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☆ Morning Bid: Watching what the ECB giveth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Vidya Ranganathan. The forward-looking flash November PMIs due out globally should help investors assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts will begin. Interest rate futures show the market is pricing in rate cuts by April and more aggressively so in June . Later on Thursday, Sweden's central bank will announce its latest policy decision in what is expected to be a very close call on whether to hike again. A Reuters poll showed 10 of 19 economists looked for a rise, while market pricing is leaning against a move.

Persons: Vidya Ranganathan, haven't, Mario Centeno, Joachim Nagel's, Christine Lagarde's, Jeremy Hunt's, Van Haaren, ECB's Isabel Schnabel, Robert Holzmann, Francois Villeroy de, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Vidya, European Central, PMI, ECB, Reuters, Ubezpieczen SA, Virgin Money, Bank of France, Thomson Locations: Japan, United States, Britain, U.S, Sweden's

☆ Asia stocks hold recent gains as confidence grows on rate outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Investors are also looking to Chinese policymakers for clues on possible support for the long-suffering property market, in line with broader growth targets they are hammering out. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) edged down 0.11% in thin trading, with Japan and the United States on holiday. Chinese government advisers will recommend to an annual policymakers' meeting that economic growth targets for next year be set at 4.5% to 5.5%, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Markets have generally been buoyant this month, with stocks rallying on expectations of a more benign interest rate backdrop. The next set of forward-looking flash November PMIs will help investors to assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts might begin.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, shrugged, Redmond Wong, Brent, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Selena Li, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Saxo Markets, Nikkei, Reuters, Nasdaq, OPEC, FTSE, UK Finance, Thomson Locations: Exchange, Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Asia, Pacific, Japan, United States, U.S, Greater China, Australia, Britain

☆ China says Philippines enlists foreign force to stir trouble in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese military will maintain high vigilance, resolutely defend sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, China's military said. "The Philippines enlisted forces out of the region to patrol ... stirred up trouble and engaged in hype, undermining regional peace and stability," the southern theatre command of the Chinese military said. Relations have soured between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr as he pivots towards closer ties with the U.S., which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday China had warned the U.S. and the Philippines in connection with their patrols. A Chinese navy ship shadowed three U.S. and Philippine warships conducting joint patrols on Thursday, the Philippine armed forces chief, Romeo Brawner, told reporters.

Persons: Carlos Dominguez, Gao Hucheng, Damir Sagolj, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Mao Ning, Romeo Brawner, Brawner, Ella Cao, Bernard Orr, Liz Lee, Neil Jerome Morales, Edmund Klamann, Robert Birsel Organizations: Philippine, China's, REUTERS, U.S, Philippines, U.S ., Relations, South China, China, Philippine -, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Philippines, BEIJING, MANILA, Philippine, U.S, South China, Taiwan, South, Palawan, United States, Manila

☆ Morning Bid: Nvidia shares take bumpy ride after hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of NVIDIA as seen at its corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California, in May of 2022. Courtesy NVIDIA/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsA look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. The early focus was on Nvidia (NVDA.O), which in AI tech terms is the only company selling shovels during a gold rush. Volumes were so large and orders so backlogged that the price was - unusually - still moving erratically hours into the Asian day. A Reuters poll showed 10 of 19 economists looked for a rise, while market pricing is leaning against a move.

Persons: Wayne Cole, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, didn't, Hunt, ECB's Centeno, Elderson, Mester, Macklem, Edmund Klamann Organizations: NVIDIA, Handout, REUTERS, Nvidia, Treasury, Fed Bank of Cleveland, Bank of Canada, Thomson Locations: Santa Clara , California, Wayne, China, Sweden's

