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SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, March 20 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse told staff its wealth assets are operationally separate from UBS for now, but once they merged clients might want to consider moving some assets to another bank if concentration was a concern, according to an internal memo. The memo dated Sunday, seen by Reuters, gave talking points to Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) staff for client conversations after a historic Swiss-backed acquisition of the troubled bank by UBS Group (UBSG.S). In a package orchestrated by Swiss regulators on Sunday, UBS will pay 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.23 billion) for 167-year-old Credit Suisse and assume up to $5.4 billion in losses. Credit Suisse also told staff to inform clients that plans for its investment banking business will be communicated in due course as details of its acquisition by UBS were still being worked out, according to an internal memo. We are fully focused on ensuring a smooth transition and seamless experience for our valued clients and customers," a Credit Suisse spokesperson said.

A source with knowledge of the matter said that Swiss regulators are encouraging UBS and Credit Suisse to merge, but that both banks do not want to do so. Credit Suisse shares jumped 9% in after-market trading following the FT report. Credit Suisse and UBS declined to comment on the report. "Credit Suisse is a very special case," said Frédérique Carrier, head of investment strategy at RBC Wealth Management. The supervisors were told deposits were stable across the euro zone and exposure to Credit Suisse was immaterial, a source familiar with the meeting's content told Reuters.

☆ Exclusive: Some Credit Suisse counterparties curb dealings as bank heads into scenario meetings -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Shankar Ramakrishnan Stefania Spezzati Sumeet Chatterjee | Shankar Ramakrishnan | Stefania Spezzati | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Credit Suisse declined to comment. Credit Suisse intends to borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion) from the Swiss National Bank in what it called "decisive action" to boost its liquidity on Thursday. The five people with direct knowledge of the bank's trading counterparties requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Credit Suisse has said that it is a strong, global bank. Among possible scenarios, analysts, bankers and investors speculate that Credit Suisse could sell or wind down some of its existing businesses with a break-up potentially on the cards.

☆ Exclusive: Some Credit Suisse counterparties put curbs on new dealings involving lender -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Shankar Ramakrishnan Stefania Spezzati Sumeet Chatterjee | Shankar Ramakrishnan | Stefania Spezzati | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] The logo of Societe Generale bank is pictured on an office building in Nantes, France, March 16, 2023. Credit Suisse declined to comment. These five people with direct knowledge of the matter requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Societe Generale has maintained existing counterparty positions with Credit Suisse, which it had cut back in recent weeks, but it is not increasing them, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Another global bank has reduced its unsecured exposure to Credit Suisse, which includes all lending with no collateral, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

☆ What happened at Credit Suisse and how did it reach crisis point?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In December, Credit Suisse had tapped investors for 4 billion Swiss francs. Credit Suisse shares have lost more than 75% of their value over the past twelve months. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsWHAT STEPS CAN CREDIT SUISSE TAKE TO CALM INVESTORS? HOW IMPORTANT IS CREDIT SUISSE? Credit Suisse has a local Swiss bank, wealth management, investment banking and asset management operations.

HONG KONG, March 16 (Reuters) - Officials from the U.S. audit watchdog will start a new round of inspections in Hong Kong on Chinese companies' auditors as soon as next week, sources said, as part of a deal with Beijing to prevent delistings of the firms from the New York bourse. That visit came after U.S. and China reached a landmark deal last August to settle a long-running dispute over auditing compliance of U.S.-listed Chinese firms. It also warned that any obstruction of inspection access could affect Chinese firms' listings in the U.S. A mainland branch under KPMG and a Hong Kong branch under PwC were picked by the PCAOB in last year's inspections, the PCAOB said earlier. Reporting by Xie Yu and Selena Li in Hong Kong, additional reporting by Chris Prentice in Washington; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: Credit Suisse: How did it get to crisis point?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Credit Suisse confirmed last month that clients had pulled 110 billion Swiss francs of funds in the fourth quarter while the bank suffered its biggest annual loss of 7.29 billion Swiss francs since the financial crisis. In December, Credit Suisse had tapped investors for 4 billion Swiss francs. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsWHAT STEPS CAN CREDIT SUISSE TAKE TO CALM INVESTORS? HOW IMPORTANT IS CREDIT SUISSE? Credit Suisse has a local Swiss bank, wealth management, investment banking and asset management operations.

