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☆ Exclusive: China plans to cut stamp duty on stocks by up to 50% to revive confidence-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The proposal to reduce the current 0.1% stamp duty on securities trading suggested a cut of either 20% or 50%, which would be the first such reduction since 2008, the two people said. China's securities regulator also met with representatives from top Western asset managers on Friday to reassure them about the country's economic prospects, Reuters reported citing sources. China's fiscal revenue totalled 20.37 trillion yuan ($3.02 trillion) last year, with 276 billion yuan or 1.35% contributed by stamp duty on securities transactions, official data showed. Earlier this month, Bloomberg first reported Chinese authorities were considering cutting the stamp duty on stock trades. "Cutting stamp duty doesn't solve the problems that hamper China's economic growth."

Persons: Aly, Xie Chen, Huang Yan, Huang, Sumeet Chatterjee, Lincoln, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Regulators, Ministry of Finance, State Council, Information Office, of Finance, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Shanghai Jianwen Investment Management Co, Bond, Reuters, Bloomberg, Shanghai QiuYang, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, BEIJING, Beijing, Hong Kong

☆ Simone Biles: How to watch gymnast go for more history at US Gymnastics Championships
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Coverage of the US Gymnastics Championships will be domestically broadcast on NBC and Peacock while international viewers can watch the event on the USA Gymnastics YouTube channel. Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise during the World Championships in 2019. Smiley N. Pool/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images Biles competes on the balance beam during the US National Gymnastics Championships in August 2013. The world gymnastics championships are then scheduled to take place between September 30 and October 8 in Antwerp, Belgium. Biles is the most decorated gymnast in US history, winning 32 medals across the Olympics and the world championships.

Persons: CNN — Simone Biles, she’s, Biles, –, Alfred Jochim, Peacock, Simone Biles, Laurence Griffiths, Ron, Smiley, Tim Clayton, Corbis, Dean Mouhtaropoulos, Lintao Zhang, Nellie, Adria, Leslye Davis, Gabby Douglas, Douglas, Donald Miralle, Ezra Shaw, Damir Sagolj, Reuters Biles, Kai Pfaffenbach, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, David Ramos, Emmanuel Dunand, Jimmy Fallon, Donald Glover, Andrew Lipovsky, Michael Phelps, Raisman, Olivia Munn, Trae Patton, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Alex Wong, Bob Levey, Sasha Farber, Eric McCandless, Daniel Dunn, Ulrik Pedersen, NurPhoto, Lionel Bonaventure, Emilee Chinn, Natacha, Cecile Canqueteau, Landi, Shannon Miller, Robert Gauthier, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols, Larry Nassar, Saul Loeb, Joe Biden, Biden, James Corden, Pete Buttigieg, Terence Patrick, Stacy Revere, Jon Durr, “, ” Organizations: CNN, US, NBC, USA, YouTube, Houston Chronicle, The New York Times, Getty, Reuters, White House, Disney, Entertainment, Walt Disney Television, Houston Texans, GK, Tokyo, Los Angeles Times, USA Gymnastics, CBS, Network, Tokyo Games, Olympic Games, Olympics Locations: San Jose , California, Houston, Spring , Texas, Rio de Janeiro, AFP, Tokyo, American, Biles, Antwerp, Belgium

☆ China Evergrande says resumption guidance fulfilled, shares set to trade next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cranes stand at a construction site near the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 26, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song Acquire Licensing RightsAug 25 (Reuters) - Embattled property developer China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) said on Friday it has "adequately" fulfilled the resumption guidance issued by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and made an application to resume trading in shares on Aug. 28. Trading in the company's shares was suspended on March 21 last year after it failed to get back on its feet amid the debt crisis. On the same day, the company's unit, China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle (0708.HK), posted a loss attributable from continuing operations of 5.80 billion yuan ($795.84 million), compared with a loss of 3.87 billion, from a year ago. ($1 = 7.2879 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja DesaiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Evergrande, Roushni Nair, Pooja Desai Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Prism, Shanghai Ltd, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Energy, Thomson Locations: China, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Prism Hong Kong, Shanghai, U.S, United States, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG/AMSTERDAM, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Global investors fleeing China have one simple message for the country's leadership: put prudence aside for a short while, and start spending big. "At this point there is confusion and, as long as there is confusion, then there's lack of credibility and that means investors are more likely to stay away," said Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Global Investors in London. Prominent examples are heavy Chinese government spending during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and its swift intervention during the 2015 market crash. But the subsidies need to come from local governments, many of which are cash-strapped or even drowning in debt and unable to pay their civil servants. The lack of concrete stimulus measures now is prompting many China watchers to downgrade their growth estimates for the next few years.

