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☆ Counting the cost of contagion fears from Africa coups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Libgeorge Marc Jones | Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Gabon coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema is sworn in as interim president during his swearing-in ceremony, in Libreville, Gabon, September 4, 2023. The putsch not only sent Gabon's bonds tumbling 10%, but also hit those issued by a number of other countries including neighbouring Cameroon, as jittery investors scanned for who might be next. The apparent coup trend is adding to other major concerns deterring many investors from Africa - a wave of debt crises, tense geopolitics and an extreme vulnerability to climate change. "Nearly all markets in that region are paying some price in terms of rising cost of debt," said Sergey Dergachev, portfolio manager at Union Investment. There have been scores of coups and attempted coups in recent decades including in Thailand, Ecuador, Egypt and Turkey.

Persons: General Brice Oligui Nguema, Stringer, Sergey Dergachev, Paul Biya, Macky Sall, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Eamon Aghdasi, Fitch, Moody's, Thailand's, Ravi Bhatia, Bongo, Simon Quijano, Evans, Libby George, Marc Jones, Karin Strohecker, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, UNDP, Union Investment, Investors, Reuters, General Assembly, Burkina, P Global, Reuters Graphics, Monetary Fund, Central, CFA, Peace, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, Africa Mali, Guinea, Africa, Cameroon, Mali, Thailand, Ecuador, Egypt, Turkey, crackdowns, Senegal, Congo Republic, New York, Niger, Burkina Faso, Kenya

☆ Higher-for-longer rate bets lift dollar, sap stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Long-term Treasury yields hovered at a two-week high of nearly 4.28% and close to last month's post-financial crisis highs. "It all goes back to the discussion of where that magical neutral rate happens to be," he said. "While the markets are still feeling around for where that rate may be, it's going to weigh on equities and support the U.S. The dollar index - which measures the currency against six developed-market peers, including the yen and euro - ticked up 0.07% to 104.93. Reporting by Marc Jones; Additional reporting by Kevin Buckland in Tokyo; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Robert Alster, Brent, Europe's, hasn't, Kyle Rodda, Kit Juckes, Marc Jones, Kevin Buckland, Susan Fenton Organizations: Tokyo Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, for Supply Management, Federal, Asset Management, Japan's Nikkei, Reuters, Traders, Federal Reserve, Capital.com, U.S ., Treasury, Generale, People's Bank of China, Brent, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Europe, U.S, New York, Asia, Melbourne, China

☆ Turkey's post-election pivot 'clearly' positive for credit rating, Moody's says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ankara's credit score, which affects how much the government pays to borrow on capital markets, has been in decline for years due to repeated episodes of unorthodox policy-driven crises. "The change of course is clearly credit positive," Moody's analyst Dietmar Hornung told Reuters. Moody's rates Turkey a 'junk' grade B3 with a "stable outlook". "We need a track record of more orthodox policy and a reduction of the accumulated imbalances." Reporting by Marc Jones Editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Moody's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Erdogan, Dietmar Hornung, Fitch, Hornung, Marc Jones, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Moody's Corporation, Reuters, P Global, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, Turkey

☆ Polish central bank stuns with 75 bps rate cut, zloty plunges
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Anna Koper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WARSAW, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Poland's central bank cut its main interest rate by 75 basis points to 6.00% on Wednesday, in a shock decision ahead of October elections that sent the zloty currency tumbling against the euro. The National Bank of Poland (NBP) said it took the decision because it expects inflation to return to target faster than originally expected. It said that the adjustment to interest rates would be "conducive to meeting the NBP inflation target in the medium term". NBP Governor Adam Glapinski had previously signalled that a rate cut could come in September if inflation fell to single digits. "We have already said that it is too early for a rate cut, and certainly such an aggressive rate cut, when the prospects (of a slowdown) in inflation are still distant," said Piotr Bielski, director of the economic analysis department of Santander Bank Polska.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Piotr Bielski, J.P, Morgan, Wojciech Paczos, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Anna Koper, Pawel Florkiewicz, Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak, Karol Badohal, Marc Jones, Justyna Pawlak, Nick Macfie, Sharon Singleton, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Reuters, National Bank of Poland, Santander Bank Polska, Cardiff University, Justice, Thomson Locations: WARSAW, NBP, Poland, Pawel