☆ New Zealand's Fonterra profit jumps 50% on stronger dairy prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 16 (Reuters) - New Zealand's Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd (FCG.NZ) on Thursday said first-half profit jumped 50% due to higher prices for its dairy products and strong margins across its cheese and protein division. The co-operative, which controls almost a third of global dairy trade, also said it expects to earn between 55 and 75 NZ cents per share for fiscal 2023, from an earlier forecast of 50 to 70 NZ cents per share. Favourable margins in the dairy co-operative's protein portfolio during the half year offset lockdown-driven weakness in demand from China. The world's biggest dairy exporter reported normalised net profit after tax of NZ$546 million ($338.19 million) for the six months ended Dec. 31, compared with NZ$364 million a year earlier. Fonterra declared an interim dividend of 10 NZ cents per share, compared with 5 NZ cents per share declared last year.

As debt obligations mount, some local governments are pushing banks to extend maturities and cut interest rates, sources said. Reuters Graphics"BLACK HOLES""The LGFVs have become the black hole of the Chinese financial system. Chinese banks and other financial institutions have been cautious on new lending to LGFVs over the past years. In recent months, some state-owned banks, asset managers, and insurers have been looking into their portfolios to screen LGFV borrowers with weaker creditworthiness and dispose them, separate financial sector sources told Reuters. Offshore branches of Chinese financial institutions have been major buyers of the bonds, industry sources said.

☆ Exclusive: Shenzhen bourse taps intelligence tech firm as China battles capital market fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. EC Guard declined to be interviewed. The United States in 2019 placed EC Guard on its so-called entity list of companies that are subject to U.S. trade restrictions for reasons such as national security. Using that technology, EC Guard can identify relationships between users helping regulators identify potential illegal activity and also trace a company's ultimate shareholders to ensure they are legitimate owners, the person said. The Shanghai Stock Exchange, the country's largest bourse, stepped up its fight against fraud in December with a new generation of systems that supervise securities trading.

HONG KONG, March 9 (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) is aiming to unveil some debt restructuring terms before the next winding-up court hearing on March 20 in order to seek another adjournment, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Once China's top-selling developer, Evergrande has been at the centre of a property debt crisis that has seen multiple developers default on offshore debt obligations over the past years, forcing many to enter into debt restructuring talks. Evergrande is due to appear in a Hong Kong court on March 20 for hearing on a winding up petition filed by a creditor. The developer told the court at that time it aimed to win creditors' approval for its debt restructuring proposals by as early as the end of February. Reporting by Clare Jim and Xie Yu in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

At the Fontainebleau hotel, Credit Suisse bankers were puzzled by the announcements, and concerned about their jobs being on the line, said the executive, who declined to be named. In response to questions from Reuters for this article, a spokesperson for Credit Suisse in London said: "We never comment on rumours or speculation." 'A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE'Even after Credit Suisse stopped financing hedge funds following the Archegos implosion in March 2021, the equities business remained a key part of its investment bank revenue. One option Credit Suisse is considering is to move its equities research to CSFB, Reuters reported. Slimming down the equities business would draw a further line under Credit Suisse's investment bank ambitions.

In a major shake-up, China will set up the new regulatory body, the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), according to a proposal that the State Council, or cabinet, presented to parliament on Tuesday. The watchdog, which will oversee all aspects of China's $57 trillion financial sector apart from the securities market, should help reduce regulatory overlap especially at the level of local government, analysts say. There are also plans, sources have said, for the revival of another high-level financial watchdog which is expected to be directly under central party leadership. 'ENHANCING CENTRALISATION'In its reform proposals presented in parliament, the State Council said the changes were meant to "deepen reforming local financial regulatory systems" by "enhancing centralised management of financial affairs". Some investors, however, are concerned that the regulatory power reshuffle means tighter government control, which may bring more interference or crackdowns on financial activity, particularly in the private sector.