Persons: Aly, China's, Seema Shah, Chen Zhao, Zhao, hasn't, Frederik Ducrozet, Ducrozet, Principal's Shah, Yan Wang, Xi Jinping's, we’ve, Lorraine Tan, Dhara Ranasinghe, Davide Barbuscia, Yoruk, Xie Yu, Ankur Banerjee, Tom Westbrook, Li Gu, Vidya Ranganathan, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Global, Global Investors, policymaking Politburo, Pictet Wealth Management, Local, UBS Bank, Federated Hermes, Foreigners, Asia, Morningstar, Thomson Locations: Huangpu, Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, AMSTERDAM, London, Beijing, Japan, United States, New York, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore

Leslie Maasdorp, Vice President and chief financial officer (CFO) of New Development Bank (NDB), speaks during an interview with Reuters at the bank's headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The New Development Bank of the BRICS group of nations will not be announcing new members at the BRICS Summit in South Africa this week, its Chief Financial Officer Leslie Maasdorp told Reuters on Wednesday. The bank, which was set up in 2015 to give BRICS members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa a greater say in financing infrastructure than in Western-led institutions like the World Bank, is keen to attract new members to boost its capital base after U.S. sanctions on Russia hobbled its lending. "The process of ratifying new countries is happening at the discussion of the (BRICS) leaders, which they are having without us as the bank," Maasdorp told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the summit. ($1 = 94.4650 roubles)Reporting by Rachel Savage; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Alexander Winning and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Leslie Maasdorp, Aly, Maasdorp, Rachel Savage, Bhargav Acharya, Alexander Winning, Emelia Organizations: New Development Bank, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, World Bank, United, United Arab Emirates, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, Western, Egypt, Bangladesh, United Arab, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina

☆ Baidu beats quarterly revenue estimates on strong advertising
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Baidu sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 22 (Reuters) - Chinese search engine and artificial intelligence company Baidu Inc (9888.HK) beat second-quarter revenue estimates on Tuesday, helped by strength in advertising. Baidu has also been promoting its generative artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) tool, Ernie, to jump on the AI bandwagon — a trend that has caught the attention of investors and consumers. The company's revenue for the quarter ended June 30 was 34.06 billion yuan ($4.67 billion), compared with analysts' average estimate of 33.28 billion yuan, according to Refinitiv data. ($1 = 7.2928 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Ernie, Robin Li, Baidu's, Akash Sriram, Brenda Goh, Shilpi Majumdar, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Baidu, Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, Baidu Inc, HK, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Micron says federal support necessary for Idaho, New York projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company logo is seen on the Micron Technology Inc. offices in Shanghai, China May 25, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 21 (Reuters) - Micron Technology (MU.O) said on Monday federal funding and investment tax credits would be necessary to develop its memory chip manufacturing facilities in Boise, Idaho and Clay, New York. President Joe Biden last year August signed a landmark bill to provide $52.7 billion in subsidies for U.S. semiconductor production and research. Micron said in September last year it will invest about $15 billion by 2032 for its facility in Idaho and the investment will create 17,000 jobs by 2030. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Joe Biden, Akash Sriram, Shinjini Organizations: Micron Technology Inc, REUTERS, Micron Technology, U.S . Department of Commerce, Micron, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Boise , Idaho, Clay , New York, Idaho, New York, Bengaluru

An AI (Artificial Intelligence) sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China July 6, 2023. Only works with human authors can receive copyrights, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said on Friday, affirming the U.S. The Copyright Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The Copyright Office has also rejected an artist's bid for copyrights on images generated through the AI system Midjourney, despite the artist's argument that the system was part of their creative process. Howell agreed with the Copyright Office and said human authorship is a "bedrock requirement of copyright" based on "centuries of settled understanding."