☆ Moody's lifts 2023 U.S. growth forecast, cuts China's for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Amr Alfiky Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Credit rating agency Moody's raised its 2023 U.S. economic growth forecast on Friday but cut its estimate next year for China, saying that while the risk of a recession had fallen in the United States, China's challenges were mounting. "We have raised our growth forecast for the United States' economy to 1.9% in 2023 from 1.1% in our May outlook, acknowledging the strong underlying economic momentum," Moody's said in a report. The firm, now the only big three agency to have a top notch triple A rating for the U.S. following Fitch's downgrade last month, kept its 2024 growth forecast at 1%, saying that high interest rates would act as a brake on the economy. Moody's kept its growth projection for this year at 5% but cut its 2024 forecast to 4.0% from 4.5% previously. "We believe that low consumer confidence is holding back household spending, and economic and policy uncertainty will continue to weigh on business decisions".

Persons: Amr Alfiky, Moody's, Marc Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: Liberty, REUTERS, Fed, Aaa, Thomson Locations: Liberty State, Manhattan, Jersey City , New Jersey, U.S, China, United States

☆ Factbox: Developing countries in the grip of debt problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

In June, it clinched a $6.3 billion debt rework deal with the "Paris Club" creditor nations and its other big bilateral lender China. Another part of the domestic debt plan has faced delays, though, with a key deadline on a Treasury bond exchange delayed three times and now set for Sept. 11. Failure to complete the domestic debt overhaul by then could result in delays both in terms of IMF disbursements and talks with creditors. The government recently agreed to tackle roughly $4 billion of its domestic debt via a pension fund debt swap operation and a dollar-denominated bonds exchange. Cairo has a $3 billion IMF programme and has devalued the pound by roughly 50% since February 2022.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Nandalal Weerasinghe, Kais Saied, Nayib Bukele, William Ruto's, Donald Trump, Libby George, Marc Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, China, SRI, SRI LANKA Sri, Sri Lanka Development, Sri, Monetary Fund, IMF, UAE, Observers, European Union, SALVADOR, World Bank, African Development Bank, Presidential, Republican, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Delhi, ZAMBIA Zambia, SRI LANKA, SRI LANKA Sri Lanka, China, GHANA Ghana, Zambia, Ghana, PAKISTAN Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, TUNISIA, North, Tunisia, EGYPT Egypt, Cairo, Salvador, KENYA, Kenya, UKRAINE Ukraine, Ukraine, Russia, LEBANON Lebanon

Below are five charts showing what's been moved and/or shaken:1/SHOCK FOR THE STOCKSMSCI's 24-country emerging markets (EM) stocks index (.MSCIEF) is down 6% this month. It is still up for the year, though well below the 13.5% gain this year for MSCI's main global index, which has benefited from a boom in U.S. "mega-cap" stocks. "The markets that have underperformed are the lower-yielding markets like Asia," Mike Arno, a portfolio manager at Brandywine Global, said. "The market doesn't seem to think that China is a major threat," said Aegon Asset Management's head of EM debt, Jeff Grills. Reuters Graphics5/OUT OF AFRICAThe other big trouble spot has been Africa, where debt markets have seen a sharp pullback.