BEIJING, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Arab and Muslim ministers called on Monday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as their delegation visited Beijing on the first leg of a tour to push for an end to hostilities and to allow humanitarian aid into the devastated Palestinian enclave. Saudi Arabia has sought to press the United States and Israel for an end to hostilities in Gaza, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, gathered Arab and Muslim leaders to reinforce that message. Gaza's Hamas-run government said at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardments since then, including at least 5,500 children. 'BROTHER AND FRIEND'China's Wang said Beijing was a "good friend and brother of Arab and Muslim countries," adding it has "always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and interests." Reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Edmund Klamann & Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wang Yi, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Israel, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Sameh Shoukry, Beijing Irit Ben, Abba, China's Wang, COVID lockdowns, Xi, Wang, Zhai Jun, Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen, Edmund Klamann, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: . Security, of Islamic Cooperation, Saudi Foreign, Court, Hamas, Western, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Arab League, EU, Palestine, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Gaza, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine, Riyadh, Palestinian, United States, Israel, China, China's

☆ German police raid Iran-linked centre over suspected Hezbollah support
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] German police officers walk towards the Islamic Center Hamburg, during a raid, due to suspicion of members acting against a constitutional order and supporting the militant group Hezbollah in Hamburg, Germany, November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 16 (Reuters) - German police conducted raids early on Thursday in seven states over the Islamic Centre of Hamburg's suspected support for the militant group Hezbollah, the interior ministry said. "I want to make clear that we are acting against Islamists, not against a religion or another state," said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. In Hamburg alone, 300 officers conducted 31 searches in connection with the centre, the city's interior senator said. "The suspicions against the Islamic Centre of Hamburg are serious," and it has long been monitored by the domestic intelligence agency for Islamist activities, said Faeser.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Nancy Faeser, Linda Pasquini, Miranda Murray, Madeline Chambers, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Islamic Center, Hezbollah, REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Authorities, of, Lebanese, Thomson Locations: Islamic Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, Israel, Gaza, Iran, of Hamburg

☆ Stocks surge, dollar slumps as traders cheer inflation surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Overnight the Nasdaq (.IXIC) jumped 2.4%, bonds surged and the dollar slumped more than 1.6% on the euro. Yields fall when bond prices climb. In foreign exchange trade, the dollar suffered its heaviest selling in 12 months, with the sharpest losses against risk-sensitive currencies such as the Australian dollar. In Japan, the Bank of Japan stepped back and pared its regular bond buying as markets rallied. Ten-year Japanese government bond yields hit a one-month low of 0.775%.

Persons: Androniki, Sam Rines, Chetan Seth, Brent Donnelly, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Nikkei, REUTERS, Nasdaq, Federal, CPI, Japan's Nikkei, New Zealand, Nomura, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, SINGAPORE, Asia, Pacific, Texas, U.S, Canada

☆ Morning Bid: UK inflation to test market's upbeat mood
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ten-year and two-year Treasury yields dropped 20 basis points and the dollar marked its steepest selloff in a year, highlighting how much markets' expectations - and cash - were riding on the data. A pivot from hikes to cuts is now priced for May in the interest rate futures markets, with a 30% chance it happens as soon as March. Expectations are for a big shift down for October, mainly due to falling energy prices, with annual headline inflation seen slipping below 5% for the first time since 2021. Chipmaker Infineon (IFXGn.DE) and troubled energy company Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) post earnings on Wednesday, although the latter's numbers are likely to be overshadowed by Tuesday's promise of an $8 billion government backstop from Germany. A drop is forecast, while a strong reading could dampen the exuberance over rate cut expectations.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Tom Westbrook, Sterling, Al, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Tuesday's, Biden, Tom Wesbtrook, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, CPI, Infineon, Siemens Energy, Alstom, Target, San Francisco Bay Area, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, East, Israel, Gaza, Al Jazeera, United States, China, Singapore, Germany, San Francisco Bay

☆ Microsoft introduces its own chips for AI, with eye on cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft said it does not plan to sell the chips but instead will use them to power its own subscription software offerings and as part of its Azure cloud computing service. Microsoft and other tech giants such as Alphabet are grappling with the high cost of delivering AI services, which can be 10 times greater than for traditional services such as search engines. The Maia chip, they said, is optimized for that work. Microsoft also said that next year it will offer its Azure customers cloud services that run on the newest flagship chips from Nvidia (NVDA.O) and Advanced Micro Devices. He said the Maia chip would allow Microsoft to sell AI services in the cloud until personal computers and phones are powerful enough to handle them.