Persons: Aly, Beryl Howell, Stephen Thaler, Thaler, DABUS, Ryan Abbott, Howell, Blake Brittain, Alexia Garamfalvi, Conor Humphries Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, United, Washington , D.C, District, Autonomous, Copyright, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, United States, U.S, Washington ,, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Washington

☆ Long Covid symptoms create a greater burden of disability than heart disease or cancer, new study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

These health problems include heart problems, blood clots, diabetes, neurologic complications, fatigue and difficulties with mental health and have come to be known collectively as long Covid. That means long Covid creates a higher burden of disability than either heart disease or cancer, which cause about 52 and 50 DALYs for every 1,000 Americans, respectively, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study. Studies have since shown that vaccination and early treatment can help curb long covid risk. That may have resulted in some people being included in the control group when they should have been in the infection group. “Our findings highlight the substantial cumulative burden of health loss due to long Covid, and emphasize the ongoing need for health care for those faced with long Covid,” said Al-Aly.

Persons: DALY, weren’t, ”, Ziyad Al, Aly, “ That’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Al Organizations: CNN —, Institute for Health Metrics, Veterans Affairs, Louis Health Care, Nature, CNN, CNN Health

A view of logo of New Development Bank (NDB) at its headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 21 (Reuters) - The development bank founded by the so-called BRICS countries is planning to issue its first Indian rupee bond by October, its chief operating officer said on Monday, as the lender comes under pressure to raise and lend more in local currencies. "We're going to tap (the) Indian market - rupees - maybe by October in India," Kazbekov said. "Now we start thinking seriously... to use one member country's currency to finance projects with that currency in another member. Kazbekov declined to give a target size for the Indian rupee bond program, which Reuters had previously reported was in the process of being set up.

Persons: Aly, Vladimir Kazbekov, Kazbekov, Leslie Maasdorp, Rachel Savage, Hugh Lawson Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, United, Russia, ., Reuters, South, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Johannesburg, India, CNY

☆ Factbox: BRICS summit 2023: What's likely to be discussed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Putin will participate in the summit virtually and will be represented in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. BRICS EXPANSIONThe leaders are divided over the expansion of the bloc by adding new members, including the admission criteria. BRICS BANKThe group is also expected to discuss how to boost local currency fundraising and lending within the New Development Bank (NDB), or so-called BRICS bank. While the NDB, which was established in 2015, is still looking at the potential use of alternative currencies, there will be no talk about a common BRICS currency during the summit, South Africa's senior BRICS diplomat said. 'FRIENDS OF BRICS'The last day of the summit is expected to focus on talks with leaders from other countries.

Persons: Aly, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Enoch Godongwana, BRICS, Naledi Pandor, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Pandor, Anait Miridzhanian, Olivia Kumwenda, Tim Cocks, Nick Macfie Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Indian, International, Africa's Finance, Federal Reserve, United Arab, South African Foreign, Ukraine, Continental Free Trade Area, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Johannesburg, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, BRICS, United States, South, Bangladesh, Uruguay, Algeria, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Caribbean, France, Russian

A man walks past a No Entry traffic sign near the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 26, 2021. Evergrande's offshore debt restructuring involves a total of $31.7 billion, which include bonds, collaterals and repurchase obligations. Evergrande announced an offshore debt restructuring plan in March, expecting it to facilitate a gradual resumption of operations and generation of cash flow. Trading in China Evergrande shares has been suspended since March 2022. Shares of Evergrande Services (6666.HK) plunged as much as 20% on Friday, while China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group (0708.HK) lost as much as 17%.

Persons: Aly, Evergrande, Morgan Stanley, HSI, Clare Jim, Jonathan Stempel, Dietrich Knauth, Manya, Sumeet Chatterjee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, HONG KONG, China Evergrande, HK, Longfor, Tianji Holdings, British Virgin Islands, Co ., Evergrande Services, Energy Vehicle Group, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: China, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Asia, HONG, U.S, United States, Beijing, Manhattan, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, British Virgin, Land, New York, Trading, Bengaluru

A man walks past a No Entry traffic sign near the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 26, 2021. The developer's offshore debt restructuring involves a total of $31.7 billion, which include bonds, collaterals and repurchase obligationsThe sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. DEBT RESTRUCTURINGEvergrande announced an offshore debt restructuring plan in March, expecting it to facilitate a gradual resumption of operations and generation of cash flow. Trading in China Evergrande shares has been suspended since March 2022. Shares of Evergrande Services (6666.HK) plunged more than 12%, while China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group (0708.HK) dropped 8% on Friday.

