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☆ Chinese stocks get brief uplift from first share dealing tax cut since 2008
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has made a series of moves to restore investor confidence in the world’s second largest economy, including cutting a tax on stock trading for the first time since 2008. Foreign investors dumped billions of dollars worth of Chinese stocks over the past few weeks as the prospects for the economy dimmed. The announcements boosted Chinese stocks on Monday. Separately on Sunday, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) the country’s top securities watchdog, also unveiled several measures to “boost investor confidence” in the sagging stock market. Chinese stock markets have declined sharply in recent weeks, as investors fretted about a worsening slowdown in the world’s second largest economy and its real estate crisis.

Persons: ”, Chris Liu, ” Liu, Ken Cheung, Seng Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ministry of Finance, State Administration of Taxation, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Hong Kong’s Stock Connect, China’s, Mizuho Bank, Shanghai Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, China’s Shanghai

☆ How Ozempic and Weight Loss Drugs Are Reshaping This Country’s Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Eshe Nelson | More About Eshe Nelson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But Denmark keeps the krone pegged to the euro, and so when the krone rises in value, “the central bank has to respond,” he added. The central bank has been spending kroner to purchase foreign exchange and building up reserves. Because of these purchases, the central bank has also increased the gap between Denmark’s interest rates and the ones set by the European Central Bank. The central bank declined to comment for this article. It caused the country’s currency to soar, in the process making other exports expensive and uncompetitive and hampering the overall Dutch economy.

Persons: Mr, Pedersen, Helge J Organizations: Novo Nordisk, krone, Danske Bank, European Central Bank, —, Nokia Locations: United States, Denmark

☆ Bhutan cuts daily tourist fee by half to lure more visitors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This is in view of the important role of the tourism sector in generating employment, earning foreign exchange ... and in boosting overall economic growth," it said. Isolated for generations, Bhutan opened to tourists in 1974 when it received 300 visitors. The tourist fee has limited arrivals to bigger spenders who make up a fraction of the numbers that visit nearby Nepal. Nevertheless, Bhutan hopes to raise the contribution of tourism to its $3 billion economy 20%, from about 5%. In June, the government eased rules on length of stay and fees for tourists but numbers have not picked up as expected.

Persons: Dorji Dhradhul, Dhradhul, Gopal Sharma, Robert Birsel Organizations: Department of Tourism, Thomson Locations: KATHMANDU, Bhutan, COVID, Nepal

☆ What happens in Jackson Hole doesn’t stay in Jackson Hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Most of the year, people visit Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to ski, fly fish or simply enjoy the region’s vast natural beauty. Setting the stage: the economic backdropInflation has slowed significantly since last year’s Jackson Hole conference, alongside glimmers of a cooling labor market. A look back at past Jackson Hole conferencesLast year’s Jackson Hole conference was notable not just because it was the first time in two years that economists gathered in person. Months after Bernanke’s Jackson Hole speech, he unveiled a whole new phase of bond-purchasing in what has now become known as QE2. A columnist for the Financial Times went so far as to say that Draghi “certainly stole the show this year [at Jackson Hole].”No matter what comes out of the conference this year, it’s clear that what happens in Jackson Hole doesn’t stay in Jackson Hole.

Persons: Jackson, Jerome Powell, He’ll, Michael Cahill, Goldman Sachs, Powell, —, Ben Bernanke, ”, Cahill, “, Bernanke’s Jackson, Bernanke, Janet Yellen, “ it’s, ” Cahill, Michael Woodford, John Williams, Williams, European Central Bank Mario Draghi Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal, Kansas City Fed, Jackson, Fed, Traders, Goldman, CNN, Columbia University, ” New York Fed, San Francisco Fed, European Central Bank, ECB, Financial Times Locations: New York, , Wyoming, Woodstock, Jackson

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

☆ Citi buys stake in Peruvian foreign exchange fintech
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Tatiana Bautzer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Citigroup has acquired a stake in Peruvian foreign exchange startup Rextie, its first fintech investment in Latin America. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Citi and Rextie executives said the bank is injecting cash into the company to finance its growth. Rextie, founded in 2016, has closed so far $4.5 billion in forex transactions and expects to reach $7 billion by the end of next year. Rextie provides forex transactions through digital channels to 12,000 mid-sized and small companies in Peru and 170,000 individuals. Aldo Alvarez, Head of Institutional Strategic and Fintech Investments for LATAM at Citi, said the deal creates opportunities to offer the bank's products to Rextie clients.