Persons: Maia, OpenAI, Scott Guthrie, Ben Bajarin, Bajarin, Microsoft's Guthrie, Guthrie, Rani Borkar, Borkar, Stephen Nellis, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, REUTERS Acquire, Wednesday, Ignite, Nvidia, Devices, Amazon Web Services, Arm Holdings, Amazon, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Thomson Locations: Redmond , Washington, Seattle, San Francisco

☆ Morning Bid: Frail yen teeters as US CPI looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Economists polled by Reuters expect headline U.S. consumer price inflation to slow to 3.3% in October from 3.7% in September, with the core inflation rate that strips out volatile components seen unchanged from September at 4.1%. If the battered currency breaks through last year's trough of 151.94, it would mark a 33-year low. In the corporate world, investors will keep an eye on Europe's most valuable company, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO). Shares of the Danish drugmaker rose on Monday after data showed that the heart-protective benefits of its popular obesity drug Wegovy are not solely due to weight loss. Key developments that could influence markets on Tuesday:Economic events: UK average weekly earnings for September, Euro Zone Q3 flash GDP, Euro Zone employment flash Q3Reporting by Ankur Banerjee; Editing by Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ankur Banerjee, David Cameron's, Jerome Powell, Shunichi Suzuki, Edmund Klamann Organizations: U.S, Japan, Ankur, Reuters, Federal Reserve, Japanese Finance, Novo Nordisk, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Britain, Danish

☆ Morning Bid: Chip stocks cheered while the rest retreat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, October 30, 2023. Monthly retail sales data is due on Wednesday but the country's Singles Day shopping extraganza over the weekend - equivalent to Black Friday sales elsewhere - recorded only meagre growth. A sub-index of tech shares remained firmly positive but another of mainland property developers slumped more than 1%. U.S. retail sales data is also due on Wednesday, preceded by CPI a day earlier. ECB President Christine Lagarde last week said that rates will stay restrictive at least for several quarters.

Persons: Kevin Buckland Chip, Christine Lagarde, Luis de Guindos, Catherine L, Mann, Huw Pill, BoE's Mann, Sweden SEB, Kevin Buckland, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Wall, Reuters, Nikkei, CPI, Federal Reserve, Finance, Bank of England, New York Fed, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Elswhere, Sweden

The capacity payments will be calculated based on fixed costs of 330 yuan ($45.25) per kilowatt per year for coal plants. Analysts said the move was important to ensure the financial viability of seldom-utilised, backup coal power, which is used for demand peaks or when renewable power generation is insufficient. However, observers also cautioned that the policy could risk entrenching inefficient coal power in China's energy system, despite its rapid expansion of renewable power generation capacity. "Capacity-based electricity pricing for coal power will further incentivise state-owned enterprises in China to build new coal power projects in the short term. Capacity payments should be for all power producers, not only for coal power," said Zhang Kai, deputy program director for Greenpeace East Asia in Beijing.

Persons: David Fishman, Xuewan Chen, Group's Fishman, Zhang Kai, Colleen Howe, Andrew Hayley, Edmund Klamann, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Kim Coghill Organizations: National Development, Reform Commission, Reuters, Analysts, Lantau, LSEG, Jinneng Holding, Power Co, Centre for Research, Energy, Clean, Greenpeace East, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Shanghai, Beijing, Shanxi, Jiangxi Ganneng, Hunan, Greenpeace East Asia