Persons: Jason Lee, what's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Katherine Marney, Mike Arno, Jeff, Erdogan, Van Eck's, Eric Fine, Viktor Szabo, Szabo, Marc Jones, Rodrigo Campos, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, JPMorgan, Brandywine, FX, HK, EMBI, abrdn, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Africa, MIWD00000PUS, Hungary, America, Brazil, Argentina, Asia, TURKEY, Gabon, Niger, JPMorgan's Africa, London, New York

☆ Europe's bumper Q2 puts global dividend payouts on track for record year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

This time around, the surge in global interest rates meant banks contributed half the world's dividend growth and drove a quarter of Europe's increase. At the same time, U.S. dividend growth slowed for the sixth consecutive quarter. "But the positive effect on bank margins from the end of years of ultra-low interest rates is very powerful and is driving dividend payouts". The second quarter marks a seasonal high point for Japanese dividends and payouts there rose 8.4% on an underlying basis. Its largest dividend payer, carmaker Toyota (7203.T), accounted for one third of the underlying increase with a 25% hike, despite lower profits.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Janus Henderson, Ben Lofthouse, Lofthouse, Eli Lilly, Marc Jones, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, Global Equity, UnitedHealth Group, Intel, Blackstone, Toyota, HK, Petrobras, PETR4, Thomson Locations: Europe, Italy, Spain, Britain, Ukraine, U.S, Asia, China, Brazil, Colombia

Turkey's Central Bank headquarters is seen in Ankara, Turkey in this January 24, 2014 file photo. Yet five foreign investors told Reuters that this week's rate hike signalled a new independence among policymakers who are serious about addressing unrelenting pressure on the currency and reining in inflation expectations. "It feels like they are correcting the mistakes they made with their first rate hike decisions," said Viktor Szabo, portfolio manager at abrdn in London. Erdogan, who has fired four central bank chiefs in four years, has said little about the rate hikes. Reuters GraphicsTurkish stock, Eurobond and CDS markets are more attractive targets this year and next, especially after the rate hike, investors and officials say.

Persons: Umit, Erdogan's unorthodoxy, Mehmet Simsek, Goldman Sachs, Tayyip Erdogan's, Viktor Szabo, Ola El, Van Eck, ERDOGAN, Erdogan, Simsek, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Cevdet Yilmaz, Blaise Antin, TCW, Kaan, Neuberger Berman, Jonathan Spicer, Marc Jones, Jorgelina, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Turkey's Central Bank, Finance, Goldman, Reuters, abrdn, Emerging Markets, Wall Street, JPMorgan, Reuters Graphics, CDS, Yeni, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, ANKARA, LONDON, New York, London, Van, Los Angeles, Reuters Graphics Turkish, Yeni Safak, Morocco, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Rosario

Some investors and economic analysts are sceptical that expansion will lead to increased foreign direct investment (FDI) within the bloc. Still, BRICS leaders and other investors touted the increased economic heft from the expansion. Increasing use of national currencies to reduce U.S. dollar dependence was another goal BRICS leaders discussed at the summit in Johannesburg. And with oil producer heavyweights among the newcomers, investors said this would feed speculation that Saudi Arabia might increasingly switch to non-dollar-denominated currencies for oil trade. "The short-term consequences could be seen in oil," said Kaan Nazli, a portfolio manager at asset manager Neuberger Berman in London.

Persons: Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China Xi, Cyril Ramaphosa, India Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Viktor Szabo, Li Kexin, Ola El, Chris Turner, Jakob Ekholdt Christensen, Hasnain Malik, abrdn's Szabo, Kaan Nazli, Neuberger Berman, Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Bansari Mayur, Marc Jones, Jorgelina, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Russia's, Iran, United Arab Emirates, abrdn, Emerging Markets, ING, Reuters Graphics, China, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: China, India, Sandton, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, JOHANNESBURG, LONDON, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Johannesburg, United States, Saudi, London, Van Eck, New York, Copenhagen, Dubai, Bangalore, Rosario

