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☆ Asian shares rise, dollar dips ahead of Fed policy decision
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

European markets looked set to extend the cautious optimism, with the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.5%. However, traders are split on the size of the hike in December, with futures market pricing in a 44.5% probability of a 50-bps increase, according to CME's Fed tool. It fell 0.5% against the Japanese yen to 147.6 yen amid fears of intervention from authorities and thin liquidity. In commodities, oil climbed after industry data showed a surprise drop in U.S. crude stockpiles, suggesting demand is holding up. U.S. crude oil futures rose 1.4% to $89.65 per barrel, while Brent crude futures was up 1.2% at $95.82.

☆ Hong Kong's Lee touts 'China advantage' to rebuild city's image as financial hub
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks during the Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit in Hong Kong, China November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuNov 2 (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader John Lee pitched the city's connection with China in an address to some of the world's top financial executives, as he pushes to rebuild the COVID-ravaged city's image as a major financial hub. Chief Executive Lee told the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit on Wednesday the city would continue working towards lifting COVID restrictions. "Hong Kong remains the only place in the world where the global advantage and the China advantage come together in a single city," Lee said. Authorities, he said, were keen for more international companies to list in Hong Kong to grow the city's capital markets activities.

[1/4] James Gorman, Chairman and Chief Executive of Morgan Stanley, speaks during the Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit in Hong Kong, China November 2, 2022. "It’s a painful transition, but not an unexpected transition," said Gorman, also the bank's chairman, at the Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit. It was Hong Kong's biggest corporate event since it shut its borders in 2020 and introduced restrictions to combat COVID-19. Inflation and "very quick" monetary tightening after over a decade of relatively accommodative policies are making the world more volatile and uncertain, said Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon (GS.N). If central banks find a way to tame inflation meaningfully and in a balanced way, it will "increase the chance of a soft landing" for their economies, Solomon said.

☆ ‘The worst is behind us’: Hong Kong kicks off its finance summit with top global bankers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN Business —Hong Kong leader John Lee sought to drum up confidence in the city’s future as a global financial hub on Wednesday, as he welcomed some of Wall Street’s top executives to its biggest international event in years. “We were, we are and we will remain one of the world’s leading financial centers,” Lee vowed. China’s latest five-year plan includes goals to reinforce the city’s role as an international trade, financial, shipping and aviation center, Lee said. “The worst is behind us.”Solomon, Gorman and Kelleher, who took to the stage for a panel shortly after Lee’s remarks, did not comment directly on the city’s reopening. Mainland China, however, still has a mandate in place for most inbound travelers to self-isolate for at least seven days, under its stringent “zero-Covid policy.”

HONG KONG, Nov 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Hong Kong’s third-quarter GDP plunged 4.5% from a year earlier as consumers and companies slashed spending. The government is trying to rally enthusiasm for its finance sector - as signaled by the flagship Fintech Week and Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit events happening this week. Beijing's commitment to stamping out Covid-19 infections on the mainland has halted vital flows of tourists and business people to Hong Kong. Moreover, Hong Kong's currency peg to the U.S. dollar means it must follow the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate hikes even though its inflation rate is less than half that in the United States. "Looking ahead, the markedly deteriorating external environment will continue to pose immense pressure on Hong Kong's export performance in the remainder of the year," the city government said.

HONG KONG, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong aims to restore its reputation as a global financial hub by playing host to a bevy of top Wall Street executives this week, defying critics who say a talent crunch and geopolitical tension will hobble its ambition. Alongside the main theme of "navigating through uncertainty", the summit is widely expected to focus on whether Hong Kong can remain a global financial centre after almost three years of border controls and pandemic restrictions. COVID-19 CONTROLSThe two-day summit, organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) - the de-facto central bank - has suffered at least two marquee participants dropping out after contracting COVID-19. Those who make it will look for reassurances of the city returning to pre-pandemic normalcy, making it easier for them to move talent to Hong Kong. Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Kane Wu and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Citi CEO Fraser will not attend Hong Kong summit due to COVID - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Citigroup (C.N) Chief Executive Jane Fraser will not attend next week's Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit in Hong Kong as she has tested positive for COVID-19, a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. It did not say if Chan would attend the summit. Citi's Fraser was set to join the heads of some of the world's top banks and asset managers at the summit. A Citi spokesperson confirmed the development and said that Fraser looked forward to visiting Hong Kong in the near future. Goldman Sachs (GS.N) CEO David Solomon, Morgan Stanley (MS.N) boss James Gorman and BlackRock (BLK.N) President Rob Kapito are among the speakers scheduled to attend, according to the summit organiser, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).