☆ Morning Bid: 'Not confident' Powell drags markets lower
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Since the Fed left rates unchanged last week, markets had increasingly grown confident that the peak in U.S. rates was in sight. But up stepped Powell to squash any hopes of an impending rate cut. "[The Fed] is committed to achieving a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation down to 2% over time," Powell said. That led stocks lower, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) skidding 1% to their lowest in a week. The rise in yields boosted the dollar, which is headed for its best week against the yen in three months.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Kevin Lamarque, Ankur Banerjee, Powell, Christine Lagarde, Walt Disney, policymaker Joachim Nagel, SNB's Thomas Moser, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Monetary Fund's, REUTERS, Ankur, European bourses, Treasury, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China's, U.S . Treasury, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, European, U.S, Commercial Bank of China's U.S, Norway, Sweden

☆ Ping An loses $2.1 billion in market value, China property rallies on Country Garden rescue report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Company logo of Ping An Insurance Group is shown at a news conference following the company's announcement of its annual results in Hong Kong, China March 16, 2016. Ping An's Hong Kong-listed shares tumbled 5.4%, their sharpest daily fall in more than a year, wiping out almost $2.1 billion in market capitalisation. "Such a move should mitigate or control the risks in the market," said Lu Wenxi, analyst at property agency Centaline. "This move is a big boost to market confidence, because now the whole real estate market, especially some major real estate enterprises are under pretty big pressure, and their bankruptcy risks triggering a chain reaction." Reporting by Anne Marie Roantree in Hong Kong.

Persons: Bobby Yip, Ping, Lu Wenxi, Anne Marie Roantree, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann, Kim Coghill Organizations: Ping An Insurance, REUTERS, Ping, Ping An Insurance Group, Reuters, HK, Ping An, China, Sunac China Holdings, Wanda, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Singapore

☆ Morning Bid: Waiting for word from the Fed chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell answers a question at a press conference following a closed two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on interest rate policy at the Federal Reserve in Washington, U.S., November 1, 2023. Last week's surprisingly soft jobs data heightened expectations that interest rates had peaked, but Fed commentary since then has warned against complacency in the fight against inflation. For now, investors have dialled up wagers on near-term rate cuts, with the Fed funds rate showing better than 50/50 odds for one as early as May. In Asia time, long-term Treasury yields are stuck around 4.58% and the dollar is biding its time around $1.07 per euro. While the Fed outlook dominates investors' attention, there is plenty of central bank speak in store from Europe as well.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Kevin Lamarque, Kevin Buckland, Jay Powell, Christine Lagarde, Philip Lane, Joachim Nagel, Pablo Hernandez de Cos, Andrew Bailey, Fed's Powell, Lagarde, BoE's Bailey, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Federal, Committee, Federal Reserve, REUTERS, Kevin, Kevin Buckland Markets, Reuters Graphics, Bank of Spain, Bank of England, Adidas, Airbus, Bayer, Continental, Credit Agricole, Federal Reserve Division of Research, Statistics, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Asia, Europe, Germany, Brussels, Irish

☆ SoftBank's WeWork, once most valuable US startup, succumbs to bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WeWork had office space available at 777 locations worldwide as of the end of June. In a filing with the New Jersey bankruptcy court, WeWork listed assets of $15.06 billion and liabilities of $18.66 billion as of June 30. Under its founder Adam Neumann, WeWork grew to be the most valuable U.S. startup worth $47 billion. WeWork engaged in debt restructurings, yet this was not enough to stave off its bankruptcy. Shortly before WeWork filed for bankruptcy, Neumann said in a statement, "I believe that, with the right strategy and team, a reorganization will enable WeWork to emerge successfully."

Persons: WeWork, SoftBank, Cadwalader, Taft, Kate Munsch, Adam Neumann, Sandeep Mathrani, Mathrani, David Tolley, Neumann, Greg Roumeliotis, Mrinmay Dey, Arun Koyyur, Rashmi Aich, Jamie Freed, Edmund Klamann Organizations: SoftBank, New, REUTERS, JPMorgan Chase, Intelsat, Thomson Locations: Canada, New Jersey, Wickersham, San Francisco , California, U.S, WeWork, SoftBank, Tokyo, New York, Bengaluru

