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☆ Bank of Japan to maintain easy monetary policy - governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda speaks during a news conference after a meeting of G7 leaders on the sidelines of G20 finance ministers' summit on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Samuel RajkumarBENGALURU, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan intends to maintain easy monetary policy and the government's energy assistance programme will hold down inflation, the central bank's governor Haruhiko Kuroda told a news conference at a G20 event on Thursday. The governor expects inflation to be below 2% for fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024, adding that Japan is no longer in a deflationary environment. Given that import prices have fallen, the Japanese government's energy assistance will aid in holding down inflation, Kuroda said. India is hosting the first major G20 event under its year-long presidency at the summer retreat of Nandi Hills near tech hub Bengaluru.

All eyes on Friday - not just in Asia but around the world - will be fixed on Japan, specifically the latest inflation figures and the first of two parliamentary confirmation hearings from incoming Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda. The importance of Japan on global market flows and pricing cannot be overstated. Japan is the world's largest creditor nation and a chunk of the trillions of dollars Japanese investors have invested overseas could be repatriated if domestic monetary policy is tightened. Not only are the Fed and many other central banks raising interest rates, it finally looks like inflation has come to Japan. It could be a volatile end to the week for markets, with U.S. inflation figures for January also slated for release.

"We withstand all threats, shelling, cluster bombs, cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, blackouts and cold ... And we will do everything to gain victory this year." "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko 1 2 3 4 5Igor, walking through Moscow, said Russia must win: "We're looking forward to it ending successfully. Despite strong support for Ukraine in the West, big developing nations, above all China and India, have kept clear of imposing sanctions on Moscow. Learn more about the Ukraine war.

"India is not keen to discuss or back any additional sanctions on Russia during the G20," said one of the officials. "The existing sanctions on Russia have had a negative impact on the world." Japan's finance minister said on Tuesday that financial leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations will meet on the sidelines of the G20 meeting to discuss measures against Russia. "Russia themselves want to discuss the economic impact of sanctions." However, neither the Russian finance minister nor the central bank chief were expected to attend the meeting and they will be represented by their deputies.

☆ Morning Bid: Hang on a minute
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

And so a speech from New York Fed chief John Williams make give a better steer on current thinking. Markets are now priced for a Fed 'terminal rate' in the 5.25-5.50% range by July and no cut from there by year-end. European central bankers are also talking tough as the region's economies dodge recession and inflation stays high. But geopolitical concerns rankle again ahead of Friday's anniversary, with Russia unilaterally withdrawing from a key nuclear arms control treaty. As G20 finance chiefs meet in India, the world is watching closely the extent of the alliance between Beijing and Moscow.

Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from G20 nations will join the meeting on Friday. The meeting in the Nandi Hills summer retreat is the first major event of India's G20 presidency and the war in Ukraine is likely to feature prominently during the proceedings. The G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs are also expected to discuss unblocking debt restructuring for distressed economies that have been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and German Finance Minister Christian Lindner will be attending the meetings and are expected to press China to "quickly deliver" on debt relief for low and middle income countries. However, neither the Russian finance minister nor the central bank chief were expected to attend the meeting and they will be represented by their deputies.

[1/2] The Gateway of India monument in Mumbai is lit up to mark India's G20 presidency on December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File PhotoBENGALURU, Feb 22 (Reuters) - India does not want the Group of 20 nations to discuss additional sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine during New Delhi's one-year presidency of the bloc, six senior Indian government officials told Reuters. "India is not keen to discuss or back any additional sanctions on Russia during the G20," said one of the officials. "The existing sanctions on Russia have had a negative impact on the world." India has also sharply raised purchases of oil from Russia, its biggest supplier of defence hardware.

BENGALURU, India, Feb 21 (Reuters) - G20 finance ministers and central bank governors will discuss debt troubles in developing economies, crypto currencies and global inflationary pressures at a meeting later this week, Indian officials said on Tuesday. The Feb. 22-25 meeting in the Nandi Hills summer retreat near Bengaluru is the first major event of India's G20 presidency. The meeting straddles the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the war is likely to be high on the agenda. Reuters reported last week that India is drafting a proposal for G20 countries to help debtor nations by asking lenders, including China, the world's largest sovereign creditor, to take a large haircut on loans. "So the discussions would be aimed both at handling them before they arise and after they arise as well."

☆ G-7 finance chiefs to meet on Feb. 23 to discuss measures against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Financial leaders of the Group of Seven will meet on Feb. 23 to discuss measures against Russia that will put pressure on it to end the Ukraine war, Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Tuesday. Japan will chair the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the G7 nations in the Indian city of Bengaluru. The meeting will come almost a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, calling it a "special military operation." The war has raged on despite a slew of punitive measures G7 and other countries have taken against Russia. "Support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia will be the main topics of discussion," Suzuki told a news conference.

