjee, Roushni Nair, Lisa Shumaker, Stephen Coates Organizations: ANZ, Westpac, National Australia Bank, midsession, ANZ Bank, REUTERS, UBS, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's ANZ sinks as record annual profit falls short of market forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Rishav Chatterjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. The banking group's Aussie commercial business recorded 11% revenue growth over the year with lending rising to record high of A$62 billion. ANZ intends to expand its commercial business with focus on its currency and payment sites while reducing costs, it said. ANZ declared a final dividend of 94 Australian cents apiece, up from 74 Australian cents apiece announced a year ago. ANZ, however flagged that the external environment will likely remain challenging adding that higher interest rates will impact economic activity as it sees "another year of cost-of-living pressures."

Persons: Lucy Craymer, Azib Khan, Rishav Chatterjee, Roushni Nair, Grant McCool, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: ANZ Bank, REUTERS, ANZ, Citi, P Capital, Suncorp, Thomson Locations: Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Australia, Bengaluru

The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S., November 22, 2019. Brent crude futures for January were flat at $80.01 a barrel at 0157 GMT, while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for December were at $75.67, down 7 cents. "The conflict remains well contained within Gaza, despite concerns it would escalate as neighbouring Arab nations show their displeasure." The sense supply disruptions from the Israel-Hamas conflict are easing is occurring as concerns around demand, especially from China, the world's largest oil importer, are rising. Additionally, refiners in China, the largest buyer of crude oil from the world's largest exporter Saudi Arabia, asked for less supply from Saudi Arabia for December.

Persons: Angus Mordant, Brent, WTI, Israel, Sudarshan Varadhan, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Brent, U.S . West Texas, ANZ Research, Citi, of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Loving County , Texas, U.S, Rights SINGAPORE, Israel, Gaza, China, refiners, Saudi Arabia

☆ Asian shares rise as S&P 500 records longest win streak in two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was flat, although up 4.6% so far this month. The dollar index , which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies of other major trading partners, was down slightly at 105.52. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 (.SPX) rose 0.10% and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 0.08%. The S&P 500 rose for the eighth consecutive day, extending its longest win streak in two years. In Asia on Thursday, U.S. crude and Brent crude both rose 0.8% following the weak performance in the U.S. session.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Ping, Brent, Gold, Scott Murdoch, Tom Hogue Organizations: Nikkei, REUTERS, Rights, CPI, ANZ, Reuters, Ping An Insurance Group, Garden Holdings, HK, Ping An, U.S, U.S . Federal, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, U.S ., China

☆ Aussie 'big four' banks hike home loan rates after RBA decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People use Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) bank ATMs in Sydney, Australia May 3, 2018. The National Australia Bank (NAB.AX), ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) and Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), the other three of Australia's "big four", had hiked their home loan rates on Wednesday by 0.25%. The rate hike by the National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) and ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) would be effective from Nov. 17, while Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) would raise rates from Nov. 21, the lenders said in separate statements on Wednesday. CBA said its home loan variable rate change would be effective from Nov. 17. Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee and Upasana Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Edgar Su, Rishav Chatterjee, Upasana Singh, Savio D'Souza, Rashmi Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, REUTERS, Thursday, National Australia Bank, ANZ Group Holdings, Westpac Banking Corp, Reserve Bank of Australia, Wednesday, CBA, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ We're not expecting any rate cuts in Australia until the end of 2024, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | 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're not expecting any rate cuts in Australia until the end of 2024, economist saysAdelaide Timbrell, senior economist at ANZ, discusses the country's economic outlook and says interest rates will stay higher for longer.

Persons: We're, Adelaide Timbrell Organizations: ANZ Locations: Australia

The results show how Australia's retail banks are leaning into businesses outside their traditional earnings engine of mortgages as higher interest rates raise the cost of repayments, spurring competition which has flattened profit margins. Sydney-listed Westpac said profit from its consumer division, which has just over one-fifth of Australian mortgages, shrank 7% in its full-year to end-September. Westpac gave no profit forecasts but said April-to-September trading was "more challenging" than the previous six months and "this is expected to continue into 2024". "If that does eventuate, interest rates will probably need to be higher than what we're thinking," he said on a call with analysts and media. Westpac declared a final dividend of 72 Australian cents per share, up from 64 Australian cents a year earlier.

Persons: David Gray, Azib Khan, Peter King, We've, Byron Kaye, Roushni Nair, Upasana Singh, Andrew Heavens, Josie Kao, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, ANZ, Sydney, midsession, P Capital, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ Oil nudges higher after Saudi Arabia, Russia stick to output cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oil pump jacks are seen at the Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas deposit in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Oil prices edged up on Monday after top exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia said they would stick to extra voluntary oil output cuts until the end of the year, keeping supply tight, while investors watched out for tougher U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil. Following the Saudi statement, Moscow also announced it would continue its additional voluntary supply cut of 300,000 bpd from its crude oil and petroleum product exports until the end of December. Sydney-based IG analyst Tony Sycamore expects oil prices to be driven by headlines from the Middle East and technical charts this week. Reporting by Florence Tan and Colleen Howe Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Israel, Tony Sycamore, Baker Hughes, Florence Tan, Colleen Howe, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, West Texas, Saudi, ANZ, U.S . House, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Rights SINGAPORE, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Moscow, Lebanon, China, Sydney, Iran, United States

☆ Gold slips as yields tick higher, Powell speech in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold bars arranged at the Korea Gold Exchange store in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. Gold prices slipped on Monday due to a slight uptick in U.S. bond yields, ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later this week for more clarity on the interest rate outlook. Spot gold was down 0.4% at $1,983.49 per ounce by 0444 GMT after rising above the key $2,000 level on Friday. "The major factor that will influence gold in the near-term will be the U.S. 10-year Treasury yields ... if you start to see resurgence in yields, gold could break below the key support level around $1,974," said Kelvin Wong, senior market analyst for Asia Pacific at OANDA. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields rose to 4.5910% after hitting a five-week low on Friday, decreasing appeal for non-yielding bullion.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Kelvin Wong Organizations: Korea Gold Exchange, Federal, Asia Pacific, Traders, Trust, ANZ Locations: Seoul, South Korea, U.S

The funds available for deals are growing as investors including pension funds, sovereign wealth and insurance firms look for meaty returns hard to find in today's equity markets, especially in the beaten-down real estate sector. Australian real estate specialist Qualitas (QAL.AX), whose backers include the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, has nearly doubled funds under management to A$8 billion ($5.07 billion) since mid-2022, with roughly half the increase since this June. U.S.-based PGIM Real Estate expects to deploy a further $1 billion in the country over the next few years, said its head of Australian real estate Steve Bulloch. Lenders are expanding into residential and commercial construction as banks slow lending or exit, a March report from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said. JUICY RETURNSInvestors can expect returns from 9% to 11% with the added security of loans pledged against real assets like condos or warehouses, often with a 30% to 40% equity buffer, said Paul Notaras, executive director at Barings Real Estate Australia.

Persons: Stella Qiu, meaty, Steve Bulloch, JUICY, Paul Notaras, Notaras, Qualitas, Andrew Schwartz, Bonds, We've, Schwartz, Lewis Jackson, Rae Wee, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac, ANZ Group, International Monetary, Reserve Bank of Australia, Australia, prudential, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Parramatta, Sydney, SYDNEY, Australian, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Qualitas, Singapore

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