Persons: Rextie, Aldo Alvarez, Mateu Batle, Tatiana Bautzer, Miral Organizations: Citigroup, Citi, Institutional, Fintech Investments, LATAM, Thomson Locations: Latin America, Peru

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

☆ Dollar hovers near two-month high, yen near 146/dlr
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six rivals, was at 103.55, not far from the two-month high of 103.71 it touched on Tuesday. The index is up 1.6% in August and is on course to snap its two-month losing streak. The Australian dollar rose 0.40% to $0.645, while the New Zealand dollar rose 0.29% to $0.596. In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin last rose 0.77% to $26,049, having touched two-month low of $25,350 overnight.

Persons: Florence Lo, Christopher Wong, Jerome Powell's, Wong, Thomas Barkin, Saira Malik, Atsushi Takeuchi, Fumio, Takeuchi, bitcoin, Ankur Banerjee, Christopher Cushing Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Rights, Federal Reserve, Richmond Fed, Nuveen, Bank of, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: , Wyoming, OCBC, Singapore, U.S, tenterhooks, Tokyo, Japan

☆ Dollar hovers near two-month high, yen near 146 per dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Photo taken on April 20, 2022 shows the Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes in Tokyo, Japan. Photo taken on April 20, 2022 shows the Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes in Tokyo, Japan. The U.S. dollar perched near a two-month peak on Wednesday as investors looked to the Federal Reserve chair's speech this week for cues on the path of monetary policy, while the yen loitered near 146 a dollar, keeping traders guessing on any intervention. The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six rivals, was at 103.55, not far from the two-month high of 103.71 it touched on Tuesday. In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin last rose 0.77% to $26,049, having touched two-month low of $25,350 overnight.

Persons: Christopher Wong, Jerome Powell's, Wong, Thomas Barkin, Saira Malik, Atsushi Takeuchi, Fumio, Takeuchi, bitcoin Organizations: U.S, The U.S, Federal Reserve, Richmond Fed, Nuveen, Bank of, New Zealand Locations: Tokyo, Japan, The, , Wyoming, OCBC, Singapore, U.S, tenterhooks

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

☆ Exclusive: Argentina to use IMF money to pay back part of a currency swap with China -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. The cash-strapped economy has used money from the Chinese swap line to pay for imports as well as repay IMF debt. The swap line that the PBOC signed in 2009 with Buenos Aires was the first agreed with a Latin American country. Neither China nor Argentina have released much detail of the swap arrangement or any borrowing under it, so little is known about the currency line signed more than a decade ago. "The funds that will be disbursed today go in part to Qatar, to CAF and will lower the level of how much has been used from the swap line.

Persons: Yuri Gripas, PBOC, Jorgelina, Jorge Otaola, Karin Strohecker, Sandra Maler Organizations: Monetary Fund, REUTERS, International Monetary Fund, People's Bank of China, Fund, Buenos Aires, Development Bank of Latin, CAF, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Argentina, China, Buenos Aires, Buenos, American, Development Bank of Latin America, Qatar, SDRs, U.S, Rosario

Reuters Image Acquire Licensing RightsReuters Image Acquire Licensing RightsReuters Image Acquire Licensing RightsTo be sure, Japan and China are still forces to be reckoned with. But they don't bestride the Treasuries market like they once did, nor does the threat of them selling strike the same fear into bond investors, global markets at large, and even policymakers in Washington. China's Treasuries holdings fell a valuation-adjusted $34 billion in the first half of the year, although its U.S. agency debt holdings rose nearly $20 billion. Reuters Image Acquire Licensing RightsReuters Image Acquire Licensing RightsWith U.S. bond yields at their highest since the late 2000s, the widening yield gap is pushing the yuan and yen to historically low levels against the dollar. Speculation is rising that Beijing or Tokyo could soon dip into their Treasuries holdings to fund dollar-selling intervention in the currency market.

Persons: Kim Hong, Brad Setser, Carol Bertaut, Ruth Judson, Judson, Jamie McGeever, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: South Korean, REUTERS, Rights, Treasuries, . Treasury, Federal Reserve, Reuters, of Foreign Relations, Treasury, U.S, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: Rights ORLANDO , Florida, Japan, China, Belgium, Britain, Washington, Foreign, U.S, Beijing, Tokyo

☆ Ex-BOJ official predicts no yen intervention until breach of 150 threshold
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar stood at 146.125 yen on Tuesday, staying near a nine-month high of 146.565 hit last Thursday. But anxiety over the weak yen appears less than a year ago as households are becoming accustomed to rising prices, he said. The benefits of a weak yen are also becoming clearer due to Japan's re-opening of borders, which is reviving inbound tourism and domestic service-sector firms, he added. "Public discontent over the weak yen isn't escalating to a scale seen last year," he said. But authorities could intervene if the yen speeds up its pace of declines and breaches 150 to the dollar, he said.