☆ China to set up new financial regulator in sweeping reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The new financial regulator will replace the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) and bring supervision of the industry, excluding the securities sector, into a body directly under the State Council, or cabinet. The proposal for setting up the new regulator, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, was presented to China's parliament during its annual meeting on Tuesday. China's financial sector is overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the CBIRC, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee having overall responsibility. The setting up of the new financial regulatory body comes as Beijing seeks to rein in large corporate and financial institutions that may bring systemic risks via regulatory arbitrage among multiple authorities. 'STRENGTHEN SUPERVISION'The new administration will "strengthen institutional supervision, supervision of behaviours and supervision of functions", according to the plan.

REUTERS/Tingshu WangHONG KONG/BEIJING/SHANGHAI, March 3 (Reuters) - As unprecedented protests against China's zero-COVID policies escalated in November, Li Qiang, the man recently elevated to No.2 on the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, seized the moment. Meanwhile, some local-level party workers and healthcare officials were grappling with growing challenges in implementing the zero-COVID policy. "From my perspective, it's not that we set out to relax the zero-COVID policy, it's more that we at the local level were simply not able to enforce the zero-COVID policy anymore," the official said. In mid-November, when Xi was still in Southeast Asia, he ordered Chinese authorities to "unswervingly" execute the zero-COVID policy, said two of the people, after which some cities retightened curbs. Xi's vacillating led to renewed debate on COVID policy among top leaders during mid to late November, one of these people and another person said.

HONG KONG, March 3 (Reuters) - Bank of America (BAC.N) and Citigroup (C.N) have cut some investment banking jobs in Asia, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, joining global peers in paring headcount as China dealmaking slows. Citi on Thursday trimmed four jobs from its China investment banking team, said one of the two people and a separate person. BofA and Citi both declined to comment on layoffs involving investment bankers in Asia. JPMorgan (JPM.N) has also cut around 20 investment banking jobs, mostly mid-level bankers focused on China deals, according to two separate sources. Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T) has cut 18 Asian banking jobs, most of them China-focused investment banking roles, sources have said.

☆ Kohl's swings to surprise loss as margins crumble on steep discounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 1 (Reuters) - Kohl's Corp (KSS.N) reported a surprise quarterly loss and forecast full-year profit well below analysts' estimates on Wednesday, as steep discounts to boost sluggish demand for apparel shredded the retailer's margins. Those discounts were the major contributor to a more than 10 percentage point decline in fourth-quarter gross margins to 23%, Kohl's said. Kohl's reported a loss of $2.49 per share for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 28, compared with estimates for a profit of 98 cents. Comparable sales at Kohl's fell 6.6% in the fourth quarter, compared with analysts' estimate of a 3.7% decrease. Separately, apparel maker Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF.N) also missed holiday quarter earnings estimates on Wednesday, hit by higher costs of cotton.