Tuesday data showing a larger-than-expected fall in German industrial production in September contributed to the euro's weakness, said Fiona Cincotta, senior financial market analyst at City Index. The euro, like most other currencies, gained sharply on the dollar last week as a series of data points - most notably U.S. data from Friday showing job growth slowed in October - sent the U.S. unit lower. The dollar fell 1.4% last week, its steepest decline since mid-July, a sharp reversal after a recent run higher. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said on Monday the U.S. central bank likely has more work ahead to control inflation. The yen softened to 151.74 per dollar last week, edging closer to October 2022 lows that spurred several rounds of dollar-selling intervention.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Fiona Cincotta, Chester Ntonifor, Neel Kashkari, Jerome Powell, Carol Kong, Kong, Ankur Banerjee, Alun John, Sam Holmes, Miral Fahmy, Edmund Klamann, Kim Coghill, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, PMI, Federal, Treasury, BCA Research, Fed, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, U.S, Bank, Australian, Commonwealth Bank of, Aussie, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, LONDON, U.S, Australia, Tokyo, Singapore, London

☆ IMF upgrades China's 2023, 2024 GDP growth forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People wait to board trains at the Shanghai Hongqiao railway station ahead of the National Day holiday, in Shanghai, China September 28, 2023. GDP growth could slow to 4.6% in 2024 because of continued weakness in China's property sector and subdued external demand, the IMF said in a press release, albeit better than its October expectation of 4.2% in the IMF's World Economic Outlook (WEO). The combination of the downturn in the property sector and local government debt crunch could wipe out much of China's long-term growth potential, economists say. Local debt has reached 92 trillion yuan ($12.6 trillion), or 76% of China's economic output in 2022, up from 62.2% in 2019. China should also develop a comprehensive restructuring strategy to reduce the debt level of local government financing vehicles (LGFVs), she said.

Persons: Aly, IMF's, Gita Gopinath, Gopinath, LGFVs, Joe Cash, Ryan Woo, Edmund Klamann, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, China's, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, Gopinath

☆ EUROPE Australia hikes but tempers its outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Two women walk next to the Reserve Bank of Australia headquarters in central Sydney, Australia February 6, 2018. The Aussie dollar fell more than 0.8% and Australian government bonds rallied because the 25 basis point hike by the Reserve Bank of Australia came with a softening of language on whether further hikes would be needed. It was an otherwise quiet session in the absence of major updates that might have consequences for the interest rate outlook. Last week's chaos in Chinese money markets has subsided but it left behind a glimpse of financial pressures beneath the surface and the challenges around China's uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. British house prices, German industrial output and European producer prices are due later on Tuesday, as are earnings from UBS (UBSG.S).

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Tom Westbrook, Read, SoftBank, Benjamin Netanyahu, Fed's Waller, Logan, Schmid, ECB's de, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Reserve Bank of Australia, REUTERS, Bond, South, Read Reuters, UBS, 163rd Melbourne, NY, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Asia, Japan, British, Gaza

☆ Vietnam rare earths arrests include key figure in bid to build industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Luu Anh Tuan, Chairman of mining company VTRE in his Hanoi office with samples of rare earth oxides in Hanoi, Vietnam September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Francesco Guarascio/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHANOI, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Police in Vietnam have arrested six people accused of violating mining regulations, including the chairman of a company at the heart of efforts to develop Vietnam's rare earth industry, seizing 13,715 tons of rare earths ores. VTRE has partnered with Australian mining companies Australian Strategic Materials (ASM) (ASM.AX) and Blackstone Minerals LTD (BSX.AX), which were not involved in the investigation. ASM signed a binding agreement in April with VTRE for the purchase of 100 tons of processed rare earths this year, and committed to negotiating a longer-term supply deal. Vietnam is planning to organise auctions for concessions at its largely unexploited rare earths mines, which are considered to contain the world's second biggest deposits of the critical minerals used in electric cars and wind turbines.