☆ BRICS nations should strengthen cooperation on cross-border payment: China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING,/JOHANNESBURG Aug 24 (Reuters) - BRICS nations should strengthen cooperation on cross-border payment, a Chinese foreign ministry official said on Thursday, the final day of a three-day BRICS summit in South Africa. They should also study local currency cooperation payment tools and platforms, and promote local currency settlement, said Li Kexin, Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of China. The leaders of BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - agreed at the summit in Johannesburg to encourage more local currency usage in trade and financial transactions, as they seek to shift away from dependence on the U.S. dollar. "So it's important to have a more sophisticated payment system... Many of Russia's top banks were cut off from the SWIFT messaging system last year under sweeping Western sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Li Kexin, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Li, SWIFT, Rachel Savage, Marc Jones, William Maclean, Emelia Organizations: Department of International Economic Affairs, Foreign Ministry of China, U.S ., Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, BRICS, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Johannesburg, Russians, Ukraine, London

☆ Top EU official warns West needs to act to avoid losing developing world's trust
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South African delegates sit behind a glass with BRICS logo as the BRICS summit is held in Johannesburg, South Africa August 23, 2023. Headquartered in Shanghai, the New Development Bank was established in 2015 by BRICS members. "It's symptomatic of something that Europe and Western institutions must confront urgently," Hoyer said of the bank's rise in importance. "Unless we offer genuine partnership and more convincing ways to address the challenges of the Global South whether it is in the energy transition, the issue of indebtedness or tackling glaring health inequality - we are heading for trouble." ($1 = 0.9252 euros)Reporting by Marc Jones Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alet Pretorius, Werner Hoyer, Hoyer, Marc Jones, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Investment, New Development Bank, Reuters, EU, West, United Nations, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, China, Russia, Africa, EIB, Brazil, India, Ukraine, Shanghai, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, Argentina, Ethiopia, Honduras, Iran, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Europe, Western

Delegates walk past the logos of the BRICS summit during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 23, 2023. WHY DOES LULA WANT A BRICS CURRENCY? A BRICS currency "increases our payment options and reduces our vulnerabilities," he told the summit's opening plenary session. In July, India's foreign minister said, "there is no idea of a BRICS currency". WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF SETTING UP A BRICS CURRENCY?

Persons: GIANLUIGI, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, LULA, doesn't, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Lesetja Kganyago, you've, Kganyago, Herbert Poenisch, Putin, Rachel Savage, Ethan Wang, Marcela Ayres, Gabriel Stargardter, Naomi Rovnick, Libby George, Marc Jones, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Mercosur, South, Zhejiang University, Federal Reserve, FX, International Monetary Fund, Bank of International, Thomson Locations: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Russian, videolink, African, Ukraine, Beijing, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, London

☆ JPMorgan sees Japan's threshold for yen intervention at around 150 yen per dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Japan's threshold for currency market intervention on the yen is likely to be around 150 per dollar, investment bank JPMorgan's analysts said on Monday. "We think that the MoF (Ministry of Finance Japan) will not intervene in the FX market at around (the) 145 level. Our threshold level of JPY buying intervention is around 150," they said in a note. The yen was trading at 145.87 to the dollar on Monday, having been as weak as 146.56 last week. "Intervention needed is not as acute as in the September and October intervention cases," they said.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Marc Jones, Dhara Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Ministry of Finance Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Take Five: Summer at Jackson Hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Jason Reed Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - It's summer camp season and not to be left out, U.S. rate setters and overseas pals gather in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to talk central banking. U.S. Federal Reserve officials (plus friends from the ECB, BoE and BOJ) descend on Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Aug. 24-26 for their annual central bank confab. Inflation remains sticky in places and investors want to know how long it will take for central banks to switch to easing. European PMIs could provide a bigger signal on whether the European Central Bank will hike again in September and if the Bank of England opts for a big rate increase. Turkey's central bank is poised to raise rates on Thursday for the third time in a row since Hafize Gaye Erkan was appointed as governor in early June.