Persons: Aly, Evergrande, Morgan Stanley, Hong, Clare Jim, Jonathan Stempel, Dietrich Knauth, Manya, Sumeet Chatterjee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, HONG KONG, China Evergrande, HK, British Virgin, Tianji Holdings, British Virgin Islands, Co ., Evergrande Services, Energy Vehicle Group, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: China, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, HONG, U.S, United States, Hong Kong, British, Manhattan, Cayman Islands, British Virgin, Land, New York, Trading, Bengaluru

☆ Heloc vs Home Equity Loan: When Are They a Good Idea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Aly J. Yale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

And might a home-equity loan or Heloc work for your financial needs? How home-equity loans and Helocs workHome-equity loans and Helocs—home equity lines of credit—are tools for borrowing from your home equity, or the portion of your property you actually own. To use a home-equity loan or Heloc, you need to start with a good amount of equity. Lenders generally require that you maintain at least 20% equity in the home after taking out a home-equity loan or Heloc. “With a home-equity loan or Heloc—depending on the amount of equity you have in the home—much higher amounts are available.”Home-equity loan or Heloc?

Persons: Aly J, Jeff Levinsohn, Helocs, “ We’ve, ”, Susan Waite, don’t, Zillow, Alex Madonna, Louis, ” Levinsohn, Kyle Enright, ” Madonna Organizations: Yale, Point Breeze Credit Union, Center for Joint Housing Studies, Mortgage, Association, New, ”, Federal Reserve Bank of St, “ Locations: Hunt Valley, Md, “

☆ China unveils measures to revive stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) proposed steps including cutting trading costs, supporting share buybacks and encouraging long-term investment to support a stock market (.CSI300) that has slid to nine-month lows. China's leaders vowed in late July to reinvigorate the stock market, which has been reeling as the country's economic recovery flags and woes in the property market deepen. The CSRC said on Friday that stablizing the stock market was a priority. "Without a relatively stable market environment, there's no basis for reviving the market and lifting sentiment," the regulator said. "The key to lifting market sentiment is to rescue the economy, and the property market is the crux," Niu said.

Persons: Aly, CSRC, Niu Chunbao, Niu, Pang Xichun, Jason Xue, Samuel Shen, Tom Westbrook, Toby Chopra, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Ministry of Finance, Wanji Asset Management, Nanjing RiskHunt Investment Management, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Nanjing, Singapore

☆ Furious Chinese investors lodge complaints over trust firm's missed payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Angry investors in trust products of a leading Chinese shadow bank have lodged complaint letters with regulators, pleading with the authorities to step in after the big Chinese trust firm missed payments on dozens of investment products. "Every day, a large number of people gathered at business departments of Zhongrong Trust are praying for the firm can give an explanation to investors ... investors are immersed in unlimited horror and fear every day." In the letter to the NFRA , investors demanded that Zhongrong provide reports of the underlying assets of defaulted products. "We hope officials can attach great attention to Zhongrong Trust ... and not let this to become a milestone vicious economic event," the letter sent to the NFRA said. In the letter to the CCDI, investors complained that management of Zhongrong failed to fulfill their responsibilities and caused huge losses to investors.

Persons: Aly, Zhongrong, didn't, NFRA, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Cogill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Trust Co, Investors, Financial Regulatory Administration, Central Commission, Reuters, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Zhongrong, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, Zhongrong

"The application is a normal procedure for the offshore debt restructuring and does not involve (a) bankruptcy petition," it said in the filing, adding it is pushing forward with its offshore debt restructuring. Evergrande's offshore debt restructuring involves a total of $31.7 billion, which include bonds, collateral and repurchase obligations. A man walks past a No Entry traffic sign near the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 26, 2021. China's economic and property woes and the absence of concrete stimulus steps have sent a chill through global markets. "The China property sector is like a black hole, so many developers have been dragged into it since two years ago after Evergrande," said Winner Zone Asset Management CEO and CIO Alan Luk.