Persons: Yen, Dado Ruvic, Takeuchi, Kishida, Fumio Kishida, Atsushi Takeuchi, Japan's, Leika Kihara, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, FX, Reuters, Ricoh Institute of Sustainability, Ministry of Finance, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, TOKYO, Japan

New Governor of Bank of Japan Kazuo Ueda meets Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at prime minister?s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, April 10, 2023. The discussions took place in the wake of the dollar's recent ascent above 145 yen, a level that in September 2022 triggered Japan's first yen-buying operation since 1998. "There wasn't anything in particular discussed today," Ueda told reporters after the meeting, when asked whether the two held talks on recent exchange-rate volatility. Ueda also said he explained to Kishida the Bank of Japan's decision last month to loosen its grip on long-term interest rates. It was the second such meeting since Ueda assumed the top BOJ post in April.

Persons: Bank of Japan Kazuo Ueda, Fumio Kishida, Kimimasa, Ueda Yen, Kazuo Ueda, Japan's, Ueda, Haruhiko, Shunichi Suzuki, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Satoshi Sugiyama, Chang, Ran Kim, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS Acquire, Ueda, Bank of, Soaring U.S, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

☆ China state banks seen mopping up offshore yuan to stem currency weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Coins and banknotes of China's yuan are seen in this illustration picture taken February 24, 2022. Tightening up offshore yuan liquidity could also act to stabilise the yuan, one of the sources said. Following the state bank move, the offshore yuan rallied and was last trading at around 7.2834 per dollar, up around 0.3% on the day. The cost of shorting the yuan jumped, the state bank sources told Reuters, as seen from sudden rises in offshore yuan tomorrow-next forward points . During London trade, offshore yuan forwards jumped across the board amid signs of yuan liquidity tightness, with several banking sources attributing the liquidity squeeze to the activity by banks.

Persons: Florence Lo, Masayuki Kichikawa, Alvin Tan, Kevin Buckland, Ed Osmond, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, greenback, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, Reuters, People's Bank of China, Asia FX, RBC Capital Markets, UBS, Shanghai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: China, London, Asia, Tokyo

☆ Yuan slide half pulls Beijing out of its inertia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Yawen Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Support measures appear piecemeal, the latest include a move to extend trading hours to jolt a battered stock market. But if there’s one thing that authorities cannot let slide, it is the weakening currency. Slowing economic growth also has forced the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) to cut interest rates against Western counterparts’ aggressive rate hikes. Policymakers also could increase offshore issuance of yuan bills in Hong Kong, and there’s always the option of introducing more stringent capital controls. The central bank will "resolutely" prevent excessive movement in the yuan, the report said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Bond, there’s, Xi, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, People’s Bank of China, Western, People's Bank of China, Thomson Locations: China, Hong Kong, U.S

☆ India's central bank urges lenders to de-dollarize trade with the UAE using local currencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

India's central bank is asking lenders to promote local currencies when trading with the UAE, Reuters reported. The central bank hopes to stem India's outflow of greenbacks and help promote the rupee internationally, according to the report. A central bank official delivered the message to foreign exchange dealers during a seminar this month, Reuters said. The request from the central bank comes as India and the UAE have set themselves on a de-dollarization path. Meanwhile, banks are also offering smaller companies discounted service charges to incentivize local currency transactions.

Persons: South Africa —, Jim O'Neill Organizations: UAE, Reuters, Service, Reserve Bank of India, United Arab, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, — Locations: India, UAE, Wall, Silicon, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Ukraine, Russia, — Brazil, China, South Africa

☆ China's state banks seen mopping up offshore yuan liquidity - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Coins and banknotes of China's yuan are seen in this illustration picture taken February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Aug 21 (Reuters) - China's major state-owned banks were seen actively mopping up offshore yuan liquidity on Monday, three people with knowledge of the matter said, a move that raised the cost of shorting the Chinese currency. Tightening up offshore yuan liquidity could also act to stabilise the yuan, said one of the sources. The cost of shorting the yuan jumped, the sources said, as seen from sudden rises in offshore yuan tomorrow-next forward points . China's major state-owned banks were seen busy selling U.S. dollars to buy yuan in both onshore and offshore spot foreign exchange markets last week, sources told Reuters, in an attempt to arrest the yuan's rapid losses.