☆ Hong Kong finance chief stuck in Saudi Arabia after catching COVID
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan tested positive for COVID-19 during a visit to Saudi Arabia and will stay there for a "short while" to observe health requirements, the city's government said on Thursday. Chan had been due to complete his visit to Saudi Arabia and return to Hong Kong on Thursday but had tested positive before setting off for home. Hong Kong has scrapped mandatory hotel quarantine but international arrivals still can not enter some places, like bars and restaurants, on the first three days of their visit. Participants in the banking event from abroad will be have to take a COVID test before beginning their journey to Hong Kong, upon arrival and throughout the three-day medical surveillance period, the HKMA said. Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. lawmakers slam Wall Street bankers' plan to attend Hong Kong summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Two U.S. lawmakers on Thursday urged top American bankers to cancel their planned attendance at a Hong Kong financial summit next week, saying their participation would contribute to Chinese government rights abuses. Hong Kong officials hope the event will signal a re-opening from COVID-19 border restrictions, but it has raised the ire of Hong Kong activists after authorities used a national security law to stifle dissent in the former British colony. The State Department last year warned U.S. businesses of civil and criminal penalties should they violate U.S. sanctions by "engaging in certain transactions" with sanctioned Hong Kong and Chinese officials. Hong Kong reverted to Chinese from British rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, which critics say Beijing has significantly eroded. Republicans, who hope to win control of Congress in November midterm elections, have also slammed executives for their plans to attend the Hong Kong event.

SummarySummary Companies OPEC+ oil output cut led to U.S., Saudi spatSaudi Arabia and U.S. "solid allies" – ministerBig Wall St turnout at flagship Saudi investment summitRIYADH, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia decided to be the "maturer guys" in a spat with the United States over oil supplies, the kingdom's energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Tuesday. "We keep hearing you 'are with us or against us', is there any room for 'we are with the people of Saudi Arabia'?" Biden pledged that "there will be consequences" for U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia after the OPEC+ move. JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, speaking at the gathering, voiced confidence that Saudi Arabia and the United States would safeguard their 75-year-old alliance. It recovered the next year, attracting leaders and businesses with strategic interests in Saudi Arabia, after which the pandemic hit the world.

HONG KONG, Oct 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Leaders from the West’s biggest financial firms will land in Hong Kong next month — in most cases their first trip to the city in three years — with some tough questions for their hosts. They arrive amid the worst U.S.-Sino ties in decades, with Hong Kong unhappily stuck in the middle, bringing frustration for companies who have invested much capital and time in the country. Investment banking fees have dried up everywhere, but it’s particularly bad in mainland China and Hong Kong. Hong Kong has been a big beneficiary of their ambitions. Reuters GraphicsFollow @ywchen1 on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSThe Hong Kong Monetary Authority will host the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit on Nov. 2.

The 465-foot superyacht "Nord", owned by the sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexey Mordashov is seen docked, in Hong Kong, China October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader John Lee said on Tuesday there was "no legal basis" for the city to act on Western sanctions, when asked about a Russian yacht berthed in the financial centre that belongs to a sanctioned Russian oligarch. Hong Kong authorities were criticised by the U.S. State Department for allowing a luxury yacht belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexey Mordashov to dock in Hong Kong waters last week. Instead, Lee said Hong Kong would only abide by United Nations sanctions. Officials in Hong Kong do what is right to protect the interests of the country and the interests of Hong Kong.

☆ Wall Street titans to join Nov 2 summit in Hong Kong as COVID rules relaxed
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Donny Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG (Reuters) -The heads of some of the world’s top banks and asset managers will attend an investment summit in Hong Kong on Nov. 2, the city’s financial regulator said on Thursday, signalling a re-opening of the financial hub after strict pandemic-linked curbs. Goldman Sachs Group Inc CEO David Solomon, Citigroup Inc head Jane Fraser, Morgan Stanley boss James Gorman and BlackRock Inc President Rob Kapito will be among the speakers at the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said. Hong Kong’s unrelenting COVID curbs have battered its economy and standing as a financial centre. Some banks had warned top bosses would not attend if any restrictions remained in place. HKMA Chief Executive Eddie Yue said on Thursday the final guidelines for those attending the summit were still being finalised.

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