Persons: Evergrande, Aly, Nomura, HSI, Alan Luk, Clare Jim, Jonathan Stempel, Dietrich Knauth, Manya, Sumeet Chatterjee, Shri Navaratnam, Kim Coghill Organizations: HONG KONG, China Evergrande, HK, U.S, Hong, British Virgin Islands, China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, Zhongrong International Trust Co, Longfor, Asset Management, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: China, Asia, HONG, U.S, United States, Hong Kong, British Virgin, New York, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Beijing, Bengaluru

☆ China Evergrande says bankruptcy protection filing does not involve petition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The company logo is seen on the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 26, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 18 (Reuters) - Embattled property developer China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) said on Friday its application to the U.S. Court for bankruptcy protection is a normal procedure for offshore debt restructuring and does not involve a bankruptcy petition. The company clarified that its U.S. dollar-denominated notes are governed by New York law and it has applied to the U.S. Court under Chapter 15 of the United States Code for approval of the arrangement under the offshore debt restructuring. Reporting by Roushni Nair in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Roushni Nair Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, U.S, Court, ., United States, Thomson Locations: China, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, New York, Bengaluru

☆ What China's big earnings say about the consumer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But general merchandise revenue fell by 8.6% from a year ago to 81.72 billion yuan. Marketing revenue rose by 8.5% to 22.51 billion yuan. TencentLivestreaming e-commerce saw 150% year-on-year growth in gross merchandise value in the second quarter to an unspecified number. Overall, Tencent reported earnings for the quarter that missed expectations, but showed a third-straight quarter of revenue growth. The overall Taobao and Tmall Group saw revenue grow by 12% to 114.95 billion yuan.

Persons: Aly Song, Tencent, ByteDance, Tim Cook, Li Ning Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, Reuters, Electronics, Tmall, Shanghai Disney, Universal Studios Beijing, Comcast, Baidu, Adidas, Fila, Apple Apple Locations: Shanghai, China, Reuters BEIJING, Douyin, Greater China

With equipment idling as construction slows and dwindling exports curb manufacturing, diesel demand is likely to ebb. Rystad Energy lowered its forecast for China's diesel demand for July to December this year to 3.81 million barrels per day (bpd) from an earlier outlook of 3.9 million bpd, though the new forecast is up 3.8% from the first half of 2023. "Diesel demand is still growing, but at a lower-than-expected rate," said Lin Ye, a Beijing-based downstream analyst at Rystad, citing the ailing property sector and deteriorating trade environment. An uptick in Chinese diesel demand earlier this year, driven by resurgent road freight transport in the first quarter, has lost momentum. August diesel exports are estimated at 650,000 to 800,000 tons, down from July's estimate of 1 million tons, data compiled by consultancy Longzhong and China-based trading analysts showed.

Persons: Aly, Lin Ye, Xia Shiqing, Wood Mackenzie, Mia Geng, Andrew Hayley, Trixie Yap, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Energy, International Energy Agency, IEA, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Huangpu, Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, Beijing, Asia, Longzhong, Singapore

[1/2] The company logo is seen on the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 26, 2021. An affiliate, Tianji Holdings, also sought Chapter 15 protection on Thursday in Manhattan bankruptcy court. The company proposed scheduling a Chapter 15 recognition hearing for Sept. 20. On Monday, its electric-vehicle unit China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group (0708.HK) announced its own proposed restructuring. Trading in China Evergrande shares was suspended in March 2022.

Persons: Aly, Evergrande, Hong, Evergrande NEV's, Jonathan Stempel, Dietrich Knauth, Manya, Anil D'Silva, Deepa Babington, Matthew Lewis Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, HK, Tianji Holdings, British Virgin Islands, British Virgin, Energy Vehicle Group, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: China, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, U.S, United States, Manhattan, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, British Virgin, British, Dubai, New York, Bengaluru

Yields on one-year real estate bonds rated AA- have widened 220 bps in the past month, data from Chinabond shows. That divergence reflects investors' expectations that Beijing will support LGFVs in order to minimise financial contagion, despite rising delinquencies among developers. Yields on LGFV bonds issued in August averaged around 3.9%, the lowest seen this year, according to data provider Dealing Matrix(DM). The chorus of economists calling for China to support LGFVs as part of measures to shore up the economy has grown. Chi Lo, Hong Kong-based senior economist at BNP Paribas Asset Management, said Beijing needs to refinance LGFV debt over the next three to five years to prevent the system from imploding.