☆ G7 finance chiefs to meet on Feb 23 to discuss measures against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japan will chair the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the G7 nations in the Indian city of Bengaluru. The meeting will come almost a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, calling it a "special military operation". The war has raged on despite a slew of punitive measures G7 and other countries have taken against Russia. Japan chairs G7 ministerial meetings this year in the run-up to the May 19-21 summit meeting of G7 leaders in Hiroshima. The Ukraine war and the global economy are expected to be the focus of the G20 talks.

☆ Developing countries' debt troubles in focus at G20 talks, says Germany's Lindner
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China is by far the largest creditor for many highly indebted countries in Africa and Asia, and has been repeatedly pressed to make concessions. G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs will meet from Feb. 22 to Feb. 25 to discuss growing debt troubles among developing countries triggered by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Highly indebted developing countries must retain access to international financial markets so that they can continue to import energy and food, Lindner said. India has drafted a proposal for G20 countries to help debtor nations by asking big lenders including China to take a large haircut on loans. Just days before the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lindner praised the unity among Western nations in supporting Ukraine, both financially and militarily.

☆ Global Sustainability Disclosure Standards for Companies Set to Take Effect in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The International Sustainability Standards Board said it has agreed to rules that would harmonize corporate environmental disclosures across the globe. More than 150 countries follow the IFRS, and the group will promote its sustainability disclosure standards to market regulators. For example, the ISSB standards require companies to report emissions from their direct operations, energy purchases and from their value chains, including suppliers. The ESRS is also more exacting than the ISSB standards, disclosure professionals say. “For companies reporting under multiple frameworks, this will make reporting less challenging.”Write to Dieter Holger at dieter.holger@wsj.com

☆ G20 watchdog homes in on decentralised finance after FTX crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

FSB member countries will now "proactively" analyse vulnerabilities from DeFi as part of regular monitoring of crypto markets, the report said. The collapse of FTX last November exposed vulnerabilities in intermediaries and DeFi, the report said. FSB DeFi Graphic 1SUPERVISION GAPSThe most worrying vulnerability in DeFi relates to "mismatches" in liquidity from different maturities in liabilities and assets, the report said. Until the sharp retreat in bitcoin prices and the FTX crash, regulators had largely focused on cryptoassets rather than related technology. FSB DeFi Graphic 2Reporting by Huw Jones Editing by Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

China and other G20 countries were aware that India was working on a proposal, the officials said. "China takes the debt issue of developing countries seriously and supports relevant financial institutions to put forward solutions," he said. The People’s Bank of China and the Finance Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. New Delhi expects the United States to be one of the main backers of its proposal, said one of the sources. India and the Paris Club of creditors recently told the IMF they supported Sri Lanka's debt restructuring plan as the bankrupt nation sought a $2.9 billion loan.

☆ Eleven EU countries urge 'great caution' in loosening state aid rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Eleven European Union countries urged "great caution" in relaxing the bloc's state aid rules in a bid to support Europe's green industry in a global race, saying that risked damaging competition inside the bloc, a document showed. The Commission proposed easing EU restrictions on state aid for investments in renewable energy or decarbonising industry, partly in response to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. "EU state aid rules should be designed taking into account the value added at the level of EU as a whole. EU state aid rules should protect the level playing field on the EU internal market," it said. The European Commission initially also proposed creating a special fund meant to help poorer EU countries dole out more state aid.

☆ Morning Bid: Wings of a Dove
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. President Joe Biden is expected on Tuesday to name Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard to a top White House economic policy position, replacing National Economic Council Director Brian Deese. Biden confidant Jared Bernstein is expected to replace Cecilia Rouse as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. Brainard was seen as a powerful voice cautioning against over-aggressive Fed policy tightening. U.S. stock futures and world equities were higher on Tuesday, U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar were steady to lower. Euro zone economic growth slowed in the last three months of 2022 but avoided a contraction many had predicted for months.

☆ Europe is looking to tackle sky-high debt loads after signs it will dodge a recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The euro zone is now expected to have reached a GDP (gross domestic product) rate of 3.5% in 2022, rather than the 3.2% estimated in November. BRUSSELS — European officials sighed with relief Monday after new data suggested the region will avoid an economic recession. The euro zone is now expected to have reached a GDP (gross domestic product) rate of 3.5% in 2022, rather than the 3.2% estimated in November. The outlook for this year is also better with an expected GDP rate of 0.9%, compared to the 0.2% growth rate forecast just three months ago. So we need to steer the course and we need to make choices, some of them are difficult," she said.