☆ Abercrombie & Fitch posts a fall in quarterly profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 1 (Reuters) - Abercrombie & Fitch Co (ANF.N) on Wednesday reported a 41.5% drop in quarterly profit, as higher labor costs and inflationary pressures squeezed margins. The company's net income attributable to Abercrombie fell to $38.3 million, or 75 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, from $65.5 million, or $1.12 per share, a year earlier. Reporting by Aatrayee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The credit line from the sovereign wealth fund could be increased to $5 billion, the sources said, citing a memo that was circulated to participants as highlights of a three-day investor roadshow that ended on Wednesday. The identity of the sovereign wealth fund was not disclosed in the memo. A third person familiar with the matter said Adani's management told investors it was from the Middle East. The news comes a day after Adani management told bondholders that it expected to prepay or repay share-backed loans worth $690 million to $790 million by the end of March. Reporting by Xie Yu in Hong Kong and Scott Murdoch in Sydney; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee, Jason Neely and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's Adani plans to repay up to $790 million share-backed loans by March - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, Feb 28 (Reuters) - India's Adani Group plans to prepay or repay share-backed loans worth between $690 million and $790 million by end of March this year, two people with knowledge of the matter said, as it seeks to burnish its credit profile after a short-seller attack. Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS) also plans to refinance its 2024 bonds via a $800 million, three-year credit line, said the sources, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Those plans were presented by the Adani management to the group's bondholders in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Adani has already held calls with bondholders earlier this month in attempts to assuage investor concerns, where group executives revealed refinancing plans at some of its units and also plans to completely pre-pay all loans against shares. Reporting by Xie Yu in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee & Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File PhotoHONG KONG, Feb 27 (Reuters) - JPMorgan (JPM.N) is proposing a new Asia credit index with slashed China weighting in parallel to its existing $85 billion Asia credit index, two sources said, amid growing geopolitical tensions and dimming appetite for Chinese property bonds. For the new index, JPMorgan has suggested the weighting of China be cut to close to 30% compared with a level of about 43% in its existing JPMorgan Asia credit index (.JPMACI) (JACI) in which China is the largest component, according to one person with direct knowledge of the matter. JACI is a premier Asia credit index, tracked by fund managers controlling more than $85 billion worth of assets, according to the January proposal. INDEX RESHUFFLEThe proposal to reduce China weighting came after some fund managers pushed JPMorgan to cut JACI's China debt exposure, two sources said, as its poor performance dragged down popularity of the passive products that track the index. Jane Cai, a fixed income portfolio manager at China Asset Management (Hong Kong), said at a media briefing this month that JPMorgan was also internally discussing an ex-China Asia credit index.

This would help its investment bankers in their pitches to clients, especially for IPOs, one of the sources added. Klein is selling his business to Credit Suisse for $175 million, the two said earlier this month. Credit Suisse will focus on managing money for the wealthy after the carve-out. A spokesman for Credit Suisse declined to comment, as did a representative for Klein. Credit Suisse reported its biggest annual loss last year since the financial crisis and cut its bonus pool by 50% for 2022.

☆ Loblaw forecasts annual profit above estimates on strong grocery demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Canadian retailer Loblaw Cos Ltd (L.TO) forecast annual earnings above analysts' expectations on Thursday, helped by strength in its pharmacy business and as demand holds up for groceries. Loblaw expects full-year 2023 adjusted earnings per common share to grow in low double-digits compared with the average analyst estimate of 9.64%, according to Refinitiv IBES data. The company's fourth-quarter revenue rose about 10% to C$14.01 billion ($10.35 billion), topping the average estimate of C$13.75 billion. On an adjusted basis, Loblaw earned C$1.76 per share, beating analysts' expectations of C$1.71 per share. ($1 = 1.3533 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Aatrayee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Air New Zealand swings to first-half profit on soaring travel demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Air New Zealand Ltd (AIR.NZ) swung to a first-half profit for the first time in three years on Thursday, helped by strong travel demand following the reopening of domestic and international borders, and strong cargo revenues which were above pre-COVID levels. The carrier reported statutory profit before tax of NZ$299 million ($185.95 million) for the six months ended Dec. 31, compared with a loss of NZ$376 million reported a year earlier. The company posted a loss before other significant items and taxation of NZ$725 million in 2022. Air New Zealand did not declare a dividend, but said that it will consider providing dividends for its shareholders during its full-year results in August. ($1 = 1.6080 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Archishma Iyer and Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ T.J. Maxx parent sees weak annual profit pressured by rising costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - TJX Cos Inc (TJX.N) forecast annual profit below Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, as the off-price retailer's margins face pressures from persisting supply chain costs and surging inflation. However, TJX has continued to draw in shoppers as it managed to keep its prices lower than other retailers or department stores. The T.J. Maxx parent also posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue, benefiting from bargain-hungry but brand-conscious customers turning to off-price stores during the holiday season. Analysts see TJX as one of the more well-positioned off-price retailers which is expected to gain market share in a weakening consumer discretionary environment. Reporting by Aatrayee Chatterjee and Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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