Persons: Aly, Zhu Yangmo, LGFVs, Zhu, Chi Lo, Li Gu, Samuel Shen, Tom Westbrook, Vidya Ranganathan, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, China Central Depository, Asset Management, Garden Holdings, HK, China International Capital Corp, Tianjin Infrastructure Investment Group, AAA, China, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, Hainan, Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong, imploding, Singapore

Anxious retail investors are bombarding listed companies with questions about their exposure to Zhongrong, a subsidiary of Zhongzhi, after missed payments by the trust company triggered fears of wider contagion. Zhongzhi's financial trouble is the latest challenge for Chinese authorities as they battle to contain a worsening property sector crisis and revive a faltering recovery in the world's second-largest economy. The Wednesday's meeting was held after Zhongrong International Trust Co, a leading trust company controlled by Zhongzhi, missed payments on dozens of investment products since the end of July, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing sources. PROPERTY CRISISThe liquidity stress facing Zhongzhi highlights the ripple effect of an unprecedented debt crisis in China's property sector, which accounts for roughly a quarter of the economy that has rapidly lost momentum in recent months. Evergrande said late on Wednesday it would delay the voting date and scheme meetings with creditors for its offshore debt restructuring plan to Aug 23 and Aug 28, respectively, to give creditors more time to consider the terms.

Persons: Lehman, Morgan Stanley, Zhongzhi, Aly, Evergrande, Jason Xue, Clare Jim, Sumeet Chatterjee, Jacqueline Wong, Jamie Freed Organizations: Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Reuters, Citigroup, Big, Workers, REUTERS, International Trust Co, Zhongrong International Trust, China Evergrande, HK, Energy Vehicle Group, Evergrande, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, Beijing, China's, Zhongzhi, China, Wednesday's, Shanghai, Hong Kong

☆ How Bad Is a Second (or Third or Fourth) Case of Covid?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Dani Blum | More About Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Reinfection and long CovidThe chances you will get long Covid from a reinfection are fairly unpredictable — several experts interviewed for this story used the metaphor of Russian roulette. The milder your symptoms, the less likely you are to get long Covid, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. But every time you get infected, no matter the severity, there is always a chance that you can develop longer-term symptoms. Dr. Sala said he frequently sees patients who were more or less fine after their first couple of infections wind up with long Covid in the wake of a third or fourth infection. Still, it’s not a foregone conclusion that reinfection definitively raises the risk of long Covid, said Fikadu Tafesse, a virologist at Oregon Health & Science University.

Persons: Peter Chin, Ziyad Al, Aly, Sala, that’s, ”, it’s, reinfection, Fikadu Tafesse, “ Organizations: University of California, Nature Medicine, U.S . Department of Veterans Affairs, Louis Healthcare, Oregon Health & Science University Locations: San Francisco, St

The one unanimous conclusion they came to was that Beijing wants a greater state presence in these sectors. Kroeber says the crackdowns are about "defining what the state does, what the private sector does, and creating a more limited sandbox for the private sector to play in." That has left investors now picking the state over the private sector. The CCP's July Politburo meeting reinforced the message, with the top policymaking body pledging to put a floor under the property sector, help indebted local governments heal and boost consumer demand. Huang Yan, general manager of private fund manager Shanghai QiuYang Capital Co, said Beijing will crack down on any sector seen as increasing people's economic burden.

Persons: Aly, Jack, Arthur Kroeber, Kroeber, Zhang Kexing, Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong's, Thomas Masi, Masi, Xi, Nuno Fernandes, Fernandes, Huang Yan, Huang, Kumar Pandit, Pandit, Jason Xue, Ankur Banerjee, Vidya Ranganathan, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ant Group, CSI Medical Services, Beijing Tongrentang, HK, Poly, Beijing Gelei Asset Management, Communist Party's, Investors, Mao Zedong's Marxist, Boston, K Investment Management, Shanghai QiuYang, Somerset Capital, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights SHANGHAI, HONGKONG, Beijing, New York, London, Singapore

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