Persons: Anh Tuan, Francesco Guarascio, Yen Bai, VTRE, Blackstone, Dong Pao, Tuan, Doan Van Huan, Khanh Vu, Edmund Klamann, Martin Petty Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Police, Earth JSC, Duong Group, Ministry of Public Security, Strategic Materials, Blackstone Minerals LTD, Blackstone, ASM, Australian, Thai Duong Group, Thomson Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, Rights HANOI, Vietnamese, Yen, Lai Chau, Yen Bai

☆ China leaves benchmark lending rates unchanged as expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A woman walks past the headquarters of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, in Beijing, China September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, Oct 20 (Reuters) - China kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged at the monthly fixing on Friday, matching market expectations, as a set of economic data suggested the economy is stabilising and a weaker yuan constrained further monetary easing. The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was kept at 3.45%, while the five-year LPR was unchanged at 4.20%. Most new and outstanding loans in China are based on the one-year LPR, while the five-year rate influences the pricing of mortgages. China cut the one-year benchmark lending rate in August but surprised markets by keeping the five-year rate unchanged.

Persons: Jason Lee, Li Gu, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, TD Securities, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE

☆ Morning Bid: Bonds haunted by uncertainties old and new
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsA look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom WestbrookIt's looking like the worst week of another bad year for bonds. Curiously, the dollar hasn't moved higher with the latest leap in yields, perhaps because currency traders see recession in the offing. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said little that markets didn't already know on Thursday, but in keeping his options open he kept the pressure on bonds. "A range of uncertainties, both old and new, complicate our task of balancing the risk of tightening monetary policy too much against the risk of tightening too little," he said.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Tom Westbrook It's, Brent Donnelly, Jerome Powell, Joe Biden, Israel, Fed's Mester, Harker, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Spectra Markets, MSCI's, Bank of Japan, North America ., Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, New York, MSCI's Asia, Japan, Gaza, China, London, North America

☆ BOJ to release quarterly report that may offer clues on wages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan will release a regional economic report on Thursday that may offer clues on whether companies across the country will raise wages next year, and help lay the groundwork for phasing out the central bank's massive monetary stimulus. The report, due at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT), will be closely scrutinised by the central bank's nine-member board at its Oct. 30 to 31 policy meeting, which will compile fresh quarterly growth and inflation projections. The report is drawing more attention than usual this time for possible early clues on whether wage hikes will continue next year and broaden out to smaller firms. That would be seen as a key condition for the BOJ to dial back its stimulus, analysts say. The key for policymakers, however, is whether companies keep hiking wages next year, including smaller firms and across regions.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Rengo, Leika Kihara, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Bank of Japan, NHK, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

☆ Morning Bid: Risk aversion grips markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An investor sits in front of a board showing stock information at a brokerage office in Beijing, China, December 7, 2018. The sell-off in the bond market continued into Asian hours, with the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield at 4.949%, its highest since mid-2007. That weighed on regional bond markets in Asia, with Japanese government bonds yields hitting decade highs. Futures indicated that European stock markets are due to open much lower as risk aversion takes hold, while the European economic calendar is bare. Netflix makes many of its shows and movies overseas, which accounted for the bulk of its new sign-ups.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Banerjee, Biden, Jerome Powell, Elon Musk, shrugging, Powell, Ankur Banerjee, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Netflix, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Israel, Venezuela, France

☆ Morning Bid: Equity bounce ebbs with eyes on Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli soldiers stand near to a tank near Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, October 16, 2023. U.S. and European equity futures were flat, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) rose 0.7%. British wages data, U.S. retail sales figures and corporate earnings are the calendar items in focus. In China, where gross domestic product data is due on Wednesday, Country Garden (2007.HK) was on the brink of a possible offshore default. Reuters reported China's civil servants and state-enterprise employees face tighter travel constraints, as Beijing wages a campaign against foreign influence.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Tom Westbrook, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Goldman Sachs, Johnson, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Israel, Investors, Tel, HK, Reuters, Bank of Australia, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Tom, Tom Westbrook Asia, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Russian, Beijing, China, Iran, Tel Aviv, Australia, New Zealand

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