☆ G20 exploring cryptocurrency regulation, India's finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Nikunj Ohri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 11 (Reuters) - The Group of 20 (G20) big economies is exploring whether the group could collectively regulate cryptocurrencies, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. Given the sophisticated technologies involved with these virtual assets, countries must discuss whether a given regulation is needed, said Sitharaman, whose country is this year's G20 president. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has for several years debated drafting a law to regulate or even ban cryptocurrencies but has not made a final decision. India will host G20 finance ministers and central bank governors this month. The Reserve Bank of India has said that cryptocurrencies should be banned as they are akin to a Ponzi scheme.

☆ Lithuania may tax windfall bank profits, boost defence spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura speaks with Lithuania's Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste at the European Union finance ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, July 12, 2022. "This is a critical situation, we are in an environment of high rates, so unexpected profits are appearing," central bank Governor Gediminas Simkus told a news conference. "The war in Ukraine and countries' reactions to it led to the high liquidity and high rates. The invasion also leads to more defence spending, so if we tax the windfall, the income would be used for defence", Skaiste told reporters. The neighbour of Russia had so far budgeted 2023 defence spending at 1.8 billion euros ($1.9 billion), or 2.52% of its gross domestic product.

Faced with a shortage of US dollars, Pakistan only has enough foreign currency in its reserves to pay for three weeks of imports. Long lines are forming at gas stations as prices swing wildly in the country of 220 million. Pakistan’s currency, the rupee, recently dropped to new lows against the US dollar after authorities eased currency controls to meet one of the IMF’s lending conditions. The country has been spending more on trade than it has brought in, running down its stock of foreign currency and weighing on the rupee’s value. Pakistan's usually bustling ports, like this one in Karachi, have ground to a halt as the country grapples with a severe shortage of foreign currency.

☆ Euro zone can afford to keep fiscal taps running
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

If they don’t overdo it, governments can also ease the blow of the European Central Bank’s efforts to tame inflation. But euro zone leaders like Germany’s Olaf Scholz, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni face pressure from economic policymakers to curb the handouts. The Commission estimates that the euro zone aggregate deficit will be 3.7% of GDP in 2023. As the ECB keeps a lid on growth to slay inflation, European governments can keep the fiscal taps open. Follow @guerreraf72 on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSThe European Central Bank is putting pressure on euro zone governments to rein in fiscal spending.

☆ Global supply chain scars will spark sea change: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Euro zone can afford to keep fiscal taps running, article with imageBreakingviews category · January 31, 2023 · 10:16 AM UTCIn the past two years, European governments opened the fiscal faucets, flooding the euro zone with around 530 billion euros to combat the effects of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This outburst of austerity looks short-sighted. Government budgets and debt burdens are manageable. Finance ministers should use the extra funds to enhance growth, help lower-income groups and enact structural reforms. If they don’t overdo it, governments can also ease the blow of the European Central Bank’s efforts to tame inflation.

☆ Argentina and Brazil are discussing plans for a common currency — analysts can scarcely believe it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Argentina President Alberto Fernandez (R) and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) greet each other after signing a series of agreements during a news conference in Buenos Aires. Argentina and Brazil, the two largest economies in South America, are in early talks to create a common currency, as part of a coordinated bid to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar. Speaking on his first international visit since taking office, Lula said that the currency would initially be designed for trade and transactions between Brazil and Argentina. Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said that the adoption of a common currency was not designed to replace the Brazilian real and the Argentine peso. "Developing and implementing a common South American currency is, therefore, pie in the sky."

☆ Expansionist dreams threaten ECB digital euro plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The idea of a digital euro with the same reserve backing as its physical equivalent is thus partly about Frankfurt controlling the process. At best, a digital euro could bring more citizens into the banking system, particularly those who don’t have enough money for traditional financial services products. That jars with central bankers’ preference to limit the digital euro to the EU at first. The euro does not need a digital currency, but its members have signalled they want one. Reuters GraphicsFollow @rebeccawire on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSEuro area finance ministers issued a statement on the so-called digital euro on Jan. 16, calling for political oversight and an international approach of a European central bank digital currency (CBDC).

☆ Portugal wants EU green tech package to ensure level playing field
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The European Union's response to the United States' stimulus package for green tech investments should use financing instruments that ensure equality between all members instead of favouring the bloc's most industrialised nations, Portugal's finance minister said on Tuesday. Brussels is concerned that European companies will increasingly move to the United States, which has a $369 billion scheme to subsidise green production. "But it has to be implemented through European mechanisms that ensure equality within the European space," he added. "The smaller European countries cannot lose to the larger countries in an internal competition that would not make sense to open at this moment," he said. Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; Editing by David Latona and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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