Persons: Florence Lo, Ed Osmond, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Shanghai, Thomson

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

A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) logo is seen inside its headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 6, 2023. India's trade deficit with the UAE was $21.62 billion in 2022/23, or 8.2% of its total deficit, government data shows. An RBI official communicated this message verbally to foreign exchange dealers at a seminar this month, four sources said. The central bank is "keen that volumes of such trades go up" and "has assured the market that they will be ready to support banks with INR-AED trades," this banker said. "The RBI is telling banks to first encourage large clients and corporates to start INR-AED trades because their balance sheets are relatively stronger," another banker said.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, corporates, Siddhi Nayak, Jaspreet, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Bank of India, REUTERS, Rights, United Arab, Reuters, Reserve Bank, Indian Oil Corp, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Rights MUMBAI, DELHI, United Arab Emirates, UAE, dirhams, Abu Dhabi

☆ The dedollarization drive is facing a confidence crisis as the yuan, ruble and Argentine peso simultaneously plummet, an analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Slumps in the ruble, yuan, and Argentine peso underscore how the US dollar is a more reliable currency, an expert told Insider. In the past week alone, the Chinese yuan, Russian ruble, and the Argentine peso plunged, forcing the countries' central banks to take drastic measures to calm markets. The Chinese currency fell Thursday to its weakest level this year amid investor anxiety over the deepening slowdown in the world's second-largest economy. Last month, Russian president Vladimir Putin said more than 80% of his country's trade with China is settled in the yuan and ruble. "The recent decline and volatility in the Chinese Yuan, the Russian Ruble, and to a lesser extent the Argentine Peso, will only add further challenges to the idea of de-dollarization," Zain Vawda, market analyst at DailyFX, said.

Persons: Slumps, Vladimir Putin, Yuan, Zain, Vawda, Paul Krugman, Larry Summers, It's Organizations: Service, Argentine, International Monetary Fund Locations: Argentine, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Argentina, Moscow, Beijing, Russian, China

☆ 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

☆ China's central bank steps up intervention after yuan hits 16-year low against greenback
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The yuan midpoint is a reference point for trading, and caps the range between +2% and -2%. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart iconFriday's move comes after the onshore yuan fell to a 16-year low against the greenback on Wednesday, trading at 7.2981. The onshore yuan strengthened 0.1% against the greenback at 7.2836 on Friday, and the offshore yuan weakened marginally to 7.3057. The onshore yuan is traded on the mainland and referred to as the CNY, while the offshore yuan — traded in markets like Hong Kong and Singapore — is referred to as the CNH. It vowed to "maintain the basic stability of the RMB exchange rate at a reasonable and balanced level, and resolutely prevent the risk of exchange rate overshoot."

Persons: Vishnu Varathan Organizations: Nurphoto, People's Bank of, U.S, Reuters, Mizuho Bank Locations: Fuyang city, East China's Anhui, People's Bank of China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Asia, Oceania

Second-quarter annual growth came in at 2.9%, central bank data showed. The economy is facing downside risks stemming from weaker-than-expected global growth, and a deeper or longer-than-expected technology downcycle," Governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour told a news conference. While he does not expect a worldwide recession, the governor said global growth will be below the long-term average. Malaysian consumers are also likely to be cautious in their spending going forward, leading to slower economic growth in the second half, he said. On Friday, the central bank said while cost pressures have eased, headline and core inflation will moderate further in the second half partly due to a higher comparative base last year.

Persons: Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, El Nino, Abdul Rasheed, Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, Mohd Afzanizam, Alex Holmes, Holmes, BNM, Mei Mei Chu, Martin Petty, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: China, Reuters, Bank Negara, Bank Muamalat, Oxford Economics, U.S, Thomson Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, Bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, Malaysia, Bank Muamalat Malaysia

[1/2] China's President Xi Jinping takes his seat at the first closed session of the leaders of the BRICS summit meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 26, 2018. China's interactions with African leaders will follow last month's Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, where Russian President Vladimir Putin held court with the 17 African heads of state who attended out of the 54 African countries invited. Chen said Xi and African leaders will draw up a blueprint for cooperation to create jobs and improve livelihoods in Africa. It is not clear yet how many heads of state will attend the Aug. 22-24 BRICS summit, but South African officials said more than 70 had been invited. Between 2000 and 2020, Chinese lenders, mostly state-owned banks, agreed to lend $160 billion to African countries, according to Boston University, and Chinese companies have also invested heavily in mining on the continent.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Gianluigi, Chen Xiaodong, Xi, Cyril Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin, Chen, Macky Sall, Azali Assoumani, Carien du Plessis, Rachel Savage, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Rights, Forum for China Africa Cooperation, Union, Boston University, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights PRETORIA, China, Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, South, Pretoria, St Petersburg, Comoros

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