Persons: Jason Reed, Ira Iosebashvili, Li Gu, Yoruk, Rosario, Marc Jones, Rachel Savage, BoE, Jackson, Vladimir Putin, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erkan, Tayyip Erdogan, Dhara Ranasinghe, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . Federal, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, ECB, Nvidia, CARE, HK, China, European Central Bank, Bank of England, West, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington, U.S, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, China, Ira, New York, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Jorgelina, London, Johannesburg, confab, CHINA, Beijing, United States, European, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Turkey

☆ Tumbling rouble claws back ground as central bank to meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Putin's economic adviser Maxim Oreshkin earlier said the central bank could ensure that the pace of lending drops to sustainable levels with higher rates. "The central bank has all the tools to normalise the situation in the near future." Asked earlier whether it might make an emergency hike from the current 8.5%, the central bank declined to comment. "The central bank is not fully in control," independent Moscow-based economist Ian Melkumov told Reuters. "The central bank doesn't want to kill the economy and businesses in the same way it had to last year," he said.

Persons: Rouble, Vladimir Putin's, rouble, Putin, Maxim Oreshkin, Oreshkin, Denis Popov, Popov, Matt Vogel, REUTERS Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Vladimir Solovyev, Ivan, Timothy Ash, Ian Melkumov, Alexander Marrow, Marc Jones, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher, Christina Fincher Organizations: TASS, of Russia's, FIM, Moscow News Agency, Handout, REUTERS Central Bank Governor, Popular, Kremlin, Reuters, BlueBay Asset Management, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, London

☆ Analysis: Israel's judicial reform turmoil threatens economic growth, investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Libgeorge Marc Jones | Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Nir Elias/Illustration//File PhotoLONDON, July 30 (Reuters) - Israel's economy may face ratings downgrades, falling foreign investment and a weaker tech sector if turmoil arising from the government's contentious judicial reforms continues, investors and analysts warn. Reuters GraphicsMaplecroft's Kinnear said comparatively low inflation versus similar countries had buoyed investment, but more civil unrest could derail incoming cash. The reform backlash "threatens to push the economy onto a permanently lower growth path," Nicholas Farr, emerging Europe economist with Capital Economics wrote in a note. Moody's cut Israel's sovereign credit to a "dislike" stance, while S&P said on Thursday the unprecedented protests would lower economic growth this year. S&P warned in May that it could lower its AA- Israel rating "if regional or domestic political risks escalated sharply, depressing Israel's economic, fiscal, and balance-of-payments metrics."

Persons: Nir Elias, Benjamin, Hamish Kinnear, Reuters Graphics Maplecroft's Kinnear, Morgan Stanley, Roger Mark, Mark, Kinnear, Nicholas Farr, Moody's, Fitch, Natalia Gurushina, VanEck, Libby George, Marc Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Middle East, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Copley Fund Research, Reuters Graphics, Gross, TECH, Israeli Innovation Authority, Capital Economics, P, Fitch, AA, Thomson Locations: Israel, North Africa, Europe

☆ Limited support for central bank digital currencies in global investment industry survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - The most comprehensive survey of the global investment industry on central bank digital currencies to date has shown both limited support and a lack of understanding of how a digital dollar, euro, yen or pound would work. The survey carried out by the CFA Institute, a worldwide association for bankers, investors and finance chiefs, found that only 42% of the more than 4,150 respondents who took part believed that central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, should be launched. Only 37% of respondents from developed markets said they favoured a CBDC versus 61% from emerging markets. Data privacy was also a major concern for 64% of respondents in developed markets and 57% in developing economies. Less than a quarter of respondents under 30 opposed them, the survey found, compared with 37% among those over 55.

Persons: Olivier Fines, Andrew Bailey, Marc Jones, Leslie Adler Organizations: CFA Institute, CFA, European Union, People's Bank of, Bank of England, CBDCs, Thomson Locations: Bahamas, Nigeria, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China, People's Bank of China, India, Central

☆ Morgan Stanley cuts Israel sovereign credit to "dislike stance" after judiciary changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Markets are now likely to extrapolate the future policy path and we move Israel sovereign credit to a 'dislike stance'." They added that recent developments pointed to "continued uncertainty" in Israel and for the shekel currency to weaken and borrowing costs to rise as investors attach a higher risk premium. "In our adverse scenario we think that growth could weaken significantly to 1.6% (year-on-year) in 2024 with inflation remaining significantly above the Bank of Israel's tolerance band." "For now, we keep our call for one more 25 basis point hike to 5% at the BoI's September meeting, but risks to the rates outlook are now shifting to the upside again." Reporting by Marc Jones and Steve Sheer in Jerusalem, additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Amanda CooperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Benjamin Netanyahu, Morgan, Marc Jones, Steve Sheer, Ari Rabinovitch, Amanda Cooper Organizations: Bank of, Thomson Locations: Israel, Jerusalem

LONDON/JOHANNESBURG, July 25 (Reuters) - Gabon launched what is set to be Africa's first debt-for-nature swap on Tuesday, with a plan to buy up at least $450 million of its government debt and switch it to an eco-friendly blue bond. The February 2031 maturity rose 2.203 cents to 83.702 cents and November 2031 maturity jumped 2.129 cents to 83.573 cents, compared to Gabonese government's offer to buy back the bonds for 85 cents per $1 of the bond. ,The 2025 maturity rose 1.194 cents to 95.4 cents, also still below the offer price of 96.75 cents.. Ecuador pulled off a record $1.1 billion debt-for-nature swap in May, freeing up $18 million annually for the next 20 years for conservation of the Galapagos Islands. The African Development Bank and European Investment Bank are interested in providing credit guarantees.

Persons: Marc Jones, Rachel Savage, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Karin Strohecker, Ed Osmond, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: London Stock Exchange, Republic, Industry, U.S . International Development Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Gabon, Gabonese, Ecuador, Belize, Galapagos, Sri Lanka, Indian, Libreville

"The major thing that we see now is onshore-traded Country Garden bonds going down," he said. Country Garden is a giant with thousands of projects in nearly 300 Chinese cities. Li Changjiang, the president of Country Garden Services, sold 3.2 million shares of the company last week, reducing his stake to 0.11% from 0.21%. They also cut its price target to HK$0.9 from HK$2.3 and that of Country Garden Services Holdings to HK$6.7 from HK$22. "Distressed Chinese property developers’ bond restructurings can buy them some room," Fitch Ratings said in a report on Monday.

Persons: Longfor, Wanda, Yao Yu, Morgan Stanley, Morgan, Li Changjiang, Fitch, Jason Xue, Tom Westbrook, Clare Jim, Xie Yu, Georgina Lee, Marc Jones, Kim Coghill, Jamie Freed, Barbara Lewis, Christina Fincher Organizations: HK, Dalian, Garden, Country Garden Services, Garden Holdings, Garden Services Holdings, China, Greenland Holdings, Ocean Group, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, SYDNEY, China, Hong Kong, Evergrande, Cayman Islands, Shanghai, Sydney, London

"That doesn't get them completely out of the woods," said one Country Garden bondholder, who declined to be identified, adding that the developer was facing a further batch of bonds payments in coming months. "If sales don't improve people will worry about the repayment ability for developers like Country Garden who have large exposure in smaller cities," Cheng said. "Country Garden is a top developer in terms of sales. It has been another week of unsettling news in the property market in China. Other efforts are needed to boost buyers’ sentiment about the long-term trajectory of the property market," they added.

Persons: Raymond Cheng, Cheng, Friday's, Wanda, China's, Wang Jianlin, DWCM, selloff, Yao Yu, Wanda Commercial's, Ankur Banerjee, Jason Xue, Clare Jim, Xie Yu, Marc Jones, Tom Hogue, Robert Birsel, Sharon Singleton, Frances Kerry Organizations: HK, CGS, CIMB Securities, Dalian Wanda Group, ANZ, Dalian Wanda Commercial Management, P, JPMorgan, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Greenland, Dalian, Singapore, Shanghai, London

Many investors think that will only happen if interest rates go to levels just too high for investors to pass up. "You wonder whether they have left it too late" said Mikhail Volodchenko at one of Europe's largest fund managers AXA IM. Reuters Graphics4/LOCAL PROBLEMSIn contrast to the dollar bonds, Turkey's 'local' lira-denominated bonds have had a shocker. Even if the lira is taken out of the equation the bonds are still down around 13% since Erdogan's election win. Reuters Graphics($1 = 0.8920 euros)Reporting by Marc Jones and Canan Sevgili Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Mehmet Şimşek, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Mikhail Volodchenko, Enver Erkan, Yatirim, Treasuries, COVID, Wednesday Erdogan, Simon Lue, Fong, Vontobel, Turkey's, Jeff, Michael Metcalfe, Metcalfe, Marc Jones, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: LONDON, AXA, Reuters, JPMorgan EMBI Global, NATO, Investment, Wednesday, United Arab Emirates, JPMorgan GBI, Street Global Markets, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Central, Turkish, Nigeria, Argentina, Turkey, U.S, Arab, Swiss, Lira

Data suggests recession risks remain high, but wages and U.S. and European interest rates are also still rising - so stick or twist? Here are five big calls investors are now making. Principal Global Investors chief global strategist Seema Shah said she maintained her view that government bonds would do well with recession still likely by year-end. Reuters Graphics4/ FRAGILE CHINASpluttering data, property market woes and meek economic stimulus have also busted new year bets of a Chinese mini-boom. Principal Global Investors' Shah said she still expected commodities to continue to struggle "because a combination of U.S. slowdown plus China slowdown should mean weak demand."

Persons: Bonds, Francesco Sandrini, Seema Shah, JP Morgan, Trevor Greetham, Florian Ielpo, Athanasios Vamvakidis, Morgan Stanley, Shah, Naomi Rovnick, Marc Jones, Alun John, Dhara Ranasinghe, Mark Potter Organizations: Treasury, Investors, Reuters, Global Investors, Royal London Asset Management, Lombard, Swiss, Bank of America, Fed, FX, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: bitcoin, Europe's, British, tatters, Japan, CHINA

☆ Wall Street cheers cool CPI with stock rally; dollar, yields decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Lawrence Delevingne | Thomson Reuters | Delevingne Works Primarily On Enterprise Stories Related To Finance. He Joined Reuters In | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiSummaryCompanies U.S. CPI data for June shows inflation slowdownWall Street stocks gainDollar, Treasury yields dropOil and gold gainJuly 12 (Reuters) - Wall Street stocks advanced on Wednesday and the dollar and Treasury yields fell after new U.S. inflation data showed a slowdown in the seemingly relentless rise of consumer prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) gained just 0.2% last month, the Labor Department said on Wednesday, lifted by rises in gasoline prices as well as rents, which offset a decrease in prices of used motor vehicles. Shares of big tech-related companies, which tend to be sensitive to higher interest rates, gave the S&P 500 its biggest boost. /FRXU.S. Treasury yields also dropped, with the 10-year Treasury yield now at 3.865%, down 11.9 basis points . Wall Street banks overall are expected to report higher profits as rising interest payments offset a downturn in deal making.

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Alexandra Wilson, Elizondo, Bryce Doty, Australia's, Wells, Scott Wren, Wren, Brent, Lawrence Delevingne, Marc Jones, Ankur Banerjee, Jan Harvey, Chizu Nomiyama, Will Dunham, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Companies U.S, Treasury, Index, Labor Department, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, CPI, Bank of England, U.S, Sit Investment, Fed, Japan's Nikkei, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Wells, Investment Institute, Brent, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, U.S, Minneapolis, Asia, Wednesday ., Boston, London, Singapore, Carolina, New York

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